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JACOB ADAMS SR.
North Slope BoroughMr. Adams is a respected and recognized leader throughout the Arctic, having held leadership roles for more than four decades. Following are a few of his notable accomplishments:
- North Slope Borough chief executive officer – 2011-present
- Current Arctic Slope Regional Corporation board member
- Current member of the Barrow Whaling Captains Association
- Volunteer for the Barrow, Alaska Search & Rescue
- Appointed North Slope Borough mayor succeeding the late Eben Hopson Sr. – 1980
- Elected president of the North Slope Borough Assembly -1978
- Chairman of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission – 1977-1980
- Elected to the first assembly when the North Slope Borough was incorporated in 1972
- Barrow City Council member – 1967
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CRAIG ALLEN
University of Washington Law SchoolProfessor Allen joined the University of Washington Law School faculty in 1996, following his retirement from the US Coast Guard. During his 20-year Coast Guard career he served on four patrol cutters and in maritime safety, security and stewardship and legal adviser roles.Professor Allen’s teaching and research interests include maritime and international law, national and homeland security law, and Arctic law and policy. He is on the board of editors of Ocean Development and International Law, the Journal of Navigation and the Journal of Ocean Technology. He is also the author of International Law for Seagoing Officers (6th ed. 2014), Maritime Counterproliferation Operations and the Rule of Law (2007) and Farwell’s Rules of the Nautical Road (8th ed. 2005).Professor Allen has been a visiting professor at Yale Law School and the University of Oregon. For the 2011-2012 academic year he served as the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Maritime Studies at the US Coast Guard Academy and the inaugural Fellow in the Academy’s Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy. During the 2006-2007 academic year he served as the Charles H. Stockton Chair in International Law at the US Naval War College.
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NILS ANDREASSEN
Institute of the NorthNils Andreassen is the executive director of the Institute of the North. His background in rural and international development, Alaska policy issues and leadership development fit well within the Institute’s mission to research commonly-owned lands, seas and resources while educating and engaging Alaskans in the responsibilities of that ownership. The Institute has a legacy working on Arctic infrastructure priorities and policies that serve to strengthen and connect northern communities.Andreassen has a degree in Peace and Development from the University of Bradford in England and has lived in Anchorage, Alaska since 2002. He is a public member of the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, is on the board of directors for Commonwealth North, Renewable Energy Alaska Project and Alaska World Affairs Council. Andreassen also served on the Alaska Arctic Policy Commission as a commissioner representing international Arctic organizations.
Andreassen is 38, married, with two children, living in Anchorage, Alaska. He has traveled to all eight Arctic nations multiple times.
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JOY BAKER
City of NomeMs. Baker serves as the city’s port director, after two years as Port projects manager and 16 years as harbormaster. Prior to that, she served as the city manager’s executive assistant since first coming on board in August of 1990.Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Ms. Baker arrived in Nome in 1987 as a self-employed musician and spent time in the construction and mining industries before signing on full-time with the City. Although her primary focus as harbormaster was port and harbor operations, her passion has always been the expansion and development of the facility, resulting from many years of watching the growing demand for additional infrastructure.
Since 1990, Ms. Baker has been a member of the local Lions Club, serving in many officer positions. She is an active member of the Alaska Association of Harbormasters & Port Administrators organization, and served on the board of directors from 2011-2013.
An avid reader, her other hobbies include music, sports and fishing.
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SUSAN BELL
McDowell GroupSusan Bell is a principal with McDowell Group, a research and consulting firm that conducts community and business development plans, economic analyses, feasibility studies, and public opinion research for public and private sector clients. Susan recently rejoined the firm after serving as the State of Alaska’s Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development commissioner. There, she led state initiatives to market Alaska domestically and internationally; develop Alaska’s renewable and traditional energy resources; and enhance the state’s business climate. She has served as State co-chair of the Denali Commission and as a board member for the Alaska Railroad Corporation, Alaska Energy Authority, Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. Originally from Nome, Susan is a shareholder of Bering Straits Native Corporation and Sitnasuak Native Corporation. She volunteers for Big Brothers Big Sisters and enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and Labrador retrievers.
