Agloinga to Step Down as First Alaskans CEO

First Alaskans Institute President and CEO Roy Agloinga will leave the nonprofit at the end of May 2027 after two years in the role.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in People

Flat-color vector editorial illustration of a carved wooden paddle leaning against driftwood on open tundra beneath a pale sky and distant spruce. — Roy Agloinga will step down at the end of May 2027 as president and CEO of First Alaskans Institute after two years leading the nonprofit. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Roy Agloinga will step down as president and CEO of First Alaskans Institute at the end of May 2027. The Institute announced the leadership change in a statement thanking him for his dedication and service.

Why it matters

The departure leads a nonprofit founded in 2000 as a think tank for Alaska Native policy and gives its board of trustees a transition to oversee. Agloinga is leaving mainly for personal reasons, to spend more time with elders in his family.

Agloinga's tenure is two years, against the Institute's founding in 2000 as a nonprofit think tank for Alaska Native policy. The announcement does not identify a successor or the timing of a replacement search.

The players

Roy Agloinga

Agloinga is an Inupiaq leader who grew up in White Mountain and has a long history in Native health and philanthropy before leading First Alaskans.

First Alaskans Institute

First Alaskans Institute is a nonprofit founded in 2000 as a think tank for Alaska Native policy that organizes the Elders and Youth Conference.

Willie Hensley

Willie Hensley is a longtime Alaska Native leader who chairs the board of trustees overseeing the Institute's leadership transition.

The details

First Alaskans Institute said Agloinga will leave at the end of May 2027, and its board of trustees, chaired by Willie Hensley, will oversee the transition over the coming year. Agloinga, who is Inupiaq and grew up in White Mountain northeast of Nome, has a long background in Native health and philanthropy and plans to join the Bering Straits Native Corporation Board.

Two years ago: Agloinga took over as First Alaskans president and CEO.
October 2026: Agloinga spoke before the Elders and Youth Conference, held just before the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.
End of May 2027: Agloinga steps down as president and CEO.

Market Landscape

First Alaskans Institute organizes the Elders and Youth Conference just before the annual Alaska Federation of Natives Convention, placing its leadership news within that yearly statewide gathering. The change arrives as the Institute works on its initiative to assess village economies and find ways to help them survive.

Alaskans who rely on First Alaskans Institute's Elders and Youth Conference or its village economy assessments should expect continuity through the leadership transition but no new president until a successor is named. The source does not describe program changes tied to the departure.

The takeaway

Leadership changes at mission-driven nonprofits often come with a planned transition window, so readers following First Alaskans Institute should watch for the board's announcement of a successor ahead of the May 2027 exit.