Board of Directors

The Launch Alaska board of directors helps guide Launch Alaska’s strategic vision and direction, accelerating the energy transition and catalyzing Alaska’s clean energy economy.

Meet our 2024 board of directors, and learn more about the people who make our work possible.

  • Angela Rodell served as the chief executive officer of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, a state-owned investment management firm responsible for managing the assets of the State of Alaska’s $80 billion sovereign wealth fund.

    Angela’s tenure at APFC was distinguished by growth and transformation. In the six years she was at the helm, the Fund grew more than 35% in market value while delivering a steady 5% payout to the State of Alaska through an increased emphasis on investing in alternative markets and securing the necessary middle and back office technology to support all asset classes. A visionary leader, she promoted the use of transparent risk metrics in the investment process, successfully implementing a streamlined trade and risk system across the portfolio.

    Before becoming CEO, Angela served as Alaska’s Commissioner of Revenue and Trustee for the Alaska Permanent Fund. She was responsible for building the State’s financial position, securing needed funding for State pension funds, restructuring outstanding debt and achieving upgrades to AAA from both Standard & Poor’s and FitchRatings. From 1996 through 2011, Angela was an investment banker and financial advisor working on multiple states including Alaska, California, Illinois and New York.

    Along with serving as a member of the board for Launch Alaska, Angela currently serves as Chair for the Pacific Pension and Investment Institute and as a member of the investment committee for the Alaska Community Foundation. She has a BA from Marquette University and a MPA from the University of Kentucky.

  • Michael Bourdukofsky is Unangan (Aleut) from St. Paul Island, Alaska. Michael has worked with ANSEP since September 2007 and has held a variety of roles in expanding ANSEP’s outreach at every academic level, from middle school through university. Michael is currently the Director for ANSEP Business, working to expand ANSEP’s University Success component to support College of Business students. Also, an ANSEP Alum, Michael completed his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in May 2003 from UAA. In 2015, Michael completed the Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development (PLD 19). Prior to his current role, Michael served as ANSEP’s COO, where he was responsible for management of all ANSEP programmatic components and staff.

  • Serving as President and CEO of Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC) since 1998, Gloria O’Neill has led the organization’s growth in becoming one of the major social service providers in Alaska. Through rigorous attention to community-based results, she has established CITC’s national reputation as a leading innovator of effective and replicable approaches to overcoming disparities in education, employment, family preservation and substance dependency. CITC provides nearly 50 essential programs serving more than 12,000 Alaska Native and American Indian people each year. She also serves as a member of the Alaskan Command Civilian Advisory Board and Founder of Upper One Games, LLC. 

    In her role of President and CEO of CITC Enterprises Inc. (CEI), Ms. O’Neill serves as Executive Chair and board member of E-Line Ventures, LLC. At the national level, she was appointed by former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to serve on the Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC), and is a former member of the Department of the Interior Tribal/Interior Budget Council and the Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee of the U.S. Census Bureau. She also served as a Board member of the National CASA Association, and is a Fellow of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Children and Family Fellowship Program. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Alaska Pacific University, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage.

    Originally from Soldotna, Alaska, Ms. O’Neill is of Yup’ik and Irish descent.

  • Dr. Boysen is an entrepreneur, scientist, and thought leader in the area of energy technology. Boysen recently founded Modular Chemical Inc. that both consults on and develops environmentally beneficial gas processing technology. Recently, Boysen served on a National Academies committee to create a national research agenda for developing greenhouse gas removal technology that resulted in the National Academies publication “Negative Emissions Technologies and Reliable Sequestration: A Research Agenda.” Prior to launching Modular Chemical, Boysen served as the Chief Technologist at Cyclotron Road—a lab-embedded mentorship program at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab—Boysen mentored hard-tech innovators through critical technology and commercialization challenges. In other previous positions, Boysen also served as the Executive Director for Research Operations at the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) where he led an initiative to develop small-scale, modular solutions for mitigating flared natural gas and as a Program Director at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) where he managed over $100 million spread 34 of the nation’s most cutting-edge energy technology R&D projects. Before joining ARPA-E, Boysen led an $11 million R&D project to develop liquid metal batteries for grid-scale energy storage at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-founded the venture capital-backed company Superprotonic Inc. to commercialize his pioneering in work solid acid-based fuel cells. Boysen has a PhD in Materials Science from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), 8 U.S. patents, and over 30 peer-reviewed journal publications.

