Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday filled open slots on the Alaska railroad and aerospace agency boards.
The governor appointed Craig Campbell, former president of Alaska Aerospace Corp., to the Alaska Railroad board seat that had belonged to a supporter of the effort to recall the governor.
Campbell will occupy the “business owner/manager” seat on the railroad’s board of directors, Dunleavy’s office said in a statement.
Campbell, a former lieutenant governor under previous Gov. Sean Parnell, has 35 years of aerospace experience in the U.S. Air Force and Alaska Air National Guard, the statement said. He served as adjutant general in the Alaska National Guard, retiring in 2009 as a lieutenant general. He served as president of Alaska Aerospace for seven years and is now president of Aurora Launch Services, a company launched by Alaska Aerospace to provide launch support services at the spaceport complex in Kodiak.
Mark Lester, current president of Alaska Aerospace who worked with Campbell at the organization, said Campbell brings a lot of experience to the railroad board.
“Craig knows the state well and has done really good things for aerospace in the state,” Lester said. “I can only believe he’ll bring that talent and insight to the railroad.”
The governor last month dismissed the previous seat-holder, Jon Cook, who had served as chairman of the Alaska Railroad board. Cook, the chief financial officer of Airport Equipment Rentals, had supported the effort to recall the governor from office. The governor did not immediately have a replacement for the seat when Cook was dismissed.
Campbell’s service began Sept. 11 and will run through Oct. 3, the governor’s office said. Campbell will be reappointed Oct. 3 for five years.
Dunleavy also appointed retired U.S. Air Force Col. John “Jack” Anthony to the “aerospace industry” seat on the Alaska Aerospace board, the governor’s office said Tuesday.
Anthony, who serves on the Aurora Launch Services board, has four decades of experience in space research, engineering, operations, leadership, program management and education, the governor’s office said. He served 26 years in the Air Force, and has worked with NASA and as a part-time adviser to the National Space Defense Center.
Anthony is scheduled to serve from Sept. 11, 2019, through July 1, 2022.
Lester said Anthony is a top national expert on space operations.
“He’s called on regularly by senior leadership in the national security arena,” Lester said. “He’ll do a great job of applying Alaska assets and resources into the space economy.”