My name is Cale Tolbert (Athabascan), and I was elected to serve my fellow Shareholders and Descendants at the 2025 Annual Meeting of CIRI Shareholders.
I was gifted CIRI shares from my father, original enrollee Withers Vance Tolbert Jr. Like many CIRI Shareholders and Descendants, I was fortunate to receive education funding through The CIRI Foundation (TCF) and Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC). In 2021, while working as an associate attorney, I began speaking with CITC President and CEO Gloria O’Neill about CITC Enterprises, Inc. (CEI), a for-profit company that develops innovative approaches to sustainability. My tenure on the CEI board started in 2021, marking my reintroduction to the CIRI family.
I was born and raised in King Salmon, a community in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. My paternal grandmother, Bertha (Thiele) Tolbert, was from Alexander Creek, a village in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
I spent 16 summers fishing commercially in Bristol Bay. Harvesting and processing my own food ties me to my heritage and to the land that has influenced our family’s traditions for many years. Now that my wife and I have two young sons, reconnecting with the wilderness that brought me such joy in my childhood is even more magical.
My family and I reside in the Seattle area. Professionally, I serve as senior legal counsel for SoundHound AI, a leading voice artificial intelligence company. Outside of work, I enjoy camping and hiking, subsistence hunting and fishing, skiing and snowboarding, playing music and chess, and studying the German language.
My educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from Northern Arizona University, and a juris doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law. My background as a commercial fisherman, experience as a technology attorney and work in corporate governance all provide a strong foundation for contributing to CIRI’s continued success.
One of my favorite books is “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novel that not only has beautiful prose but serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unrealistic expectations. Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of an idealized vision of the past reminds us of the importance of balancing ambition with perspective and not chasing illusions at the expense of meaningful progress.
My leadership philosophy—and the leadership philosophy I’ve observed in my fellow Board members—is grounded in integrity, collaboration and long-term, sustainable growth. It is through this shared commitment that we strive to create meaningful value for our Shareholders, lasting impact in our communities and a legacy of success for our Corporation.
