Board of Directors

Sophie Minich became CIRI’s president and chief executive officer in January 2013. In this capacity, Minich is responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s corporate strategies, programs, policies and procedures. She oversees all the company’s business operations and is the primary contact with the company’s stakeholders.

Minich, who is of Athabascan descent and a shareholder of both CIRI and Doyon, Limited, grew up in Seward, Alaska. She joined CIRI in 1993 and has served as chief operating officer, senior vice president of business development, chief financial officer, vice president of administration and director of accounting. She also served as president and CEO of CIRI Alaska Tourism Corporation.

Currently, Minich serves on the ANCSA Regional Association Board of Directors, the Anchorage Homelessness Leadership Council, the University of Alaska Anchorage College of Business and Public Policy Advisory Board, and the Premera Blue Cross Board of Directors. Minich is a former member and chair of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp.’s board of directors and a former director of the Seattle Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She has also previously served as a trustee of Alaska Regional Hospital’s board of trustees, and as a trustee for the CIRI Elders’ Settlement Trust. In 2019, she chaired the United Way of Anchorage community giving campaign.

Minich holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). She was inducted into the Anchorage Athena Society in 2008, is a 2011 YWCA Women of Achievement Award recipient and the recipient of the 2013 UAA Alumni of Achievement Award.

Gail Schubert serves as president and CEO of the Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC), the Alaska Native regional corporation serving the villages in the Bering Straits region.

Schubert earned an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University Johnson School of Management, and a law degree from the Cornell Law School.

Schubert serves on the boards of the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Arctic Economic Council, the Native American Contractors Association, Akeela Treatment Services, and the Alaska Native Justice Center. She is an ATHENA society member, YWCA Woman of Achievement awardee, and a 2014 recipient of the Northwest Indian Bar Association Unsung Hero Award.

Schubert is Inupiaq. She is an original shareholder of BSNC and the Unalakleet Native Corporation. She was born and raised in Unalakleet.

Shauna serves as President of Koniag. Prior to joining Koniag in 2016, she was the Chief Administrative Officer for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Vice President of Shareholder Services for Afognak Native Corporation.

Shauna holds a bachelor and a master degree from the University of Alaska, a graduate certificate from Alaska Pacific University and is a graduate of the High Potentials Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.

Shauna serves on the boards of directors for the Alutiiq Museum, Rural Energy Enterprises, the Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, and the RurAL CAP Foundation. She was a 2017 German Marshall Memorial Fellow, a 2010 Native American Top 40 Under 40, and a 2007 recipient of the Alaska Journal of Commerce Top 40 Under 40.

Hegna is a Shareholder of Koniag and Afognak Native Corporation. She is married to Josh and together they have two children, Kai and Paxson.

Anthony Mallott has served as president and CEO for Sealaska Corporation since 2014.

Before being named president and CEO, he served as Sealaska chief investment officer and treasurer. As chief investment officer, he was responsible for the direction of treasury activities of the company and the management of corporate investment funds. As a result, he has deep experience in financial and investment management. Prior to Sealaska, Mallott was a vice president within Bank of America capital markets, working in the portfolio and risk strategy group for ten years.

Mallott earned a bachelor degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University.

Mallott is chair of the Kootznoowoo Permanent Fund Settlement Trust, which benefits Kootznoowoo, Inc. shareholders. He has served as a board member of the Rasmuson Foundation and as an investment committee member for the Alaska Community Foundation.

Mallott is a shareholder of Sealaska Corporation. He is Tlingit, Eagle, (Killerwhale) Clan, as well as Koyukon Athabascan, Caribou Clan. His Tlingit name is Gunnuk.

Skoey Vergen serves as the President & CEO of The Aleut Corporation, headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. In this role, he is responsible for managing the day-to-day business operations of the Aleut family of companies to provide a significant impact in the Region and lives of shareholders and descendants through dividends, employment, training, and cultural support.

Mr. Vergen is an original Aleut Corporation shareholder, a shareholder of the Akutan and Shumagin Corporations, and a member of the Qagan Tayagungin Tribe of Sand Point.

