On October 13, 2020, Michael McCanna announced that he was stepping down from his positions as Board Chairman and President of the Chugach Heritage Foundation (CHF).
Michael McCanna took over as the CHF Chairman in 2006, and a year later, he also took on the role of CHF President. Since assuming these leadership positions, he has been an integral part of the foundation’s growth over the last 14 years. The expertise he brought from his time as Associate Director of Tribal Governance at Evergreen State College, along with his Master’s in Public Administration, allowed him to guide CHF to several accomplishments. One of his greatest successes was leading the push to double the scholarship awards, which provided more resources for our people to pursue their educational goals. He also worked to increase the number of scholarship programs offered from two to six, contributed to the establishment of the CHF endowment, and helped bring cultural programs to all shareholders and descendants. Outside of his role with CHF, Mike also worked as Director on the Chugach Alaska Corporation Board since 2006 and served on several board committees.
The CHF staff, both past, and present, would like to recognize and send a big THANK YOU to Mike for his time and dedication. Mike was always focused on building the foundation to provide excellent scholarship and cultural programs for our people. We are grateful for his leadership and expertise, and he will be sorely missed. We wish him the best in whatever he chooses next.
