Current Members

Wanda Barbara Baltazar’s Iñupiaq name is Nauyaq. She is the daughter of the late Fannie and Ricardo Baltazar of Anchorage. Wanda is married to Ernest Hyatt and together they have three adult children. The couple resides above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska. Wanda is passionate about educating children and the next generation of CIRI Shareholders. Over the years, she has been mentored by Elders who have instilled in her the Iñupiaq values of hard work, respect for the land and love of children. She has worked as a language-immersion preschool teacher, teaching the Iñupiaq language and culture to children and young families. Currently, she works with an early intervention team, traveling across the region to serve infants and toddlers with special needs. She is active in her community, serving on the City of Kotzebue Planning Commission and the Native Village of Kotzebue Tribal council and governance committees. Wanda holds an associate degree and is working toward her bachelor’s degree in childhood development and family studies. She is a scholarship recipient through The CIRI Foundation.

Brandy M. Dixon was born and raised in Anchorage where she continues to reside with her husband and a Rottweiler named Nala. She has more than 15 years of diverse experience managing communications in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. At present, Brandy serves as communications director for the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA), the state's energy office and lead agency for statewide energy policy and programs. In this role, she oversees AEA’s communications activities including community and public outreach, organizational partnerships, government and media relations, social media, and online and print publications to promote public awareness, strengthen AEA’s reputation and fulfill its mission. Before joining AEA, Brandy was the communications and events director for the Alaska Chamber of Commerce, the largest trade association in Alaska. She also worked at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, serving in a number of positions of increasing responsibility, the last of which was as special assistant to the CEO. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art with a concentration in graphic design from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Taylor Donovan was born and raised in Anchorage where she currently resides with her spouse and many pets. She is an enrolled member of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and loves visiting Southeast Alaska whenever the opportunity presents itself. After receiving degrees in philosophy and economics from Oregon State University (go Beavs!), Taylor moved back to Alaska in 2018 to begin a career in nonprofit housing and homelessness prevention. Taylor currently serves as the director of Housing Services for RurAL CAP and is pursuing a certificate in Alaska Native Executive Leadership from Alaska Pacific University. In her free time, she loves spending time outside no matter the season and is a firm believer that "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing.”

Tayler Higgins (Yup’ik/Dena’ina and Athabascan/Sugpiaq) was born and raised in Anchorage. She is a first-generation college student at the University of Alaska Anchorage, working toward a bachelor’s degree in business management. Tayler has completed many internships with Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) and plans to continue her education in law, aiming for a career in public policy to help bridge gaps for Native youth and low-income communities in Alaska. Tayler is an enrolled member of the Seldovia Village Tribe and serves as chair of the CITC Youth Advisory Council. She served as an Arctic Youth Ambassador (2023-2024 cohort) under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a board member for Spirit of Youth Alaska. Tayler has the distinction of being named the 2022 Fur Rendezvous Heritage Ambassador. She is an experienced youth leader, passionate about representing Alaska Native people in underrepresented spaces and creating safe spaces to help youth to reach their endless potential. In her spare time, Tayler enjoys sewing with fur, making Yup’ik headdresses and painting.

Jennifer "Jenni" Johnson, a lifelong Alaskan, lives in Anchorage with her two daughters, Jayden and Josephine. Proud of her Yup'ik and Inupiaq heritage, Jenni honors the legacy of her late parents, Nita and Willie Johnson of Emmonak, Alaska, as well as her grandparents, Suzanne and Gilbert Paul of Emmonak and Martha and Willie Johnson II of Selawik, Alaska. Jenni's journey took her through the foster care system before settling in Anchorage. Since being in Anchorage, Jenni has been blessed to gain valuable work experience in retail, administrative and executive assistance. She currently manages a small business office and is pursuing a degree in business administration. Jenni aims to further her studies in psychology to support underprivileged youth in the foster care system. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughters, ice skating, snowboarding, painting, reading and baking.

Wesley Little is a lifelong Alaskan who grew up on the Kenai Peninsula, commercial fishing during the summers at his family’s setnet sites on the Upper Cook Inlet. In addition to being a CIRI Descendant, Wesley is a shareholder of Salamatof Native Association Inc. and an enrolled member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing and a master’s degree in supply chain management, both from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Wesley has extensive experience working in upstream, midstream, and oil and gas exploration operations and is currently employed as a senior buyer with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. He makes it a priority to support the growth of local and minority business enterprises and encourages supplier diversity programs. Wesley strives to give back to the Alaska Native community to help ensure current and future generations of Shareholders have equal opportunities to desirable jobs and economic opportunity at a commercial level. He enjoys spending his downtime traveling throughout Alaska with his family, hunting, commercial fishing, camping, and volunteering with organizations that help strengthen our local communities.

