Alaska Gubernatorial Candidates - Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Lesil McGuire

Lesil McGuire is a policy strategist and business development executive. She served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006, and then in the Alaska Senate from 2007 through 2016. In the Legislature, she led bipartisan efforts to modernize energy, infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks and chaired multiple influential committees, including the Judiciary and Arctic Policy. In the private sector, Lesil has served as a consultant to global satellite ventures, expanding U.S. and Canadian markets for low Earth orbit (LEO) communications. A German Marshall Fellow and former Chair of the Council of State Governments West, she is an advisor on transatlantic policy, technology, and northern development. She is also the founder of the Alaska Women's Summit and the first woman to serve as President of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), where she led cross-border initiatives to strengthen economic resilience across the U.S. and Canada. Lesil was born in Portland, Oregon, and has lived in Anchorage since 1973. She earned both her bachelor’s degree and law degree from Willamette University.

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, aka JKT, was born and raised in Sitka. He served five terms in the Alaska House of Representatives, from 2013 to 2023, representing the state's 35th district, which encompasses many Southeast island communities including Hoonah, Sitka, Kake, Klawock, Craig, Angoon, and Petersburg. He is an Eagle Scout and, at age 14, served as the statewide chair of the Howard Dean presidential campaign.  JKT, a Democrat, first won his House seat after leaving Yale University before his senior year to campaign against the incumbent chair of the House Finance Committee, whom he defeated by almost three dozen votes. He was part of Alaska’s bipartisan House Majority and one of its most senior members when he retired. In addition to his legislative service, Kreiss-Tomkins co-founded Outer Coast, a post-secondary program on the campus of the former Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka; helped develop a website to track Covid pandemic data in real time, and created the Alaska Fellows, a local service program in Sitka, Juneau, and Anchorage for recent college graduates.

In this election year, the Forum is providing an opportunity for numerous candidates for various statewide offices and advocates for ballot propositions to speak with us. This is a continuation of our year-round mission to help attendees become better informed about the people and issues that will affect the future of our community and our state. AUUF does not support or oppose any candidates for public office or ballot measures.