Katherine “Katie” Pittman recently graduated with a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of Alaska Southeast. This is Katie’s second degree having previously earned a Bachelor of Education from Arizona State University. In addition to KCEF, Katie also received scholarships from Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) program.

“This was such an intensive but transformative program for me,” said Katie who completed the program’s required 36 graduate level credit hours in just 12 months. While pursuing her degree, she also worked at Harborview’s Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy Program (TCLL) in Juneau, Alaska, as the program’s special education teacher.

“I loved my time at TCLL and am proud of the work and advocacy that I was able to support on behalf of the program and students,” said Katie. “This master’s degree gave me the administrative certification credential necessary to pursue my dream job and I’m excited to announce that I have been hired as the Native Student Success Coordinator at the Juneau School District (JSD).”  This new role places Katie in a position to expand work with local and regional partners to develop and enhance the Tlingit language and cultural experiences for all JSD students.

Katie is the daughter of Tom (L’eeneidi) and Loretta Pittman and the granddaughter of William Samato (L’eeneidi) and Ann Rudolph Samato. She was born in Juneau and feels fortunate to have spent her childhood in Angoon and Juneau. Katie’s Tlingit name is Kaasgeiy and she is Shangukeidi from the Xeitl and Kaawdiyaayi Hits.

Kootznoowoo shareholder Nadja Kookesh was promoted this past June to the position of Vice President of Human Resources at Goldbelt, Inc.

“The title of Vice President shows the importance of Nadja’s work and the level of seniority her position holds,” said McHugh Pierre, Goldbelt’s President & CEO. “Nadja has years of experience growing with Goldbelt and she brings a unique perspective from her years of working with other large businesses.”

Nadja first joined Goldbelt in 1996 as a college intern. After earning a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Western Washington University, Nadja stayed in the Lower 48 and grew her professional experience with positions at companies that include Microsoft and Amazon. In 2009, Nadja moved back to Alaska and later in 2015, she joined Goldbelt corporate’s Human Resources department.

In her role as Vice President, Nadja is responsible for overseeing the human resource functions for all Goldbelt companies including the corporate office, Alaska operations, and the corporation’s multiple government contracting subsidiaries.