Cheryl Metiva

Regardless of the number of hours Cheryl Metiva spends working her day job, she never hesitates to continue her dedication to local causes.

“Community service is part of my DNA,” Metiva said.

Most often joined by her husband Marty, Metiva has worked with a variety of clubs, chambers, nonprofits and boards. Metiva is a longtime member of the Susitna Rotary, and served as district governor in the past.

“Rotary is a huge portion of who I am and what I do,” she said.

She’s worked with Alaska Family Services and the United Way, and served on the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. Metiva has helped re-establish a chamber of commerce in both Houston and Big Lake. The Metivas helped create the local Polar Plunge to help fund the purchase of jerseys for the Mat-Su Special Olympics program. She’s also helped create the Mat-Su chapter of 100 Plus Women Who Care, a group of local philanthropists who contribute to Mat-Su nonprofits.

Those are just a few examples of the Metiva’s community involvement. And sometimes the day job and community service intersect.

Last year, Metiva served as the sponsorship and community engagement manager for the Mat-Su Arctic Winter Games. The weeklong games featured athletes from across the Arctic region competing in a variety of sporting events, and participating in an array of cultural activities.

“I’ve had a lot of careers through the years, but I would say this was one of my most challenging, partly because of raising the amount of funds needed, but also, it was such a small staff doing diverse jobs and all working together,” Metiva said.

The small staff spent years preparing for the games, which included hundreds of athletes competing in sports and participating in events at venues across the Mat-Su. Metiva was hired with less than a year before the start of the games. That added to the challenge. But as she reflects a year later, Metiva is proud of the experience.

“It’s probably one of the most rewarding endeavors I've ever been a part of,” said Metiva, who now also serves on the Team Alaska Board of Directors for the Arctic Winter Games.

Following her time with the Mat-Su games, Metiva quickly transitioned to her new role as director of sales and marketing for Alaska Food Company.

“What makes it so awesome is the passion and vision of John and Sam,” Metiva said of Alaska Food Company co-founders Josh Waisanen and Sam Waisanen.

Once again, Metiva has found a company that aligns with her dedication to serving the community. The Alaska Food Company’s mission is to lessen people’s dependency on imported food productions by providing nutritional, high-quality, shelf stable, freeze-dried food while creating sustainability for future generations. The freeze-dried food is not only aimed at people looking for healthier snack and meal options, but reduces the weight of normal food, making it ideal for disaster relief agencies, at-home emergency preparedness, and outdoor adventurers as well as rural and challenging delivery locations.

“We are very passionate about what we can do,” she said.