Bering Straits Native Corporation

Last updated January 25, 2024

Bering Straits Native Corporation (BSNC) was formed in 1972 as the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) regional corporation for the Bering Straits and Norton Sound region. The corporation actively pursues responsible development of resources and other business opportunities. Through its subsidiaries, BSNC serves the federal government and commercial customers.

The BSNC region is located in Northwest Alaska and is home to three culturally distinct people: Inupiat, Siberian Yupik and Central Yup’ik. BSNC is owned by more than 8,200 Alaska Native shareholders.^[1] BSNC owns and manages a subsurface estate of approximately 2.1 million acres (8,500 km²), 145,728 acres (58,974 ha) of its own and the remainder selected by the region’s 17 village corporations.^[2]

Officers and Directors

Position	Name
Chair	Roy Ashenfelter
President	Cindy Towarak Massie
Vice Chair	Becka Baker
Secretary	Jason Evans
Treasurer	Deborah Atuk
Assistant Secretary	Eugene Asicksik
Assistant Treasurer	Steve Ivanoff
Director	Ella A. Anagick
Director	Robert Evans
Director	Charles Fagerstrom
Director	Louie Green Jr.
Director	Tyler Ivanoff
Director	Fred Sagoonick
Director	Gail R. Schubert
Director	Tony A. Weyiouanna, Sr.

Shareholders and Descendants

Bering Straits Native Corporation is owned by more than 8,000 Alaska Native shareholders. These include original shareholders, heirs and gift recipients residing inside and outside Alaska. BSNC shareholders who are Alaska Native are eligible to vote for the Board of Directors or on other advisory matters that come to the shareholders for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

At incorporation, BSNC enrolled 6,333 Alaska Native shareholders, each of whom received 100 shares of BSNC stock. As an ANCSA corporation, BSNC has no publicly traded stock and its shares cannot legally be sold.

BSNC’s Shareholder Relations Department manages shareholder records, stocks, gifting of stock, stock wills and the MyBSNC portal. MyBSNC is an interactive special shareholder portal designed to provide BSNC shareholders information about their shareholder records.

The Shareholder Development Department works directly with shareholders and descendants to assist them in identifying and reaching educational and professional career goals. In addition, the department helps connect shareholders and descendants with employment opportunities within the BSNC family of companies. These programs include:

Career Advancement and Resources
Summer Internship Program
Beringia Settlement Trust Scholarships
Shareholder and Descendant Talent Bank
Shareholder Owned Businesses Registry
Descendant Registry

Lands

The BSNC region encompasses most of the Seward Peninsula and eastern Norton Sound in Alaska. BSNC's land entitlement under ANCSA includes over 2.1 million acres (8,900 km²) of surface and/or subsurface estate in this region.

Business enterprises

Under federal law, Bering Straits Native Corporation and its majority-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and partnerships are deemed to be "minority and economically disadvantaged business enterprise[s]" (43 USC 1626(e)).

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References

↑ Bering Straits Native Corporation. "Shareholders" . Retrieved 19 March 2018.
↑ Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act (PDF), 28 June 2010, retrieved 19 March 2018

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[1] Bering Straits Native Corporation. "Shareholders" . Retrieved 19 March 2018.

[2] Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act (PDF), 28 June 2010, retrieved 19 March 2018

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