Connecting Alaska Consortium Broadband Conference
Creating Meaningful Connections.
Creating a better life.
The Connecting Alaska Consortium is a non-profit organization created to empower Alaskan communities with their respective broadband opportunities.
what we do
The Connecting Alaska Consortium structure allows for tribal leaders to converse, review and engage entities that complete a broadband solution THEY see as appropriate for their communities.
Rather than be pushed into a solution and program, the agnostic consortium equips tribal leaders to begin conversations with various members of the Connecting Alaska Consortium and enables tribal leaders to make decisions that are correct for their regions.
OUR MEMBERS’ CAPABILITIES:
From application submission to full broadband network construction and operation.
Various broadband programs are available to tribes today and more will be coming in the near future. The Connecting Alaska Consortium is equipped to help decide which opportunities will work best in each community.
Tribal leaders are encouraged to reach out to the Connecting Alaska Consortium today and have a complimentary consulting discussion. The Connecting Alaska Consortium is here to empower tribes and maximize their various broadband opportunities today and in the future.
MEET OUR
PARTNERS
Greensparc is building the internet infrastructure for a decentralized future. They locate modular, scalable edge data centers at power plants, close to consumers and prioritizes those communities that others have overlooked.
As a Native-owned solutions engineering firm, we empower clients with end-to-end services for critical and complex community projects. Our team of technology experts plan, engineer, permit and build broadband solutions in rural Alaska.
Wind Talker Innovations has created Osmosis, a visionary software suite that integrates with OEM hardware, enabling a secure, self-sustaining network solution to ensure a blanket of connectivity for users. When integrated, Osmosis-enabled devices create an ecosystem of new infrastructure, providing rapidly-enabled network setup and flexibility.
Alaska Native Village Corporation Association promotes the success of our Village Corporations and protection of our Native lands. ANVCA is an education advocacy organization that represents 177 Alaska Native Village corporations and over 250 communities Statewide.
Capitol Funding Solutions provides the necessary guidance, strategy, and expertise to competitively position your program to achieve funding success. Whether you are an established organization looking to sharpen your funding strategy or an emerging startup they provides a full suite of end-to-end services, from award identification and strategy consulting to writing and review.
Alaska Native-owned and operated, Northwest Strategies is relied on by the corporate enterprises of Alaska’s first people to grow their business interests with purpose and pride. We understand the wisdom of 10,000 years of Native tradition and weave it into communications strategies that enhance the lives and well-being of Alaska and its people.
Teltech Group has six main areas of emphasis – broadband network deployment solutions, forward/reverse logistics, asset management, new and used equipment sales, talent resourcing, and smart technology solutions. Each area is built upon the core competencies of the firm and Teltech’s work in the telecom industry and beyond since 1999. The company is Native American and Woman-owned.
The Alaska Forum, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supporting the Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE), an annual educational event. Founded in 1990 as the Alaska Federal Facility Environmental Roundtable, AFE focuses on environmental issues like contaminants, hazardous waste cleanup, and pollution prevention. The forum fosters cooperation and communication among environmental regulators, military departments, and federal agencies in Alaska.
Tribal Ready is a native-owned and governed company - advancing tribal sovereignty to unleash the power and potential of Native communities by helping clients secure access to broadband funding, planning, and resources.
Phoenux is a software based ecosystem which allows for the tokenization of illiquid assets to a powerful, crypto-based rewards platform.
Capitol Hill Consulting Group is a Washington DC-based, bi-partisan government relations firm dedicated to providing comprehensive and individually tailored strategies, to meet the diverse needs of our clients. They offer specialized lobbying services in tax, trade, financial services, appropriations, environment, energy, health care, aerospace and other sectors.
FORT+ Marketing Solutions has over 15 years of experience promoting telecom companies to their target markets in Alaska. FORT+ acts as a creative and strategic partner to their clients, specializing in branding, video creation, web design, social media management, and digital ad campaigns.
OptimERA xG provides a full suite of telecommunications services (LTE, Satellite, Microwave and Fiber) and is a licensed and bonded General Contractor. We expedite our clients' time to market and reduce regulatory burden by removing barriers. We can deliver a complete turnkey solution; design the spec, construct the network, build a business model, and deliver service.
Raven Project Solutions is a multidisciplinary consulting firm, based in Alaska, dedicated to expanding the capabilities of its clients through specialized, creative, intelligent solutions. They aim to be your partner in evolution, offering grant-seeking, writing, and management; strategic planning; program management; and more.
