Keeping Alaska Open for Business

master’s in structural engineering from Marquette University. Crowe has worked in project engineering, project management, building information modeling, and strategy development. His construction administration projects have included rural runways and urban road construction. His background also includes materials testing, grade inspection, and field engineering. After earning his master’s degree, his focus shifted to rehabilitation and structural design.

PND Engineers

PND Engineers promoted four senior engineers to Principals at its Anchorage and Juneau offices.

 Alexandra West Jefferies joined PND in 2011 as a civil engineer after working for the firm as an intern. Jefferies earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UAA, where she became the first UAA student to earn a US patent for her hydrokinetic fish grinding system. Raised on the Kenai Peninsula, Jefferies has excelled at PND as one of the company’s preeminent hydraulic and hydrologic specialists.

 Corey Roche joined PND in 2012 as a civil and structural engineer. Roche earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from UAA. Prior to his engineering career, Roche worked as a certified welder and heavy equipment operator for six years in rural Alaska. Roche provides structural design, planning, inspection, and construction administration services for PND on bridges, docks, marinas, roads, and other site-civil-related projects.

 Tyler Bradshaw joined PND in 2009 as a civil engineer. Bradshaw earned his engineering degree from Colorado State

University after serving in the US Air Force in Iraq. Bradshaw has fifteen years of professional experience in project management, water/ wastewater engineering, and civil design, with a focus on coastal utility systems and harbors. Bradshaw has designed, inspected, and administered construction for water, sewer, and fire suppression systems on more than twenty harbor and pier projects throughout Alaska.

 Sean Sjostedt joined PND in 2011 as a civil engineer after earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho with an emphasis in geotechnical engineering. Sjostedt specializes in geotechnical explorations and design, planning, and civil design in support of buildings, roadways, and marine/waterfront infrastructure, particularly in Southeast Alaska. Prior to his engineering career, Sjostedt worked in the commercial fishing and heavy civil construction industries in Cordova.

State of Alaska

Heading into his second term, Governor Mike Dunleavy appointed new cabinet heads for the Alaska Departments of Natural Resources and Health.

 The governor appointed oil industry attorney John Boyle to lead the Department of Natural Resources. Boyle studied management and finance at Brigham Young University and then earned his JD at Brigham Young’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. He moved to Alaska in 2010 to serve a judicial clerkship in Fairbanks. He then moved to Utqiaġvik to work as an assistant borough attorney and later chief advisor to the Mayor and Director of the North Slope Borough's Government and External Affairs department. In

Boyle took a job with BP as director of government affairs before joining Oil Search (now Santos) as government affairs manager.

 The new Commissioner of the Department of Health has held the position in an acting capacity since November.

Heidi Hedberg was the Director of Public Health when she took over for Adam Crum, who was named to lead the Department of Revenue. Hedberg moved to Alaska from Seattle in 1995 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Alaska Pacific University. She worked with various nonprofit organizations before being hired by the state in 2009. She also chairs the Governor’s Advisory Council on Opioid Remediation and serves on the Governor’s Council on Homelessness and State Emergency Response Commission.

Aidea

 A former chief of staff to the governor is the new Executive Director of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA). The board of directors of the state-backed corporation appointed Randy Ruaro to the position, replacing Alan Weitzner, who resigned in November. Ruaro most recently served as Governor Mike Dunleavy’s chief of staff, managing the governor’s office and providing administrative oversight to state agencies. He has previous executive leadership experience with former governors Frank Murkowski, Sarah Palin, and Sean Parnell and in the legislative branch. Ruaro holds a degree from Willamette University College of Law. As an attorney, he worked on access issues, permitting, and state land rights for Alaska and for AIDEA projects.