NACA Board of Directors
Lance Morgan, Chairman
President, Ho-Chunk, Inc.
Lance Morgan is a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and President of Ho-Chunk, Inc., the development corporation for the Winnebago Tribe. Ho-Chunk, Inc. has business interests ranging from home manufacturing, retail, distribution, construction, hotels, apartments, and Internet companies, including Indianz.com and AllNative.com.
Prior to working for Ho-Chunk, Inc., Morgan worked as a lawyer in the Indian Law Department of the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney. Lance served as an instructor for the Arizona State Law School and as economic advisor to the BIA. He is a board member of several corporate entities and does legal and consulting work on tribal economic development; he has spoken at over 30 national and regional conferences on various tribal economic development subjects.
Morgan has a law degree from Harvard University and a business degree in economics from the University of Nebraska, at Lincoln.
Helvi K. Sandvik, Vice-Chair
President, NANA Development Corporation
Helvi Sandvik is the President of NANA Development Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NANA Regional Corporation. NANA has over 50 subsidiaries and partnerships that serve clientele in a variety of sectors, including government contracting, professional and management services, oil development, mining, hospitality, and tourism.
Sandvik came to NANA in 1995 after twelve years with the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities where her career took her from Transportation Planner to Director of Statewide Aviation and finally to the position of Deputy Commissioner.
Sandvik is a shareholder of NANA and is originally from the village of Kiana. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Kalamazoo College in Michigan and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Robin Danner, Secretary
President & Chief Executive Officer, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Robin Danner is native Hawaiian from the island of Kauai. She is the founding President and CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), a non-profit dedicated to supporting Native Hawaiian communities and the organizations that serve them. Robin was raised on the Navajo, Hopi and Apache reservations of Arizona and lived 25 years among the Inupiat Eskimo of Alaska.
Robin has extensive management experience in the not-for-profit, business and government sectors, including 13 years as Vice President of the National Bank of Alaska; three years as Executive Director of an Indian Housing Authority that served 8 federally recognized tribal governments; and three years as the Director of Housing for one of the largest municipal governments in Alaska. She is the Vice Chairman of the State Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations, a Director on the Board of the Inter-Tribal Economic Alliance, a member of the Waianae Hawaiian Civic Club, serves on the Hawaii Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Commission, and oversees the operation of the Native Hawaiian Economic Alliance. She has received the Alaska Governor's Volunteer of the Year Award and the Small Business Minority Business Advocate of the Year from the state of Hawaii. Her expertise is in public and private administration, business and community development with a specialized focus on rural and Native American populations.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement employs 34 Native Hawaiians and operates a public policy center on Native Hawaiian issues, conducts resource development and organizational capacity training, a homeownership call center and owns and operates an information technology company in partnership with 11 Indian Tribes and Alaska Native firms. Robin is married with four children and lives on Hawaiian Home Lands in Hawaii.
Wally Powers, Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Bering Straits Native Corporation
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Wally Powers is the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC). BSNC serves over 6,000 shareholders and their families. He was born and raised in Fairbanks and is a shareholder of Doyon Limited, and a BSNC shareholder descendant. Powers served three years in the U.S. Army and graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a bachelors in Business Administration with a focus in Accounting. After graduating, he joined a statewide CPA firm and later served as controller for a number of village corporations. He has also been a business analyst for the Minority Business Development Center, Community Enterprise Development Corporation and the Economic Development Director for the Fairbanks North Star Borough before accepting a position with Doyon, Limited where he was the subsidiary controller and general manager of Doyon Properties, Inc. Powers has worked for BSNC for fourteen years.
Ron Allen, Director
Chairman/CEO, Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
As Chairman of Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, (serving 1977-present), Allen is responsible for representing the Tribe and addressing political and policy issues. As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (serving 1982-present), he is also responsible for the administration of the Tribes’ programs including education, career development, social services, housing, health, economic development, natural resource management, and cultural/traditional affairs.
As Tribal Chairman/CEO, he is responsible for leading the Tribe from a zero resource base in 1982 to a current annual budget level of approximately $20 million; and from a landless reservation base in 1982 to a land base of over 1,000 acres without federal assistance. Additionally, he has led the Tribe in establishing business enterprises including Seven Cedars Casino, Northwest Native Expressions Art Gallery, JKT Development, and Jamestown Health & Medical Supplies.
Dusty Kaser, Director
Retired CEO of Alutiiq, LLC and Afognak Native Corporation,
Business Consultant for Alutiiq, LLC
Dusty Kaser, working closely with the Afognak Native Corporation Board of Directors, established the Alutiiq family of companies in early 2000 and served as its President and CEO until his semi-retirement in early 2007. Afognak serves 789 shareholders and their families. Today Kaser continues to work for Afognak Native Corporation and its wholly-owned Alutiiq subsidiaries as a business consultant, focusing on evaluating new business development opportunities, creating and fostering strategic partnerships, and educating policy makers on the importance of the 8(a) program for disadvantaged Native communities. Kaser led the operational merging of Alutiiq with its parent, Afognak Native Corporation, after he assumed the position of Afognak Native Corporation President in early 2006. He provided the leadership for strategic planning, business development and operational management of both Afognak Native Corporation and Alutiiq during this time.
Alutiiq operates in multiple industries providing services to the federal government in the areas of physical and electronic security, construction, logistics, operations & maintenance, and information technology. The Alutiiq companies employ over 6,000 professionals in these competencies, with operations in all 50 states and 4 countries.
Prior to establishing Alutiiq, Kaser served as Vice President, and later as President of Chugach Alaska Corporation for nearly eight years. Chugach was in bankruptcy when he took on the challenge of turning it around. He was instrumental in building it into one of the largest and most successful Alaska Native corporations.
