News Release

Maija Katak Lukin Selected as the Native Relations Program Manager for Region 11

Maija Katak Lukin

NPS

News Release Date: January 15, 2021

Contact: Peter Christian

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Maija Katak Lukin, Superintendent for Western Arctic National Parklands (WEAR), Region 11, and former Mayor of Kotzebue, Alaska, has been selected as the Native Relations Program Manager for the National Park Service (NPS), Region 11.

In her current role, Lukin manages three NPS conservation units in northwest Alaska: Noatak National Preserve, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Cape Krusenstern National Monument. At WEAR, which encompasses approximately 9 million acres of parkland, Maija is responsible for all aspects of park administration, including: operations, subsistence, Tribal consultation, resource stewardship, budget/finance, information technology, human resources, acquisition and contracting, training and recruitment.

Maija has spent her entire life living and subsisting at Sisaulik, the resource also known as Cape Krusenstern National Monument. As superintendent, Lukin brought extensive local knowledge of indigenous cultures to her role and provided strategic, ethical and thoughtful leadership to NPS management in the area, as well as expanding the perspectives and capabilities of the NPS regional leadership team. 

In her new role, Lukin will take what she has learned from working with the 12 tribes of Northwest Alaska to the entire state. “I am very excited for the opportunity to continue to build a partnership between Alaska’s Tribes and Native Corporations and the National Park Service based on our shared values of being good stewards of the land,” said Lukin.

“We are excited that Maija decided to accept this critical position. Maija quickly earned her ‘rock star’ status within the Park Service and with our neighbors,” said Don Striker, acting Regional Director for the National Park Service in Alaska. “We are excited to leverage Maija’s coalition building skills with her deep background in and passion for preserving indigenous knowledge to globally advance our commitment to cultural preservation of the Arctic lifestyle.” Lukin will start in her new position on March 1, 2021.