Sara Martinchick was born in 1994 and raised in Alaska. A proud CIRI Descendant on both her mother and father's sides, Sara is also a descendant of the Ninilchik Tribe. Her mother is Aleut, born in Kodiak, Alaska, and later moved to Ninilchik, Alaska, while her father is Inupiaq with family from Kotzebue, Alaska. Sara has been a dedicated advocate for Alaskan nonprofits for over a decade. With a passion for community service and a strong commitment to teamwork, she has worked in various administrative and leadership roles across organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southcentral Alaska, The CIRI Foundation and the Alaska Native Justice Center. Her expertise includes program coordination, board communication and organizational development. Known for her excellent communication skills, Sara excels in both verbal and written interactions, ensuring seamless operations and successful project management. A strong team player, she thrives in dynamic environments, adapting to challenges with ease while fostering collaboration and mentorship among her peers.

Valerie Anderson has been cooking wonderful meals for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Early Learning programs for more than 10 years. The kitchen started out in a small building off North Willow Street and recently moved to the new education campus. Valerie is Dena’ina Athabascan/Aleut, born and raised on the Kenai Peninsula. She has two brothers and two sisters. Valerie is a shareholder and board member of Salamatof Native Association.

Brittany Brown enjoys leveraging her expertise in process improvement and strategic leadership to drive impactful change within organizations. Brittany is of Iñupiaq descent and currently resides in Soldotna, Alaska. She holds a degree in business administration and has over a decade of experience in business analysis, project management and process optimization. She currently serves as the director of process improvement for Bering Straits Native Corporation, where she leads cross-functional teams to enhance efficiency and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Brittany is passionate about supporting Alaska Native communities and is excited to bring her skills and experience to the CIRI Participation Committee.

Michael Agitmuq Heyward is passionate about his work with youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system. He is Yup’ik, with family originally from the Bethel area. He was born and raised in Anchorage and currently lives in Kotzebue, Alaska. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in justice and a Master of Public Administration, Public Management degree, both from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He currently works as a juvenile probation officer 3 for the State of Alaska.

Nadia Jackinsky-Sethi (Alutiiq) is an enrolled member of the Ninilchik Village Tribe and was raised in Homer, Alaska. She is an art historian, museum consultant and mother to three daughters. Nadia holds a PhD. in art history from the University of Washington, with work focused on supporting Alaska Native arts revitalization, museum sovereignty and Alaska Native arts documentation. She currently serves as a research associate with York University's Curating Indigenous Circumpolar Cultural Sovereignty program. She is a recipient of the 2024 Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant program and serves as an advisor for First American Art Magazine and as secretary of the board of the Native Arts and Culture Foundation. Nadia loves collaborating with Alaska Native artists and working on behalf of our communities.

Charles Lee (Tlingit) is from Anchorage and currently resides in Long Beach, California. He enjoys all things outdoors including fishing, boating, surfing, free diving and skiing. His interests include aviation, design, music and sustainable living. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science in education degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu, a Master of Business Management degree from Hawaii Pacific University and a graduate certificate in business resources management from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He recently completed a senior executive fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Charles has served in a variety of leadership positions throughout his career within the federal government, Department of Defense (DoD), and public and private sectors. He currently serves as the DoD and Navy accounts branch chief for the General Services Administration Customer and Stakeholder Engagement (CASE) Division. As the senior CASE representative within his region, he directs customer engagement, marketing, and solution-development initiatives related to the entire suite of Federal Acquisition Service programs.

Sam Schimmel is St. Lawrence Island Siberian Yupik and Kenaitze Indian from Kenai, Alaska. From as far back as he can remember, he has kept Native life lessons front and center: “Listen to your Elders, listen to your people, listen to stories told to you”. Sam uses Native knowledge to influence and direct local and national community efforts to better the lives of Alaska Native and American Indian people. He grew up berry picking, subsistence hunting and fishing. Sam currently co-chairs the Cook Inlet Tribal Fisheries with Debra Call. The group is comprised of all the Tikahtnu (Cook Inlet) Tribes and dedicated to ensuring Tribal access and management of Tikahtnu fisheries. Sam graduated from Stanford University in 2022 and is currently in his final year of law school at Georgetown University. He previously founded Operation Fish Drop and has served on the youth advisory boards and commissions of the Center for Native American Youth, Cook Inlet Tribal Council and National Congress of American Indians.

