Build Alaska's Future

06/19/2026

Federal dollars are shifting. Alaska's economy is changing. Join us Tuesday to learn what that means for all of us.

Build Alaska's Future Education Fund tracks federal infrastructure investments across Alaska, and one thing is clear: federal dollars touch every corner of the state. When that funding shifts, communities feel it.

That's why we've teamed up with Commonwealth North and UAA's Institute for Social and Economic Research to bring you a virtual this Tuesday. Pack your lunch and join ISER economists for a timely conversation about what's happening to federal spending and what it means for Alaska's workforce, infrastructure, natural resources, and supply chains.

Alaska Economic Forum Series: Informed Dialogue for Alaska's Economic Future
📅 Tuesday, June 23, 2026
🕛 12:00 – 1:15 PM AKDT
💻 Virtual via Zoom
🎟️ Free with registration: https://www.commonwealthnorth.org/ #!event/2026/6/23/federal-dollars-alaska-apos-s-economy

Featured economists from UAA ISER:
- Brett Watson, Ph.D.
- Brock Wilson, Ph.D.
- Bob Loeffler, M.C.R.P., M.S.

Moderated by Ross Johnston, Executive Director of Commonwealth North.

Informed Alaskans build a stronger Alaska. Grab your lunch and join us on Tuesday!

The Impact of Federal Dollars On Alaska’s Economy at Virtual on Tue Jun 23 2026: Alaska’s economy, valued at approximately $70 billion with a...

06/11/2026

City Clerk: “Choose Your Own Adventure”

Meet Elise Sorum-Birk, Deputy City Clerk for the City of Valdez. Elise grew up in Valdez, spent a decade away working for the legislature — commuting between Anchorage and Juneau — and eventually came home looking for something more stable and community-rooted.

She found it in the clerk's office.

"Local government is supposed to be nonpartisan. It's supposed to be about everyone working together to make the kind of community that you want."

Elise describes the work as a choose-your-own-adventure: part research, part records management, part legal responsibility, part public service. Her geography degree doesn't come up much – but what does is patience, a good sense of humor, and the ability to think on her feet.

For young people considering the field, Elise has a straightforward piece of advice: "Go find your clerk and ask them questions. Clerks are always going to be happy to tell you about government because we like it."

ClerkStart is building pathways into careers like Elise's. Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks.

City of Valdez, Alaska - Government

05/29/2026

No Days Off

Lorie Pierce is City Manager & City Clerk of the City of Cold Bay. At the time of her interview with us, Lorie had been in the role for nearly five years — and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Lorie came to Cold Bay in 2020 on a mission trip. She was retired. She said no when they asked her to apply for the city job. But then she took the job, and hasn't looked back since. As a one-person office, she plows roads before sunrise, ties up boats at midnight, runs the water plant, and fought all the way to Juneau to get her community clean drinking water after discovering PFAS contamination in Cold Bay's public supply.

She puts it plainly: "I have 56 residents, but I have no less workload than Anchorage."

The Clerks Initiative is proud to spotlight leaders like Lorie who show up for their communities every single day. Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks.

05/26/2026

On this week's menu at the Bartlett Community Forum: A Panel on Civic Infrastructure.

This Thursday, Build Alaska's Future is taking the stage at the Bartlett Community Forum for a conversation about the state of civic infrastructure in Alaska and what we can all do about it.

Our panel featuring Heather Flynn, Marty Rutherford, Jane Angvik, and Veronica Slajer will share what the data tells us about where the gaps are — and we will be asking YOU what you think we should do about it.

We are also premiering three brand new short videos, in collaboration with the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks and the Alaska Municipal League and funded by the Rasmuson Foundation and RurAL CAP, shining a light on the people who keep local government running:

"Unsung Heroes"
"Good Work, Close to Home"
"No Clerk, No Election"

Thursday, May 28th. Doors open at 11:30 AM, event starts at noon at the Anchorage Senior Center.

If you are in Anchorage, please join us. If you cannot make it, please share this post so others can. Learn more about our work at BuildAlaska.org

05/20/2026

Infrastructure Week 2026 – Time for Alaskans to Tune In

This week, advocates across the country are calling on Congress to invest in the roads, ports, broadband, and energy systems that keep communities running. For Alaska, that means the dock that delivers your groceries, the road to the clinic, the internet connection that makes remote work possible, and the ports that supply our communities with food and fuel.

