Executive Director - Center Safe Alaskans

Center for Safe Alaskans seeks its next Executive Director to carry forward a legacy of evidence-based public health work, injury prevention, and youth development across Alaska. Following the planned retirement of its longtime Executive Director, Safe Alaskans is well positioned for this transition: financially stable, trusted by partners across Alaska and beyond, and home to a committed team that is widely regarded as the organization's greatest strength.

The next Executive Director will build on this strong foundation, deepening the organization's impact while diversifying its funding base and growing its partnerships.

The ideal candidate will bring leadership experience in public health, community health, or a related mission-driven field and genuine connections to Alaska. This is a role for someone who leads with curiosity, takes time to understand what is working, and builds from there.

The core purposes of the Center for Safe Alaskans are to prevent injuries, promote wellbeing, and improve safety for all Alaskans. Founded in 1998 as the Alaska Injury Prevention Center through a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "Safe Communities America" grant, the organization has grown into a statewide, national, and international leader in evidence-based public health programming, community engagement, and youth development.

In 2015, the Anchorage Youth Development Coalition (AYDC) became a part of the Alaska Injury Prevention Center, broadening the organization's work to include wellbeing promotion and positive youth development alongside injury prevention. The organization rebranded as the Center for Safe Alaskans to reflect this expanded purpose. AYDC is housed at Safe Alaskans with its own mission, leadership team, and strategic plan.

AYDC is not a separate legal entity; it operates as a coalition within Safe Alaskans, with its leadership team providing guidance and supporting the coalition's work. The Safe Alaskans Executive Director provides organizational oversight and decision-making authority. The next Executive Director will need to understand and steward this unique relationship, supporting AYDC's distinct mission and collaborative leadership structure while ensuring alignment with Safe Alaskans' overall strategic plan, core purpose, and values.

Safe Alaskans has an annual budget of approximately $2.0 million, a staff of nine full-time and 5 to 10 temporary employees, and a board of up to 15 directors. The organization is funded primarily through state and federal grants and contracts, supplemented by grants, donations, and other private support. Safe Alaskans is guided by five core values:
Innovative, Collaborative, Inclusive and Respectful, Data-Driven, and Strength-Based, and uses a public health approach grounded in the Shared Risk and Protective Factors framework. Based in Anchorage, Safe Alaskans works locally and statewide, with partnerships and initiatives that extend nationally and internationally.

For more information on specific programs and services, please visit: https://safealaskans.org/

Safe Alaskans has a long history of bringing partners together to advance innovative approaches to safety, health, and wellbeing. The organization holds leadership roles in statewide initiatives, task forces, committees, and partnerships, including Healthy Alaskans 2030, often bringing an important nonprofit and community perspective to the table. This work is grounded in the Shared Risk and Protective Factors framework, recognizing the connections across health and safety outcomes and the…