Ann Stephan was born and resided in Anchorage for 18 years. She is the daughter of the late Alice (Simion) Golley of Iliamna, Alaska, and the late Theodore Golley of Atka, Alaska. Ann is married to Lee Stephan of Eklutna, Alaska, where they currently reside. Her children include sons Guy Stephan, Jason Adams Jr., Noah Adams and Jacob Stephan. Daughters are Amanda Adams and Leanna Clifford. Grandchildren are Hailee, Alanna and Ella Adams and Jordon Wilde-Stephan. Ann enjoys living a subsistence lifestyle hunting, fishing, and berry picking with her family and grandchildren. Her hobbies include riding her Harley Davidson motorcycle, downhill and cross-country skiing, skating, and sledding with her kids and grandkids. She enjoys meeting and talking with people who share her interests. Ann has taken classes in accounting at the University of Alaska Anchorage and holds certifications in accounting, bookkeeping, auditing procedures and troubleshooting PCs. She has worked for the Native Village of Eklutna for 13 years and was also contracted through NANA Management Services with BP Alaska for 11 years as an accounting assistant for facilities management and the cafeteria. Past employers also include CIRI, the Anchorage Park Foundation and Aleut Corp.

Madeline Thompson has served on the board of the Ninilchik Traditional Council for the past year and a half. She has also served on the Ninilchik Emergency Services board, a 501(c)(3) rural volunteer service that provides emergency-response services, and has participated in volleyball for 38 years. Additionally, Madeline has served on the Fish and Game Advisory Board for Ninilchik.

Virginia Wolf is an original CIRI enrollee raised in Kenai, Alaska. She is the daughter of Nancy Danieloff and Thomas Stroman and has four brothers, a half-sister and a half-brother. She has two children, Brenda Marie Smith and Anthony Lee Wolf, and four grandchildren, Ethan and Averie Wolf and Brianna and Daniel Blankenship. Virginia loves to bead earrings, sew, fish, and can, freeze and dry food for long-term storage. She loves learning crafts of all kinds. During the COVID pandemic, Virginia sewed and distributed more than 800 cotton face masks to Tribal and community members as well as Elders’ centers, fire and police departments and anyone who needed them. She attended Kenai Central High School and Kenai Peninsula Community College and worked as title officer for 30-plus years. Virginia has commercial fished in Cook Inlet, Unalakleet and Egegik, Alaska, and on the Willapa River in Washington State. She was a Tribal court judge and a council member for the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.

Angela (Angie) Averett enjoys baking cakes and cookies for family and friends when she is not at work. She also enjoys spending time with her family playing board games and watching her grandchildren participate in various activities. Angie spends time with her husband fishing for bass in small ponds when the weather permits. She loves crafts and ceramics, learning new things and the adventure of a road trip, which she tries to take at least once a year.

Chris Chord was born and raised in Northwest Washington, specifically the San Juan Islands, where he currently resides. He grew up surrounded by cousins and aunties. Chris pursued a career in health administration and has spent most of the last decade working for Trinity Health, a large health care system based in Michigan. While he specialized in health insurance reform, he found himself working on the innovation side of the health care system, learning about health care startups. Following that experience, Chris desired an opportunity to work with grassroots nonprofits and local community organizations to truly change health delivery in small communities. His current role on Orcas Island allows him to develop strong relationships with community and to work together to solve complex health-access problems. Outside of his profession, Chris and his partner have two small children who keep them quite busy. When he can, he enjoys traveling, trail running and backcountry snowboarding, seeing new wild places on his own two feet.

Coppedge is a returning student on the verge of graduating and a “returning mother” who started a family 20 years after having her first son. Sitka is Tlingit and was born in Portland, Oregon. Her mother, Kim Graham, was born in Juneau, Alaska. Sitka holds an Associate of Arts and Science degree and is set to graduate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a multidisciplinary degree with a focus on art, business and anthropology in May 2025. An avid health enthusiast with a sweet and salty tooth and a passionate artist, Sitka aims to pursue a career in product design management, with aspirations to become a chief product officer.

Katharine Corcoran brings a rich tapestry of experience to the CIRI Participation Committee (CPC). Her career began in the federal government and, after a foray into toys and brand consulting, she is again learning a new industry at the American College of Cardiology working in membership marketing. Katharine is deeply committed to community service and is actively engaged in numerous programs that support local causes, focusing on education, cultural preservation and community empowerment. She loves walking around her beloved Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, observing native plants and pockets of history hidden in plain sight. She is Yup'ik and Athabascan with family ties to Nome. Katharine values curiosity, kindness and tenacity and is eager to explore how she can apply these principles as a member of the CPC.

