ALASKA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY - Key Persons
Adelheid Herrmann was born in Levelock, Alaska and raised in Naknek, Alaska. She is Athabascan and is a shareholder of Bristol Bay Native Corporation. Adelheid graduated from Bristol Bay High School (Naknek) in 1970. She received her undergraduate degree in public policy, fisheries, and native studies from Antioch University in Seattle, Washington in 1999. Received her doctorate degree in education in organizational leadership with an emphasis in fisheries and oceans from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California in 2013. Adelheid has worked various jobs over the years such as administration, working in the seafood industry, assisting in workforce development programs, and serving in the House of Representatives from 1983-1989. She is currently involved in a post-doctoral research program for the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks from November 2019 to present. She presently serves as a board member on the Bristol Bay Borough Chamber of Commerce and the Western Regional Panel of Aquatic Nuisance Species.
Adelheid is interested in being on Alaska Pacific University's Elder's Council because for many years she has followed the tribal college concept and believe it is something that will be able to help Alaskan Native peoples be in charge of their own educational destiny. Alaskan Native peoples have lived with educational systems that do not reflect their ways of knowing and teaching and with the tribal college system bringing relevance to their education can now help tribal members excel in a formal educational setting. The expertise she can bring to APU's Elder's Council is the background and knowledge she has in education, fisheries, workforce development, public policy and living in rural Alaska. Working collaboratively with the other members on the APU Elder's Council makes for a strong team with a diverse set of skills, education and knowledge. She is honored to serve with this council.
Job Titles:
- Youth Agriculture Education Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Student Records Specialist
Job Titles:
- Chief Advancement Officer
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Campus Life - Student Activities
Job Titles:
- Accounting Technician & Office Specialist to the Institute of Health & Wellness
Job Titles:
- Grant Coordinator for Tumyaraa
Job Titles:
- Alaska Native and Rural Student Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Governor William Sheffield
Job Titles:
- Online Learning IT Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director of Auxiliary Services
Job Titles:
- Student Accounts Specialist
Job Titles:
- Senior Admissions Counselor
Cory LePore, Jr. originally from Bethel, is the son of Cory LePore, Sr. and Cindy LePore, both of Bethel. Cory currently serves as a relationship manager at Wells Fargo. As a first-generation college student, Cory earned an undergraduate degree in Economics with a minor in Finance from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in 2018, and a master's degree in economics from the University of Hawaii Manoa in spring 2020. Cory returned to Alaska and completed his MBA with a finance concentration at Alaska Pacific University in 2021, with support from a competitive scholarship from Doyon. As a recent alumnus, Cory is familiar with APU and is interested in using his education to give back. Cory is an up-and-coming Alaska Native Leader with a tenacity toward scholarship and a drive to serve.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant to the President
Debbie Roll joined Alaska Pacific University in 2003 as the Executive Assistant to the President.
Debbie grew up in Nenana, Alaska and spent the majority of her life in the Fairbanks area. Although her mother resides in Oregon, she still has family in Nenana and the Chena Hot Springs region.
In her role, Debbie provides comprehensive supports to the President, the APU Board of Trustees, and across the APU campus.
In her down time, she enjoys quiet time with her family at their remote cabin near Talkeetna.
Don Keil was born in Brooklyn, NY and retired from the U. S. Government Federal Aviation Administration in 1992 where he was the Deputy Regional Administrator, Alaska Region. Flag Rank (SES-4) and also Negotiator for United States in Soviet Airspace opening. He has been a Board of Trustee for Alaska Methodist University/Alaska Pacific University since 1974.
Mr. Keil attended Springfield College in Massachusetts, American University in Washington DC and the American University, Beirut, Lebanon.
Mr. Keil is Past President of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services and is a current Board member for Challenge Alaska, Anchorage Rotary Club and the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.
Dr. Janelle Vanasse is the 13 th president of Alaska Pacific University, joining the university on June 1, 2022.