Particularly urgent: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — which has funded billions in Alaska projects — expires in September 2026. If Congress doesn't act, communities across our state could lose the federal investment pipeline that's been a lifeline.

Build Alaska's Future tracks federally funded infrastructure projects across the state so Alaskans can see what's at stake and make their voices heard.

Explore the map: BuildAlaska.org
Contact your representatives - tell them Alaska's infrastructure can't wait.

05/19/2026

Mentoring the Next Generation

Meet Helen George, City Clerk for the City of Scammon Bay. Just three months into the role at the time of her interview with us, Helen had already run a city council election - and she was just getting started.

With a background as a court clerk and chief judge, Helen brings deep experience in documentation, ordinances, and Robert's Rules of Order. But what drives her most is passing knowledge to the next generation, and being the kind of mentor her community deserves. She says, "pretty soon, we're going to have to rely on them."

We're proud to spotlight leaders like Helen who show up for their villages every single day. Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks.

05/15/2026

Celebrating Clerks: Every Vote Counted, Every Voice Heard

Last week marked the 57th Annual Professional Municipal Clerks Week. As the Alaska Municipal League reminds us, there is never a bad time to thank the clerks who keep our communities running.

Municipal clerks do most of their work behind the scenes, and more depends on them than most people realize:

• Maintaining official council minutes, records, and documents
• Administering municipal elections
• Issuing licenses and permits
• Acting as liaison between citizens and local government
• Managing contracts, correspondence, budgets, and more

From Cold Bay to Kotzebue to Juneau, Alaska's municipal clerks show up every day to ensure that local government works for everyone.

Clerkstart exists to support these essential professionals and build the next generation of clerks across Alaska.

Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks.

Alaska Municipal League

05/14/2026

The Backbone of the Community

To Kim Lane, being a municipal clerk is more than just a job. For 14 years, she has served as Borough Clerk for the City and Borough of Wrangell.

Kim came to the profession through a path that will feel familiar to many clerks: a connection, a conversation, and a calling. A fellow clerk told her about the opening in Wrangell, and Kim knew it was the opportunity she'd been waiting for — a chance to do work that was truly fulfilling, not just a paycheck.

The network is what keeps her going. Kim describes the community of Alaska's municipal clerks as something close to family — one where knowledge flows freely, no one reinvents the wheel alone, and a clerk with five years of experience can often teach something new to one with fourteen.

When it comes to the future, Kim isn't standing still. She's already looking for the next generation of clerks in her own community. "You just have to be ethical, love what you do, and want to learn," she says.

Clerkstart's mission is to find and support more people like Kim — passionate, community-rooted professionals who are the quiet backbone of local democracy across Alaska.

Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks. City and Borough of Wrangell

05/07/2026

Sworn by Oath to Uphold Democracy

Beth McEwen has served in the Juneau clerk’s office for an impressive 25 years, first as deputy clerk, then as clerk. In that time, she has seen local government evolve from the Y2K era through 9/11, all the way through a global pandemic. Through it all, she has ensured that elections are held and the right to vote is protected.

When COVID hit in 2020, Beth and a staff of just two others faced an impossible situation: keep up with an avalanche of weekly assembly meetings while also reinventing how elections would be conducted. In a moment of what she calls "serendipity," an email arrived from Anchorage's clerk's office at the exact moment her team was asking, "What if we reached out to Anchorage?" The result was a by-mail election partnership that kept Juneau's democracy running safely through the pandemic.

Beth is clear-eyed about what her job — and every clerk's job — really means: "We are sworn by oath to uphold democracy. We swear an oath to the constitution of Alaska, and the constitution of the United States, and we take our jobs extraordinarily seriously. So we are going to make sure that your right to vote is protected under all circumstances."

Clerkstart’s mission is to ensure that people like Beth McEwen are able to continue their work – without interruptions or loss of knowledge due to turnover and retirement. Because it’s people like Beth who ensure democracy is upheld at the local level.

Learn more at BuildAlaska.org/Clerks.

City and Borough of Juneau