Silugngataanit’sqaq Melissa Marton

Sugpiaq

Interim Vice President

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Silugngataanit’sqaq was born and raised in Sun’aq (Kodiak) with ties to Chignik Lagoon in the Bristol Bay Region. She is the daughter of Bertha Nielsen of Chignik and Laszlo Marton of Hungary and maternal granddaughter of Harold Nielsen and Helen Pedersen. She has spent her career working in the Koniag region helping her people, beginning with the Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA) in the Social Services Department programs for village Elders, youth, wellness, behavioral health, tribal operations, and Village Public Safety Officers. After working at KANA, she served as the Tribal Administrator for the Native Village of Afognak where she led the Tribe’s development and operations for over 14 years.

She has served on multiple boards including as the Kodiak villages representative on the Alaska Federation of Natives’ Board of Directors. She has also served as an elected School Board member and as a member of the historic Governor’s Tribal Advisory Council for the State of Alaska under Governor Walker. She is an alum of the 2019 FAI First Nations’ Futures Program Fellowship program and has volunteered as an emcee at our 2019 Howard Rock & Ted Stevens Smokehouse Gala. She has been with FAI since December of 2019, and in her role, she is focusing on our internal and external needs as an organization, strengthening our Indigenous Operations and growing our social enterprise. Silugngataanit’sqaq was working out of her home community of Kodiak up until recently, due to family reasons, her position will be home based out of Bellingham, WA.