KELSI IVANOFF | Kasaŋnaaluk
COMMUNICATIONS & INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Iñupiaq, Yup’ik, Koyukon Athabascan
Kelsi Ivanoff–Kasaŋnaaluk (Iñupiaq)/Abuzunaq (Yup’ik)–is from Unalakleet, Alaska, where she returned in 2018 to raise her daughter as she was, rooted in culture, family, and harvesting. She acknowledges her parents, Steve and the late Zoe Ivanoff (of Unalakleet and Kotzebue), and many grandparents for their generational knowledge and encouragement to find balance between our two worlds. While studying engineering, she found a program that aligned more closely with her objectives and graduated from Portland State University with a degree in community development. Kelsi comes from a diverse background in fisheries, marketing, engineering, non-profit, and government, having most recently served as the city administrator and formerly the mayor of her hometown. She has experience working and advocating at all policy levels, and through various fields of work, she has stayed true to her intention to work for the benefit and advancement of our people. Kelsi sits on the Southern Norton Sound Fish & Game Advisory Council, Federal Subsistence Seward Peninsula Regional Advisory Council, and Unalakleet Schools Advisory Education Council.