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MIKE CATSI
Alaska Industrial Development and Export AuthorityMr. Catsi was appointed to the position of business development and communications director in 2010. In this capacity he develops, implements and oversees Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority’s (AIDEA) business development, outreach and communications programs. Mike provides support and liaison services for AIDEA with businesses and outside organizations; participates in ongoing strategic planning; and provides community liaison support. Mike also works closely with AIDEA’s directors and development staff to provide an efficient and effective intake process.
Prior to joining the Authority, he managed and developed rural economic development organizations on regional and local levels as executive director of the Southwest Alaska Municipal Conference and the Skagway Development Corporation. Mr. Catsi has served as president of the Alaska Partnership for Economic Development, was elected to the Skagway City Council, and served on the boards of the Alaska Municipal League and the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Mr. Catsi is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, Australia with a bachelor of science in geography, and he is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).
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PAUL FUHS
Marine Exchange of AlaskaPaul Fuhs is the former mayor of Dutch Harbor, AK, the number one fishing port in the United States. As owner of Aleutian Explosives he was a commercial diver specializing in port construction, emergency response and the use of explosives underwater.From 1990 to 1994, he served as Alaska’s commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development, responsible for Alaska’s economic development and international trade initiatives. He is currently president of the board of the Marine Exchange of Alaska which provides vessel tracking services for the Coast of Alaska, executive director of the North Slope Port Authority and also works as a maritime consultant specializing in Arctic port development, emergency response, and Northern Sea Route development.
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MATT GANLEY
Bering Straits Native CorporationMatt Ganley has worked for Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) and Bering Straits Foundation (BSF) since 1993. He now serves as vice president of media and external affairs after working as staff anthropologist, land manager, vice president of land and resources, and vice president of resources and external affairs.During his first years of graduate school he worked on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula conducting research into the history and culture of the region for Bering Straits Native Corporation’s Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) cemetery and historic site selections. After completing his master’s degree, Matt lived in the village of Kiana from 1985 to 1991. He then went to work for Ahtna, Incorporated heading their cemetery and historic site program (ANCSA Section 14(h)(1)) from 1991-1993. Coming back to the Bering Straits region in 1993, Matt headed the historic site program for BSF and began the repatriation process under NAGPRA for communities in the region. He transitioned into the BSNC Land and Resource Department in 2003, and now works on regional issues related to land management, resource development, cultural preservation and external affairs effecting western Alaska. Mr. Ganley has been able to combine his educational, personal and employment experience with his knowledge of the Arctic and the issues facing the region. Working with Alaska’s Congressional Delegation, he facilitated the passage of legislation transferring critical lands on the Seward Peninsula to BSNC in 2012. He is currently working to secure the conveyance of Point Spencer (selected by BSNC in 1976) so that the region can begin development of critical infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of the future Arctic. He has been involved in a broad range of projects while working with tribes, native corporations, and federal and state agencies and serves as a board member for the Institute the North.
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SUSAN “SUDIE” HARGIS
US Coast Guard, District 17Sudie serves as the Coast Guard, District 17 full-time tribal liaison and actively works to engage and include Alaska native tribes, organizations, federal co-management groups, and other related stakeholders on both a statewide basis and with a particular focus on the Arctic as Coast Guard missions continue to evolve in that region. She was a member of the strategy team and formation of the Arctic Waterway Safety Committee.Sudie has been with the Coast Guard since 1986, and is a former active duty Coast Guard officer. She holds an MS in the sports medicine field, and an MA in organizational management. Sudie’s Coast Guard military service included both at-sea service as deck watch officer on USCGC Northland (a 270-ft medium-endurance cutter), commanding officer of USCGC Cape Carter (95-ft patrol boat), and ashore tours in the District 17 Command Center and other district programs.
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BRUCE HARLAND
Crowley Marine ServicesMr. Harland has business unit responsibility for Contract Services in Alaska, the US West Coast and International Arctic markets. Crowley provides ship assist and escort services, salvage and oil spill response equipment, contract towing services, Arctic transportation services, naval architecture and marine engineering services, logistics and project management services. Harland joined the company in 1984 as operations supervisor in Anchorage, AK and has held progressive management positions throughout the Crowley organization in Alaska, Seattle, WA and Houston, TX. Harland was awarded the Thomas Crowley Award in 1995. Mr. Harland is a graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy and received an MBA degree from Seattle University.
