Kristel Komakhuk

Senior Director, Alaska Native Success and Partnerships

Alaska Native Success Initiative

Website: AK Native Success | Race, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Success (alaska.edu)

President Pitney announces UAA alumna Kristel Komakhuk to serve as the system’s new Senior Director of Alaska Native Success and partnerships. Starting December 4, 2023 Komakhuk is based in Anchorage, and committed to annually travels to Fairbanks and other locations around Alaska. In this role, she will help to guide and support the implementation of the Alaska Native Success Initiative (ANSI) Strategic Plan. She will also focus on strengthening relationships between UA and Alaska Native partners.

Kristel is of Alutiiq and Inupiaq descent, and was born and raised in Anchorage on Dena’ina Athabascan land. Her maternal family is from Tatitlek, and her paternal family is from the Nome area; her Grandma would identify from her home fish camp in Solomon. A first-generation graduate on both sides of her family, she is a proud UA alum, holding a B.B.A. in Business Management from UAA. 

Prior to joining UA, Kristel worked at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) as the APU Senior Liaison for Development and External Relationships. In that role, she aided APU in its journey toward indigenization by developing and maintaining relationships, and liaising with external entities. She’s also served on Shell Exploration & Production Company’s stakeholder management team, and as the Development Director at First Alaskans Institute. In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, traveling, reading, cooking, yoga, and appreciating Alaska’s beauty on hikes and walks.

Kristel’s background of making positive, meaningful impacts in our communities by bridging projects and campaigns across a broad suite of industries with Indigenous stakeholders makes her the perfect fit for this role.