Sealaska’s leadership team takes our responsibility to our 26,000 shareholders incredibly seriously. Our obligation to them extends beyond the legal and financial requirements, we are obligated to them as family. All of us are part of the greater community of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people with ancestral ties to Southeast Alaska.
One of our core values as a people is the concept of Haa Aani – this is our commitment to care for the oceans and lands because they have always been, and always will be, the foundation of our people.
We are humbled to be in a position to live out our true cultural identities and values through our work while generating profits that will help sustain our people and communities for generations to come.
Executive Leadership
Aanshawatk’i
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Sarah Dybdahl
Sarah Dybdahl (Aanshawatk’i), Taakw.aaneidi clan, grew up in Klawock, Alaska, and has dedicated her career to advancing cultural heritage, education and the prosperity of Native communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and joined Sealaska after serving as the Director to the Office of the President for the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
Dybdahl formerly served as Executive Director of the Huna Heritage Foundation and has contributed her leadership at a statewide and national level, including serving on the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Board of Directors as the Southeast Village Representative and the Native Americans in Philanthropy Board. She also continues to serve her community locally as a member of the Klawock Heenya Corporation Board of Directors. Her lifelong commitment to strengthening cultural identity, education and shareholder opportunities reflects the values at the heart of Sealaska.
Board of Directors
Richard is CEO for Tlingit and Haida Business Corporation, president of Raven Potlatch Development, LLC, and managing member of Raven Potlatch Real Estate, LLC. (Raven Potlatch is a private family-owned business).
Richard has 38 years of experience as a business executive and entrepreneur, including 20 years in private industry prior to working for Sealaska. Rinehart earned a Master of Business Administration from Portland State University and a Bachelor of Science from Portland State University.
He is a member of the Sealaska Audit Committee and Finance Committee and serves as chair of the Haa Aaní, LLC Board of Managers. He has been a member of the Sealaska Board of Directors since 2013.
Richard is a member of the Shx’at Kawáan Dancers and ANB Camp 4 of Wrangell. Richard is Tlingit/Raven, Kiks.ádi (Frog clan), Gagaan Hít (Sun House), Teeyhíttaan yádi (child of), and Haida. His Tlingit names are Du aani Kax Naalei and Tashee.
The majority of Karen’s career has been spent supporting our Native organizations in both the for-profit and non-profit spheres. Through this work, she was able to support continued success for our Southeast Alaska region. This background gives her the opportunity to provide a unique perspective in the board room when investments are considered. Overall, the goal Karen sees for Sealaska is to be successful in business for our shareholders, continuing to provide benefits and with share our culture.
In 2019, Karen retired as Controller for Finance at Bartlett Regional Hospital after serving nearly five years. Prior to that, she was a Controller for Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. Karen served on the Goldbelt, Inc. board from 2008-2014 and as board chair for Goldbelt, Inc. from 2011-2013. She served as Sealaska’s Senior Accountant from 2007-2008 and served on the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation board from 2014-2022. She brings a vast knowledge of the intricacies of ANCSA to the Sealaska boardroom along with a broad understanding of financial management principles to help ensure decisions are fiscally sound.
She has been a member of the Sealaska Board of Directors since 2020 and is a member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Finance Committee, Governance-Nominations Committee and Communications Subcommittee. Karen is also a manager on the Haa Aaní LLC., Board of Managers and a member of the Sealaska Settlement Trust Fund. She puts forth her energy and time for Sealaska and shareholders in many capacities.
Currently, Karen is the President of the Deishu Tlingit & Haida Community Council, a Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indians of Alaska delegate for Haines, Board of Commissioner for Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority and member of Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 5.
Karen is Tlingit – Raven/Coho – L’uknax.adi (Daginaa Hit), Tsimshian, and Panabscot and her Tlingit name is GunnaShaa.
Barbara works as the Vice President for Arctic Ocean Conservancy. Prior to her current role, she served as director of the Alaska Native Policy Center for First Alaskans Institute, where she engaged with leadership at every level to advocate for Alaska Native people and ways of life. From 2015 to 2019, Barbara worked as a political appointee under the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska as the director of Native and Rural Affairs and as senior staffer for Fish and Game. She conducted special studies and developed policy in areas of Tribal relations, subsistence, fisheries, forestry, transboundary water quality, food security and Native affairs. Previous positions include work with the USDA-Office of the Secretary in Washington DC, assistant professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and vice president of an 8(a)-certified business in Anchorage.
Barbara holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, along with certificates in Tribal Business Law and Indianpreneurship. She is a Sealaska scholarship recipient, former Sealaska accounting intern and former Board Youth Advisor.
