About ARA

Grounded by the wisdom of those who came before us, guided by our shared Alaska Native values, together we boldly move into the future.

ANCSA Regional Association board of directors is composed of the presidents and chief executive officers of the twelve land-based Alaska Native regional corporations that were created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971. ARA member corporations are owned by over 140,000 Alaska Native shareholders.

Our Purpose

To promote and foster continued growth and economic strength of the Alaska Native regional corporations for the benefit of their Alaska Native shareholders and communities.

History of ARA

In 1997, a group of Alaska Native regional corporation leaders Carl Marrs (Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated), Michael Brown (Bristol Bay Native Corporation), Oliver Leavitt (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation), Dennis Metrokin (Koniag), and Morris Thompson (Doyon, Limited) acknowledged the differences in purpose, structure, and mandates between Alaska Native regional corporations and the other organizations representing Alaska Native people (i.e., Alaska Native village corporations, tribes, and Alaska Native non-profit organizations). They saw a need for an official forum where leaders could come together to discuss and respond to the specific issues challenging Alaska Native regional corporations. They also recognized that despite the Alaska Native regional corporations differences in business operations, there was value in the leaders meeting regularly to seek a unified path forward on issues affecting Alaska Native regional corporations.

The original five worked to bring in the other Alaska Native regional corporation presidents and chief executive officers. In 1998, the Association of ANCSA Regional Corporation Presidents and CEOs held its first official meeting. In 2011, the Association of ANCSA Regional Corporation Presidents and CEOs became the ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) to better reflect the organization purpose and membership.

Since our inception, ARA has engaged on various legislative and regulatory issues. In 2000, ARA spearheaded the establishment of the non-partisan Get Out the Native Vote organization in Alaska. Get Out the Native Vote encourages Alaska Native people to exercise their right to vote, and educates Alaska Native people on the importance of voting. ARA continues to educate the public and business community in Alaska and across the lower 48 about what Alaska Native regional corporations are, why they were created, who they represent, and the purposes they serve.

In 2019, ARA unveiled its new logo. The ARA logo is a contemporary design that represents a traditional basket. The ARA logo is made of twelve parts, representing the twelve regions collaborating to address issues affecting our corporations and their shareholders. While each region uses different materials and designs in their baskets, the baskets from all regions use support pillars and have a form of stitching along the top rim. Consequently, the ARA logo has twelve support pillars and twelve stitches to represent the twelve regions.