Skoey has more than 20 years of related industry experience, including leadership and executive positions in technology companies and Alaska Native 8(a) corporations, establishing and leading best-in-class, sustainable enterprise business operations.

Prior to joining Aleut, Skoey served as a Senior Director at GCI in Anchorage, Alaska. He was responsible for planning, managing, and directing enterprise programs from initiation to launch. Prior to GCI, Skoey served as a Director at Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. He managed and led multi-company teams across ASRC focused on enterprise planning and infrastructure to support rapid growth in commercial and 8(a) business.

Skoey has significant expertise in Alaska Native 8(a) leadership and management, Federal SBA contracting, and compliance. He has also served as the President & CEO of Tiglax Corporation and the General Manager of Aleut Northwest Services, both Alaska Native 8(a) companies.

Skoey serves on the board of the ANCSA Regional Association, Arctic Economic Council, and the Alaska Federation of Natives. He previously served on the board of the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School. He also coaches flag football at South Anchorage High School.

Skoey was born and raised in Alaska and has three wonderful kids. His wife Jacole’s family is from King Cove and his mother Sarah Tcheripanoff is from Akutan. Skoey’s grandparents are William Tcheripanoff of Akutan and Annie Balamutoff of Unga.

Michelle Anderson serves as president of Ahtna, Incorporated. She is based out of both the Anchorage and Glennallen corporate Ahtna headquarters.

Prior to joining Ahtna in 2011, Anderson worked for the Alaska governor office, the Denali Commission, USDA Rural Development, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Her previous work was focused on infrastructure coordination and planning in communities. She also worked directly with tribes, municipalities, boroughs, regional tribal organizations, funders, and state and federal agencies.

Anderson has two degrees bachelor degree in political science from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a master degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Anderson is an Ahtna shareholder and a member of the Udziyu (Caribou) clan. Her grandparents and mother are the late Markle and Eileen Ewan and Louise Nutter. She is the mother of two sons, Alexander and Austin.

As president and CEO of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), Rex Allen Rock Sr. oversees all aspects of ASRC business operations. In this role, he helps to foster a productive relationship with the board of directors and the corporation approximately 13,000 shareholders.

Rock has served on the ASRC board of directors since 1993. He was elected to the position of chairman of the board in 2004, following his service as vice chairman and first vice president. Rock previously served as president and CEO of Tikigaq Corporation.

A graduate of Tikigaq High School, Rock went on to attend college at the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he double majored in engineering and linguistics.

Rock continues to serve on Tikigaq board, maintaining ties to his community of Point Hope. He also sits on the North Slope Borough Assembly, St. Thomas Episcopal Church Council, Local School Advisory Council, and Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission. Rock has served in many capacities for his hometown, including as whaling captain and head coach for the Tikigaq High School boys varsity basketball team position he held for more than 20 years. He was elected Coach of the Year numerous times by his peers for his tireless dedication to Point Hope basketball program. Rock was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in August 2015.

Rock is a shareholder of ASRC and was raised in Tikigaq. Grounded in his Christian faith, Rock is honored to have married his best friend Ramona 30 years ago. They have four children together and are blessed with two grandchildren.

Josie Hickel serves as President of Chugach Alaska Corporation (Chugach). In her role, Josie is responsible for leading Chugach’s Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) land management and resource development strategy, strengthening community relationships and resources within the Chugach region, and protecting and preserving Chugach’s cultural heritage.

Josie has a proven track record of applying visionary leadership and a strategic mindset to achieve successful outcomes. In her prior position as Executive Vice President, ANCSA and Community Affairs, Hickel was instrumental in executing groundbreaking land development opportunities for the corporation, including the carbon credit offset (CCO) project and Bering River coal rights transaction. She also spearheaded a massive effort to distribute Chugach’s more than $24 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to shareholders, shareholder-owned businesses, and community organizations within just a few months.

Hickel is a lifelong Alaskan with more than three decades of leadership experience at a range of commercial companies. Prior to joining Chugach, she served as chief administrative officer for Petro 49, Inc., where she directed administrative functions for its petroleum distribution and marine transportation operations throughout Alaska and the Yukon Territory.

