Alyssa has called Alaska home since her early elementary years after moving here with her family from Hawaii. While attending college at the University of Alaska Anchorage, she found her passion for nonprofit work as a student worker at the University of Alaska Foundation and has worked in the sector ever since. After graduating with a Bachelors in Arts in History and International Studies with minors in Political Science and Spanish, Alyssa continued her career in nonprofits with international flair at the Alaska World Affairs Council where she transformed the programming of the Council and refreshed the look and feel of the brand overall. Finding a new passion for business operations and a desire to enhance her knowledge in this space, she left the state (and the country!) to earn a Masters in Business Administration at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. While wrapping up her capstone project, Alyssa interviewed a range of Alaskan nonprofit CEOs and fell in love with the mission, team, and culture at VOA Alaska.

Upon graduation, she returned to Alaska and joined the VOA team in 2019. In the years since, Alyssa has worn multiple hats and helped transform VOA’s technology infrastructure, refreshed branding and expanded community awareness, built a robust community giving program, strengthened and streamlined core grant systems and processes, and facilitated strategic planning through multiple levels of stakeholder engagement. She is a strong advocate for the needs of youth and families across Alaska and is honored to have the privilege of serving the community in her work each day.

Off the clock, Alyssa can be found out in the wilderness with her pack of golden retrievers (Poppy, Thor, and Jack), sweating at OrangeTheory, reading the latest Sarah J. Maas book, re-watching her favorite TV series, or helping to plan the next Trend Alaska Fashion Show.