Wanetta Ayers - Southwest SWAMC, Executive Director
907-562-7380, wayers@swamc.org

Christi Bell is the Executive Director of the University Alaska Center for Economic Development. Through this position she provides technical assistance to community-based organizations engaged in economic development activities throughout Alaska. Assistance efforts include strategic planning, feasibility studies, and business planning. She holds an MBA and a MS degree in Resource Management, from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She previously provided business consulting with Aurora Consulting, Alaska Village Initiatives, and SWAMC.

George Cannelos has served as the Federal Co-Chair of the Denali Commission since October 3, 2005. He previously served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the architecture firm, Koonce Pfeffer Bettis, Inc. and Director of the Heritage Land Bank for the Municipality of Anchorage. He capped a 32-year military career as a Brigadier General commanding the Alaska Air National Guard. Mr. Cannelos began his career in Alaska in 1975 with the Department of Community & Regional Affairs. He also served as Chief Operating Officer for Chugach Alaska, Inc., and as Land Manager and General Manager for Bethel Native Corporation. He resided in Bethel in the early 1980's.

Jason Dineen is the Executive Director of the Small Business Development Center. (SBDC) The primary objective of Alaska SBDC is to coordinate resources from both the public and private sectors to strengthen the small business community, to improve the operations of existing small businesses and to assist in the formation of new small businesses through training and counseling. SBDC offers free one-on-one counseling and workshops on business planning, financing and management throughout the state.

Perry Eaton was born in Kodiak where he grew up on his fathers fishing boat. He has worked as a banker, the President of Community Economic Development Corporation, which is now named Alaska Village Initiatives – a rural economic development organization. He served as the General Manager and oversaw the construction of the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Mr. Eaton serves on the Board of Directors of Koniag Corporation and is recently retired from Alyeska Pipeline Co. Perry is an acclaimed photographer and artist, specializing in Alutiiq mask-maker.

Janet Hall is the RurAL CAP Interagency Liaison to the Denali Commission. She is on full-time loan to the Commission, implementing the Commission's Energy Program. With extensive experience providing services to villages in rural Alaska, she has been a valuable contributor to the VIBES study team.

David Hoffman is President and CEO of Alaska Growth Capital, which encourages economic development by providing business financing and consulting services to benefit Alaska . The company is a subsidiary if Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. Mr. Hoffman founded the company in 1997, having previously served as a business consultant, the CEO of Sitnasuak Corporation in Nome , and Chief Operating Officer of UIC Corporation in Barrow. He also served as a state cabinet officer as Commissioner of the Department of Community and Regional Affairs. Alaska Growth Capital has produced the highest number of SBA loans in Alaska for the past three years.

Jennifer Imus is a senior business relationship manager for Wells
Fargo in Fairbanks. She joined Wells Fargo in 1999 as a management trainee and served Fairbanks customers as a personal banker and business relationship manager for four years. She was named Bering Sea Community Banking president in 2003 where she was responsible for bank operations in Nome, Kotzebue and surrounding communities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Lewis & Clark College in Portland and master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She is a member of the class of 2008 at the Pacific Coast Banking School. She was raised in Fairbanks. Wells Fargo is a partner in the ViBes project through a generous gift to the University of Alaska Foundation.

Berney Richert is the Director of the federal Economic Development Agency. The organization provides funding from the US Department of Commerce for the economic growth to largely rural communities in Alaska. Much of the federal investment provides resources for capital projects and regional economic development planning.

Dean Stewart is the Director of Business Programs for USDA Rural Development in Alaska. He has worked for Rural Development since his retirement from the Army in 1992. In 1996 Dean began working in business programs and in 1998 he became the program manager. USDA Rural Development is a partner in the ViBes research project through the provision of grant funds to support the project.