Tanana Chiefs Conference elects Sharon Hildebrand of Nulato as chief/chairman

Sharon Hildebrand of Nulato leads Tanana Chiefs Conference for a term that runs through 2029, holding the top executive job at an organization that works with 42 member tribes across Interior Alaska.

TCC announced that its Full Board of Directors elected her chief/chairman on the final day of the 2026 Annual Convention and Full Board of Directors Meeting, held March 9-12 in Fairbanks.

The chief/chairman serves as chief executive officer, according to TCC's Executive Board listing. The TCC region covers 235,000 square miles of Interior Alaska, about 37 percent of the state.

Hildebrand succeeds Brian Ridley of Eagle, who thanked delegates for the past four years, according to a TCC account of the convention.

Hildebrand is Koyukon Athabascan and a tribal member of Nulato Village. She previously served as TCC vice president.

She holds a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree in Alaska Native studies from the University of Alaska and is pursuing a doctorate, according to TCC.

TCC wrote that Hildebrand, guided by the principle of Ch’eghwtsen’, emphasized that "Hear me" is a responsibility to truly listen to tribes, tribal members, elders and leaders with compassion and empathy.

TCC's own records describe the vote two ways. One announcement says the Full Board of Directors elected her. A later one says the 42 member tribes did. Every account of the election located for this story was published by TCC.

Rhonda Pitka, chief of Beaver, was appointed to serve the remainder of the vice president's term, which TCC lists as ending in 2028.