Dr. Vanasse has been a leader in education for more than 30 years, specifically at schools and institutions that prioritize Alaska Native education. Immediately prior to joining APU, Vanasse served as superintendent of Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. She also held a range of leadership roles in the Bethel area, including director of secondary education for the Lower Kuskokwim School District, principal and site administrator for Bethel Regional High School, and founding director of Yuut Elitnaurviat, a regional training center for the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. She started her education career in Alaska as a teacher and education specialist at schools in Bethel and Fairbanks.
Throughout her career, Dr. Vanasse has elevated the educational experience for Alaska Native students. She believes that scholarship and leadership are enhanced when influenced by our authentic selves and she delights in recognizing past students in emerging leadership roles around the state.
Dr. Vanasse holds a bachelor's degree in special education from St. Cloud State University, a master's degree in educational leadership from University of Alaska Anchorage, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Gonzaga University. Her most recent academic work includes research about the power of cultural self-identity in college persistence.
Job Titles:
- Outdoor Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Program Coach - Junior, Master & Women 's Group
Job Titles:
- Program Director & Head Coach, University Elite Team
Job Titles:
- Program Coach - Elite Team
Fred John Jr. was born in Susluta, Alaska in 1943 to the last traditional chief of Mentasta Fred John Sr. and Native rights advocate Katie John. He is Athabaskan and is affiliated with the Mentasta tribe and a shareholder of Ahtna Corporation. He was raised in Mentasta but at seven years old he was sent to attend school in Wrangell, Alaska. Graduating high school in 1963, Fred attended Haskell Institute for two years and then joined the Navy from 1965-1968. Fred has been married for 44 years to his wife Linnea and has had four daughters and one son. He graduated from USF with two years of counseling training. Fred works as a recovery counselor in Old Minto, Alaska. He has also worked for the Indian Child Welfare Act in Mentasta, Alaska. Fred has dedicated his time and knowledge on other boards such as AHTNA Corporation representing the village of Mentasta, member of the subsistence advisory board for eleven years, and has been an elder representative for the Alaska Federation of Natives. Fred carries on his mother's legacy of advocating for the Native rights of Alaska. He joined Alaska Pacific University's Elder's Council because he wanted to share his knowledge with the community and the students of APU. He is interested in the transition of APU becoming a tribal college and supports elders guiding this transition. He wants all students to have the ability to go to school and get a great education to become active members of society.
Job Titles:
- Head Coach - Junior, Devo, Grom, Master & Tour Program
Hilton Hallock joined Alaska Pacific University in 2017 and was named its provost in 2018. In addition, she has served as the university's acting president since March 2021.
As provost, she brings her career focus on student learning and success to the APU community. Under her leadership, the university has begun its transition to an Alaska Native-serving and Tribal university, as well as developed new academic programs to meet critical workforce needs in Alaska. She has championed priorities of the Strategic Plan including community engagement and learning, growth and innovation. She serves as chair of the university's Coordinating Council and as a professor of education. She is principal investigator on the university's Indigenous One Health Expansion program, a five-year $2 million Alaska Native-serving grant from the U.S. Department of Education which focuses on increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation rates among Alaska Native and American Indian students in the university's health programs. She is also a co-PI on APU's Sponsored Programs Administration Development grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Prior to her role at Alaska Pacific University, Hallock established a strong and diverse career in higher education as both a faculty member and university administrator. She formerly served as Assistant Dean of Students at University of Virginia, Director of Student Services at Longwood College (now Longwood University), Vice President for Academic Affairs at New England College, and as director for University of Pennsylvania's executive doctorate in higher education management. As a higher education consultant, she has worked alongside numerous private and public universities as they improved student success, supported faculty development, and expanded their academic programs.
Hallock holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, a Master of Education from the University of Vermont, and both a Certificate of Advanced Study in social movement and conflict studies and a Ph.D. in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University. Her career is dedicated to higher education and student success through innovative, effective, and efficient educational programs.
James LaBelle, Sr. was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. He is Inupiaq and his family originated in Kotzebue, Alaska. He is a tribal member of the Native Village of Port Graham and a shareholder in the Chugach Alaska Corporation. He has been married for 50 years to his wife Susan T. LaBelle. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren. James is a boarding school survivor from 1955 to 1965. He is a Vietnam Era/US Navy veteran. James attended Alaska Methodist University from 1970 to 1973 receiving his bachelor's degree and attended UAF and received his master's degree in Rural Development in 2006. He retired as Term Instructor from the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2011 in the Alaska Native Studies Department lecturing on Historical Trauma with an emphasis on boarding schools.
