CIRI Shareholder Tabetha Toloff (Athabascan) began as CIRI’s president in March. Prior to CIRI, she spent nearly a decade at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, where she held the position of chief administrative officer. Tabetha holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Alaska Pacific University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership/certificate in servant leadership from Gonzaga University.
The Raven’s Circle sat down with Tabetha to talk about her personal history, her professional journey and coming home to her CIRI Family.
How did you become a CIRI Shareholder?
My grandfather, Charlie Toloff, had 11 siblings. I inherited my CIRI shares from his oldest sister, Vera. This was about 25 years ago, and inheriting shares is how I became more aware of the Corporation.
Since I was a direct lineal CIRI Descendant through my mom (Lynda Toloff) and grandpa (Charlie Toloff), I was eligible to receive education funding from The CIRI Foundation (TCF), but I didn’t know much about the Corporation beyond TCF at that point.
Becoming a CIRI Shareholder changed my life and provided a level of security, and opened a whole new world of opportunity that allowed me to better my own life and the lives of my family members.
Did you grow up immersed in Alaska Native culture and heritage?
I grew up in Nikiski until the age of 15. Nikiski isn’t an Alaska Native village, but it’s similar in that it’s a small community and very remote. It was a wonderful place to be a kid because it was safe, and we knew everyone. We rode our bikes and played in the woods and just had to be home by dinnertime.
I wouldn’t say that I grew up with a strong sense of my Native heritage. My grandfather was one-half Native, and while I was alive when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act passed (Dec. 18, 1971), I didn’t meet the blood-quantum requirement. [Note: ANCSA contained an eligibility standard of one-quarter Alaska Native blood quantum.]
It’s why I’m such a big proponent of gifting and bequeathing shares, because it strengthens ties with future generations of CIRI Shareholders. I gifted my own daughter, CIRI Shareholder Allison Houston, CIRI shares when she was in her early twenties, when she was old enough to realize the importance and responsibility of such a gift.
What were your post-high school plans? Did you enroll in college right away?
My mom and I moved to Anchorage when I was a sophomore, and I graduated from Service High School. I went to trade school because I thought I wanted to be a legal assistant or a paralegal. I did get a job with a law firm and then started taking classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage. It took me seven years to get an associate degree in business because I had started a family and was working full time. I could only take two classes at a time, but I was very determined.
You have a long history as a CIRI employee. What was your first job like?
My first job at CIRI was as the executive assistant for the Finance & Accounting department (2002-2004). Carl Marrs was president and CEO, and it was an exciting time for CIRI.
I really paid attention to the business from a Shareholder’s perspective and paired it with the bits and pieces of knowledge I was gaining as an employee. I had a lot of great experiences under Carl’s leadership. Margie Brown, then Sophie Minich, and now Swami Iyer—each of these CEOs have had a great impact on the Company. I feel very fortunate to have had these experiences with our Company, both as a Shareholder and as an employee.
Did you gain a deeper understanding of Alaska Native culture during that time?
I learned a lot about our culture from going to the fall Friendship Potlatches; however, at work I was more focused on the business aspects of CIRI. Joining the board of the Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) was what really encouraged me to think about the cultural aspect: As Alaska Native people, how do we connect with one another and find community and build relationships, regardless of our Native identity or where we’re from?
When I joined the ANHC board in 2013, I was the new kid on the block, and I had the opportunity to learn from some long-time board members who really helped make the organization into what it is today. I gleaned as much as I could from the Elders who had paved the way, including CIRI Shareholder Roy Huhndorf, and I was stepping in at a time when there was still so much potential and growth to be had. I’m in my final board term now, and the organization is in an incredible position, being led by incredible people.
How did you come to work for Cook Inlet Tribal Council?
In 2015, I was approached by CITC President and CEO Gloria O’Neill.
CITC was going through a period of major growth and change. Gloria reached out and asked if I would be interested in a position overseeing administration—all the things that keep an organization like CITC running, like communications, human resources, fundraising and development.
What was your time at CITC like?
Working at CITC was an incredibly rewarding and challenging role for me. The rewarding part was that I got to learn about and support CITC’s mission to provide services to our Alaska Native community. Several months into my job, I realized that CITC was the organization that helped my mom and me relocate to Anchorage in the ‘80s. The challenges during my tenure at CITC were real—we had to work through the building being damaged by the 2018 earthquake, remain open and on-site to deliver services during the pandemic, and we experienced other human challenges that tested us in unimaginable ways. Navigating all of the challenges and opportunities, and learning from a leader like Gloria O’Neill, set me up for being more successful in this role (of CIRI president) than I would have been 10 years ago. I would not have been able to step into this role as confidently without the resilience and perspective I gained through my experiences at CITC.
What are your goals as president of CIRI?
I’m back at CIRI to continue to learn, understand, and contribute to the Company’s evolution and Shareholder success. I want to be a positive influence, with great focus on our Shareholders and our Descendants, who are the future of our organization. I want to be helpful when it comes to workforce development and training for our Shareholders and Descendants, both within CIRI and at our subsidiaries. And of course, our Shareholder and Descendant programs are so important—developing new programs and bolstering existing programs.
One thing the executive leadership team is focused on is generative leadership. Part of my job is to mentor and prepare the next generation of CIRI leaders, to help implement the systems and oversee the programs that raise them up.
What would be your advice for people who want to become more involved with their Corporation?
If you want to know more about the Corporation, get involved—come to the Information and Annual Meetings, come to the Friendship Potlatches, read the newsletter, apply to the CIRI Participation Committee, and ask questions of our Board and leadership. Keep abreast of what’s going on because I think CIRI does a good job of letting Shareholders and Descendants know what we’re doing, and we’ll continue to improve, which is a major focus for me. And if you have any ideas, send us an email. We always have an open line of communication.
What has been your experience as CIRI’s president thus far?
My first few months at CIRI have been great. I have sat in on a variety of meetings with our leadership and Shareholders, which has given me great perspective. Listening has been my most helpful skill. Being part of the leadership conversations that helped develop the new Ada Honor Program that offers burial benefits to our Shareholders was truly one of the highlights of my first few months in this role.
I had dinner with a friend who’s also a CIRI Shareholder prior to the Kenai Information Meeting, and she said, “Tabetha, you becoming CIRI’s president just seems like it was all part of a big plan.” And I told her it might seem like that, but it was not; I just kept following the path that made the most sense for what I thought I could contribute at the time. I never thought I would be in this role, but I’m incredibly grateful. Being here, I feel like I got my CIRI Family back.