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TERESA IMM
Arctic Slope Regional CorporationTeresa Imm is vice president of resource development for Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), and has served the company for more than 25 years as an in-house advisor on all matters related to oil, gas, coal, base-metal minerals and gravel exploration, development and management of ASRC’s nearly 5 million acres. In this role, she is responsible for balanced resource development strategies that reflect the traditional and cultural values of the corporation’s shareholders and their ties to the land.She is the current president of ASRC Exploration LLC, where she manages ASRC investments in exploration and production in oil and gas properties. Imm also serves as the president of ASRC Pipeline Company Inc. ASRC is the largest locally-owned and operated business in Alaska, with revenues in excess of $2.3 billion and more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Lastly, she acts as general manager for Arctic Iñupiat Offshore LLC where she manages a consortium of Alaska native corporations and their investment in offshore oil and gas.
Imm serves on the board of directors for the Resource Development Council, and was the past president of Alaska Resource Education (formerly Alaska Mineral and Energy Resource Education Fund), a partnership between Alaska’s Department of Education and private industry – aimed at educating students about Alaska’s natural resources.
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JOSHUA KINDRED
Alaska Oil & Gas AssociationRaised in Anchorage, Mr. Kindred is a seasoned legal professional with years of experience in the state, most recently as the violent crimes supervisor for the Anchorage district attorney’s office. Mr. Kindred also has prior experience in civil litigation and worked as a law clerk for Chief Justice Paul DeMuniz of the Oregon Supreme Court. As the Alaska Oil & Gas Association’s (AOGA) environmental counsel, Mr. Kindred is responsible for evaluating government actions and initiatives, and coordinating AOGA’s review of and response to such initiatives, including preparing written and oral testimony at public hearings; managing litigation issues with outside counsel; and directing AOGA’s committees, especially those dealing with regulatory and environmental issues. Mr. Kindred received a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and went on to receive his juris doctor from Willamette University College of Law. He has been a member of the Alaska Bar Association since 2005.
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MIKE LAUER
Foss MaritimeMike Lauer has been with Foss Maritime Company for seven years serving in various roles within the company. In his current role of director of marine transportation, Mr. Lauer performs business development and the commercial management of various projects. He oversees the operational structure and the systems/controls that ensure project execution is in accordance with both the contract and Foss HSQE policies and procedures. He is currently focused on the targeted growth market for the Alaskan Arctic. In his previous role as manager of business development, he administered sales in marine transportation and harbor towage services, he provided consultation for engineering services and guided proposal development and estimating on all major projects. Most recently, as a marine transportation director for the Seattle and Anchorage offices, he is responsible for overall project planning, performance and communicating expectations to the project team. Mike holds a professional engineering license in the State of California, a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Oregon State University as well as an MBA from the University of Washington.
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DR. SARA LONGAN PhD
State of Alaska Department of Natural ResourcesSara is the executive director of the Office of Project Management & Permitting (OPMP) within the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR).Sara has more than 15 years of experience working in the resource management, regulatory and environmental fields both in private and academic settings, spending the last 11 years working for the State of Alaska. She earned a master’s degree in environmental toxicology from Oklahoma State University and also holds a PhD in public health, researching issues related to health, safety and environment.
The Office of Project Management & Permitting (OPMP) works closely with the mining, transportation, and oil and gas industries coordinating permitting efforts at the state, federal, and local levels. Sara and her team act as liaisons to the federal agencies in Alaska, working closely with multi-agency teams during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review for large resource development projects both onshore and in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). OPMP is tasked with supporting the DNR commissioner and the governor’s office to uphold the state’s best interests as it relates to arctic policy, federal land management and resource development decisions.
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DERMOT LOUGHLANE
Tactical Marine SolutionsDermot Loughnane has the experience of 14 years at sea combined with 20 years in shore positions in the shipping industry and the marine operations of oil and gas companies. He is a Master Mariner, and holds both an MBA and a post graduate diploma in shipping management (DMS). Dermot’s executive experience includes a position as managing director of Teekay Australia and CEO of Skaugen PetroTrans, a ship lightering company. Earlier he managed the marine department of Petro Canada.For the Arctic he has a background in Arctic operations both from the sea as an ice pilot and from the management of ice class ships ashore.
