Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson is the new president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, the organization announced Tuesday.
Davidson was named interim president of ANTHC in mid-March, but Tuesday’s announcement makes her position permanent.
Davidson was the first Alaska Native woman to serve as lieutenant governor. She was the commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services during the administration of Gov. Bill Walker. Most recently, she was president of Alaska Pacific University.
Davidson is Yup’ik and a member of the Bethel-based Orutsararmiut Native Council.
She will lead a health care organization with more than 3,000 employees. Along with Southcentral Foundation, the consortium manages the Alaska Native Medical Center. It also oversees research, training programs and construction of water and sewer projects in rural Alaska.
The previous president, Andy Teuber resigned this winter amid accusations that he sexually coerced an assistant. Days later, on March 2, he disappeared while piloting a helicopter to Kodiak.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
