Face to Face
Bonnie Jo Savland
Alaska Native Program Manager
Published October 2003

Bonnie Jo Savland joined Alyeska in 2002 to manage the Commercial Group’s Minority Business Enterprise Program. She became the Alaska Native Program manager in July and is charged with ensuring that the terms of the Alaska Native Utilization Agreement (ANUA) are met.

Bonnie Jo is a Tlingit Indian from Southeast Alaska. Her family is from Hoonah, a Southeast Alaska village with 900 residents.

What is ANUA?

This agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior traces back to the time of construction of the pipeline. It sets a company goal of having 19 percent Alaska Native employees in 2003 and 20 percent in 2004. Future goals will be determined when the ANAU is renewed at the end of 2004.

We expect to meet our companywide ANUA goal this year. We currently exceed our goal in the professional and administrative categories and have challenges to increase participation in the technical and managerial ranks.

How does Alyeska attract and hire Alaska Native job candidates?

We have a number of outreach programs that increase Alyeska’s visibility within Alaska’s Native community. For example, 30 Alyeska workers will be at this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives convention volunteering to do everything from helping with registration to facilitating meetings. We are also participating in job fairs and working with businesses and Native groups on a variety of projects. These activities raise our corporate image and produce resumes. More importantly, they generate contacts and conversations with community members who help us identify outstanding candidates and encourage exceptional individuals to apply for Alyeska jobs.

Potential job candidates should visit www.alyeska-pipe.com. All candidates should follow the application procedure described in the job announcement.

What does Alyeska do to develop well-qualified Alaska Native employees?

Alyeska has a minority intern program that attracts new employees and uses mentors to help prepare them for permanent jobs. We also use this program to train existing employees for new jobs. Every Alaska Native employee will have a career development plan by the end of 2003 that identifies his or her career goals. Alyeska also helps Native employees pay for up to 80 percent of their continuing education costs for getting the degrees and training needed to meet career goals. This educational reimbursement program is available to all Alyeska employees. The company is also working to increase the state pool of potential Native employees by awarding $750,000 in annual scholarship funds that are administered by Alaska nonprofits and educational groups to improve Alaska Native education and training.