She was born after 1971, so she is the first shareholder on the board of directors with descendant stock (Class D). She has also inherited landless stock.
Barbara’s Haida name is ‘Wáahlaal Gidaag (Potlatch Giver). Her Haida, Tlingit and Ahtna Athabascan family stems from Klawock, Hydaburg and Tsiis tl’edze’na’ (Chistochina). Her Xaadaas Clan is Yahkw Janáas (Raven Shark), her father is Naltsiine, and her grandfather is Teeyeeneidi.
Barbara is the Vice President and Treasurer of F/V Star of the Sea, Inc. and the Juneau School District Native Education grants administrator, Title VI Indian Studies Project Director, and Co-chair of the District-wide Equity Committee.
She serves as chair of the Shareholder Relations Committee, a member of the Governance-Nominations Committee and Finance Committee, and serves as a Trustee on the Sealaska Heritage Institute Board of Trustees. Barbara has been a Sealaska Director since 2009.
She is a tribal member and officer of the Douglas Indian Association (DIA), Chair of the Culture and Education Committee, and Chair of Housing
Barbara is Tlingit, Teikweidí (Brown Bear clan), L’eeneidí/Filipino yádi (child of). Her Tlingit name is X’ashk’ugé.
Charles Eden Edwardson, Haida name Yáahl Sgwáansang, is a dedicated business leader and community advocate with over three decades of experience in Southeast Alaska. A lifelong resident of Ketchikan, Charles was the first Alaska Native to serve as president of the Alaska State Home Builders Association and has successfully run his own general contracting business since 1995. Prior to his contracting career, he worked as a commercial fisherman for 17 years, gaining a deep understanding of the region’s industries and challenges.
Currently, Charles serves as Director of Generations Southeast, a Tlingit and Haida community learning center, where he focuses on preparing shareholders and community members for success in the workforce. His commitment to building a ready local workforce is a key component of his vision for a prosperous and sustainable economy in Southeast Alaska.
In addition to his business accomplishments, Charles has held leadership roles within his tribal community, serving on the Ketchikan Indian Community Tribal Council and other boards.
Charles is a Sealaska shareholder and Tlingit and Haida Tribal member. He and his wife, Timi, have four daughters and five grandchildren, all of whom live in Ketchikan.
Morgan is the founder of Morgan Howard Productions.
He has a Bachelor of Science in communications from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor of Arts in film production from Columbia College–Hollywood.
Morgan serves as chair of the Communications Subcommittee and since September 2018, he serves as chair of the Sealaska Finance Committee. He is also a member of the Shareholder Relations Committee.
Morgan served on the Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation Board of Directors (8 Years from 2009-2017) and formerly on the Yak-tat Kwaan Inc. Board of Directors (10 years from 2006-2016). He is a member of the Seattle Chapter of Central Council of Tlingit & Haida of Indian Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA), Delegate; Alaska Native Village CEO Association, Founding Member; Alaska Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group, Founding Member; Board member of Seafood Nutrition Partnership; and Launch Alaska Tech Deployment Track Panelist.
Morgan is Tlingit/Eagle, Teikweidí (Brown Bear clan), K’ineix Kwáa yádi (child of). His Tlingit name is X’agatkeen.
Ka’illjuus is the Executive Director, Xaadas Kil Kuyaas Foundation (XKKF), the elected Supreme Court Chief Justice for the Tlingit and Haida Central Council Indian Tribes of Alaska, and the owner of Minority Woman-Owned Business, Lisaverosh Consulting. She is bar licensed since 2012 to practice law in New Mexico.
She has a Master of Arts, Simon Fraser University; First Nations Linguistics, Xaad Kil; Juris Doctorate, University of New Mexico; Bachelor of Science in political science with a minor in business, Emporia State University, Kansas; Associate degree in liberal arts with a business emphasis, Haskell Indian Junior College.
Ka’illjuus is Northern Alaska Haida; she follows her mother Carolyn Sandersons Yahkw ‘Laanas Clan, a Raven, Two Finned Killer Whale, from the K’aad Naay (Shark House). Her Haida name is Ka’illjuus. She is a child of Gerald “Osh” Lang, a Tsimshian Eagle and Tlingit heritage from Metlakatla, Alaska. Lisa lives in Hydaburg, Alaska. Her children are Verlaine Ravana, Ty Edenshaw, and Stephanie Sanders. She has five beautiful grandchildren.
