March 2019 Back Page – A Message From Meera

Posted: March 20, 2019

You will soon receive ballots in the mail to elect two members to serve three year terms on
AVEC’s Board of Directors. Here are the candidates in alphabetical order.

Phyllis Clough: from Old Harbor on Kodiak Island, Phyllis has worked for the Kodiak Island
Borough School District for over 37 years. She also serves on the Old Harbor Tribal Council and
the local Advisory School Board. Phyllis was an AVEC delegate for 12 years and an AVEC board
member from 2003 to 2018

Phyllis states: “I understand the frustration of rising costs of energy. These are challenging
times as the federal and state governments continue to cut funding and energy programs. But
these are also exciting times, as we seek to find ways to bring renewable energy to our rural
communities and decrease our dependency on fossil fuels. I am committed to bringing positive
change to our communities.”

Nathan Moulton: A Yakutat resident since 2017, Nathan is a member of the Colville
Confederated Tribes in Washington State. He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from
Washington State and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alaska
Anchorage . He is the Executive Director of the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe since 2017.

Nathan states: “I am always looking for ways to give back and being on the AVEC Board
of Directors is a small way for me to contribute to the community. Rural Alaska has the highest
energy rates in the country and I feel that we should be exploring renewable options in lieu
of fossil fuel consumption or at the very least complementing current technology to lessen our
dependence on fossil fuels.

Fred Sagoonick: from Shaktoolik, Fred was a Vietnam era Navy veteran and worked on the
TransAlaska Pipeline. He has served on the Bering Straits Native Corporation board and on the
Shaktoolik IRA and City Councils with two terms as Mayor. He managed the village corporation
from 1999 to 2017. Fred has been an AVEC Director asince 2007.

Fred states: “While much has been done in recent years to improve the quality and reliability of power, there still remains
much to be done in continuing to find areas where affordable alternative energy systems can be
implemented for our members. I would like to continue to serve our members by helping AVEC
to explore all possible avenues to provide reliable and economical power for all our member villages.
I represent ALL our members and will work diligently to see that AVEC is the best utility
in the state

Walter Sampson: From Noorvik, Walter attended Noorvik Elementary School, Kotzebue
Friends High School and graduated from Chemawa Indian School in Oregon in 1968. He is a
Vietnam veteran, earning two Bronze star medals. He worked six years in the Alaska National
Guard and for NANA Regional Corporation for 40 years, retiring in 2014.

Walter states: “lSince I joined the Board in 1989, it hasn’t been an easy smooth road. There has
been some turbulent times AVEC had to go through. Thanks to AVEC’s dedicated leadership for
guiding the ship in the right direction. State and Federal governments have made many cuts to
energy funds. That impacts AVEC’s operations. We have to meet the challenges together. I will
continue to listen to viewpoints from membership and administration.”