As we head into the home stretch of 2024 and reflect on our blessings, we want to thank YOU, the Southeast Conference Membership for standing shoulder to shoulder in supporting our regional businesses, tribes, and communities. Together, we can continue to protect Southeast Alaska's strong economies, healthy communities and quality environment.

Robert Venables elected to NADO

Board of Directors Executive Committee!

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) is pleased to announce the election of Robert Venables, Executive Director of Southeast Conference in Juneau, Alaska as Secretary of the association on October 23 at NADO’s 2024 Annual Business Meeting. 

Insights Platform Launched For Alaska Mariculture Industry

Southeast Conference is pleased to announce that the Alaska Mariculture Insights Platform, which offers essential benchmarks, insights and industry data aimed at showcasing Alaska’s mariculture industry, has been officially launched!

Food Sector Market Research for Alaska’s Kelp and Oyster Products

Southeast Conference contracted with Food for Climate League (FCL) to provide market research services to advance the goal of unlocking industry growth potential and increasing demand for Alaska’s oyster and kelp food products.

The Fish Site Publishes Alaska Mariculture Series

The Fish Site, an aquaculture industry news outlet and subsidiary of Hatch Blue, is publishing a series of articles profiling Alaska’s mariculture industry. The series, titled “Alaskan Mariculture: A Lifeline for the Last Frontier“, features stories and insights learned from research and site visits as part of an Alaska Mariculture Cluster grant project to produce an open-source insights platform for Alaska’s seaweed and oyster industries.

Cindy Zuluaga Jiminez

Alaska Mariculture Project Coordinator

After extensive travels, Cindy fell in love with Southeast Alaska and now lives in Haines with her husband and three dogs. Cindy has spent the last several years managing non-profits and building community and capacity in rural communities and is now Southeast Conference’s Mariculture Program Coordinator. She holds an MS from Middlebury Institute of International Studies for Ocean & Coastal Resource Management and an undergraduate in Marine Science. She has spent many hours diving through kelp forests and is a self-designated oyster aficionado.

Chase Coleman

Alaska Mariculture Project Coordinator

Originally from Wisconsin, Chase made the move to Sitka two years ago, drawn to the mountains, ocean, and laid-back lifestyle. He spent the last two years with the Greater Sitka Chamber of Commerce, working on a number of community development initiatives. Now with Southeast Conference, he’s excited to bring his experience and skillset to the Alaska Mariculture Cluster. Chase holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Edgewood College. When he’s not working, you can find him somewhere outside, taking advantage of everything Southeast Alaska has to offer.

Stephane Granto

Sustainability Fellow

Stephane is a graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service passionate about the intersection of environmental policy, Latin America, and international affairs. For his undergraduate thesis, Stephane explored the design and impact of forest carbon credit programs such as REDD+, identifying key characteristics that make projects successful. He is also the co-founder of Georgetown REUSE, a nonprofit that reduces waste and improves accessibility by selling donated dorm items and clothes at affordable prices on Georgetown’s campus. Stephane is fluent in French and proficient in Spanish. Outside of work and academics, Stephane enjoys running, spending time in nature, and cooking.

Phoebe Koenig

Alaska Sea Grant Fellow

Phoebe moved to Alaska to join Southeast Conference as a 2024 Alaska Sea Grant Fellow. She is an evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist with a PhD from Cornell University, where she studied host-parasite interactions in acorn ants. Before graduate school, she worked with honey bees and wild bees at Cornell University, the Bee Informed Partnership, and the University of Minnesota. She worked on a variety of topics including honey bee dance language, the effects of pesticides on bees, and how honey bee management techniques affect domesticated bees.

Colette Peters

Special Projects Coordinator

Colette is a lifelong Southeast Alaskan. She grew up in Ketchikan and has called Petersburg home for almost eight years. Although she spent time outside the state for school and work Alaska has always been her true home. She received a Bachelors degree in International Political Economy with a minor in Economics from the University of Puget Sound and spent a semester studying public health in Copenhagen, Denmark. Colette has spent the last decade working in various roles in the seafood industry from Environmental Compliance Specialist to Fleet Manager. As the Special Projects Coordinator at SEC, she looks forward to blending her education, work experiences, and personal interests. In her free time Colette enjoys spending time outside running, hiking, and camping at home in Alaska and across the globe.

Mid-Session Summit

February 11-13, Juneau, AK

Annual Meeting

September 16-18, Sitka, AK

Be Part of the Solution!

Our membership makes up the base of the SEC Committees. Stay informed and weigh-in on the issues facing the industries that matter the most to you! Visit https://www.seconference.org/membership/.