Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribe of Alaska’s Tribal Transportation Manager Will Ware has been appointed to serve a three-year term on the Governor’s Tribal Advisory Council to fill the transportation seat.
The council was established by Gov. Bill Walker in 2015 and consists of 11 members who represent tribal interest in the areas of wildlife and fisheries, transportation, housing, subsistence, public safety, justice, language and culture, economic development, energy and natural resources, health care and education. Members are appointed by the Governor to identify areas of concern, opportunities for collaboration and suggest policy, programs and other means and methods to address matters affecting the state and tribes.
“I am honored to have been appointed to the Governor’s Tribal Advisory Council,” said Ware. “In this capacity, I hope to continue to bring before our state’s leadership the importance of collaboration between the Alaska Department of Transportation and Alaska’s federally recognized tribes and need for regular and reliable transportation access to and from, as well as within our rural communities. Access to medical services, shopping, cultural events and school-related travel are essential to the health and well-being of our region and rural communities.”
Ware was hired as Tlingit & Haida’s Tribal Transportation Manager in June 2013 and is responsible for administering all Tribal Transportation Program funding for both Tlingit & Haida and the Organized Village of Saxman. The Tribal Transportation department also partners with the State of Alaska, local municipalities and housing authorities to identify transportation system priorities which are developed and incorporated into a Transportation Improvement Plan and Long Range Transportation Plan.
Ware currently serves as the Chair for the Inter-Tribal Transportation Association, Chair of the National Congress of American Indians Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, committee member on the Alaska Marine Highway Reform Project Steering Committee and former member of the Governor’s Community and Public Transportation Advisory Board.
Ware (Lgeik’I Eesh) is of the Raven moiety and Ta’k Dein Taan clan. He was raised in Petersburg by his mother Patricia Svetlak (Chanaat Tlaa) and grandparents Billy (Sagooch) and Martha James (Kaatsu Waa) where Tlingit culture, values and traditions were a part of his everyday life . Will and his wife Christy have four children — Evan, 10, Adam, 16, Brandon, 17, and Billy, 20.
