Vitus Energy has welcomed four new members to their team.

Clint Seegers began his career with Vitus Energy in 2016 as a receivables and customer service professional. He was responsible for invoicing and accounts receivable records for Vitus’ Bethel location. From there he was promoted to account administrator for the Bethel location and is now the Customer Service Manager responsible for coordinating communication, marketing, and sales with potential customers in new service areas throughout Alaska. Seegers has a bachelor’s in business management from Ottawa University and has more than fifteen years’ related experience.

James Porcelli, Systems Manager, has more than twenty years of experience in data communications and enterprise level networking. He is a Microsoft Certified System Engineer and has a bachelor’s in occupational education with an emphasis in information technology and management. Porcelli comes to Vitus Energy from an Alaska Native corporation where he implemented network security and established IT standards for hardware, software, and network infrastructure.

Kenneth Eickhoff, Controller, is a Certified Fraud Examiner with a bachelor’s of science and more than twenty years of experience in the financial industry. Most recently, he served as the controller for a local transportation company where he oversaw all accounting functions for multiple locations, conducted financial forecasting and budget monitoring, and completed regulatory reporting for federal, state, and local agencies. Eickhoff is responsible to lead the invoicing, vendor payment, general ledger accounting, payroll processing, closing processes, and tax and audit preparation for Vitus Energy.

Tara Abbott, Billing Manager, originally hails from Ohio where she owned a business for fourteen years. She recently moved to Anchorage from Kodiak, where she worked for the City of Kodiak, Harbor Department. At the Harbor, she was the fiscal specialist in charge of the Harbor office and was responsible for the monthly invoice billing, record management, and budgeting. She has a bachelor’s of computer information systems with a concentration in business administration. Abbott is responsible for Vitus Energy’s billing department processes, including invoice production, cash collection, posting, and sales tax submission activities.

Cornerstone expanded their project management and estimating team by hiring Nate Seymour to focus on private sector business development and projects. Seymour brings invaluable experience to the project management department and deeply understands project development and execution. He has more than eleven years of construction experience, including working key positions for general contractors, mechanical subcontractors, real estate investing companies, and most recently owning his own construction and real estate consulting firm. Seymour earned a bachelor’s in construction management from UAA and is currently studying for the Project Management Professional Certification exam.

Coffman Engineers announced the promotion of Matt Stielstra to Principal and Structural Department Manager at the Anchorage Office. Stielstra received his bachelor’s in architecture from Oklahoma State University and his master’s from Penn State University. He worked at an A/E firm in Springfield, Missouri his first year after graduate school before moving back to his home state of Alaska and joining Coffman in the fall of 2008. Stielstra is a licensed civil engineer in Alaska, a licensed structural engineer in Alaska and Hawaii, and a licensed architectural engineer in Washington. Stielstra has worked on an array of building and nonbuilding structures for industrial, oil and gas, commercial, and government clients. Project types have varied from steel framed modules on Alaska’s North Slope to wood framed rural schools and concrete warehouses in Guam.

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Board of Directors named Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson as President, removing interim from the title. Davidson has been serving as Interim President since mid-March. With this change, Davidson is stepping down from her role as President of Alaska Pacific University, from which she has been on a leave of absence. Davidson is Yup’ik and an enrolled Tribal citizen of the Orutsararmiut Traditional Native Council. In 2018, she became the first Alaska Native woman to serve as Alaska’s Lieutenant Governor, after previously serving as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services. In that role, her visionary leadership and ability to manage difficult dialogues, diverse leaders, and expansive teams prepared her for this new chapter in her career.

UAF appointed fisheries scientist Andy Seitz as the university’s first Frank and Marjorie Meek Endowed Chair in Fisheries and Ocean Sciences.

Seitz is an internationally recognized expert in fish migration and behavior and a professor in the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. Seitz’s research focuses on understanding large-scale oceanic migrations of fish and their interactions with tidal and wave energy systems. Since his appointment as UAF assistant professor of fisheries in 2009, Seitz has advised numerous undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom are part of Alaska’s workforce in agencies and the private sector.

Professional Growth Systems is pleased to welcome Drew Cason to its planning and process improvement consulting bench. Cason is a third generation Alaskan who is excited to bring his passion for high-functioning systems to bear for PGS clients. After graduating from UAA in 2013 with bachelors in environment and society and philosophy, he spent two years as a lobbyist in Washington DC as the Associate in Jack Ferguson Associates. Eager to return to Alaska, Cason worked for Denali Daniels Associates (DDA) for a year supporting the Department of Energy in Alaska and getting his first taste of being a professional facilitator, helping the Alaska Children’s Trust work with stakeholders to leverage data to maximize the positive impact on Alaska youth. Following his time with DDA, he pursued his interest in Alaska’s fiscal situation and was hired by the newly formed bipartisan House Majority Coalition as Deputy Press Secretary for two years and aide to Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon for one. In the legislature, Cason worked with legislators on public speaking, press releases, and internal caucus strategy, as well as carrying legislation and responding to constituent issues in Southwest Alaska.

First National Bank Alaska’s Board of Directors recently announced Steven Patin has joined the state’s largest locally owned community bank as Human Resources Director and Senior Vice President. In his new role, Patin provides strategic human resources leadership and directs talent management, compensation and benefits, employee relations, and policies at the bank. He leverages two decades as a former US Army officer and more than ten years of executive experience to continue building the values of innovation, engagement, and agility that have made First National the Best Place to Work in Alaska since 2016. Patin graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point concentrating in behavioral science and systems engineering before earning a master’s in human resources management and another in administration and supervision.

Katherine Jernstrom is joining the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development (UA CED) for her second year as the Entrepreneur-in-Residence. In this role, Jernstrom applies her years of experience as an entrepreneur and investor to entrepreneur development programming, coaching and mentoring, and broader entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Jernstrom grew up internationally, has a bachelor’s from the University of Washington, an MPA from UAA, and is a graduate of Leadership Anchorage, a Pew Charitable Trusts program. She serves on both private and charitable boards including Spawn Ideas, Heather’s Choice, and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership. She is a member of the Alaska Investor Network and is a Rotarian.