Valerie Davidson | |
---|---|
Nurr'araaluk Amillamarnan | |
President of Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium | |
Assumed office March 9, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Andy Teuber |
President of Alaska Pacific University | |
In office April 25,2020 –March 9,2021 | |
Preceded by | Bob Onders |
Succeeded by | Bob Onders (interim) |
13th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska | |
In office October 16,2018 –December 3,2018 | |
Governor | Bill Walker |
Preceded by | Byron Mallott |
Succeeded by | Kevin Meyer |
Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services | |
In office December 1,2014 –October 16,2018 | |
Governor | Bill Walker |
Preceded by | William Streur |
Succeeded by | Jay Butler |
Personal details | |
Born | Bethel,Alaska,U.S. | May 19,1967
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Alaska Southeast (BA) University of New Mexico (JD) |
Valerie Nurr'araaluk Davidson [nb 1] (born May 19,1967 [2] ) is an American politician who briefly served as the 13th lieutenant governor of Alaska,from October to December 2018. She was sworn in after Byron Mallott's abrupt resignation from the post on October 16,2018. In April 2020,Davidson became the 12th president of Alaska Pacific University,the first woman to serve as the university's president. [3] She took a leave of absence from Alaska Pacific University to become interim president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in March 2021. Her presidency of the Consortium became permanent in June of the same year and she resigned from Alaska Pacific University at that time. Davidson later became CEO of the Consortium as well. She left the Consortium in May 2024.
Davidson was born in Bethel,Alaska. Her mother is Yup'ik,and her father is originally from Port Orchard,Washington. [1] She grew up both in Bethel and the nearby Aniak. Davidson is an enrolled tribal member of the Orutsararmiut Native Council. [4]
In 1992,Davidson graduated from University of Alaska Southeast with a Bachelor of Education. [5] Davidson also holds a degree in law from the University of New Mexico,obtained in 1998. [6] [5] [2] After she graduated,she worked as a lawyer for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. [2]
Davidson has previously served as Senior Director of Legal and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, [5] and as Chair of the Tribal Technical Advisory Group to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for ten years. [7] Part of her work there included getting veterans in rural areas access to healthcare through tribal clinics,and creating rural dental clinic programs employing mid-level dental professionals to improve access to dental care. [8]
In December 2014,Davidson was appointed Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. [9] [8] During her tenure there,she worked on Alaska's Medicaid expansion alongside Governor Walker. [2]
On October 16,2018,Davidson was sworn in as lieutenant governor after an emergency cabinet meeting in the wake of Byron Mallott's resignation. [10] She is Alaska’s first female Alaska Native lieutenant governor. [11] Upon being sworn in,she briefly became the running mate of incumbent Governor Bill Walker in his 2018 re-election campaign before he dropped out of the race on October 19. [12] [13]
In April 2020,Davidson became the 12th president of Alaska Pacific University. She was the first woman to serve as president of the university. [3]
On March 12,2021 Davidson was named interim president of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. She took a leave of absence from Alaska Pacific University at that time. [14] Davidson's presidency of the Consortium became permanent on June 14,2021 and she resigned from the presidency of Alaska Pacific University. [15] Three years later,on May 7,2024 the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium unexpectedly announced that Davidson had left her positions as president and CEO. No explanation was given. [16]
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The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) is a non-profit health organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, which provides health services to 158,000 Alaska Natives and American Indians in Alaska. Established in 1997, ANTHC is a consortium of the tribal regional health organizations. The board of directors for ANTHC equally represent all tribal regions of Alaska and each region has parity.
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The following table indicates the parties of elected officials in the U.S. state of Alaska:
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The practice of dental care in rural Alaska is overseen by the American Dental Association and other organizations under the jurisdiction of dentistry in the United States, with major differences from dentistry in the contiguous states. The oral health situation among the Alaskan Native population is among the most severe globally, with notably high rates of oral disease. Children in this population aged 2 to 5 years have almost five times the amount of tooth decay as children of the same age elsewhere in the United States, and adults have 2.5 times the amount of tooth decay as adults elsewhere. Other factors impacting the population's dental health include the difficulty of obtaining fresh food in remote locations, lack of fluoridated running water, and reduced access to education on the importance of dental health.
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