Leadership
Board of Directors
The Goldbelt Heritage Foundation is overseen by a nine-member voluntary board comprised of Goldbelt shareholders, tribal leaders, and community members.
Jacqueline Pata
Board Chair
Jacqueline began serving on the GHF board in 2020 and was elected President of the Board in 2021. Jackie is President & CEO of the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority and previously served as the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, DC. Jackie is an original Goldbelt shareholder.
Catherine Edwards
Vice Chair
Catherine Edwards began serving on the GHF board in 2020. Her previous professional experience includes working with the Indian Child Welfare Act cases, 477, and Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF). Catherine also serves as the third Vice President of the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. She is currently pursuing an associate degree in business at the University of Alaska Southeast. Catherine is an original Goldbelt shareholder.
David Russell-Jensen
Secretary
David joined the GHF board in 2017 and was elected Board Secretary in 2022. David is the Development Officer at Sealaska Heritage Institute. Prior to that, he was the PITAAS Project Facilitator at the University of Alaska Southeast, where he also graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with a major in Alaska Native Language & Studies and a minor in Anthropology. David is a Goldbelt, Inc. shareholder and former intern.
Gail M. Dabaluz
Director
Gail began serving on the GHF board in 2024 as an appointee from the Goldbelt, Inc. Board of Directors. She has served on the Goldbelt, Inc. Board since 2022. Currently, Gail works as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. where she was also previously the Self-Governance Manager. Gail holds a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Hawaii and a Master of Arts in Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she also currently a Ph.D. candidate in Indigenous Studies. Gail is an original Goldbelt, Inc. shareholder.
Derek Duncan
Director
Derek began serving on the GHF board in 2019. Derek is a Realtor and Partner Agent at The Hannah Group in San Jose, California. Previously he was the Vice President of Alaska Operations for Goldbelt, Inc. and also served on their Board of Directors. Derek holds a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. Derek is an original Goldbelt shareholder.
Katherine Eldemar
Director
Katherine was appointed by the Goldbelt, Inc. Board of Directors to serve on the GHF Board in 2024. She served on the Goldbelt, Inc. Board from 1988-1997 and then again beginning in 2010 to present. She is currently self-employed with Katherine Eldemar Attorney at Law, LLC. Katherine is an original Goldbelt, Inc. shareholder.
Steven Scott McClure
Director
Steven Scott began serving on the GHF board in 2018 and also served as GHF’s Board President. Steven is the Radiation Control Manager for the Europa Clipper Mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Steven holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science in Engineering from the University of California Los Angeles. Steven is a Goldbelt shareholder.
Shawna Puustinen
Director
Shawna began serving on the GHF board in 2022. She is currently employed as an elementary classroom teacher at Riverbend Elementary School in Juneau, where she also previously taught at Auke Bay Elementary and served as a Case Manager with Juneau Youth Services. Shawna holds a Master’s in the Art of Teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Alaska Southeast. Previously, she served as Board President of the Chilkoot Culture Camp. Shawna is a Goldbelt shareholder.
Management
Neilg̱áa Koogéi Taija Revels
Executive Director
Neilg̱áa Koogéi Taija Revels was appointed Executive Director in July 2024. She brings to GHF more than 20 years of professional experience working with tribal organizations. Preceding her appointment to GHF she worked at the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska as a Special Projects Manager to the Chief Operating Officer, where she was responsible for providing cross-departmental project management. Additionally, she has held positions with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Neilg̱áa Koogéi has more than 10 years of experience serving on the boards of several organizations across Alaska and the United States, including on the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation’s board of directors. She has served on the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, Alaska Public Health Association, NMAC Youth Council, and currently serves on the boards for the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Kiks.ádi Point House Revitalization.
Neilg̱áa Koogéi hold a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health as well as a Bachelor of Science in Women’s Studies from Portland State University. Currently, she is working towards the completion of a Certificate in Lingít language from the University of Alaska Southeast.
