"Make it Monday" forum - Investing in Our Youth

In 2023, Cook Inlet Tribal Council celebrates its 40th Anniversary. What began in 1983 as a three-person, grassroots nonprofit has blossomed into a vibrant family of organizations, with 400-plus passionate staff members and a Mission to serve the community and help Alaska Native people achieve their endless potential. This Mission includes investing in Youth and helping to create radical new models of education.

This year, CITC will open a new 17,000 square foot Super Fab Lab facility in East Anchorage following a year-long renovation. This not only represents a significant investment in our community, but greatly expands CITC's capacity to serve youth with innovative, culturally informed curriculum while also creating opportunities for local entrepreneurs. The Super Fab Lab, which is rooted in STEM learning, will be a catalyst for a community of learners, educators, entrepreneurs, and innovators across the state.

In this presentation, CITC's President & CEO Gloria O'Neill will outline the impact of CITC's investments in youth education, including:

• How CITC is building a statewide STEM learning network to drive improved outcomes for Alaska Native students
• The economic impact of CITC?s new Super Fab Lab, and opportunities for local entrepreneurs to design and prototype new products.
• The importance of culturally informed education and vocational training in supporting a thriving workforce in Alaska.
• CITC?s year-long partnership with the Department of Education & Early Development to create develop culturally relevant schools across the state.

 

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Serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) since 1998, Gloria O'Neill has led the organization's growth in becoming one of the most significant service providers in Alaska and the nation.

Through rigorous attention to community-based results, Ms. O'Neill has established CITC's national reputation as a leading innovator of replicable and effective service models for education, workforce development, family preservation, and substance dependency. Through her role at CITC, Ms. O'Neill has been a strong advocate for youth and the advancement of all Native people.

CITC provides approximately 50 essential programs serving more than 10,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people each year. In 2016, CITC incorporated the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC) into its programming; in 2017, established the Clare Swan Early Head Start Center, which provides year-round childcare and Early Head Start programming to working families, along with the community's first Yup'ik Immersion Language classes for toddlers. In 2020, Get Out The Native Vote (GOTNV) was established as a CITC affiliate.

Through its for-profit subsidiary, CITC Enterprises Inc. (CEI), CITC established a new model of sustainability for its programs and services. Under Ms. O'Neill's leadership, CEI founded the first indigenous video game company, Upper One Games, LLC, and in November 2014, launched the first-of-its-kind puzzle-platform video game "Never Alone (Kisima Inŋitchuŋa)" with global acclaim. In 2020, CEI and Ninilchik Traditional Council formed Tuyan, LLC, for subsidiary business. In her role of President and CEO of CEI, Ms. O'Neill also serves as Executive Chair and Board member of partnering agency E-Line Ventures, LLC. CITC is now a 30 percent shareholder of E-Line.

Ms. O'Neill served on the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 2012 to 2020 and is a director for the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC) and the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) boards. She is also a Fellow of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Children and Family Fellowship Program. In addition, Ms. O'Neill serves as Chair for the National Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children.

Ms. O'Neill earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Alaska Pacific University, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Originally from Soldotna, Ms. O'Neill is of Yup'ik, Sámi and Irish descent. She is married to Roger Phillips and has two stepsons, Owen and Hunter Phillips, and a daughter, Ravynn Nothstine.

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