2024 Awards Honorees

This year’s Fairbanks Employee of the Year is Aaron Heath from Facilities. Aaron is married with 2 young children; however on Christmas Eve 2023 he responded to a no-heat call at one of our facilities. He has continuously cleared his personal schedule to meet emergency needs for TCC. Through his work for TCC, Aaron has traveled to the majority of our villages. On one trip, he discovered the boiler in the tribal office was down and repaired it on the spot, saving the Tribe a potentially long wait time for a contractor in Fairbanks. Recently on a trip to the same village, Aaron repaired a sewage leak in the village water plant. Residents in the rural villages that Aaron has traveled to have nothing but kind words for him. He has additionally used his personal time to study and understand TCC’s mechanical systems, sharing his knowledge with coworkers and helping them to feel more confident performing repairs within our facilities. For an entire year, Aaaron also spearheaded a program to remote monitor the physical conditions of the rural clinics and our facilities in town, which has given us the ability to monitor internal temperatures, the levels of fuel in the tanks, and the functionality of the water recirculation pumps. Due to this monitoring system, Graf’s building was saved from costly and inconvenient freezing this winter. Aaron’s dedication to TCC and or Tribes is unwavering, and TCC congratulates him for this honor.

This year’s Rural Employee of the Year is Dale Keeling, a Community Health Aide (CHA) in Manley Hot Springs. He was nominated for his outstanding dedication to the mission and tireless effort to ensure the health and wellbeing of his community. Dale has been a full time Community Health Aide in Manley Hot Springs for over six years, and has an extensive backbround in pre-hospital medicine with over 20 years working as a paramedic firefighter. As a CHA, he has earned the trust and confidence of the community through countless clinic interactions and home visits. Many residents of Manley Hot Springs live out of town, and on several occasions, Dale has driven to a resident’s home to check on them. He has administered life-saving medical care many times, but last year, Dale responded to an emergency where a patient was severely injured after running their motorcycle off the road. The patient agreed to a medevac flight for a higher level of care due to their trust in Dale as a provider and community member, and thus was able to receive the medically necessary care. Dale is an EMT instructor, and has certified other CHAs in Emergency Trauma and Emergency Medical Technician specialties. He has acted as an advisor to the CHA program when building emergency carts, ensuring that everyone is properly equipped to care for patients experiencing emergencies. Dale’s expertise, confidence, and tireless work as a Community Health Aide has led to progression of the program and he exemplifies quality and compassion in patient care. Tanana Chiefs congratulates Dale on this honor and extends our gratitude for his service.

This year’s Village Public Safety Officer of the Year Award recipient is Corporal Henry Martinez in Tanana. In 2023, Corporal Martinez responded to multiple incidents in which his life was in danger, including a shooting. He responded to this incident freshly graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy, and managed to stay alert, aware of his surroundings, and was able to intervene, de-arm and detain the perpetrator. His actions were heroic, preventing harm to any other residents of the community. In December of 2023, Corporal Martinez received and acted upon a tip regarding drugs entering the community which he serves. He responded swiftly and was able to collaborate with the Fairbanks Airport Drug Interdiction Team in detaining the suspect and confiscating the drugs at the airport. His quick action and collaborative work prevented dangerous drugs from entering the village of Tanana. “Henry Martinez’s actions are a testament to the quality of training he received, his commitment to his community, public safety, and his profession,” says Darrell Hildebrand, Public Safety Manager for TCC, “His action reflect great credit upon himself, the community, TCC, The VPSO program, and the Department of Public Safety.” TCC would like to thank Corporal Martinez, who lives in Tanana with his wife and five children, for his commitment to protecting his community, and congratulates him on this prestigious honor.

This year’s Foster Parent of the Year is Annette Moses. A teacher, culture bearer, and foster parent from Huslia, Annette has dedicated her life to caring for multiple generations. Annette is a friend and mentor to the community of Huslia, and is quoted as having a grand understanding of the importance of keeping Indigenous culture alive. She connects with kindergarteners and first graders through her position as a teacher at the school in Huslia, passing down traditions and the Denaakk’e language. She teaches ancestral practices at fish camps, berry picking excursions, and even teaches people how to cut and haul wood. Annette is quoted as being incredibly selfless, strong, motivated, dedicated, and well deserving of Foster Parent of the Year. Tanana Chiefs is grateful for her dedication to the people in her community, and congratulates her for this honor!

This year’s Tribal Administrator of the Year Award recipient is Brooke Sanderson of Louden. Brooke worked as the Environmental Protection Agency Indian General Assistance Program Coordinator prior to being selected as Louden’s Tribal Administrator. In both roles, she has assisted the Tribe in organizing the Annual TCC Partners Boat Trip, and with partnering the Tribe with external partners on an array of infrastructure projects, including a solar project. She has worked behind the scenes to organize the Economic Summit and a meeting in which Louden hosted the Attorney General of the United States. According to her Chief, she has brought a positive and pleasant personality to the Tribal Council Office, resulting in many individuals reaching out for employment opportunities. Her hard work has earned her this prestigious honor, and TCC congratulates Brooke on her honor.

This year’s Indian General Assistance Program Award winner is Patricia Salmon, First Chief of Chalkyitsik. Patricia has been integral in projects ranging from drinking water, solid waste, to the overall health of her community. She’s worked closely with TCC and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to develop a strong waste management plan for a new landfill, and helped to acquire both an enclosed waste burn unit and a used oil burner. Patricia has made strides in backhauling heavy equipment, and is well known across the multitude of agencies across Alaska for being active in sharing her knowledge and insights into the improvement of solid waste practice and community environmental protection. TCC congratulates Patricia for her dedication to her role within her community, and this very well deserved recognition.

This year’s Patti Hyslop Award winners are Floyd Vent Sr. and Sophie Joyce Sam. The Patti L. Hyslop Award is given to recognize the efforts of village leaders in sobriety, healing, and keeping alive the commitment to healing that was the corner stone of Patti’s life. Patti led the sobriety and healing movement in Tanana by encouraging people to make positive changes. This award recognizes those whose work sometimes goes unrecognized, and seeks to raise awareness about the progress of healing and sobriety on the village level. It goes to the person who provides a positive approach to encouraging sobriety and healing as part of the individual, Tribal and community wellness.