Calista elects first woman to head corporate board

For the first time, a woman will head the board of the Alaska Native regional corporation ?Calista Corp., the company announced Friday.

Margaret Pohjola, a Calista shareholder, has worked as an accountant for Cook Inlet Tribal Council, NANA and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She has a bachelor's degree in management from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Pohjola, who was voted in by the board, will serve for one year, with an option to serve a maximum of three consecutive annual terms, as outgoing chair Willie Kasayulie has done.

Calista (pronounced chu-LIS-ta) was established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and has expanded into a range of industries, including military defense contracting, construction, communications and natural resource development. Revenues in 2014 topped $400 million and net income was $32.7 million.

"It is humbling to follow in the footsteps of early directors like Nora Guinn and Gladys Jung," said Pohjola. "Calista is currently riding a wave of operational and shareholder successes."

The corporation encompasses more than 6.5 million acres in the Bethel region. In July, at its most recent annual meeting, shareholders voted to effectively triple its shareholder base of 13,000 by allowing thousands of children and grandchildren of original shareholders to enroll.

Jeannette Lee Falsey

Jeannette Lee Falsey is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. She left the ADN in 2017.

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