James has served on many different boards and commissions over the years, including Chugach Alaska Corporation, Alaska Federation of Natives, Bridge Builders, Boarding School National Native American Healing Coalition, and Alaska Native Veterans Council. James is interested in being on Alaska Pacific University's Elder's Council because he has expertise in leadership and would like to assist in policy reform and curriculum development.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Member of the Native Village of Chitina
Jason Hart is an enrolled member of the Native Village of Chitina and descendant of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin. He's earned a Master of Healthcare Administration, a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management, and an Associate of Applied Sciences in Mechanical and Electrical Technology degree. The Alaska Journal of Commerce named him a 2016 Top 40 Under 40 recipient.
He serves on the Board of Directors for several Alaska organizations including: the Food Bank of Alaska, Ahtna, Incorporated, and Chitina Native Corporation. Jason was also appointed to the State Commission for Human Rights by Governor Parnell in 2012. Mr. Hart also owns and manages several real estate assets through a small business he owns.
Jason is currently employed as a Clinical Practice Manager at the Alaska Native Medical Center. He's worked for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for more than nine years and previously supported executive leadership and the Board of Directors, as well as managed the Employee Benefits Department.
Outside of his professional positions, Jason enjoys traveling the world with family and friends, and has been to a variety of countries including Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Spain. He also enjoys the outdoors through short hikes, baseball, softball, reading a variety of books and is learning more about his cultural backgrounds including the harvesting of foods and wild game.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Senior Executive
- Member of the Hopi Tribe
Jim Roberts is an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe from of Shungopavi, Arizona. He brings more than 30 years of experience working in Indian health and Tribal government affairs to the APU Board of Trustees.
He served as a technical advisor on the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, assisted in development of Tribal provisions included in the Affordable Care Act and helped construct other Indian important Indian health legislation. Roberts was a Policy Analyst at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, where he provided technical expertise to Tribal leaders on health policy, governance, budget and legislative issues. He also worked on policy and legislation while at the National Indian Health Board from 1997-2003, and previously worked in Bureau of Indian Affairs programs.
Roberts is the Senior Executive Liaison with ANTHC's Intergovernmental Affairs department. He works with a team of policy, legal and subject matter experts who assist in protecting and promoting the organization through coordination of intergovernmental relationships, advocacy, policy analysis, management of special projects and other related functions. Jim enjoys spending time with his family which includes his wife Kay of 28 years, three children, and four grandchildren. He enjoys fishing, sports, and is a silversmith in his spare time.
Joe Williams, Jr. was born and raised in Saxman, Alaska and is of Tlingit decent and is a from the Eagle Tribe within the Tlingit Tribe. He graduated from Ketchikan High School in 1963, and went on to Alaska Pacific University in 1979, previously known as Alaska Methodist University (AMU). He is the first graduate of AMU. He received a bachelor's degree in business. Joe has been married to his wife for 43 years. He has 6 children with 7 granddaughters and 2 grandsons.
Joe has a wealth of knowledge of Alaska, Ketchikan, Saxman, and about his own Tlingit culture. He has owned and operated Where the Eagle Walks; a historical walking tour and lecture company in Ketchikan for 28-seasons. This walking tour has expanded over time into lectures on the Tlingit culture and other specialty tours.
Joe has been elected to be the first Tlingit Alaskan Native to be elected as Mayor of Ketchikan Gateway Borough; he has also served as the City of Saxman Mayor making him the first elected official to hold both the Borough and City Mayoral positions in the State of Alaska. Joe has also served on many other boards including Tribal President for Saxman IRA for 12 years, Vice-President of the National Congress of American Indian for eight years, councilmember for 12 years for the City of Saxman, Alaska, and served six years on the Board of Directors for Tlingit and Haida Regional Housing Authority representing Saxman, Alaska.
