Alaska Native
Meet New ANCSA Leadership
A batch of new presidents and CEOs
By Alexandra Kay
T

he corporations formed by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) have nimbly adapted to changing economic circumstances and opportunities to safeguard their lands and resources and support their communities and shareholders. Through a combination of homegrown leadership and Outside expertise, Alaska Native corporations have flourished as the state’s most prosperous enterprises, with many earning millions of dollars in revenue—and a few pulling in billions—annually.

Several ANCSA corporations have recently welcomed new leaders to help guide them into another five decades of growth and profitability.

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Bering Straits Native Corporation
Until December 2023, BSNC had vested leadership responsibility in a single person bearing the title of president and CEO. The board of directors decided to split those roles. Board Chair Roy Ashenfelter said the change was due to BSNC’s recent growth and that splitting up the president and CEO roles “provides significant oversight of company management to better prepare for growth while simultaneously focusing on BSNC’s mission to improve the quality of life of [its] people.”
Dan Graham
Bering Straits Native Corporation
Cindy Towarak Massie
Bering Straits Native Corporation
Swami Iyer
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Dan Graham had been interim president and CEO of BSNC since May of 2023 before moving into the CEO position.

“It’s an honor and a privilege for me to be confirmed to the role of CEO for BSNC,” Graham said at the time. “I truly appreciate the board for entrusting me with this responsibility and for their ongoing support in our collective pursuit to make BSNC a premier employer and service provider, guided by our steadfast corporate mission and vision.”

Graham has worked at the Nome-based regional corporation since 2014 and is described as a key player in its recent growth. With a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Villanova University, Graham had a twenty-eight-year career as a contractor with the federal government.

To work alongside Graham as president, BSNC elevated board member Cindy Towarak Massie to the role of president. A graduate of Covenant High School in Unalakleet, she co-founded a multimedia company called Outdoor Channel Holdings and is a former owner of Winnercom, a production company honored with thirteen Emmy awards. She is also president of the Thomas and Cindy Massie Foundation, her family’s philanthropic organization.

Upon being named president, Massie said, “Our Alaska Native values are integral to the company and our community, and I am committed to preserving our cultural heritage while creating opportunities for economic growth at BSNC.”

Massie has been a member of BSNC’s board of directors since 2019 and previously served as chair. She remains on the board while serving as president.

Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Another regional corporation divided its president and CEO position in 2023. Sophie Minich retired last fall after ten years leading Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI). According to CIRI Board Chair Douglas Fifer, the decision to split CIRI leadership “will help CIRI foster growth and have a positive impact on the services [the company provides to its] shareholders, descendants, and the 60,000 Alaska Natives and American Indians that reside in our region.”

Swami Iyer, CIRI’s new CEO, most recently served as the president of aerospace systems at Virgin Galactic, a California-based spaceflight company that carried tourists on supersonic suborbital jaunts in 2023 and 2024, after sixteen years of development.

Iyer holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Michigan and went to US Air Force Test Pilot School to earn a master’s degree in flight test engineering. He was the school’s director of operations after flying B-52 bombers in the Air Force.

Sarah Lukin
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
Jonathan Dalrymple
Chugach Alaska Corporation
Roy Tansy Jr.
Ahtna, Incorporated
Iyer has twenty-five years of experience in the aerospace, defense, and computing industries. He also spent time in the public sector as South Asia and Oceania Chief for the Deputy Under Secretary, International Affairs of the US Air Force. Working in the Los Angeles area for Virgin Galactic, Iyer was responsible for leading the manufacturing, engineering, and program-management teams, processes, and facilities to support the design and build of its current and future fleet of vehicles.

At CIRI, Iyer manages the overall direction of the company and sets long-term strategy. “I am committed to building upon the strong foundation laid by Ms. Minich, the board of directors, and the entire CIRI team,” he said upon his hiring in December.

To provide the CEO with an Alaskan perspective, CIRI named Sarah Lukin as president. Lukin is Alutiiq and hails from Port Lions on Kodiak Island. An enrolled tribal member of the Native Villages of Afognak and Port Lions, she is a shareholder of Koniag and Afognak Native Corporation. She served as CIRI’s chief strategy officer for two years before being promoted.

As president, Lukin focuses on CIRI’s day-to-day operations. “I want to express my appreciation to the board for entrusting me with this role. I’m very excited to continue to lead such a talented and dedicated team as CIRI’s new president,” Lukin said upon her promotion.

Lukin is a graduate of Alaska Pacific University’s Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program. She has experience in government contracting, private equity, business development, and government relations.

Chugach Alaska Corporation
A lengthy executive search concluded last November with the selection of Jonathan Dalrymple as Chugach Alaska Corporation’s CEO. This ended Board Chair Sheri Buretta’s relatively brief service as interim CEO; however, her service to the corporation spans decades, as she’s been on Chugach’s board since 1998.

Experience in the aerospace, defense, and intelligence contracting industries make Dalrymple “uniquely qualified to lead Chugach’s business operations at a crucial time for our corporation,” says Buretta.

“Chugach relies upon a strong board and leadership team to govern the corporation and serve as stewards of our founders’ vision. Solidifying a capable, well-rounded leadership team and refining our organizational structure has been a significant focus area for Chugach in 2023 and 2024,” says Buretta.

After a hitch with the US Navy, Dalrymple studied political science at the University of Georgia and earned a master of business administration degree from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy. His career in business development includes a stint as a vice president for Raytheon in Texas. Prior to joining Chugach, Dalrymple led a consulting firm in Washington, DC.

“I am impressed by the hard work and dedication that Chugach’s 4,100 employees have poured into this company. It’s one of the things that inspired me to join the Chugach family, and that sentiment has grown as I’ve met people across the organization,” says Dalrymple. “I’m equally excited for the opportunity to steer Chugach towards a new era of growth, while remaining true to Chugach’s culture and traditions that have guided us over the past fifty years.”

Ahtna, Incorporated
While the president of Ahtna, Incorporated remains Michelle Anderson, the corporation for the Copper River region promoted a fellow member of the Caribou clan to an executive role last year.

Roy Tansy Jr. had been chief operating officer of Ahtna Netiye’, the corporation’s holding company, prior to being named Ahtna CEO. A shareholder from Cantwell, Tansy has been with the Ahtna family of companies for more than thirty years. Tansy has executive-level experience in operations, business development, strategic planning, and corporate leadership and has experience in management of construction, oil and gas, facilities management, and security companies. Tansy also sits on the boards of the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Alaska Chamber of Commerce.

In the corporation’s 2023 Spring edition Ahtna Kanas, its newsletter to shareholders, Tansy stated: “I am so grateful to have been promoted to CEO of Ahtna Netiye’. I am thankful for all the support I’ve received, and I look forward to the excitement and challenges that lie ahead.”