Xavier Mason Acting Finance Director, City of Bethel Hometown: Anchorage Current City: Bethel Education: Master of Science Education in child development and education, University of Oxford, 2018; Master of Business Administration, University of Oxford, 2019; Graduated from UAA with a dual major in management and marketing, and graduated with the following honors: Commencement speaker, Leadership Distinction, Leadership Honors, University Honors Scholar, Cum Laude, and the College of Business and Public Policy Student Leader of the Year Community Work: Alaska Finance Government Finance Officers Association, Board member; Alaska Remote Sellers Sales Tax Commission, Board member; Commissioner, Alaska Bar Association Diversity & Inclusion Committee; World Economic Forum Global Shapers, Shaper; Honorary Commander (2016-2018); Leadership Anchorage (2016-2017); Anchorage Sister Cities Commission, Commissioner (2015-2016) Family: Grandparents, Joe and Mable; parents, Gene and Sharon; and six amazing siblings What is your favorite place in Alaska and why? Anchorage. Anchorage has always been home for me. Anchorage is where I was born. Anchorage is where I was raised. Anchorage is where my family is. No matter where or how far away I am, I am always thinking of Anchorage. Outside of my family, the first thing I usually miss are the mountains. I remember my first lengthy trip abroad; for several months I had the good fortune of falling asleep in one country and waking up in the next. I loved every place; however, I was homesick. Then, when I arrived in Cape Town, I began to feel good inside, because the mountains reminded me a little bit of home. Name the person you respect and why I really respect my grandparents and my parents. They taught me every good thing that I know. Also, I want to give a special “thank you” to all my formal and informal mentors as well. What is your favorite pastime or hobby away from work?
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29 Most nights, I relax while reading a well written biography or autobiography, while sipping some hot and very sweet tea. If time allows, I love to travel or fish with my family. What was your first job? My first job was in middle school shoveling snow with my brother. Our goal was to make enough money to go to Cancun, Mexico, for spring break. Looking back, it’s not so surprising we never went, we were charging $10 per driveway. The first job that paid me was IHOP. They used to call me the “host with the most.” I am still unsure what that means, unfortunately it was not for the most tips. What has been your most rewarding community service? I used to volunteer a lot at the Boys and Girls Club in Mountain View during my senior year as an undergraduate. While volunteering, I had the fortune of getting to know several of the teenage students there because we would play basketball together. After learning some of their aspirations to play basketball at the collegiate level, I spoke with the UAA Director of Athletics, and we arranged for them to play a couple of pick-up games at the newly built Alaska Airlines Arena. This moment was special to me because I come from the same place and overcame many of the obstacles as these students. Despite our similarities, my success (attending college) was viewed as an anomaly. Though UAA is less than five miles from Mountain View, for many people, it might as well be on a different planet because the reality is that the probability of attending college is so far away that it might as well not be there. By having those students play basketball at UAA, the idea of them going to college became tangible. Though the road may very likely be hard, in their mind it has become a destination that they could reach if they tried. Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give on maintaining a good work-life balance? I will be the first to admit that my work-life balance isn’t good at all. My work ethic isn’t as strong as Elon Musk’s or Jack Ma’s, but I have paid a lot of sacrifices to achieve the goals and aspirations that I have. My plan is to work hard and long while I am young and have the strength and energy to do so. Then, retire early. After I retire young, the work of my youth will balance with the rest and leisure of my latter-years, in theory. Hopefully, I can overcompensate in my leisure. Cont. on Page 56
