"Make it Monday" forum - Alliance to Activate Anchorage Update

Join the Anchorage Chamber for an Annual Report followed by an update from the Alliance to Activate Anchorage (AAA).

Panelists:

• Kathleen McArdle, President/CEO, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
• Julie Saupe, President/CEO, Visit Anchorage
• Jenna Wright, President/CEO, Anchorage Economic Development Corp.
• Remarks on behalf of Radhika Krishna, Executive Director, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd.

What is the Alliance to Activate Anchorage
The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Visit Anchorage, the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, and the Anchorage Downtown Partnership have come together to form the Alliance to Activate Anchorage (AAA), a non-binding, consensus-driven coalition on economic and workforce goals to improve stability and activate growth in the community.

The AAA is comprised of two board representatives from each organization who further strengthen the connections that already exist at the executive and staff level. The respective organizations have many shared goals that are vital to the stability and future of Anchorage, and their combined memberships represent a significant portion of Anchorage businesses, workforce, and economic activities across all sectors. The coalition plans and coordinates common action, better leveraging resources, supporting local businesses, and actively pursuing economic opportunities, which allows the group to better advocate for growth and opportunities for the community.
 

Julie Saupe has been with Visit Anchorage for the past 22 years, the last 17 of those as President & CEO. Visit Anchorage works to create value for Anchorage’s residents through the visitor economy. 

Before joining the team at Visit Anchorage, Saupe held executive, marketing and membership positions with the Mat-Su CVB, Alaska Visitors Association and the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. She feels fortunate to have stumbled into her tourism career as a high school sophomore when she was hired to provide walking tours of downtown Fairbanks for their Convention & Visitors Bureau.

She holds Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Economics and Business (with marketing emphasis) from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.

Saupe was named one of Alaska’s Top 40 Under 40, serves on several local, regional and national boards, including the One West Tourism Alliance Foundation and Destination International’s Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) board.

She and her husband Steve live near downtown and have always had at least one dog and one cat in their household.
 

As President & CEO, Jenna Wright is responsible for managing and supporting the successful deployment of strategies, programs and initiatives that promote the growth of the Anchorage economy. She works in collaboration with staff, partner organizations and the Board of Directors to accomplish initiatives and projects including business retention and expansion, workforce development, and economic research, so that Anchorage is one of the top mid-sized cities in America to live, work and play.

Jenna is currently a board member of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Visit Anchorage, the UAA College of Business and Public Policy Business’s Advisory Board and the Anchorage School District’s Academies Steering Committee.
Jenna earned her bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Investment Finance from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) in 2010. She returned to UAA four years later in pursuit of a Master’s of Business Administration, which she earned in 2015 with an emphasis in Business Intelligence and Data Analytics.

After graduating with her MBA, Wright worked as the Director of Business Operations for Microcom where she was responsible for operational leadership of staff and regional contractors and optimizing satellite installation strategies across Alaska and Hawaii. In 2018, she joined the State of Alaska leadership team as the Deputy Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles where she was responsible for managing statewide operations, modernizing service delivery methods to optimize Alaskan’s experiences, legislative affairs, and budget management.

Outside of the office, Jenna enjoys cooking, travelling, and above all else, is an avid outdoorswoman. She loves to spend her time mountain running, biking, and hiking. She has trained for and participated in several historic Alaskan races like Seward’s Mt. Marathon and Anchorage’s Golden Nugget Triathlon. Jenna was born in Anchorage, and expects to always call Anchorage home, where she lives with her husband, daughter and pups.
 

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