40 UNDER 40 HONOREES RDC SPOTLIGHT
VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 2 | JUNE 2026
THE ALASKA JOURNAL OF COMMERCE RE- CENTLY CELEBRATED THE CLASS OF 2026 FOR THE TOP FORTY UNDER 40, RECOGNIZING AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF YOUNG PROFESSION- ALS WHOSE LEADERSHIP, DRIVE AND COMMUNITY COMMITMENT ARE SHAPING ALASKA’S FUTURE. Please join us in congratulating the out- standing individuals selected as the Class of 2026, many of whom work in Alaska's nat- ural resource industries. n SAMANTHA ANGAIAK-MILLER , 39, Exter- nal Affairs Associate Manager, Donlin Gold n NAVARONE COPLEY , 35, Branch Man- ager - Anchorage Service Center, Republic Services n LAURA DEAN , 37, Financial Advisor/ Franchisee, Ameriprise Financial Service, LLC n KAYLEE DEVINE , 38, President, Spawn Ideas n LAURA DITLINGER , 32, Director of Business Intelligence, Imaging Associates n ASHLYN DYE , 30, Program and Com- munity Outreach Coordinator, Anchorage Senior Activity Center n STEPHANIE FAIN , 39, Director of Uni- versity Success, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program n VLADISLAV FINKO , 29, Marketing Strategist, Alaska Wealth Advisors n KYLE FOX , 39, Founder and Director, Alopex Interaction Design n CONNOR HAJDUKOVICH , 32, Executive Director, Resource Development Council for Alaska n ALLIE HARTMAN , 30, Assembly Com- munications Director, Municipality of An- chorage - Anchorage Assembly n KATIE HOLMLUND , 38, Youth Programs Development and Advocacy Coordinator, Petersburg Medical Center n BILLY HUGHES , 39, Founder, Tundra Testing n AMANDA KEATES , 39, Controller, Aly- eska Pipeline Service Company n KAVYA KELAGERE-MAYIGEGOWDA , 33, Gastroenterologist, ANTHC n JESSICA KOPISCHKE , 38, Owner/ Founder/CEO, Frontier Health and Wellness n J. NICHOLAS LOOMIS, M.D. , 38, Medical Director, Inpatient Services, and Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center
JOE BALASH, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FOR SANTOS, WAS RECENT- LY INDUCTED INTO THE ALASKA HIGH SCHOOL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026. Balash, who serves as RDC Senior Vice President, is a 1993 graduate of Ben Eiel- son High School and stands among Alaska’s most accomplished small-school wrestlers. A three-time individual state champion and four-year varsity letter winner, Balash helped lead one of the most dominant wrestling pro- grams in state history. Competing for the Ravens, he captured TO HALL OF FAME BALASH NAMED
Joe Balash (back row, second from right), Senior Vice President for External Affairs for Santos and RDC Senior Vice President, was inducted into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame Class of 2026 in April.
RDC Executive Director Connor Hajdukovich was honored recently as part of the Class of 2026 for the Top Forty Under 40.
sociate VP of Public Affairs, University of Alaska n SILAS TIKAAN GALBREATH , 39, Chief Operating Officer, First Alaskans Institute n MARITA TOLSON , 38, Indigenous Trades Program Coordinator for Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida and Project Director for Hydaburg City School District n LINDSY TOWNSEND , 38, Board Rela- tions and Strategic Alignment Manager, Chugach Alaska Corporation n KALANI TUCKER , 30, Tribal and Board Relations Manager, Cook Inlet Tribal Council n CHRISTINA TWOGOOD , 38, Product Development Operations Manager, ASRC Energy n SIENA VANUCCI , 38, Executive Direc- tor of Quality, Providence Alaska n SARAH VILLALON , 37, Chief Financial Officer, Golden Valley Electric Association n ANDREW WATSON , 36, Sr. Director Re- covery & Reentry Service, Cook Inlet Tribal Council n KARALEE WATTS , 38, VP of Marketing & Community Relations, Spirit of Alaska Credit Union n KATIE YARROW , 39, President & CEO, Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce
JAMIE LYTTON , 34, Physician Assis-
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tant, Neuroversion n JANIE MA , 39, Insurance Broker/Ac- count Executive, IMA n SIERRA MINDER , 33, External Affairs Managers, Alaska Oil and Gas Association n NAOMI MITCHELL , 36, Interior Coordi- nator, Alaska Resource Education n KRISTINE MORLOCK , 38, Sr. Director, Contracts & Pricing, Petro Star, Inc. n KARA NORBY , 39, Alaska Territory Manager, Surgical Devices Corpus Moun- tain Medical n ZORI OPANASEVYCH , 35, Executive Di- rector, New Chance Inc. n BRITTANY RIMGALE , 36, Business De- velopment Director, Alaska Regional Hos- pital n DANICIA SHIRYAYEV , 37, VP of Busi- ness Services, Credit Union 1 n CHELSEA SMITH , 35, Director, Alaska Corporation for Affordable Housing n DR. JULIE STAFFORD , 38, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Anchorage Veteri- nary Clinic & Urgent Care n DANA SUNDET , 39, Director of Data Services, Research, and Evaluation, South- central Foundation n JONATHON TAYLOR , 33, Director/As-
three consecutive ASAA State Wrestling Championships and finished third at state as a senior, while also winning four Region VI titles. During his four years at Ben Eielson, the Ravens secured four team state champi- onships, cementing an era of dominance in Alaska small-school wrestling. Congratulations, Joe, and the other in- ductees on this prestigious honor! HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026: n Colton Lauwers n Hayden Lieb
n Joe Balash n Rose Fraker n Thomas Dyment n Tom Rollman n Jackson Lehnhart n Gary Lehnhart n Dan Marshall n Jamie Smith n Diana Ervin n Dick Shellhorn n Fred Angerman n Robert Walkotte
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ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW JUNE 2026
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