  • Chad is a tax partner with BDO USA’s Anchorage office. Prior to joining BDO, he spent 10 years in the construction industry. He works with many Alaska Native Corporations and their subsidiaries on federal and state income tax, ANCSA, ANST, and M&A issues. Chad has experience in corporate, partnership, and multi-state taxation. Chad works with clients in a number of industries including construction, government contracting, real estate, natural resources, retail, and hospitality.

    Chad has been an instructor at BDO National training conferences over the years. He is also a frequent speaker at seminars for the Associated General Contractors of Alaska as well as the Alaska Chapter of the Construction Financial Management Association.

    In his spare time Chad enjoys spending time outdoors fishing, hunting, camping and snowmachining with his wife, Denise and their two sons, Kane and Daniel.

  • Tom Hsieh is president of FLOAT Alaska LLC, parent company to FlyCoin, Ravn Alaska, and Northern Pacific Airways. Tom began his career technology, joining EarthLink in the 1990s, where he managed engineering and IT functions for over a decade. Tom oversaw EarthLink’s growth from a fledgling start-up through its successful IPO on the NASDAQ exchange.

    Tom’s passion for entrepreneurship and innovation has led him to spearhead a number of organizations and initiatives focused on driving social change. He serves on the boards of the Intervalley Health Plan; the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership; Fuller Seminary; and the Claremont Graduate University. He co-founded FLOAT Shuttle Inc. in 2018, a venture-funded shuttle airline service catering to commuters and corporations in the greater Los Angeles area. In April 2020, Tom was instrumental in the acquisition of Ravn Air Group.

    Tom received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from Harvey Mudd College and has an Executive MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School of Management. He and his wife, Bree Devones Hsieh, live a purposeful life and are committed to non-profit and civic efforts.

  • Joe brings extensive Alaska investment and economic development experience, most recently working as a partner with McKinley Alaska Private Investment, where he led the development and deployment of an $117 million private equity/venture capital fund. Joe sourced and led investments related to micro-nuclear, clean hydrogen, green shipping, bio-refining, autonomous systems, aviation, and broader climate themes.

    Prior to joining McKinley, Mr. Jacobson served as the VP of business development at Huna Totem Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation. Additional roles include serving as director of the State’s Division of Economic Development, international director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and senior consultant with McDowell Group.

  • An investor at Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, Sam LaPierre’s experience includes time with WestRiver Group, Goodwater Capital, Simple Health, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, AK Impact Investors, New America, Koltai & Company, LLC, Claremont McKenna Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and INJAZ Al-Arab. She holds an MBA from Yale School of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Claremont McKenna College.

  • Daniel Jensen is the Director, Business Development and Asset Management at Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), one of twelve Alaska Native Regional Corporations. In his role, Daniel manages CIRI's energy investments in accordance with CIRI's mission to provide for the economic, cultural and social well-being of over 9,000 Alaska Native shareholders. CIRI’s flagship energy investment is Fire Island Wind, a 17.6 megawatt project located three miles off the coast of Anchorage in Cook Inlet. Fire Island Wind was the first utility scale energy project developed by an independent power producer in Alaska. CIRI has invested over $175 million in energy projects and companies both inside and outside of Alaska.

    After completing an undergraduate and graduate degree in business and accounting from Montana State University, Daniel moved to Alaska to work at KPMG, an internationally recognized accounting firm, as an auditor. In this position Daniel was able to gain insight into a vast array of companies. After KPMG, Daniel worked at Waste Connections, which owns and operates Alaska Waste, as a district controller. At Waste Connections, Daniel was able to further his knowledge of regulated utilities, as well as build his business and financial acumen.

    Daniel is an avid skier who volunteers at Anchorage Ski Club, a 501(c)(3) non-profit which owns and operates Arctic Valley Ski Area, as the board treasurer. During his tenure as treasurer, Daniel has overseen nearly 300% revenue growth and helped transition to a self-sustaining business model. Daniel also volunteers with Renewable Energy Alaska Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit advocating for renewable energy and energy efficiency in Alaska, again as the board treasurer. Daniel holds an active Certified Public Account license through the Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy, as well as a Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst certificate from the Corporate Finance Institute.

Learn More About the Launch Alaska Team

Launch Alaska is powered by people, from our board of directors to the individual staff members who drive our day-to-day operations. Meet our team members, and learn more about what inspires our mission to accelerate the energy transition.