Meet Our Board
THRHA is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, which is appointed by the Executive Committee of the Central Council Indian Tribes of Alaska. Their role is to represent Southeast Alaska as a whole which includes the Housing Authority and meets quarterly to guide our organization by developing Housing Authority policies, procedure and vision. Each commissioner serves a three-year term of office.
Jacqueline Pata
President & CEO
Jacqueline Pata was appointed President & CEO of the Tlingit-Haida Regional Housing Authority in April 2019. Previously from 1989 to 1998, Ms. Pata was the Executive Director of THRHA and continued to serve THRHA in the role of Ex-Officio on the Board of Commissioners prior to her appointment as CEO.
Before returning to THRHA, Ms. Pata led for nearly 18 years, the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, DC as Executive Director. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Native American Programs for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development where she was responsible for the implementation of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act. Additionally, she served as Chairwoman of the Native American Indian Housing Council where she led the charge to reform the Indian housing program and was a Board Member at Sealaska Corporation from 1999-2019.
Currently, Ms. Pata is the 2nd Vice President for the Central Council of the Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska and serves on a variety of national executive boards including as a Vice Chair for the Board of Directors of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and as a Board Member for the George Gustave Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian.
Clinton Cook
Chair
Mr. Cook is Eagle/Frog, his Haida name is “Ga’gwaath”. He is the President of Craig Tribal Association where he has served for six years. He lives in Craig, Alaska, a rural community on the Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. Mr. Cook has five years’ experience on the THRHA and HYFC Boards. He also is a Certified Petroleum Technician with years of experience working in the heating and construction industry.
Victoria Demmert
Vice Chair
Victoria is of the Owl House; her Tlingit name is, “Kuduxeit” and is a Raven of the K’ineix-Kwaan. Currently, she serves on the Council of the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe. She has served as Yakutat’s representative for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation Board, the local school board, an employee of almost every organization in Yakutat throughout the years; as well as a local business owner. Victoria was the first Native woman Mayor of Yakutat, as well as the Magistrate for 10 years. Victoria believes in being positive and compassionate, while working for a sustainable future for the next generation. Yakutat is our furthest north community in Southeast Alaska.
Carol Martinez
Treasurer
Ms. Martinez’s Tlingit name is “Dasa’Ka’ee” and she is of the Dak’dein’taan clan. She lives in Petersburg, a small community south of Juneau in Southeast Alaska. She has a paralegal degree and is currently working as a Phlebotomist for Petersburg Medical Center. She has volunteered as a Native foster home, an EMT, a Tlingit dance instructor, is a former Camp 16 President of Alaska Native Sisterhood, and past Petersburg Indian Association Tribal President. It has always been important to Ms. Martinez to foster a sense of pride and to empower Native youth to know they have value. She has served on the HYFC Board for three years.
Karen Taug
Commissioner
Ms. Taug is the member of the Board and brings her financial expertise. She served a total of nine years as the Controller/Finance Director of Southeast Alaska Regional Health Corporation and for Bartlett Regional Hospital. Ms. Taug is very interested in serving the people of her region, and community. She currently lives in Haines, a community on the northern end of the region. Ms. Taug also serves on the Board for Sealaska Corporation, the regional for-profit Alaska Native Corporation for southeast Alaska and has served on the HYFC and THRHA boards for one year.