Kaser holds a degree in nuclear engineering from Oregon State University and is a registered professional engineer in Washington and Alaska. He also attended Portland State University, Civil Engineering.
Janice Hotch, Director
Manager, Office of Diversity Solutions, Sealaska Corporation
Janice came to Sealaska in 1998 and joined the Office of Diversity Solutions at the end of 2003. Her areas of responsibility include marketing, sales and business development for Sealaska Corporation and its subsidiaries with a focus on federal contracting. Hotch is also responsible for federal and minority business enterprise certifications for the Sealaska family of companies. Sealaska Corporation serves over 19,000 shareholders.
In addition to serving on the board of NACA, Hotch serves as an elected member of the board of directors for the ANCSA village corporation, Klukwan, Inc., and is involved in the Juneau Lions Club. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Washington. A Sealaska shareholder, and member of the Tlingit and Tsimshian tribes, Hotch resides in Juneau, Alaska and works at Sealaska’s corporate headquarters.
Jeff Hueners, Director
Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Chenega Corporation
Jeff Hueners is the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Chenega Corporation, a village corporation serving 172 shareholders and their families. Hueners provides executive leadership and strategic guidance for the Corporation’s business enterprise. He is responsible for developing the company operating businesses and provides direction and expertise in executive management, strategic planning, business development and acquisition of new work.
Hueners began his professional career in 1980 and has been involved in the federal contracting business for twenty-seven years. Prior to joining Chenega, he was Executive Vice President of Piquniq Management Corporation where he helped build the company into a $100 million per year federal contracting enterprise. During his career, Hueners has been directly responsible for starting and providing management oversight to successful federal contracting businesses including firms that provide core services in information technology, logistics, Intel & military operations, security, environmental management, base operations, light manufacturing, engineering, equipment-leasing, and construction.
Hueners graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelors degree in Finance in 1980. He is currently a trustee for the National Defense Industrial Association, and sits on several Boards including the Native American Contractors Association and two social betterment organizations in Anchorage, Alaska.
Kip Ritchie, Director
Chief Operating Officer, Potawatomi Business Development Corporation
Forest County Potawatomi tribal member, Kip Ritchie, serves as Chief Operating Officer for the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation (PBDC). The Forest County Potawatomi comprises 1,350 tribal members. As a founding member, Ritchie served on its Board of Directors from 2003-2008. Prior to his appointment as COO, Kip has served as Senior VP for the PBDC. Through the organization, Ritchie promotes the importance of investing in the tribe’s future by diversifying resources beyond gaming.
Ritchie began his career in Indian Gaming in 1997 when he joined Potawatomi Bingo Casino as Director of Marketing and was promoted to Assistant General Manager in 2004. As Assistant General Manager, he participated in the development of strategic business planning and management of the casino’s leadership team.
Ritchie was recognized by the Business Journal as one of Milwaukee’s “40 under 40” in 2000. In 2002, Potawatomi Bingo Casino received the prestigious Lamplighter Award from the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau, largely credited to Ritchie’s work within Milwaukee’s tourism community.
Ritchie is a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in Communication. In addition to serving on the Children’s Health Alliance Board of Directors, he serves on the Board of the Native American Contractors Association, College Readiness 21, Native American Finance Conference, National Indian Gaming Association—Associate Member Board and American Indian Business Network Advisory Board. Since 2000, Kip has served as the Chairman of the Forest County Potawatomi Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. Kip resides in Pewaukee, Wisconsin with his wife and two children.
Andrew Stern, Director
Chief Operating Officer, Tribalco, LLC
Andrew Stern is chief operating officer and a board member of Tribalco, LLC, an 8(a) certified company founded by the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, a Maine-based Tribe. Since its inception in 2004, Tribalco has grown to become a leading partner of public and private sector customers in the design, deployment and maintenance of wired, wireless and space-based telecommunications solutions across the globe.
Stern manages all facets of Tribalco’s operations, where he combines his expertise in finance and marketing technical requirements in the telecommunications and IT infrastructure spaces. He is also active in maintaining strong ties with the political leadership from Maine, including elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels.
Prior to serving in his capacity at Tribalco, Stern served as a managing director of Medstar Associates, an investment bank located in Rockville, Maryland. At Medstar, he was responsible for direct investments in, and the operation of, a commercial mortgage bank and a professional services company. He oversaw the origination and underwriting of over $150 Million in commercial mortgages, and served as the chief financial officer of the $50 Million staff augmentation business. Prior to Medstar, Stern was the president and founder of National Vending (d.b.a. Vending.com), which was sold in 2003. Stern is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Grainger School of Business and Emory University (where he earned his M.B.A.), and he resides in Maryland with his wife and 3 children.
Barney Uhart, Director
President, Chugach Alaska Corporation
Barney Uhart is the President of Chugach Alaska Corporation, a regional corporation that serves 2,300 shareholders and their descendants in Southcentral Alaska. Barney Uhart has more than 25 years experience in Government Service contracting, holding executive and operational level positions with Alaska Native Corporations, Women and Minority Owned 8(a) business and large businesses. He has been with Chugach Alaska Corporation for twelve years and was named President/CEO in May 2000. Uhart is responsible for strategic plan implementation, new business development, diversification, and shareholder programs development.
Uhart has significant expertise in foreign and domestic Multi-function Base Operations Support (BOS) contracts for the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies. His responsibilities have included marketing, proposal development, negotiations, contract administration and operations. He has successfully directed graduated 8(a) firms in the competitive marketplace.