The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium board of directors announced Tuesday that Valerie Nurr’araluk Davidson, who is Yup’ik, has transitioned out of her role as president/CEO. The board thanked her for guiding the institution through a season of transformation. Davidson stepped into the position in 2021 after the unexpected death of former President/CEO Randy Teuber. The board said Consortium Executive Vice President Natasha Singh, who is Koyukon Athabascan, will serve as interim president/CEO.
“Three years ago, Valerie was brought in to support the transition of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium out of a leadership crisis. She brought stability and set the organization on a bright path to achieve our strategic goals,” said Consortium Board Chair Kimberley Strong, who is Tlingit, in a statement. “Valerie supported the remarkable transformation of the organization, attracted new talent to join our workforce, and made meaningful improvements, such as investing in the Alaska Native Medical Center’s Emergency Department, necessary to sustain this progress. We thank Valerie for her service to ANTHC and the people that we serve during her three-year commitment. The Board has full confidence in Natasha’s ability to lead the organization during this transition.”
“Since Davidson took on the role as President/CEO in March 2021, the organization committed to making two of the largest health facilities investments in its history, secured over $1 billion for the construction of sanitation systems in rural Alaska, improved the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital star rating at the Alaska Native Medical Center for the first time in the hospital’s history, improved access to Patient Housing, and improved the organization’s financial health,” the agency stated.
The Consortium is the largest, most comprehensive tribal health organization in the country and Alaska’s second-largest health employer, according to its website.
The Consortium co-manages the statewide referral side of the Alaska Native Medical Center while the regional nonprofit Southcentral Foundation provides primary and behavioral health services. The medical center includes a 182-bed acute care facility with multiple specialties. The Consortium also assists with and supports the development of clean water and sanitary waste disposal systems, and provides public health and community health services.
According to a ProPublica resource, Davidson was paid a salary of $805,000 in 2022 to oversee the Consortium, a tribal entity, which had revenues of $837 million. It’s not clear what Singh’s salary will be.
As the Anchorage Daily News reports, Davidson had previously served as commissioner of the former Alaska Department of Health and Social Services under then-Gov. Bill Walker, an independent. She also briefly served as Walker’s lieutenant governor in 2018, becoming the first Alaska Native woman to hold that role in the state. She was also president of Alaska Pacific University before moving over to the Consortium.
The Consortium stated that Singh is a Stevens Village tribal citizen. “For the past two years, she worked alongside Valerie in the organization’s operations and efforts to implement ANTHC’s strategic priorities. Before working at ANTHC, Natasha most recently served as General Counsel for Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC) for over ten years. During her tenure at TCC, she was part of the team that oversaw the Joint Venture to build and staff the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center in Fairbanks, and the construction of sub-regional and village clinics. Natasha represents the Alaska Tribes as the co-lead negotiator for the Alaska Tribal Health Compact and is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and Dartmouth College.”
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