She is an active Board member and volunteer for several nonprofits, including the Alaska Sealife Center, Prince William Sound Economic Development District and the Resource Development Council of Alaska. She was inducted into the Athena Society in 2012 for outstanding leadership in both business and community service.

Josie is a lifelong Alaskan who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and human resources. She is of Aleut descent and a Chugach shareholder. She grew up in a homestead near Moose Pass, Alaska. She is married to Dr. Jack Hickel, together they enjoy spending time with their family and recreating in the great Alaska outdoors.   

Jason Metrokin serves as president and CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC).

Prior to being named as president and CEO in 2009, Metrokin served for five years on the board of directors and as director of shareholder and corporate relations for BBNC.

Metrokin holds a Bachelor of Science from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Master of Business Administration from Alaska Pacific University.

He has served on several corporate and non-profit boards, including BBNC subsidiary companies, United Way of Anchorage, the Alaska Community Foundation, Alaska Regional Hospital, and the Alaska Native Professional Association. Metrokin was selected as a recipient of the Alaska Journal of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 award in 1999, First Alaskans Young Native Leader award in 2012, and Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2016.

Metrokin is a BBNC descendent and beneficiary of his late grandfather shares. He is the first non-original shareholder of BBNC to become president. His family is from Kodiak Island, Bristol Bay, and Massachusetts. He was born and raised in Anchorage where he resides with his wife, Shannon, and their two sons, Tate and Quinn.

Andrew Guy has served as president and CEO of Calista Corporation since 2010.

Guy has served on the board of directors, worked at Calista Professional Services, and as vice president of Yulista Management Services. He then joined Calista executive team as general counsel, involving him in the corporation contract negotiations and business enterprises.

Guy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law.

Guy is a shareholder of Calista Corporation. He was born and raised in Napaskiak where his extended family continues to live. He grew up speaking Yupik as his first language and English as his second. He is married and has five children.

As president and CEO of Doyon, Limited, Aaron Schutt is responsible for managing the day-to-day business operations of the Doyon family of companies.

Prior to being named president and CEO in 2011, Schutt served as senior vice president and chief operating officer. Before joining Doyon in 2006, Schutt was an attorney at the Anchorage offices of national law firms Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Miller & Munson, LLP and Heller Ehrman, LLP, where he represented tribal and ANCSA corporation clients in transactional and business matters. He also previously clerked for Alaska Supreme Court Justice Alexander Bryner.

Schutt has a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Washington State University, graduating with honors and as an S. Town Stephenson scholar. He earned a Master of Science in civil engineering from Stanford University and a law degree from Stanford Law School.

In addition to serving on the board of the ANCSA Regional Association, Schutt serves as a director of Northrim Bank, Akeela, Inc., and the Alaska Native Heritage Center. He also coaches youth hockey. In 2004, he was a recipient of the Alaska Journal of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 award.

Schutt is Koyukon Athabascan. He is a Doyon shareholder and an enrolled tribal member of the Native Village of Tanana. He was born in Anchorage and raised in Tok. He is married to Marissa Flannery, and together they have two sons and a daughter.

The NANA Board of Directors named John Aġnaqłuk Lincoln as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Reporting directly to the NANA board, Mr. Lincoln will lead corporate initiatives to improve the quality of life for NANA shareholders by maximizing economic growth, protecting and enhancing regional lands, and promoting healthy communities.

Lincoln has served a combined 18 years working for NANA and the Maniilaq Association, the two largest employers of shareholders in the NANA region. He joined NANA in 2016, and most recently served as vice president for external affairs where he worked to ensure the protection of corporate, regional and shareholder interests. Lincoln also served as an Alaska State Representative from 2018 to 2021, where he was an original member of the House Special Committee on Tribal Affairs.

A native of Kotzebue, Lincoln graduated from Kotzebue High School as the valedictorian of his class. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree, concentrating in management science and public policy, from Stanford University. In 2021, Lincoln was named a “Top Forty Under 40” leader by the Alaska Journal of Commerce.