Sitnasuak is a unique for-profit company — an Alaska Native Village Corporation created by our Natives peoples with the U.S. Congress in 1971 under the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA).
Today, we are a successful village corporation headquartered in Nome, Alaska (USA) with a family of businesses including the following companies and brands:
Our services and products include: fuel storage, sales & reliable delivery services; residential apartments; commercial office buildings (office & retail); title, closing & escrow services; property management & development; retail stores; and tactical apparel & gear products, manufacture & sales.
Sitnasuak is led by an 11-member Board of Directors. We employ nearly 1,500 people through our Corporation and Subsidiaries across Alaska and the U.S.
Our Mission is: To benefit Shareholders, protect our land and its resources, and support our culture by maximizing the profitability of our corporation while upholding our Inupiaq values.
Charles E. Fagerstrom is Iñupiaq, with family roots in Nome and the Bering Strait region. A Sitnasuak Shareholder, he joined the corporation as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after serving as a Board Director for 3 years. Mr. Fagerstrom brings to the organization over 20 years of progressive and diverse experience in health care as well as leading large scale improvement efforts and business development. He previously worked for Alaska Native Tribal Heath Consortium (ANTHC) and Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) where he was responsible for leading rural hospital and long-term care centers, business development for residential psychiatric treatment centers and multi-hospital actuarial studies.
Mr. Fagerstrom holds a bachelor's degree in Business Finance from Seattle Pacific University, a master’s degree in Health Services Administration and Planning from the University of Hawaii, and a master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Colorado. He is heavily involved in organizations such as Alaska Village Initiatives and Alaska Native Village Corporations Association where he works to promote the success of Sitnasuak and protection of its lands.
Heather Spear-Morris joined Sitnasuak as the Vice President, Human Resources in 2018 to oversee and develop the Human Resources functions for the corporation and its subsidiary companies including Bonanza Fuel, Bonanza Express, Nanuaq, LLC, Fidelity Title Agency of Alaska and Mat-Su Title Agency.
Mrs. Spear-Morris has over 22 years of experience in Human Resources, primarily with Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and utility companies on the East Coast. She recently worked fifteen years with Calista Corporation in Human Resource Development including Shareholder training and development, benefits administration, collective bargaining negotiations, and supporting high performing teams to work effectively. Mrs. Spear-Morris currently serves as the Board Secretary for the Alaska Process Industry Career Consortium (APICC), President of the Business and Professional Women – Chinook Chapter, and Board Chair of Maritime Works.
Serving Sitnasuak in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer since February 2020, Lesli Smith has worked for the corporation since 1997. She graduated in 1991 from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. Ms. Smith obtained her certified public accountant (CPA) license in Alaska while working for the accounting firm KPMG in Anchorage. She moved to Nome in 1996 and worked for Norton Sound Health Corporation before she accepted the position of Controller at Sitnasuak in 1997.
