Ralph Andersen, president and CEO of the Bristol Bay Native Association, died Wednesday in Anchorage at age 67.
He died of complicated related to cancer, reported the Anchorage Daily News.
The Bristol Bay Native Corporation said he was known for his sense of humor and compassion.
He was born on April 24, 1954, and grew up in Clark’s Point.
According to the Alaska Federation of Natives, Andersen went to high school in Vermont. He attended Dartmouth College for two years, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1979.
Andersen lived in Utqiagvik for about 20 years, where he worked for the North Slope Borough, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and Iḷisaġvik College.
He moved back to Bristol Bay in 1998 and joined the Bristol Bay Native Association as the natural resources program manager before he became president and CEO in 2005.
Andersen was the co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives board for three years. He was also chair of the Bristol Bay Partnership and the Western Alaska Salmon Coalition.
Andersen was a shareholder of the Native village corporation of Clark’s Point, Saguyak, Inc., as well as the Bristol Bay Native Corporation.
He was named BBNC Elder of the year in 2019.
