The Alaska Native regional corporation for the Prince William Sound and the northern Gulf of Alaska promoted CFO Angie Astle to Interim CEO. Astle is also Chugach Alaska’s executive vice president of finance and president of Chugach Investment Holdings. As interim CEO, Astle is responsible for all Chugach Alaska’s federal and commercial business lines and the 4,500 employees who support them. She continues to work closely with Chairman of the Board Sheri Buretta and President Josie Hickel, while the board has launched a nationwide search for a permanent hire. Astle has been with Chugach Alaska since the ‘90s and became a member of the executive team in 2010. Prior to joining Chugach, she worked at Deloitte and Touche as a senior auditor. Astle holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s in accounting from the University of Montana.

The largest private landowner in Alaska has a new Vice President of Lands. Doyon, Limited promoted forestry scientist Molly Redilla to lead the department she has been working in since November. Redilla has a PhD in forestry and spatial ecology from Michigan State University, where she previously earned her bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife with a concentration in wildlife biology and management. She was a postdoctoral research fellow at North Carolina State University, where she researched ways to help stop the spread of invasive insects. At Doyon, Limited, Redilla has overseen the Carbon Forestry Project as a Lands and Natural Resources Specialist IV. She also led forestry, fire, and invasive species-related programs.

A subsidiary of the Alaska Native regional corporation for Kodiak Island has a new CEO. Phil Vollands is now in charge at Koniag Energy & Water (KEW), which provides operational support in the oil and gas and water and wastewater industries. KEW does design, engineering, automation, fabrication, and installation in Alaska and in Texas, New Mexico, North Dakota, Georgia, and Ohio. It includes second-tier subsidiaries Dowland-Bach, Glacier Services, Inc., Big G Electric & Engineering, Great Northern Engineering, and TecPro. Prior to joining KEW, Vollands held executive positions in prominent energy companies. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Oxford and a Master of Management from the University of Michigan.

Ketchikan Indian Community (KIC) selected Trixie Bennett as the next Tribal Health Administrator. Bennett was the tribe’s president in 2022. In her new role, Bennett is responsible for managing a multimillion-dollar annual budget and overseeing healthcare services, including the KIC Tribal Health Clinic, for more than 6,400 members. KIC is the second largest tribe in Alaska by enrollment. Bennett first came to work for KIC in 2000 as quality management coordinator and worked in clinic administration from 2000 to 2018. She served on the tribal council from 2018 to 2023. Bennett attended UAS Ketchikan, receiving an associate degree in applied science, and she completed her bachelor’s degree in business administration and management at Alaska Pacific University. Bennett is also the owner and operator of Trixies Tongass Tonics.

Two new officers are among the leadership at the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.

Karen Taug accepted the position of Acting Chief Financial Officer. Taug is serving until the tribe can permanently fill the position. She replaces former CFO Theresa Belton, who retired in April after more than twenty years of service. Taug, a tribal citizen, retired as finance controller for Bartlett Regional Hospital after more than five years of service, and prior to that she was a finance controller for SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. “We are grateful Karen is willing to step out of retirement and assist us while we recruit a new Chief Financial Officer,” says Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson.

A tribal citizen is promoted to the position of Procurement Officer. In that role, Myrna Gardner oversees all operations of Tlingit & Haida’s procurement department and its business enterprise T&H Logistics. Gardner is a George Washington University certified contract manager and holds an industry certification in contract management, federal level 1 from the National Contract Management Association. She brings more than twenty years of experience in business management, logistics, and operations.

Northrim Bank opened a new Loan Production office in Homer, staffed by Jennifer McLay, who joins the team as Vice President – Commercial Loan Officer. McLay began working for Northrim in April after more than thirty years in the financial industry in Alaska. She holds an associate degree in accounting and small business administration from UAA. McLay is a past Kachemak City Council member and board member of Hospice of Homer. She has volunteered with a number of organizations over her career, including Junior Achievement of Alaska, the Snomads, and the Homer Racing Association.

An attorney with more than two decades of labor and employment-related experience joined Davis Wright Tremaine’s employment services team in Anchorage. Michael O’Brien comes to Davis Wright from Perkins Coie, and he previously spent eleven years as associate general counsel for the UA System. He began his career as a State of Alaska public defender. A significant portion of his work involves advising clients on complex labor challenges: union organizing, collective bargaining, arbitrations, and responding to unfair labor practice allegations. O’Brien received his JD from Vermont Law and Graduate School, where he also received a master’s degree in environmental law and policy. He also has a master’s degree from St. John’s College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana. He began his career in Alaska leading trail crews in Kenai Fjords National Park and writing for The Seward Phoenix LOG newspaper.

R&M Consultants expanded its planning capabilities by adding to its Juneau and Fairbanks offices.

Beth McKibben joins R&M as a Senior Planner in Juneau. McKibben has more than thirty years of experience in all aspects of community planning, permitting, rezoning, code revisions, grant applications, and program development. McKibben has worked for several rural, urban, small and mid-sized Alaska communities. Most recently, she was a planner for the City & Borough of Juneau, where she led development of the Blueprint Downtown Juneau Area Plan and Douglas/West Juneau Area Plan. McKibben earned a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning from Washington State University and is a member of the American Planning Association.

Bryant Wright joins the Fairbanks office in the position of Planner. Wright previously worked for Fairbanks North Star Borough as trails coordinator, where he was responsible for parks and trails planning, project management, programming, rights-of-way research, and code compliance. He has ten years of experience in natural resources planning, agency coordination, and public outreach in Alaska. Wright earned a master’s degree in natural resources management from UAF and a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art from Trinity University. In addition, Wright owns and operates Northern Alaska Packrafts in Fairbanks.

The Nature Conservancy in Alaska (TNC-Alaska) promoted a conservation forester at its Juneau office to become Southeast Alaska Program Director. Julia Nave has worked for TNC-Alaska for the past three-and-a-half years, where she has collaborated with federal, state, Native corporation, and other land managers to improve habitat for wildlife like deer and salmon. As Southeast director, Nave serves as the primary contact for TNC-Alaska’s partners in the region. The Southeast Alaska team’s work includes an ambitious carbon mapping project and supporting community and economic development and cultural healing work through its relationship with the Sustainable Southeast Partnership. Nave graduated from Juneau-Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in geology from Colorado College and a master’s degree in environmental management from Western Colorado University.