CIRI shareholder Jonathon Ross, Dena’ina Athabascan, has been named president and chief executive officer of the Alaska Native Heritage Center. He is responsible for all Heritage Center operations, including strategic planning, management and overall supervision.

Previously, Ross was a vice president at Southcentral Foundation responsible for leading the Community Services Division and the provision of medical services located outside the Alaska Native Medical Center campus.

“The Alaska Native Heritage Center Board is confident that Mr. Ross has the ability and vision to lead the Center in its future growth,” said Gail Schubert, chair of the board. “His personal commitment to Alaska’s Native people, languages and cultures, and his commitment to excellence, will serve the Center well as we move forward.”

Ross, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage, is a member of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and a shareholder of CIRI and Salamatof Native Association.

He is actively involved in issues relating to Native language and cultural preservation, including activities in his own Dena’ina culture and learning the Dena’ina language. He was instrumental in the creation of the Alaska Native Professional Association, an organization based in Anchorage for young Alaska Native professionals. Ross is an elected member of the seven-person Kenaitze Indian Tribal Council and serves on the Boards of Salamatof Native Association and Alaska Federation of Natives.

“I am looking forward to the challenges and many exciting opportunities that lie ahead for the Heritage Center and working to strengthen the Center’s role in the Alaska Native community and its important role in Alaska as a place where all people can come to celebrate, perpetuate and share Alaska’s Native cultures,” said Ross.