TAC BOARD SPOTLIGHT DR. GARY FERGUSON II
YEARS OF BOARD SERVICE: 7
POSITIONS HELD ON THE BOARD: Vice President; Treasurer; Land, Resources, & Real Estate Committee Chair; Budget & Finance Committee Chair; Policy Committee Chair. Also served as the Board Representative to The Aleut Foundation for 10 years.
FAMILY HISTORY: Great-Grandmother Helen Lena Krukoff was from Unalaska. Grandparents Emil and Marina Gunderson and Mother Kristin Ferguson were from Sanak Island and Sand Point.
OCCUPATION: Director of Outreach & Engagement at the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) located in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University.
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science Degree from Multnomah University and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine. Foraker Certificate in Nonprofit Management and Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program Graduate Certificate at Alaska Pacific University.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BACKGROUND.
My family has roots in Nikolski and the Pribilof Islands through my Great- Grandmother Helen Lena Krukoff. She was in the Jesse Lee Home in Unalaska. While a lot of my family history has been difficult to research, I’ve recently discovered new cousins, familial relationships in the Aleut Region through genetic testing, which has been exciting. My mother Kristin Ferguson’s parents, Emil and Marina Gundersen, were from Sanak Island. They moved to Sand Point when my mom was 16, where I grew up.
I’ve always loved education and studying. While not everyone has the same educational or career goals, no matter where you live, I believe there always should be ways to achieve them. I’d always dreamed of becoming a doctor, and I ended up having to do a lot of creative things to hit all the requirements necessary to get there. It was absolutely worth all of that effort. My parents believed in education, and they instilled in me how important it is. I was the first in my family to go on to university to get an advanced degree. At that time, there weren’t any models of folks from rural Alaska or Alaska Native People that I saw who were pursuing medicine. While volunteering as an EMT during the summers of my undergraduate studies, there was a flame of passion that kept me moving forward towards a career in healthcare.
Traditional medicines and indigenous knowledge have also captured my attention for a long time. As an EMT, I saw firsthand how wellness and good health could prevent injuries and chronic disease. I was having a conversation about this with a chiropractic colleague while I was studying for nursing, and he said, “Gary, I’m listening to you, and you don’t sound like a nurse, you sound like a Naturopathic Doctor. You should look into it.” So I did. It was fascinating, and with my interest in wellness, nutrition, and traditional knowledge, it was exactly my field. After 7 years of post-graduate study at National University, I walked out as a doctor. I was blessed to have early inspiration from my parents, grandparents, and community in Sand Point. The Elders and people there really believed in me, and having that support system was such an immense help through those years.
WHAT LED YOU TO SERVE ON THE TAC BOARD OF DIRECTORS?
Giving back to my community is what really drives me. I’m passionate about educating future generations and allowing them to lead, and that’s really what led me to run for my board seat.
A lot of my work in healthcare has been around population and public health. Social and economic determinants drive well-being when a region has jobs and a sustainable economy. I served the region the first five years after medical school as a clinician in the Eastern Aleutian Tribes health system. Eventually, I moved on to ANTHC in a medical capacity and worked my way to becoming Senior Director of Community Health Services. Throughout that time, it has become quite clear to me that education is a huge determinant of health – not only are people who can access education less likely to engage in at-risk behavior, but it’s less likely they’ll have health problems as well.
The Corporation is uniquely able to help the Aleut People overcome some of the structural barriers to education and better health. We promote a thriving regional corporation that not only offers dividends, but also jobs, shareholder opportunities, and education. The more TAC brings in revenue and net income, the more we can provide our shareholders and descendants with opportunities to access things like education and better health that ultimately result in a better quality of life – regardless of where one lives.
WHAT ARE SOME ACTIONS THE BOARD HAS TAKEN DURING YOUR TENURE YOU’RE MOST PROUD OF?
The Aleut Corporation has grown, as has our family of companies. Being a part of that has been exciting. Acquiring Strata-G Solutions was definitely a bright spot in my tenure as a Board Director – a really good decision we made. On the whole, we’ve become more sophisticated and strategic with our growth plan – both increasing our revenue and growing our next generation of leaders through things like the Internship Program. That’s a program we developed during my time here that I’m very proud of. We need to raise up our next generation to lead by giving them opportunities to gain experience, along with mentorship by our current leaders.
WHAT DO YOU WANT THE CORPORATION TO LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE?
I see an opportunity for our Corporation to be a catalyst for local and regional economic development, as a place where shareholders can go for support, and to maintain our status as an engine for development. That means a lot of things, including continuing to provide opportunities for education, jobs, and skills training, so our region and Corporation are thriving and sustainable for future generations.
My husband and I have a 1-year-old son named George Martin. I want him and descendants like him to have the same strong support system that I have had, and a thriving Corporation is definitely a part of that.
And I want this up-and-coming generation of Aleut leaders to know that we’re truly investing in them. To some extent, I feel like an “elder in training” and I have big shoes to fill. As I grew up, my elders instilled in me a sense that being authentic and true to yourself is what allows you to reach your full potential. And in my role of becoming the best leader, elder, and community member I can be, I want to make sure that my generation is providing that same support and guidance and inspiration to the people who will one day take our place.