Trigg Davis was born in Spokane, WA and received his Bachelors from Washington State University and his Juris Doctor from Stanford University where he was also the editor of the Stanford Journal of International Studies.
Mr. Davis was a Law Clerk to Chief Justice George Boney in the Alaska Supreme Court and is currently in private practice.
Mr. Davis is a member of the Alaska Bar Association, American Bar Association, State Bar of California, Chairman Probate Rules Committee, Fellow American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Chairman of Kellogg Charitable Trust and Founder and President of the Gold 2002 Foundation Ski Program, which was the predecessor to the APU Ski Team.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Administration for NANA
Lucy Aŋasuk Nelson is vice president of administration for NANA and is responsible for providing strategic leadership on corporate initiatives, board operations and development, and in-region operations. Lucy has 30 years of professional management experience.
Lucy is a NANA shareholder from Kotzebue. Until October 2021, she served as Mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough, the second largest borough in Alaska. Prior to that, she was the director of administrative services for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, which operates schools in 11 villages in the region. For nine years, she worked for Maniilaq Association, rising to the position of vice president and chief financial officer.
Margie Nelson is a Native Village of Afognak and Native Village of Port Lions member, and Koniag, Inc., and Afognak Native Corporation shareholder.
She worked with the Kodiak Area Native Association for over 20 years, serving as the Senior Vice President of Administration from 2010-2016, where she ensured proper and cost-effective management of service delivery in compliance with sound business and financial management practices.
Nelson is ANTHC's Tribal Care Coordination and Planning Director. She collaborates with the Alaska Tribal Health System to develop operational strategies and solutions to maximize Medicaid Reform efforts to improve the quality and coordination of care for Tribal members and Tribal health organizations.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair
- Member of the Inaugural Elders Council
Mary Ann Mills works diligently for Kenaitze Indian Tribe as Tribal Council member serving on the Education Committee, the Elders Council, the Tribal Court Codes Committee, the Dena'ina Wellness Center Committee, and is former Chief Tribal Judge for the Kenaitze who fought for full faith and credit and comity to have the Tribal Court orders enforced and recognized by local law enforcement and by State judges. She developed the Wellness Court and determinedly reminded the Tribal Council that their values are Kenaitze's law.
In her 40's, she and her friend and fellow council member Bernadine were mentored by Peter Kalifornsky. He taught them the history of the Tribe, the laws and values of their Tribe, and Tribal relationships were based upon respect, love, reciprocity, honoring all life, correction and reconciliation for members who have made mistakes. He taught the stories and his childhood memories of being raised by Chief Chickalusian. Sarah Francis Lindgren taught Mary Ann and Bernadine medicine plants. Francis was recognized as the last traditionally trained Kenaitze medicine woman.
Mary Ann was also part of a group of people who worked on ensuring Tribal rights when corporations were new and money was changing people. Etok Edwardsen was a great friend and mentor. She was arrested for fishing. Etok designed her legal strategy and she won her case.
The beauty of Mary Ann Mills is her willingness to learn, to read, to take the time to understand, then to advocate in Washington DC, the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland for Aleuts, Athabaskans, Eyaks, Haidas, Inupiats, Sugpiats/Alutiiqs, Tsimshians, Tlingits, and Yupiits. She chaired the planning committee for the 2014 NCAI half yearly meeting to bring former United Nations Independant Expert Alfred de Zayas to hear Tribes from all corners of the United States testify about violations of by the United States of international law. He presented his findings to the United Nations General Assembly in August 2014.
Mary Ann is also a member of the inaugural Elders Council at Alaska Pacific University.
Mia Heavener brings more than 20 years of civil engineering and construction experience to the APU Board of Trustees. She is a tribal member of the Clarks Point Village Council and is a shareholder of the Bristol Bay Native Corporation. She earned a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Fine Arts degree in English/Writing from Colorado State University.
She is a registered licensed Professional Civil Engineer at ANTHC and has managed multiple sanitation design projects for Alaska Native communities throughout the state. She is a member of the American Water Works Association and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
In her spare time, she loves to write, run, hike and commercial fish with her family in Bristol Bay. She is the author of the novel Under Nushagak Bluff, and her short fiction has appeared in Cortland Review, Willow Springs, Fjords Review, and Smokelong Quarterly.