OneWeb is putting the Last Frontier first. We have fast, reliable rural broadband solutions available today. We are a Low Earth Orbit satellite communications company that partners with Alaska service providers to utilize our network of more than 600 in-orbit satellites to deliver high-speed, low latency internet to communities, businesses, and local governments across Alaska.
Tarana Wireless specializes in advanced fixed wireless access solutions, delivering high-speed internet to underserved areas. Their innovative technology overcomes interference and challenging terrains, aiming to bridge the digital divide by partnering with global service providers.
officers
PRESIDENT
Bryan is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation and grew up in Akwesasne. As a professional project manager and business systems expert, he has extensive experience delivering projects (of all kinds) in rural Alaska. As a technologist trained in Traditional and Western science, his work has centered around building successful start-ups, from programs to businesses, that are financially sustainable and serve the public good. Before founding Quill, he founded the world's largest indigenous observation network (ION) through the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. ION is a community-based science network that covers the Yukon River Watershed. Beyond his extensive work with Tribes, he was the architect, implementer, and trainer for the end-to-end site management and compliance solution used by Alaska's largest telecom. When he is not in the office he is spending time with his family, hunting to feed three growing boys, or jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Executive Director
Matt Perdew is a Retired Disabled US Air Force Veteran who spent 10 years flying on the E-3 AWACS in Oklahoma, Germany and ultimately moving to Anchorage, Alaska after he married his wife in 2003. He retired from the USAF in 2016 as the Deputy Joint Interface Control Officer for the Alaska NORAD Region and was the Director of Command and Control Future Plans and Programs for the Alaska Air Defense Sector. His expertise was focused on the area of Command and Control Network Architecture, Design, Implementation and Deployment. Matt retired in April of 2016, he had a vision of creating a software-based network infrastructure that turned every radio enabled device into an ad hoc mesh network node. He subsequently launched Wind Talker Innovations, Inc and began development of their flagship product, Osmosis. He led Wind Talker through five rounds of fundraising and grew the company from two employees to well over 100 with a. multitude of products in the inventory and substantial contract awards from the DoD, US Air Force and US Army as government customers and some of the biggest names in telecom as deployment partners. Matt transitioned to PhoenUX, Inc., a software-based ecosystem which allows for the tokenization of illiquid assets into a powerful, crypto-based rewards platform. PhoenUX is focused on developing and supporting the microeconomies that will grow in the coming years as the digital divide is closed.
SECRETARY
Gerad is an Alaska Native whose parents’ lineages are from two different Alutiiq Villages in the Kodiak Archipelago. He is a tribal member of the Native Village of Port Lions, where he serves on the Tribal Council. Gerad is a shareholder with Afognak Native Corporation, where he served as Chair and Vice Chair on the Board of Directors. He is also a shareholder with Koniag Regional Corporation and Ouzinkie Native Corporation. Gerad has a diversity of experience in the broadband industry. In 2014, he took an appointment to serve on FirstNet’s Tribal Working Group (TWG) where he currently serves as Chair and the last original member, and only Alaskan, serving on the TWG. In 2015, Gerad took a senior cabinet appointment to serve as the Senior Advisor on Rural Business and Intergovernmental Affairs in Governor Walker’s administration, where he was designated as the Walker Administration’s point person on Alaska telecommunications and broadband. In 2021, he served on Governor Dunleavy’s Broadband Task Force as Vice Chair and as a member of the Technical Subcommittee.
board member
Lisa Hanlon-Knight, Cherokee Nation Citizen, is the Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and CEO of Teltech Communications, a trusted, nationwide solution provider within the telecommunications industry. Since 1999, the organization has achieved numerous awards for quality, sustainability, wellness, and safety, and was named Supplier of the Year by the DFW MSDC. Personally, Lisa has been recognized for her business acumen and leadership with invitations to attend the Tuck-WBENC Executive Education Program and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, was recently honored as a finalist for the Ernst & Young Southwest Region Entrepreneur of the Year, a Dallas Woman In Business by the Dallas Business Journal in 2021, and has been awarded Outstanding Executive at the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association’s Luna Awards in 2019. Lisa studied pre-med at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the University of Colorado-Boulder. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Native American Business Association (NABA) and is the co-founder of Women for Wounded Warriors, a non-profit organization that provides resources, support, and employment opportunities for spouses, family members and caregivers for our American Veterans.
