Unalaska’s Alaska Native village corporation has a new president. Laresa Syverson, who served as the Ounalashka Corporation’s technical lands manager for the last five years, took the leadership reins from Denise Rankin on May 2.
Rankin stepped down in April after three years as president and 27 years with the corporation.
Syverson said her priorities are to keep the corporation’s day-to-day operations on track for summer and fall.
“No sweeping changes, but working more closely with our team to get familiar with their workflows,” she said.
Syverson said she has worked with Rankin and the corporation’s CEO, Natalie Cale, for the last few years to come up to speed on “all things OC.”
Cale said Syverson’s dedication and experience will strengthen land management and restoration efforts within the Ounalashka Corp. (OC).
“I don't think you'll find somebody more passionate about OC’s lands and the cultural aspect of the shareholders as well,” Cale said.
The corporation will begin looking for a new technical lands manager soon, but it isn’t clear yet if the hire will be in-house or outside the organization, according to Cale.
The corporation continues to remove World War II debris from its lands, which Syverson will oversee as president. She will work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on cleanup efforts. Cale said it will involve advocacy work, including “trying to voice our concern over the lack of urgency with the Corps cleaning up OC’s contaminated lands.”
Syverson will also continue to serve a two-year term as the Arctic Energy Ambassador for the Aleutians, a U.S. Department of Energy communications position focused on energy development in Alaska.
Correction: a previous version of this article mischaracterized the Ounalashka Corp. as Unalaska's regional Alaska Native corporation. OC is the village corporation.
