CIRI shareholder and board member Greg Razo grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and learned the importance of education and giving back to the community from his family, especially his grandmother, Matrona Fitzhugh, from St. Michael, Alaska. Razo grew up surrounded by family including his parents, Pete and Aileen, and his two brothers, the late John C. Razo and Bill Peters, and many visiting relatives from the Lower Yukon area.

“My grandmother gave me a sense of our extended family and brought the Yup’ik world, including the traditional foods and storytelling, to me when I was growing up in Mountain View. She was a big influence in my life because she cared for us while my parents were working. She taught us to be strong by standing up for our beliefs and values and to be of service to others,” remembers Razo.

Since 1989, Razo has been a partner in the law firm of Cole & Razo, LLC. He was appointed to fill a vacancy on the CIRI Board of Directors at the March 2003 board meeting. He currently serves on several board committees: finance and investment, rules and he chairs the ad hoc election reform committee.
Razo’s interest in law started in high school when his English teacher at East High School encouraged him to join the debate team. He enjoyed debate and went on to become the 1976 Alaska State Debate Champion. As a result of his outstanding educational achievements in high school, he was selected to be a presidential scholar and had the opportunity to meet President Ford.

“After winning the state championship and being selected as a scholar, I decided that public speaking and serving people through the legal field was my path in life,” said Razo.

Razo earned an English degree from Gonzaga University and went on to earn a law degree from Willamette in 1984. During his college years, he was active in the campus community by serving in a men’s service organization called the Knights, and later, he was elected president of the Gonzaga University student government.

Razo is truly a Renaissance man with many different interests and hobbies. You might find him troll fishing with his family, hunting, gardening, reading or singing in local theater productions. He has performed in many productions including “The King and I,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” and “My Fair Lady.” His favorite production was “Jesus Christ Superstar,” where he performed as one of the high priests. “The show forced me to think about the message of Jesus and the music is wonderful in this show, and I love to sing!” exclaims Razo.

Razo gives back to his community and the state through many venues. In Kodiak, he has worn many hats: coach of his son’s little league team, board member of the Kodiak Library, performer in a local musical, and a singer with the community choir. He is also completing a three-year term on the Kodiak Assembly this October and recently completed nine years as a board trustee for the Kodiak Art Council.

Razo was recently appointed by President George W. Bush to be a local area board member of the federal selective service system. He serves on the President’s Council with Alyeska Pipeline Service Company and last spring was elected to serve as the president of Alaska Legal Services and nominated for the Vance Sanders Everlasting Gratitude Award for his contribution to Alaska Legal Services.

Razo’s list of achievements and awards are many, but the one that he is most proud of is his family. He has been married to his wife, Niki, for more than 12 years. His step-daughter, Mollie Piper Mathieu, is studying computer graphics at the Art Institute of Phoenix and his son, Jack, is entering the sixth grade this fall.

To contact Greg Razo on shareholder issues, please email him at gprazo@gci.net or call (907) 486-8250.