Native corporations succeed with women at the helm: three leaders speak out on challenges of running village corporations.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: 2006 NATIVE BUSINESS NEWS - Cover story

Running a Native village corporation is a huge undertaking. In addition to making a profit and providing dividends for shareholders, it also is important for a corporation's chief executive officer or president to ensure that the business is upholding the cultural and traditional values of its members.

This unique balancing act is a challenge to many village corporation leaders, including Anastasia Cooke Hoffman, CEO of Bethel Native Corp.; Mayer Carey, president/CEO of Kuskokwim Corp.; and Wendy A. Svarny-Hawthorne, CEO of Ounalashka Corp. Though each woman meets the demands of her position in different ways, the one thing that they all have in common is the desire to help their respective corporations succeed.

ANASTASIA COOKE HOFFMAN: BETHEL NATIVE CORP.

On Jan. 1, 2006, Anastasia Cooke Hoffman became the president and CEO of Bethel Native Corp. (BNC), the sixth-largest ANCSA village corporation. An active land manager and real estate developer with subsidiaries involved in construction, environmental remediation, health care, uniform and accessories management services, and engineering and mapping services, BNC has 1,800 shareholders and earned $11.9 million in revenues in 2005.

A former magistrate and standing master for the Alaska Court System, Cooke Hoffman joined the corporation in February of 2005 as the chief operating officer. A board member since 2000, she was approached by other board members and shareholders to apply for the position after CEO Mark Stempf announced his retirement.

"There was certainly a large learning curve when I took the position, though I think serving on the board for five years helped," said Cooke Hoffman. "I was already aware of a lot of the issues that faced the corporation, and I didn't have to find out what our subsidiaries were doing.

"Having Mark here for my first year transitioning his knowledge also has been invaluable," she added. "I would never have engaged in this position without this kind of mentorship. It was a very good way for the corporation to achieve succession."

Born and raised in Bethel, Cooke Hoffman, 33, graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in psychology before earning a teaching certification and a master's degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In her role as BNC's CEO, her main focus is on making the company profitable, and in continuing to maintain the company's positive reputation.

"I'm always focused on maintaining our...