Chugach shareholders return former CEO Kompkoff to the board and reelect two directors

Chugach Alaska Corp. shareholders returned former CEO Gabriel Kompkoff to the board and reelected directors Violet Yeaton and Connie Hedrick on Saturday at the corporation's 53rd annual meeting, held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage.

All three will serve through the 2029 annual meeting, the corporation said in a release Wednesday. The release gave no vote totals. Detailed results are posted on the shareholder-only MyChugach portal.

The release also paid tribute to Matthew McDaniel, a director for 21 years who started at Chugach as a management intern. "Matt has always put shareholders first in his decisions as a Board member," Board Chairman Sheri Buretta said. "He will be missed." The release does not say whether McDaniel sought reelection.

Shareholders honored Donald "Donnie" Wallace Jr. as Elder of the Year. Nanci Robart, president of the Native Village of Tatitlek IRA Council, was named Shareholder of the Year, and Lily Schablein, recognized for her achievements in Indigenous sports, including the Native Youth Olympics, the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and the Arctic Winter Games, was named Youth of the Year.

Chugach, which says it is owned by nearly 3,000 Alaska Native shareholders, is preparing to add more. Shareholders approved open enrollment at last year's meeting, and applications opened in March for descendants of original shareholders and for Chugach Natives who missed the 1971 enrollment. Approved applicants will receive 50 shares in 2027. The new shares are life-estate shares that cannot be inherited or gifted.