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The UAA Office of Alumni and Community Engagement and the UAA Alumni Association are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024-25 UAA Alumni of Distinction awards. These three distinguished UAA alumni will be honored for their outstanding contributions in their chosen fields and communities at the university’s annual Alumni of Distinction Celebration on Tuesday, March 18 at the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall on UAA’s Anchorage campus.

Alumni Emerging Leader
Iuliia Chepurko 
M.B.A. General Management '15
Director of Program and Project Standards at GCI

In her professional journey, Chepurko has led IT and business transformations across health care, telecommunications, oil and gas, manufacturing, finance and economic development. Starting as a financial analyst at Fazer, she later transitioned to IT as a project manager, spearheading an enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration. After moving to Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, she worked as as research economist at the Center for Economic Development while attending UAA, and then as a business system analyst and project manager right after graduation. In her previous role as senior IT project manager at Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Native Tribal Health Consortium, Chepurko supported statewide health care initiatives, earning an Anchorage Daily News award for business and technology achievements. Now at GCI as director of program and project standards, she leads project processes alignment across the organization and multiple delivery teams. In addition to her M.B.A. from UAA, Chepurko holds a Ph.D. in economics, professional certifications including PMP, ITIL, CBAP and RMP, and completed the Women in Leadership Harvard Division of Continuing Education course. Read more >>

Alumni Humanitarian
E. Ingrid Goodyear
M.Ed. Educational Leadership '11
Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Coordinator for the Great Plains and Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ

As the missing or murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP) regional coordinator for the Great Plains and Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, Goodyear leads efforts to improve responses to MMIP cases and address their root causes, collaborating with tribes and communities to develop solutions for public safety. Her work has brought attention to issues disproportionately affecting Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ Native communities, ensuring resources reach those in need. In recognition of her impact, she received the 2023 James Gay Award from Victims for Justice and was honored at the Red Dress Gala for her contributions to the MMIP movement. For over two decades, Goodyear has supported public education, youth, culture and tribal courts across Â鶹ÎÞÂë°æ, serving as a teacher, justice and advisor. Read more >>

Alumni of Achievement
Maria Bourne 
B.B.A. Accounting '06
President and CEO of Denali Universal Services

Originating from a small town in rural Russian Far East, Bourne moved to the U.S. and graduated high school at the age of 17 while facing the challenges of adapting to a new country and language. After earning her bachelor’s in accounting from UAA, she was immediately recruited to KPMG Anchorage as an auditor. Over the next nine years, she would earn her certified public accountant designation and become audit senior manager, overseeing major corporate portfolios. In 2015, Bourne became CFO of Denali Universal Services, and by 35, she was its first female president and CEO. In 2024, she led a landmark management buyout, transitioning the company from a publicly held entity to private ownership. Denali Universal Services, a leader in facilities management and security services, employs over 1,000 people and is now eligible as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise. Read more >>

 

For more information, contact Alumni Relations at 907-786-1701 or seawolf.forever@alaska.edu, or visit uaa.alaska.edu/alumni.