Photo description: Visiting the future site of the Nome Community Center’s supportive housing project.

I’ve spent my life serving missions larger than myself. In the military, the mission wasn’t just a directive, it was a way of life. It meant showing up, standing with your team, and making sure no one was left behind. Believing in mission meant believing every person and every role mattered. 

That mindset has shaped every chapter of my career, from military duties to public service and the courtroom, and now, my work today at Rasmuson Foundation. Even in an administrative role, my work is mission-driven. I am here to make sure the Foundation operates efficiently so our grants, partnerships, and community investments can do what they’re meant to do: empower Alaskans. 

But to me, mission can’t be something you just talk about from behind a desk. It has to be something you live. At Rasmuson Foundation, our mission is to empower Alaskans, and everything we do is in service to that mission and our partners. It’s our responsibility and our honor to be there, listening first, and never forgetting that the best ideas come from the people doing the work.

I think often about the responsibility of the Foundation to fulfill this mission — our promise — to the partners who rely on us. Not only in stewarding the resources entrusted to us as a family foundation but making sure that everything we do has a purpose. Our finance, IT, HR, and operations teams may work behind the scenes, but they are essential to making grantmaking possible, moving resources as expeditiously as possible to the organizations and communities that need them.  

Cutting a check isn’t just a financial transaction—it’s helping an organization keep its doors open. Improving internal systems isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about making sure we can better serve our partners.

I learned that early on. In my military service, I was a medic, an armor officer, a pilot, and a commander. Some roles were in combat arms, others behind the scenes, but every one of them mattered. Because mission doesn’t happen in silos: It happens when we all bring our best to the table as a team.

At Rasmuson Foundation, we believe that empowerment happens through community, collaboration, and deep respect. And that commitment is more than something we say, it’s something we live.