YEARS OF BOARD SERVICE: Tara has been a TAC Board of Director since 2002.
OCCUPATION: Tara has worked with the Aleutian Pribilof Island Association for 12 years. In 2019, she founded TIXLAX LLC which provides wellness coaching and leadership development services. Tara went on to serve as the Director of Cultural & Educational Service for the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Today, she is freelancing in the Anchorage area.
COMMITTEES: Currently the board is acting as Committee of the Whole. Previously, Tara has chaired several committees such as Policy, Budget & Finance, and Shareholder Affairs. She’s also served on the Board Policy and Lands, and Resource & Real Estate Committees.
EDUCATION: Tara holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Hilo and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Alaska Pacific University.
STORY FROM GROWING UP THAT YOU FIRST REMEMBER HEARING ABOUT/TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHAT TAC WAS:
My first vivid conversations about TAC occurred in the 1970’s. All my life, my dad, Jason Bourdukofsky Sr., has been a leader in the community of St. Paul Island. As a young person, I recall sitting and listening to several of the leaders from the community of St. Paul discussing things of importance.
These men who met with my father, would arrive at our home and they would visit and, for hours, discuss the current situation of the community. This is when I first heard about The Aleut Corporation, its formation, and the need for my dad to represent the community on its first board of directors.
The next time I really got a clearer understanding of The Aleut Corporation was when I was a freshman in college at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. One day I received a large package in the mail. I wasn’t expecting it and therefore was very curious about its content. Upon opening it, I discovered magazines and information about The Aleut Corporation, and it was sent to me by Alice Petrivelli. I couldn’t figure out who she was and why she was sending me the information.
18 years later, I was elected to be a director for The Aleut Corporation and Alice, still serving on the board, began to mentor me in her wise ways. Today, I continue to learn and serve as a director for The Aleut Corporation and bring with me many of the sage advice, wisdom, and knowledge of past leaders like Alice as I sit and make decisions around the board room.
YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON THE TAC BOARD AND PROVIDING GUIDANCE FOR TAC’S FUTURE:
TAC’s mission is “To maximize dividends and opportunities for our shareholders”. The Aleut Corporation is where it is today because of those who came before us. I do my best to keep that in my mind as discussions and decisions around the board room are made. Our Unangan culture, land, resources, and people are at the forefront of these decisions, and I pray that I am always guided in a good way.
In my perspective, knowing and understanding who we are and how we got here is critical to the future. We must never lose sight of the fact that one of the most beautiful and unique things about ANCSA is that as a for profit corporation we have a social and cultural responsibility to our shareholder and descendants. While we can never totally go back to our traditional ways, knowing and preserving them as a resource for future is key to our survival and being successful as a corporation into the future.
As a board director and as a visionary leader, I am innovative, persistent, willing to take risks, enthusiastic, focused, and willing to listen to others and utilize these qualities to provide guidance to The Aleut Corporation. It means being able to communicate to the rest of my fellow board members the mapped-out plan in my mind that will ensure our Aleut management team has a plan in order and in motion ultimately leading to success in the future.
YOUR ROLE WITH TAF AND OUTREACH TO STUDENTS AND PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SHAREHOLDERS:
Building a vision is mission critical in preparing the next generation. The core and foundation of my leadership was instilled in me by my late grandmother and mother, Mary Nicolia Bourdukofsky and Chauncina Marie (Ironwing) Bourdukofsky; they both communicated to me the love of being a lifelong learner and always promoted continuing education.
Just as important is to nurture collaboration and being comfortable with being honest especially where it regards performance. Laying that out hopefully helps to understand why I am such a strong and persistent advocate of growing our own pipeline of next leaders. Whether it is at the board level or as management of TAC and our subsidiaries, it is possible and it is a vision that TAF, through its work with students, will make this possible for the next generation of shareholders and descendants. My responsibility as a director is to ensure the results, and to that end, has meant being personally involved with mentoring many students over the years.
I am a strong and persistent advocate of growing our own pipeline of next leaders. -Tara Bourdukofsky