Presently he runs Tactical Marine Solutions (TMS), a company specializing in commercial and operational ship management. TMS also comprises a consultancy specializing in shipping feasibility for the Arctic and improving the operational performance of shipping companies.
He is a past board member of the Australian Shipowners Association, Australian Maritime Defense Council and Shipping Australia and chair of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.
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US SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI (R-ALASKA)
State of AlaskaSenator Lisa Murkowski is the first Alaskan-born senator and only the sixth United States senator to serve the state. The state’s senior senator, Lisa Murkowski is a third-generation Alaskan, born in Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state: Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage. Since joining the Senate in 2002, Senator Murkowski has been a strong advocate for Alaska on the important issues facing the state, including energy, health care, education, military/veterans’ affairs and infrastructure development.Only the 32nd female to serve in the United States Senate since its founding in 1789, Senator Murkowski has assumed leadership roles quickly. She is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she is the chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. Senator Murkowski is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – the first Alaskan to serve on that panel – and also is a senior member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.She earned a BA in economics from Georgetown University in 1980 and a law degree from Willamette University in 1985. Prior to her appointment to the United States Senate, Senator Murkowski practiced commercial law in Anchorage and served three terms in the Alaska State House of Representatives. She was elected to a full six-year US Senate term in 2004, and was re-elected in 2010 in a historic write-in campaign, the first successful write-in effort to the Senate since 1954. Senator Murkowski is married to Verne Martell and they have two sons. She enjoys spending time with her family in the Alaska outdoors.
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KEN O’HOLLAREN
Port of Port AngelesKen is currently the executive director of the Port of Port Angeles, WA, where he has served since 2013, beginning as the interim director.Ken retired from the Port of Longview, WA in 2012, following 32 years of employment – the last 25 years spent as the executive director. During his tenure, Ken served a term as the chairman of the American Association of Port Authorities, and nine years as the chairman of the Interstate Columbia River Improvement Project to deepen the Columbia River navigation channel.Ken began his career as a steamship agent in Portland with Overseas Shipping Co. and Evergreen Line.
Ken earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of Oregon and holds an MBA from the University of Portland.
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SCOTT PATTISON
Port of SeattleScott Pattison was born and raised in Seattle. Four days after graduating high school, Scott moved to Kotzebue, Alaska where he worked seasonally on tugs and barges supplying coastal villages and delivering equipment for major projects throughout Alaska’s Arctic in order to fund attendance at the University of Washington, where he earned a BA in economics and an MBA.
Between 1975 and 1992, Scott was employed in the maritime industry’s private sector. During this span, he lived in Kotzebue, Nome, Juneau, Ketchikan and Seattle, and traveled extensively throughout Alaska. He began his career in operations, followed by management positions in marketing and administration with Crowley, Northland, Alaska Marine Lines, Lynden Incorporated and Sea-Land Service.
Since 1992, Scott has been with the Port of Seattle where, among other responsibilities, he has built and maintained the Port’s ties with Alaska, including the Arctic. Scott has negotiated multiple lease agreements with ocean carriers that serve Alaska, including most recently a 50-acre lease at Terminal 5 to support exploratory operations in Alaska’s Arctic.
Scott is married and has a daughter and son.
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PETER PHILIPS
Philips Publishing GroupPeter is the president of Philips Publishing Group, publishers of trade journals for the maritime and transportation industries. In the years since Philips Publishing was founded by Peter’s father in 1983, the company has grown to become the largest maritime and transportation publishing house on the West Coast. Titles include Pacific Maritime Magazine, aimed at West Coast commercial vessel and terminal operators, FOGHORN, the official publication of the Passenger Vessel Association, Clipper Vacations Magazine, published for Seattle’s Clipper Navigation, Catalina Express Magazine, published for Catalina Express, Pacific Fisheries Review and Fishermen’s News, the oldest commercial fishing publication on the Pacific Coast.In addition to publishing trade journals, Philips Publishing also specializes in creative design services for the maritime and transportation industries, with clients across the country. Peter is the immediate past president of the Seattle Marine Business Coalition, which represents the interests of marine industrial land users. Peter is past president of the Port of Seattle Chapter of the Propeller Club, and past regional vice president, West Coast, of the International Propeller Club. Peter has a BA in history from Whitman College, and has been employed in the maritime publishing field since 1985.
