Governor Dunleavy Announces Appointees to Board of Fisheries and Board of Game

Governor Mike Dunleavy appointed two Alaskans to fill open seats on the Alaska Board of Game and made one reappointment and one appointment to the Board of Fisheries.

To the Board of Fisheries, the Governor reappointed Marit Carlson-Van Dort that she has served on since 2019. Carlson-Van Dort is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Far West, Inc. an Alaska Native village corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). She has spent the past several years working in both the public and private sectors in public and government affairs with an emphasis on state and federal regulation, environmental policy, permitting, resource development, and community outreach and engagement.

Also appointed is Curtis Chamberlain. Chamberlain received a law degree from Michigan State University College of Law and is currently the Assistant General Counsel for Corporate Governance and Litigation at the Calista Corporation. He has been practicing law since 2009, and his experience also includes serving on the Kuskokwim Corporation Board of Directors. Chamberlain grew up living off the land and is a lifelong outdoorsman who grew up in Aniak and Bethel.

For the Board of Game, Governor Dunleavy named Jake Garner. Garner is the Vice President of Operations for the Ouzinkie Native Corporation. He grew up hunting and subsisting in rural Alaska, is a member of SCI-AK and the AK Wild Sheep Foundation and owns a small business in Alaska. Garner has hunted all over the world and is passionate about protecting Alaska’s wildlife for current and future generations of Alaskans.

Jim Baichtal is also appointed to the Alaska Board of Game. Baichtal is currently the Alaska Regional Coordinator for the Mule Deer Foundation, a non-profit encouraging responsible management of mule deer, and has a master’s degree in geology. In 2022, he retired from a 39-year career with the U.S. Forest Service as a geologist where he spent 32 years with the Tongass National Forest. He has previously served as the chairperson for the Eastern Prince of Wales Fish and Game Advisory Committee.

All appointments begin on July 1, 2024.