officers
PRESIDENT
Bryan is a citizen of the Mohawk Nation and grew up in Akwesasne. As a professional project manager and business systems expert, he has extensive experience delivering projects (of all kinds) in rural Alaska. As a technologist trained in Traditional and Western science, his work has centered around building successful start-ups, from programs to businesses, that are financially sustainable and serve the public good. Before founding Quill, he founded the world's largest indigenous observation network (ION) through the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council. ION is a community-based science network that covers the Yukon River Watershed. Beyond his extensive work with Tribes, he was the architect, implementer, and trainer for the end-to-end site management and compliance solution used by Alaska's largest telecom. When he is not in the office he is spending time with his family, hunting to feed three growing boys, or jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.
Treasurer
Matt Perdew is a Retired Disabled US Air Force Veteran who spent 10 years flying on the E-3 AWACS in Oklahoma, Germany and ultimately moving to Anchorage, Alaska after he married his wife in 2003. He retired from the USAF in 2016 as the Deputy Joint Interface Control Officer for the Alaska NORAD Region and was the Director of Command and Control Future Plans and Programs for the Alaska Air Defense Sector. His expertise was focused on the area of Command and Control Network Architecture, Design, Implementation and Deployment. Matt retired in April of 2016, he had a vision of creating a software-based network infrastructure that turned every radio enabled device into an ad hoc mesh network node. He subsequently launched Wind Talker Innovations, Inc and began development of their flagship product, Osmosis. He led Wind Talker through five rounds of fundraising and grew the company from two employees to well over 100 with a. multitude of products in the inventory and substantial contract awards from the DoD, US Air Force and US Army as government customers and some of the biggest names in telecom as deployment partners. Matt transitioned to PhoenUX, Inc., a software-based ecosystem which allows for the tokenization of illiquid assets into a powerful, crypto-based rewards platform. PhoenUX is focused on developing and supporting the microeconomies that will grow in the coming years as the digital divide is closed.
Secretary
Gerad is an Alaska Native whose parents’ lineages are from two different Alutiiq Villages in the Kodiak Archipelago. He is a tribal member of the Native Village of Port Lions, where he serves on the Tribal Council. Gerad is a shareholder with Afognak Native Corporation, where he served as Chair and Vice Chair on the Board of Directors. He is also a shareholder with Koniag Regional Corporation and Ouzinkie Native Corporation. Gerad has a diversity of experience in the broadband industry. In 2014, he took an appointment to serve on FirstNet’s Tribal Working Group (TWG) where he currently serves as Chair and the last original member, and only Alaskan, serving on the TWG. In 2015, Gerad took a senior cabinet appointment to serve as the Senior Advisor on Rural Business and Intergovernmental Affairs in Governor Walker’s administration, where he was designated as the Walker Administration’s point person on Alaska telecommunications and broadband. In 2021, he served on Governor Dunleavy’s Broadband Task Force as Vice Chair and as a member of the Technical Subcommittee.
Board Member
Lisa Hanlon-Knight, Cherokee Nation Citizen, is the Co-Founder, Executive Chairman, and
CEO of Teltech Communications, a trusted, nationwide solution provider within the
telecommunications industry. Since 1999, the organization has achieved numerous awards for
quality, sustainability, wellness, and safety, and was named Supplier of the Year by the DFW
MSDC. Personally, Lisa has been recognized for her business acumen and leadership with
invitations to attend the Tuck-WBENC Executive Education Program and Northwestern
University’s Kellogg School of Management, was recently honored as a finalist for the Ernst &
Young Southwest Region Entrepreneur of the Year, a Dallas Woman In Business by the Dallas
Business Journal in 2021, and has been awarded Outstanding Executive at the Regional
Hispanic Contractors Association’s Luna Awards in 2019.
Lisa studied pre-med at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the University of
Colorado-Boulder. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Native American Business
Association (NABA) and is the co-founder of Women for Wounded Warriors, a non-profit
organization that provides resources, support, and employment opportunities for spouses,
family members and caregivers for our American Veterans.
get in touch
Tribal leaders are encouraged to reach out to the Connecting Alaska Consortium today and have a complimentary consulting discussion.
The Connecting Alaska Consortium is here to empower tribes and maximize their various broadband opportunities today and in the future.