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STEVE RIBUFFO
Port of AnchorageSteve Ribuffo is the director of the Port of Anchorage. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day business operations of the Port; and interacting as needed with tenants, the US Coast Guard, the military and any new business prospects interested in operating out of the Port. He has been at the Port since August 2007, when he came aboard as deputy Port director.Steve retired from the US Air Force as a colonel, having served 30 years on active duty. Steve is a native New Yorker. He graduated from Manhattan College with a bachelor of science degree in marketing. He also has an MBA from Golden Gate University, a master of science degree in logistics management from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and is a Certified Port Executive.During his military service in Alaska, he was director for logistics at Headquarters Alaskan Command, Elmendorf Air Force Base. There he was heavily involved in numerous transportation initiatives with the US Army Alaska, the Municipality of Anchorage, the Port of Anchorage, the Alaska Railroad, and the Mat-Su Borough.
Steve is a member of the boards of directors of the Anchorage Downtown Partnership and Equine Assisted Therapy Alaska. He serves on the University of Alaska – Anchorage’s Global Supply Chain Management curriculum advisory committee, and is chairman of Cook Inlet Harbor Safety Committee.
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KRISTIN RYAN
State of Alaska Department of Environmental ConservationKristin Ryan has worked for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for 16 years, 10 of those years as director for the Division of Environmental Health, and as the director of the Division of Spill Prevention and Response for the last two years. In her current position she oversees a budget of $19 million and manages 160 employees. Before becoming the director of the Division of Spill Prevention and Response, Kristin spent a year working for the US Environmental Protection Agency as the deputy director for the Alaska Operations Office. In this capacity she participated on national Arctic discussion groups and assisted US EPA with Arctic policy initiatives.The Division of Spill Prevention and Response includes the Industry Prevention and Preparedness Program which regulates producers, transporters and distributors of crude oil and refined oil products in Alaska to prevent oil spills and make sure companies are prepared materially and financially to clean up spills when they occur. Ms. Ryan also oversees the Prevention and Emergency Response Program which responds to approximately 2,000 oil and hazardous substance releases in Alaska each year. This division also includes the State of Alaska’s Contaminated Sites Program which focuses on thousands of sites in the state where legacy contamination exists.
Ms. Ryan received her BS in psychology from Oregon State University in 1992 and a masters in clinical psychology from the University of Alaska in 1998.
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MARK SMITH
Vitus Energy LLCMr. Smith is an Arctic entrepreneur with family roots in Alaska from the early 1900s.He began work in the Bering Sea in 1973, participating in commercial fishing and commercial towing. Through various career stages Mr. Smith has progressed from a tow boat captain to owning and operating several maritime companies. He also has held senior management positions at Yukon Fuel Company, Crowley Petroleum Distribution, and Pacific Fishing Assets.
He formed Vitus Marine in 2009 and during the winter of 2011-2012 Vitus completed the first ever winter fuel re-supply to Nome, Alaska with an ice-class fuel tanker. Vitus continues to develop a diversified fuel distribution business serving the North Pacific and Arctic regions.
The Vitus Energy group of companies includes Vitus Marine, Great Circle Flight Services, Central Alaska Energy, Pacific Fishing Assets, and Vitus Terminals. The core service offering of Vitus companies is related to distribution of refined petroleum products. Customer sectors include the fishing industry, dry cargo transporters, electric utilities, local governments, commercial aircraft, and shore based fuel distributors.
Mr. Smith received an executive masters in business administration from the University of Washington Foster School of Business.
