Birch bark texture.

Ahtna Kanas Summer 2021

Karen Linnell – Welcome back to the Ahtna Board

At the June 5, 2021 Ahtna, Incorporated Annual Meeting of Shareholders, Karen Linnell won an at-large seat on the Board of Directors. She was also elected by the Board as its Vice Chair. Mrs. Linnell is the daughter of Lemmie and Edna Charley and comes from Tsiis tl’edze’na’ (Chistochina) and Keex (Kake). Her mother taught her that you can’t change things from the outside, you have to get involved. Lemmie instilled in her that everyone has value and deserves to be treated with respect, no matter where they come from. Mrs. Linnell is a member of the Naltsiine clan on her Ahtna side and Was’ineidí on her Tlingit side. She is married to Bill Linnell, a Yupik man whose family comes from Kalskag. They have three daughters, one son, and thirteen grandchildren.

A lifelong subsistence hunter and fisher, Mrs. Linnell has nearly two decades of experience working on fish and game management issues in our region. She is the executive director of the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission (AITRC) and has been involved since its inception in 2011.

Mrs. Linnell has previously served on the Ahtna, Incorporated Board of Directors, Land, C&T, Policy, and Audit & Finance Committees, and many of its subsidiaries (2004-2019). She served one term (2016-2019) on the Alaska Board of Game. Appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to the Wrangell-St. Elias Subsistence Resource Commission, she served as chair for four years (2011-2017), as well as the Copper Basin Fish and Game Advisory Committee as Secretary and Vice Chair (2008-2016). Mrs. Linnell brings vast experience serving on a variety of boards and community organizations including as Gulkana Village Council member, Copper River Native Association board member and vice president, Cheesh’na Council president, Copper Valley Telecom secretary/treasurer, and Ahtna Heritage Foundation director.

Mrs. Linnell is ready to use her experience and passion in working for the shareholders to protect our lands and resources while working toward responsible development and economic growth. Welcome back, Karen Linnell!