CIRI shareholder Teresa Nelson is proud to be the new department director for Alaska's People, which is a division of Cook Inlet Tribal Council.

Nelson plans to develop innovative approaches to increase the employment levels for Native people within the region and across Alaska. At the same time, she looks forward to her new role with Alaska's People, and believes her extensive connections to the Alaska community will build upon and enhance the employment opportunities for both job seekers and employers.

Nelson earned a bachelor's degree in human resources from Alaska Pacific University. She serves on the boards of the Anchorage Literacy Project and the Alaska Native Coalition for Employment and Training. She has made strong contributions to the Native community through her work at CIRI, The CIRI Foundation and most recently as vice president of administration at Cook Inlet Tribal Council. In addition, she serves as a commissioner with the Municipality of Anchorage Health and Human Services, and is on the planning committees for both the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society and Beans Café.