Bering Straits shareholders elect three new directors, re-elect Evans and Ashenfelter

Bering Straits Native Corporation shareholders elected Roy Agloinga, Neal Foster and Donald Stiles to the board Oct. 3 in Nome. They also reelected board chair Robert "Bobby" Evans and vice chair Roy Ashenfelter. All five will serve three-year terms. The corporation, established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, has more than 8,200 shareholders. Vote totals, turnout and the complete nominee list were not available in the records reviewed.

BSNC calls all three winners newly elected. Its 2018 results thanked an outgoing director named Neal Foster, who chose not to run for reelection that year.

Three of the five directors whose terms ended this year will not return to the 15-member board. Tony A. Weyiouanna Sr. of Nome and Shishmaref retired as his term ended. He served from 2007 to 2010 and returned in 2023. Fred Sagoonick, reelected in 2023, withdrew as a nominee before voting closed Sept. 30. BSNC told shareholders who had voted for him that they could change their votes. Debbie Atuk, also reelected in 2023, is not among this year's winners. BSNC's announcements do not say whether she ran.

The proxy card and statement BSNC first mailed left off nominee Marilyn Koezuna Irelan. The corporation sent corrected materials to all eligible shareholders and let those who had voted keep or change their votes online, on paper or in person. BSNC said it "is committed to maintaining a fair and transparent election process." Irelan was not elected. To encourage voting, BSNC offered proxy prizes: 25 early bird prizes of $1,100, five $2,500 prizes for voting online and regular prizes up to a $10,000 grand prize.

A sixth seat is turning over, too. Eugene Asicksik of Shaktoolik is retiring before his term ends in 2027. He served from 1986 through 2022 and returned in 2023. The board, not shareholders, will appoint his replacement to serve until October 2027. Four of the board's 15 seats will then have new holders, based on the roster in the corporation's summer newsletter.

"It has been my honor to serve alongside Tony and Eugene as our Corporation achieved record breaking economic and financial success over the past years," Evans said when the two retirements were announced in August.

Applications for the Asicksik seat opened Monday and close at 5 pm Oct. 23. Applicants must be voting shareholders at least 18 years old. They must submit a letter of interest, a resume and a conflict-of-interest questionnaire by email to [email protected] or by hand or mail to BSNC's Shareholder Services Department in Nome. Mailed applications must arrive by the deadline; postmarks do not count. This year's board nominees need only notify BSNC of their interest at the same email address.