Mike Harper has spent many years working with and for the people of Alaska. Mike was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska, and is of Athabascan descent. He has a wife, Jane, whom he's been married to for 49 years and has one daughter, Kristi. Mike attended Lathrop High School where he thoroughly enjoyed sports and extracurricular activities. After high school, he attended the University of Georgia where he obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration.
Mike served in the U.S. Army as a Small Unit Commander and was later honorably discharged. His work history includes: Rural Cap Community Organizer, an employee for the State of Alaska in various positions such as management and aide to the Governor attempting to better life in rural Alaskan villages, a banker and CEO of Native ANCSA Corporation. Mike has served on the board of directors for many institutions such as various non-profits and Alaska Village Initiatives, Salvation Army, the Native Heritage Center, Doyon Limited, and Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Mike has since retired but has spent his time volunteering at a junior high school as a tutor for remedial math, a director of sales for his wife's novel Unequally Divided, and a backup driver for his grandchildren's sporting events.
Mike believes that education is the best answer to move people in poverty to a better place and that Alaska Pacific University, being a high education institution, is in the position to successfully do so. He is interested in helping APU accomplish this goal and seeing APU reach a mutually beneficial arrangement with ANTHC and other suitable partners. In 1934, Mike's aunt Jane Harper Petri was the first Alaska Native woman to graduate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Jane provided financial assistance to many students at UAF and it is one of Mike's goals to be able to mentor students. Mike is the grand nephew of Walter Harper who was the first to summit Denali.
Phyllis Adams was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and raised in Nenana. She is Athabascan and a member of the Toghotthele Village Corporation and a shareholder of Doyon Limited. She graduated from Nenana High School and attended University of Alaska Fairbanks graduating with a bachelor's degree in education. Phyllis retired from the Anchorage School District after 25 years as an elementary teacher. She is married with two children and four grandchildren. Previous boards Phyllis has served on include: UAF Student National Education Association, Toghotthele Corporation, Johnson O'Malley Education Program, and the Kids Corporation. The vision of honoring Alaskan Native heritage and education is where she feels she can contribute from past experiences. She has worked with elementary students from many cultures and languages.
Susan A. Anderson is of Tlingit heritage and is Eagle/Wolf. She was raised in Anchorage, Eagle River, Valdez, Seward, and spent time in Juneau, Alaska. She received a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a master's in adult education administration from Western Washington University. She also holds a post-graduate certificate in project management and was selected to attend the Stanford University Executive Program for Philanthropy Leaders.
Anderson serves as the President/CEO of the CIRI Foundation, who provide programs that promote individual economic self-sufficiency and cultural pride through education among Cook Inlet Region original enrollees and their descendants who live in Alaska and around the world. Anderson has held this position since April 2000.
Anderson was instrumental in moving forward the work of the Ready to Read, Ready to Learn Task Force: Alaska's Early Childhood Investment and served as the Chair of Best Beginnings Early Learning Council which was formed to implement the task force recommendations. Her activities with the Foundation have led to Alaska Journal of Commerce Top Forty under 40 recognition, a YWCA Women of Achievement Award, an Alaska Village Initiatives "Chief's Knife" Award as well as induction in to the Athena Society.
Prior to joining the Foundation Anderson was manager of the Continuing Education Programs for SPIE-The International Society for Optical Engineering, a not-for-profit scientific organization. While with SPIE she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of international continuing education programs for the Society. She also consulted with National Alliance for Photonics Education in Manufacturing partners around the United States to facilitate communication and effective implementation of programs among universities, technical institutes and industry members. She coordinated more than 350 educational programs attended by more than 5,000 annual registrants and administered the Society's scholarship and grant programs.
Her volunteer and board service includes the Alaska Children's Trust, Alaska Funders' Group,
ANCSA Education Consortium, Philanthropy Northwest, University of Alaska Foundation, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Tina Woods is Unungax (Aleut) originally from Saint Paul Island, Alaska, and Chamorro from the Island of Guam. She is a licensed Clinical-Community psychologist with a Rural Indigenous Emphasis from the Universities of Alaska Anchorage, and Fairbanks and Senior Director of Community & Behavioral Services for Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida).