Dr. Angela Michaud is the first female Tlingit chiropractor. She grew up in Ketchikan, Alaska. Her parents are William and Mary Pfeifer. Her paternal family is originally from Hoonah and her maternal family is from Iowa. Dr. Michaud’s Tlingit name is Saa Doo ou after Dorothy Carteeti and she is Eagle, Chookeneidi (Bear Clan). Her father is Raven, from the T’akdeintaan (Kittiwak Clan), and her grandparents are Pauline and John Hinchman from Hoonah.
She received her Bachelor of Science from Oregon State University, her Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic and her Master of Business Administration from Pittsburg State University.
Dr. Michaud shares culture and traditions through her practice with the tribal health system over the last 14 years. She developed a full wellness model of care with chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, exercise specialists and health education at Southcentral Foundation. There, she also developed an accredited Tribal Doctor Training Program through Ilisagvik College. She is now the Senior Director of Recovery Services at Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) in Anchorage, Alaska. She has implemented an integrated substance-use healing program to provide cultural healing for the residential, outpatient and prevention programs. Dr. Michaud’s focus is providing resources for families to be healthy and well. She is an international speaker and a mother of four.
In addition to her work with CITC, Dr. Michaud owns and manages several commercial and residential property rentals as well as helping support the management and business functions at her husband’s chiropractic clinic, True Life Chiropractic.
As one of Sealaska’s current board members, she has put focus on communication, community and connection to our culture and our lands.
An expert in rural energy systems, Jodi has worked with Inside Passage Electric Cooperative (IPEC), known formerly as the Tlingit and Haida Regional Electrical Authority for more than 20 years, assuming the role of chief executive officer/general manager in 2008. Prior to IPEC, she worked at Sealaska as a senior accountant for five years.
Jodi is former chair and trustee of the Kootznoowoo Permanent Fund Settlement Trust, a director of the Kwaan Electric Transmission Intertie Cooperative, and a member of the Energy Committee for Southeast Conference. She also serves as a director of Synergy Systems, Inc., Olympic Fabrication, LLC, Kingston Environmental Services, Sealaska Constructors, LLC, and Haa Aani, LLC.
First elected to the board in 2006, Mitchell serves as chair of the Audit Committee and serves on the Compensation Committee and Finance Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Oregon and is a certified management accountant from the Institute of Management Accountants.
Jodi is Tlingit/Raven, Deisheetaan (Beaver clan) and Dleit káa yádi (child of). Her Tlingit name is T’seiltín.
As Interim President and Board Member, Joe works with the board, management, and partners to further Sealaska’s strategic plan and fulfill their purpose of strengthening our people, our culture and our homelands.
He first found his way to the Sealaska boardroom as an attorney, helping to craft and develop a stock package for the new class of descendant shareholders. Joe was a member of the board when shareholders voted to approve the new stock, inviting thousands of descendants to enroll. Understanding indigenous values, Joe continually advocates for younger voices in the boardroom and throughout Sealaska, knowing that decisions made today will impact generations yet to come. He helped establish the Board Youth Advisor position in 2009. All of these young people are continuing to make significant positive impacts within the community.
Joe served as a Sealaska director since 2003 and was been board chair from 2014 through 2024. Joe also serves as the co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives, a trustee to Sitka’s Outer Coast College and a director for Alaska Legal Services.
Joe is a Brown Bear (Teikweidí) from Yakutat. He is also a Kwáashk’I kwaan yádi. His Tlingit name is Kaaxúxgu. Joe grew up commercial fishing and subsistence living in Yakutat. After graduating from Yakutat High School, Joe completed a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in American Indian Studies from UCLA. He also has a juris doctorate from Loyola Law School.
Monico Ortiz is an accomplished engineer and program manager with over two decades of experience in the technology sector. Monico has been at the forefront of innovative engineering projects, leading teams in the development of cutting-edge technologies at various tech companies in both aerospace and commercial industries.
Monico holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, at Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington. His technical acumen is complemented by a strong commitment to community service, as demonstrated by his leadership roles within the Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska WA Chapter, where he has served on the Executive Board and chaired the Grants (where he wrote grants for MMIWP and cultural programs) and Building Capacity Committee. He also serves as a delegate for Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
In addition to his professional achievements, Monico is deeply invested in education and mentorship, particularly in promoting STEM fields among Native youth. He is an active mentor in the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s STEAM program, where he helps guide the next generation of Native professionals.
Monico brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to leveraging his expertise for the benefit of the corporation and its shareholders. His focus on innovation, strategic growth, and community empowerment aligns with Sealaska’s mission to build a sustainable future for its people.
