The ANCSA Regional Association.

• Author: Perry, Richard

Alaska Native corporations (ANCs) are as diverse as the Alaska Native shareholders and communities they represent, all with varying interests. An organization works behind the scenes to support ANCs in areas where those interests intersect; it started to come together after the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was half as old as it is now.

In 1997, a group of Alaska Native regional corporation leaders came together to discuss the unique advantages of creating a forum where they could collaborate on issues they had in common. They agreed that, given the differences in purpose, structure, and mandates among ANCs and other organizations representing Alaska Native people, they must discuss and respond to the common challenges faced by Alaska Native regional corporations.

This group included Carl Marrs, Cook Inlet Region, Incorporated; Michael Brown, Bristol Bay Native Corporation; Oliver Leavitt, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; Dennis Metrokin, Koniag; and Morris Thompson, Doyon, Limited. These Alaska Native leaders understood that while the twelve regional corporations operated different businesses, they also had similarities and there were many common issues that affected ANCs and Alaska as a whole.

"They recognized that while different regional corporations operated different businesses, there were also many areas of overlap that affected ANCs and Alaska as a whole," says Kim Reitmeier, Executive Director of the ANCSA Regional Association (ARA). "Meeting regularly to share our experiences just made sense, similar to how traditional knowledge has been passed down through generations of our ancestors."

The original five worked to bring in the other Alaska Native regional corporation presidents and CEOs. In 1998, the Association of ANCSA Regional Corporation Presidents and CEOs held its first official meeting. In 2011, the organization rebranded as ARA to better reflect the organization's purpose and membership.

Organization of Organizations

ARA promotes and fosters the continued growth and economic strength of the Alaska Native regional corporations to benefit their Alaska Native shareholders and communities. A significant part of ARA is its efforts to educate the public and business communities in Alaska and the rest of the country about what Alaska Native regional corporations are, why they were created, who they represent, and the unique purposes they serve. Depending on the audience, from Alaska legislators and lawyers to...