Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, who briefly served as lieutenant governor during the troubled administration of Gov. Bill Walker, has been released from her position at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, where she has served as president since 2021.
The consortium is the largest, most comprehensive tribal health organization in the country. It is Alaska’s second-largest health employer with more than 3,000 employees.
After the end of the Walker Administration, Davidson was tapped to serve as the president of Alaska Pacific University for two years, before going full time in an interim role for the health organization for Alaska Natives. Within months, she was named as the permanent president and CEO.
There were board meetings this week and Davidson’s contract was not renewed. In a board memo to all staff, Natasha Singh was named interim president and CEO on Tuesday.
The organization in its memo thanked Davidson for her leadership, which started after the previous CEO, Andy Teuber died in a helicopter crash.
“Since Valerie assumed the role as President/CEO in March 2021, the organization committed to making two of the largest health facilities investments in its history, secured over $1 billion for the construction of sanitation systems in rural Alaska, improved the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital star rating at the Alaska Native Medical Center for the fist time in the hospital’s history, improved access to Patient Housing, and improved the organization’s financial health,” the memo said.
Singh is a tribal citizen of Stevens Village and has worked alongside Davidson in the organization’s operations and implementation of strategic priorities, the memo said. She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and Dartmouth College.
