For eight Alaska organizations, 2027 will bring tribal administrators and executive directors the gift of time off through Rasmuson Foundation’s annual Sabbatical Award. For the last 22 years, the Sabbatical Award has provided nonprofit and tribal leaders with time to step away from their regular duties to reflect, renew, and pursue personal projects.

The selected nonprofits and tribes receive a $50,000 grant to support salary, travel, and other expenses during the sabbatical.

The award includes technical support from The Foraker Group and Alaska Tribal Administrators Association to support each leader and their organizations before, during, and after the sabbatical.

In addition to providing nonprofit and tribal leaders time for rest and reflection, the sabbatical program works to empower new leadership development within organizations.

“The Sabbatical Award is an investment in the people who dedicate their time to helping Alaskans,” said Gretchen Guess, president & CEO of Rasmuson Foundation. “When leaders have the opportunity to take time for rest and renewal, it paves the way for others within an organization to step into new roles and develop their leadership skills, as well.”

Meet this year’s cohort of sabbatical recipients. Applications for the 2028 awards open in April 2027.

Lysa Aguiar, Kokhanok Village Council 

As the tribal administrator for Kokhanok Village Council, Aguiar wears many hats, pouring her energy into the community she serves. For eight years, she has been involved in every aspect of the council’s work, from grant writing, finance, and administrative work, to major construction projects and housing. She will spend her sabbatical time oversees, visiting family in the Philippines, then traveling to Japan, South Korea, and Panama. 

Ben Hughey, Sitka Trail Works 

Sitka Trail Works Executive Director Ben Hughey leads his organization in its mission to create, maintain, and promote Sitka’s trail system. During his tenure, Hughey launched a volunteer program and established an Indigenous youth stewardship program, in addition to the day-to-day creative problem-solving required of a nonprofit executive director. His sabbatical will immerse him in a structured exploration of dance, movement, and mindfulness, grounded in his background in ballet, modern dance, and aerial circus arts. 

Helena Jacobs, The Alaska Native Birthworkers Community 

Helena Jacobs co-created and directs the Alaska Native Birthworkers Community, which she has ushered from a team of four volunteers to a paid staff of 14. The nonprofit helps more than 500 families across 100 Alaska communities through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support, care, and education. Her sabbatical will bring her intentional time with her husband and five children, which she will spend in the Caribbean, enjoying the ocean. 

Julia Jacobson, Volunteers of America Alaska 

As president and CEO, Julia Jacobson has led Volunteers of America Alaska through many ups and downs: a global pandemic, an executive leadership transition, financial challenges, and a rapidly intensifying youth mental health crisis. The organization provides a full continuum of care for children, young adults, and their families, supporting mental health, peer support, family therapy, and residential treatment. Jacobson’s sabbatical will provide a rare opportunity to reconnect with her two children, one of whom will soon leave for college, through a family trip to Europe.

Pauline Okitkun, Village of Kotlik 

Tribal Administrator Pauline Okitkun is “always creating more work” for herself by developing new programs and services to improve life for the people of Kotlik. She manages her tribe’s overall operations, financial compliance, grant administration, employee supervision, and policy development. She will use her sabbatical to take her first-ever vacation away from work and spend time with family, doing subsistence activities and crafts, including beadwork, embroidery, and skin sewing. 

Derek Poinsette, Takshanuk Watershed Council 

Before he was a paid employee of the organization, Derek Poinsette volunteered with the Takshanuk Watershed Council. Today, he is the executive director, dedicating his time to providing stewardship for the Chilkat, Chilkoot, and Ferebee River systems. He will cruise through his sabbatical on his 40-foot boat, exploring Alaska’s Inside Passage and learning about the people and communities along the state’s coast. 

Karl Soderstrom, True North Recovery Project 

Founder, President, and CEO Karl Soderstrom took True North Recovery Project from a conversation, to a grassroots movement, to an independent nonprofit focused on saying yes to people seeking help for addiction and mental health issues. During his sabbatical, he will find rest and renewal by spending time with his family, fishing, spending time at the beach, scuba diving, and traveling, followed by a period of solo travel. 

Laurie Stuart, Tyonek Tribal Conservation District 

In her dedication to revitalizing a series of nonprofits over the course of her career, Laurie Stuart stopped taking vacations and put away the supplies she once used to make art. After five years as executive director for Tyonek Tribal Conservation District, which conserves, enhances, and encourages the wise use of natural resources within Tebughna lands, Stuart is embarking on her sabbatical to travel to New Zealand and Scotland, and immersing herself back into her artistic practice.