Afognak Native Corporation names Alutiiq executive Autumn Sellars interim CEO

Afognak Native Corporation, the Kodiak Archipelago village corporation that owns federal contractor Alutiiq LLC, named Autumn Sellars its interim chief executive effective Thursday, Nov. 5, according to the corporation's announcement.

Sellars joined Alutiiq, a wholly owned Afognak subsidiary, in 2017, when the company acquired her firm, Alcyon Inc. She most recently served as Alutiiq's operations and compliance executive. Under her leadership, Alcyon received awards and recognition of contract excellence from NASA and the Small Business Administration, the announcement said. She previously worked as a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin and holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and a master's in management of technology from Vanderbilt University.

Afognak's board of directors called Sellars a well-respected business leader within the organization and in government contracting.

"This is an important time for Afognak Native Corporation on the eve of its 50th Anniversary, and I am committed to leading the management team into this next era," Sellars said.

Afognak says it was formed in 1977 through the merger of Natives of Afognak Inc. and Port Lions Native Corporation. A nine-member board of Alaska Native shareholders governs it, and it runs both commercial and government-contracting businesses. In September, its subsidiary Afognak Commercial Group bought a majority stake in the parent company of Weaver Bros., along with Doyle's Fuel Service and Doyle Transport.

The announcement does not name Sellars' predecessor or say whether the corporation plans a search for a permanent chief executive.