Vicki Soboleff is an accounting and finance professional who was born in Seattle, Washington, and raised in Ketchikan. She is the cultural manager for Tlingit & Haida. From 2019-2023 she was the grants coordinator for the Tulalip Tribes in Tulalip, Washington, overseeing more than $25 million in grants. Soboleff has more than 20 years’ experience in finance and accounting, including 13 years with Sealaska, first as managing accountant and then as corporate controller. She serves as the chair of the board for Haida Corporation and as president for Haida Energy. She is a former board member of Catholic Community Services, where she served on the Audit Committee.
First elected to the board in 2021, Soboleff serves on the Compensation, Finance and Audit committees. She also serves as chair of the Sealaska Heritage Institute Board of Trustees. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.), accounting focus from University of Alaska Southeast. Soboleff is skilled in financial statement preparation, including consolidations and audit management.
Soboleff is an artist, performer, mentor and teacher who has been involved in a variety of traditional arts and youth mentorship programs throughout her life. She founded the Juneau-based youth dance group Lda Kut Naax Sati Yatx’i (All Nations’ Children in Lingít) in 1995. The group still exists today, and she remains an advisor to the program. After moving from Alaska to Washington state in 2017, Soboleff continued her outreach to youth through the Washington chapter of Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, forming another youth dance group called X̲aat’áay ‘Wáadluwaan G̲aagáay (All Nations’ Children in Xaad kíl). Soboleff began studying cultural activities and Native languages in Ketchikan. She received instruction from Nora and Robert Cogo in Haida language, world-renowned Master Weaver Selina Peratrovich in Haida basketry, Julia Fawcett in moccasin making, and Beatrice Starkweather in traditional beadwork. Her Haida grandmother, Vesta Johnson, also taught Haida language, songs and dance, and button-blanket making.
In 2019, Soboleff received the President’s Everyday Hero Award from Tlingit & Haida for her work as a culture bearer.
Soboleff is Haida, Yak’Laanas (Raven/Double Fin Killerwhale) of the Brown Bear House; and Tlingit (adopted) Kiks.adi (Raven/Frog) of the Tinaa Hit (Copper Shield House) and the Gaagaan Hit (Sun House). Her Haida names are Hiilunjaat and Tl’aakahlwaas and her Tlingit names are Kuk’ak and Shx’aasti.
Aaní is Kiks.ádi from the Shtéen Hít in Sheet’ká, a child of the Kaagwaantaan, and a grandchild of the Kiks.ádi. Her paternal grandfather was the late Alfred G. Perkins of Sitka.
Aaní holds a B.A. in Native American & Indigenous Studies and Linguistics from Dartmouth College. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of British Columbia, with plans to return home for her dissertation research. After completing her Ph.D., Aaní hopes to work in language teaching and program development with an Alaska Native corporation or tribal government in southeast Alaska.
She loves traditional song and dance, learning to make regalia, and is passionate about both learning and teaching the Lingít language.
Land & Communities
Derik is responsible for supporting Sealaska’s in-region investment in people, communities and economic development. He is a former Sealaska intern and served Sealaska in various capacities over two decades before parting ways to pursue other opportunities, returning in 2024 with increased experience and knowledge to support Southeast. Derik is Tsimshian and his pteex (clan) is Gitsputwada and his waap (house) is Niiuks.
As manager of activities on Sealaska land related to natural resources, Jason’s focus is on working with local communities to develop opportunities for cultural and economic benefit. With a degree in Environmental Systems, Jason combines his in-the-field forestry experience with academic study to help manage Sealaska’s resources respectfully and effectively. Jason spent his childhood in the Tongass and has a passion for exploring the abundance of our lands.
Mitchell administers Sealaska’s carbon project, which involves managing more than 175,000 acres of forested lands for the purpose of sequestering carbon. His responsibilities include ongoing monitoring, field work and stewardship activities such as engagement with Community Forest Partnerships. Mitchell’s environmental-studies degree, together with his experiences playing and coaching football, inform his leadership toward improving health and balance for people and planet. He is Tlingit, Eagle, Wooshkeetaan, and Tsimshian.
Other Businesses
The shared heritage of our 26,000 shareholders, whose people have lived in relationship with land and ocean for 10,000 years, inspires Sealaska’s approach to business. Through Sealaska’s Woocheen business platform, geophysicists, entrepreneurs, data analysts and seafood masters work together to foster ocean health. Our companies – encompassing sustainable seafood, geotechnical work, groundwater remediation, data sciences and marine and land-based construction – bring a shared commitment to people and planet.
Learn more about these businesses and their leaders at Woocheen.com/about.