Anchorage, Alaska: Alaska Pacific University is pleased to welcome four new members to the Board of Trustees: Roy Agloinga, Liz La quen náay Medicine Crow. Cory LePore, Jr., and Lucy Aŋjasuk Nelson. They each bring a unique view of Alaska and important skill sets to the Board. They join a team of 13 others working to ensure student and organizational success at APU. “It is wonderful to see such great representation from across the state of Alaska and various cultural backgrounds as APU continues to work towards transitioning to a Tribal University” said President Dr. Janelle Vanasse. “Their contributions help advance the APU Community in fulfilling our vision in honoring Alaska’s Indigenous heritage, exemplifying excellence, and preparing paths is invaluable.”
Meet the new trustees:
Roy Agloinga (Inupiat) joined the Rasmuson Foundation in 2015 as a program officer, bringing vast experience in rural health, government policy and Inupiat language preservation. In 2020, he took on a new role, joining the External Affairs Team to work with Alaska partners on funding collaborations and with Outside funders to encourage giving in Alaska.
With maternal roots in the Bering Strait region and paternal roots in Spain, the Philippines and New England, Roy was raised immersed in Inupiat and Yup’ik cultures. He is the co-author of the Qawiaraq Iġałuik Inupiat Dictionary and former Bering Strait representative on the Alaska Federation of Natives board (term ended December 2020). He is a tribal member of the Native Village of White Mountain and a shareholder for Golovin, White Mountain and Bering Straits Native corporations. He also served as board secretary for the White Mountain Native Corp., ending his term in May 2021.
Roy also currently serves on the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and co-chair for the Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Western States Arts Federation, a regional nonprofit dedicating to strengthening the arts. Roy previously served as a local trustee for the Alaska State Council on the Arts, a regional hospital board member and a tribal administrator. He also was mayor of White Mountain.
Roy has a bachelor’s degree in English and a degree in secondary education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He is a continuing student of Inupiaq and Spanish.
Liz La quen náay Medicine Crow (Haida/Tlingit) is from Kéex’ Kwáan (Kake), Alaska. She is an enrolled Tribal Citizen of the Organized Village of Kake. On her Haida side she is Eagle, Tíits G’itanée, Hummingbird. On her Tlingit side she is Raven Kaach.ádi, Fresh Water-marked Sockeye Salmon, of the Kutís Hít House. Her maternal grandparents were Mona & Thomas Jackson, Sr. of Haida Gwaii/Hydaburg and Kake, respectively. Her paternal grandparents were Lillian and Charles Cheney of Washington. Her parents are Della and William Cheney of Kake. La quen náay’s heart is always at home in the village with her family and people. Integrating Native knowledge and values into organizations, governance mechanisms, and everyday life is a primary passion and responsibility she has pursued through her education and career.
La quen náay received her BA (BFA Equivalency) from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and her law degree from Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate and a Certificate in Indian Law. Since coming to First Alaskans Institute, La quen náay has served as the Director of the Alaska Native Policy Center and Vice-President, and she now serves as the President/CEO, providing a direct path for service to our Native peoples.
Cory LePore, Jr. (Athabascan & Yup’ik), originally from Bethel, is the son of Cory LePore, Sr. and Cindy LePore, both of Bethel. Cory currently serves as a business analyst at Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. As a first-generation college student, Cory earned an undergraduate degree in Economics with a minor in Finance from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in 2018, and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Hawaii Manoa in spring 2020. Cory returned to Alaska and completed his MBA with a finance concentration at Alaska Pacific University in 2021, with support from a competitive scholarship from Doyon. As a recent alumnus, Cory is familiar with APU and is interested in using his education to give back. Cory is an up-and-coming Alaska Native Leader with a tenacity toward scholarship and a drive to serve.
Lucy Aŋjasuk Nelson (Inupiaq) is vice president of administration for NANA and is responsible for providing strategic leadership on corporate initiatives, board operations and development, and in-region operations. Lucy has 30 years of professional management experience.
Lucy is a NANA shareholder from Kotzebue. Until October 2021, she served as Mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough, the second largest borough in Alaska. Prior to that, she was the director of administrative services for the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, which operates schools in 11 villages in the region. For nine years, she worked for Maniilaq Association, rising to the position of vice president and chief financial officer.
Lucy served as a long-term board member of OTZ Telephone Cooperative and the Kotzebue Electric Association and as an assembly member on the Northwest Arctic Borough. She’s volunteered as an announcer on KOTZ Radio, providing local news, weather, stories and basketball play-by-play. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business organizational management from Alaska Pacific University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska Southeast.