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MEAD TREADWELL
Pt CapitalMead Treadwell is president of Pt Capital, the northernmost registered investment bank in the US and the first private equity fund focused on investments across the Arctic. He served as lieutenant governor of Alaska from 2010 to 2014, and coordinated Alaska’s work in the Arctic Council. He was a leader in Alaska’s efforts to preserve Alaska native languages. He co-chaired the State Committee on Research and chaired the Aerospace States Association.From 2001 to 2010, Treadwell served as commissioner on the US Arctic Research Commission. He was designated chair by President Bush in 2006 and, as chair until 2010, worked with both Presidents Bush and Obama to craft and implement the US Arctic policy adopted in 2009.Treadwell is a graduate of Yale College and the Harvard Business School. He is a frequent writer and speaker on Arctic policy, and recently proposed a new Arctic shipping regime modeled after the bi-national St. Lawrence Seaway that the US and Canada share as a path from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes.
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RICK VAN NIEUWENHUYSE
NovaCopperRick has more than 30 years of experience in the natural resource sector. He is currently president and chief executive officer of NovaCopper, a company which was created in 2012 as a spin-out from NOVAGOLD, a well-known company he founded 15 years ago. NOVAGOLD, where he remains a director, is currently permitting the 40 million ounce Donlin Gold Project in Southwest Alaska with partner Barrick Gold, the world’s largest gold company. Previous to his role as founder, president, and CEO of NOVAGOLD, he held the position of vice president of exploration for Placer Dome Inc. from 1990 to 1997. In addition to his international exploration perspective, Rick brings years of working experience in and knowledge of Alaska to NovaCopper. Rick has managed projects from grassroots discovery through to advanced feasibility, production and closure. Rick has played a key role in setting up several new corporate entities including: Alexco (TSX:AXR – where he is a director) which is rejuvenating the Keno Hill Silver district in the Yukon; Tintina Resource (TAU – where he is chairman) which discovered and is now completing a feasibility study and permitting the high grade Black Butte copper asset in Montana; and SolidusGold (TSX:SDC – where he is a director) which has been established to take advantage of poor market valuations in the gold sector, to acquire and build a portfolio of near-term gold producing assets. Rick holds a candidature degree in science from the Université de Louvain, Belgium, and a master of science degree in geology from the University of Arizona. He received the Thayer Lindsley award in 2009 for his role in the Donlin Gold discovery.
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JOHN WALSH
J.M. Walsh CompanyA 4th generation Alaskan, John and his siblings were raised in Nome. Graduating from Monroe High School in Fairbanks, John attended and graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in accounting. College summers were spent working on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline construction project. Reluctant to surrender to the confines of an office environment, John opted instead for the lure of an adventure in the Bering Sea crab fishery arriving in Dutch Harbor in August 1979. For the next four years John crabbed aboard a number of vessels completing his experience on the F/V Polar Sea.
Throughout the decade of the 1980s, spring and summer months were spent gillnetting herring in Norton Sound and salmon fishing aboard his vessel F/V St. Gabriel in Bristol Bay.
John accompanied Representative Richard Foster to Juneau in 1989 and served as legislative staff. In 1991 John was invited by Commissioner Edgar Blatchford in Governor Hickel’s administration to shepherd the Community Development Quota (CDQ) program into existence. The CDQ program was active within 12 months and continues to this day. The program has been a tremendous success with the total aggregate value of the six CDQ groups estimated to be greater than $1.5 billion. John also played an active role in the Hickel administration efforts to address the deteriorated condition of rural Alaska bulk fuel storage infrastructure following enactment of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90). Alaska Senator Ted Stevens responded to these efforts with the formation of the Denali Commission in 1998.
In 1996, after an additional two years with Representative Foster, Walsh embarked on a lobbying career that continues to this day. Clientele include a mix of public sector (municipalities: Bristol Bay Borough, Municipality of Skagway, City of St. Paul and school districts: Bering Strait School District, NW Arctic Borough School District & Lower Yukon School District), Alaska Native Corporation (NANA Regional Corporation), energy (WestPac Midstream LNG), fisheries (Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation and Yukon Delta Fisheries Development Association) and professional associations (insurance, engineering & psychology).
Rural economic development and maritime development in Alaska and the Arctic are John’s passion, in addition to trail running, skiing, reading and family.
John and his wife Dawn have been married 19-years and have 3-children; Shawna, Blake and Rielly. The family home is in Douglas.
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