Janea Cordova’s family originates from Eklutna, Alaska, and the Anchorage area. She worked in health care and hospital settings—including for UCHealth, Kaiser Permanente, the Alaska Native Medical Center and private and specialty practices—for 20 years before going into hotel management. She is currently pursuing a degree in marketing and management, which she expects to complete in the spring of 2025. Outside of work, Janea enjoys camping, kayaking, road trips, TV and movies, theater, concerts, stand-up comedy shows, reading, swimming and travel. She “absolutely loves” being an aunt, “spending time doing nothing and everything” with her nieces and nephews.

Keri Hartig is a passionate adventurer, artist, animal lover, and advocate for all things health and wellness. Keen for the opportunity to create connections, mentor, inspire and cultivate interesting experiences, she plans to launch an annual community art show, dive deeper into public art projects, explore Native American practices and other traditional crafts and trades, and steward the land by focusing on crafting found, foraged, functional and sustainable products for the mind, body and home. As a CIRI Shareholder, she is ecstatic to further explore and share her perspectives, cultural influences, Native heritage and personal narratives. Overall, she is thrilled to be part of the CIRI Participation Committee and can’t wait to see what unfolds!

Travis Helms, originally from Kodiak, Alaska, is the son of Chris Helms of Kodiak, Alaska, and Pat Fox of Seldovia, Alaska. Now living in Virginia with his two children, Travis has spent more than 20 years with the Smithsonian Institution. He is currently the project director for Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past, an initiative that seeks to spark positive social change and build a more equitable future through interdisciplinary scholarship, creative partnerships, dialogue and engagement. Beyond his work with the Smithsonian, Travis is an editorial advisor for the “Exhibition” journal; sits on the Excellence in DEAI Steering Committee for the American Alliance of Museums; and serves on the National Planning Council for the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Previously, he served as project manager for the National Museum of the American Indian and project director for the Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building. Committed to elevating Alaska Native and Indigenous voices throughout his career, Travis balances his professional life with hobbies like running, mountain biking, kayaking, and relaxing at the beach with family and close friends.

Patrick Johnson is Dena’ina Athabascan/Aleut and originates from the Kenai Peninsula. He is a descendant of Larry Oskolkoff, who served as CIRI’s land manger and on the CIRI Board from 1974 to 1978. Patrick works at Raytheon as a systems engineer, providing specialized technical support to many programs across the company. He has participated in the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program and Southcentral Foundation’s RAISE Program. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems and a DOD IAT Level II2 certificate.

Brady Kent is the son of an original CIRI enrollee Madeline Thompson and grew up on a cattle ranch located on the Yakama Nation Reservation in Washington State. Brady holds a bachelor’s degree in earth and space science with an environmental focus from the University of Washington and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in engineering and technology management from Washington State University. Brady works as a Tribal energy specialist for the Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Division, focusing on Tribal engagement, policy and program development.

Evan Shannon is Dena’ina Athabascan, born and raised in Tennessee. He is a student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK), finishing out a dual degree in classics and religious studies with plans to pursue a Master of Library and Information Science degree upon graduation. Evan is passionate about information access and outreach, and he hopes to work in academic libraries at rural and Tribal colleges. He has participated in and led activism on his college campus, primarily for disabled and LGBT+ rights. His work was recognized in 2024 when he received the Commission for Disability Undergraduate Award. Evan is continuing his activism by serving as vice president of UTK’s Native American Student Association. He currently works as both a library assistant and grading assistant and has received scholarships from The CIRI Foundation throughout his college career. In 2019, Evan attended the CIRI C3 Experience to reconnect with his Alaskan heritage and fell in love with the state. It is his dream to one day return to Alaska with his three cats, Mimi, Felony and Kevin.

Mark Teresin spent childhood summers in Alaska mending fishing nets, smoking salmon and working in the commercial fishing industry. Mark is of Aleut heritage, with family ties to Ninilchik, Alaska. He currently resides in Brownsboro, Alabama. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in technical management from Wayland Baptist University and is retired from the U.S. Air Force, having served 23 years of active duty. He currently works as a government contractor for the Missile Defense Agency in the field of cybersecurity, serving as the cybersecurity directorate for Torch Technologies in Huntsville, Alabama.