She respectfully blends both Western science and Indigenous practices based on teachings from Elders. Dr. Woods brings ‘lived experience' and leverages such experience in combination with science for teaching others about trauma-informed care. She strongly believes in going upstream with prevention efforts to make a significant difference for future generations. Dr. Woods is passionate about holding healing space for helping people heal themselves through culturally responsive treatment infusing culture and tribal values as the foundation.
She is a Tanadgusix (TDX) Scholarship Foundation Board Member, DeWolf Kellog Trust Committee Member, Leah J. Petersen Legacy Committee Member, Alaska Tribal Fellowship in Rural Health Psychology Member, and Recover Alaska Operations Council Member. She enjoys traveling with her family, meeting new people and building authentic relationships, walking, and pretending to be a runner!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Alaska Bar Association
Wilson Justin was born in Midcentury at Nabesna Alaska. A village later abandoned to comply with the educational requests of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The family endured a decade of hardships in Chistochina and Mentasta Village but returned to the homelands for the summer months. As an adventurous youngster, Wilson Justin was prone to chasing shadows and was on the road by the age of fourteen. Threatened with receivership at the Children's Home in Fairbanks He returned to Mentasta Village in 1965 and soon after followed the rest of the family to Anchorage to finish High School, Graduating from West Anchorage High School in 1968. Right out of High School Wilson volunteered for the Draft with the US Army. The backlist of draftees kept Wilson from a physical until fall of 1969, where to his surprise he failed the physical due to Tinnitus. Not long after he asked for a review of the classification which was 1 Y. In 1973 the Army sent him a letter of response changing the 1 Y classification to 4 F. While waiting for the Army response Wilson spent time in Alaska's legendary Big Game Business. Once the Army no longer a viable option Wilson began thinking of what kind of a career could be fashioned for an Athabascan with just a high school diploma.
There were no instructions in the sudden transition from a Traditional Society to a one descended from an English speaking world. Wilson had a natural curiosity of the world and soon was able to join the ANCSA Corporation for his region as a Land Planner Trainee in 1977. For many years thereafter Wilson would alternate between the corporate world and the Outdoor Big Game Guiding Business. At the same time Mentors from the Traditional Athabascan world would journey to the Nabesna Country to speak of stories and medicine men of the Headwaters People. Trips to other parts of the region invariably ended up in Stories of the olden times and narrative of wars that occupied the Ahtna Nation prior to Contact. This duel trail of western corporate culture running parallel to the Traditional Teaching became a part of Wilson's background until the late 1990's when the last of the Clan Storytellers and Story keepers passed on. It was in this decade that Climate Change began to show its face in his recounting of the times his family lived through Post WW2.
In 1993 after leaving Ahtna Wilson began another quest in a new field. He helped start a Health Organization under Title V, an Act of Congress to allow Tribes to contract Health Services directly with the Indian Health Service. Named to the position of Health Director Wilson represented Mt Sanford Tribal Consortium for 17 years in yearly negotiations with the Federal Government on the meaning, costs, impact, and definition of Health Service in Rural Alaska.
Wilson has advised federal agencies such as US EPA, on issues around environmental program capacity building. In the early 1990's, US EPA began writing the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program statute (IGAP Act of 1992). Wilson played a critical role in the initial structuring of this program, and in its evolution over the years, as it grew from just a handful of grants to Tribal Governments, to what it is today, with over $27 million dollars in Region 10, Alaska and over 125 Tribes statewide choosing to partner on this program. He has Directed GAP programs, including Mount Sanford's environmental program, overseeing the development of a successful regional recycling program.
Wilson has professionally attended conferences for decades. He has led numerous discussions on climate change as an acclaimed speaker during interdisciplinary conferences such as the Alaska Forum on the Environment. The publication titled: Alaska Forum on the Environment: Climate Change: Our Voices, Sharing our Ways Forward, became a component to the US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey, United States National Climate Assessment, Alaska Technical Regional Report (Circular 1379).