Board of Directors

Jennifer N. Adams was elected to the Doyon Foundation board in November 2019 and is currently serving as the board chair. Her Koyukon Athabascan name is Ł’oyenaadleno and her Inupiaq name is Iñukualuk. She serves as chair of the language revitalization committee and is a member of the finance committee.

Originally from Allakaket and currently residing on the Kenai Peninsula, Adams is the daughter of the late Bob Maguire (from Lake Chelan, Washington) and the late Cora (Moses) Maguire from Allakaket. Her maternal grandparents are Johnson Bergman Moses of Allakaket and the late Bertha (Nictune) Moses of Alatna. Her paternal grandparents are the late Hugh and Irene Maguire of Lake Chelan, Washington. She has three adult children and her husband is Fred Adams, whose family is from Kotzebue and Illinois.

Adams holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). She received scholarship support from the Foundation throughout her educational journey.

“After many years of school and working, I felt that it was time for me to serve on a volunteer board in order to give back to the Foundation that has helped me so much as I was earning my degrees,” Adams said.

Adams currently serves as the rural director for the Alaska Small Business Development Center at the University of Alaska Anchorage. During 2019, she also served as an adjunct professor for UAF. Previously, Adams was the planning and development director for Fairbanks Native Association. She has also operated her own consulting business since 2013, and has many years of experience in the fields of human resources, grant writing/management, general management and corporate legal.

In addition to serving on the Doyon Foundation language revitalization committee, Adams also serves on the Evergreen Business Lending advisory board. In her free time, she enjoys sewing kuspuks / atiqluks / bets’eghe hoolane, beadwork, fur/skin sewing, hiking, boating and being in nature.

“I am passionate about the language revitalization efforts that the Foundation is working toward. I love our Native cultures and hope that the board can use the momentum happening in our communities to continue these efforts,” she said. “I am a huge champion of the Doyon Foundation and I love the work they do.”

Benjamin Schwartz is the son of Polly Hyslop, of Northway and Tanana, and Daniel Schwartz, of Palo Alto, California. He spent his childhood in Tanana and Northway, as well as Palo Alto, California, and currently resides in Reno, Nevada.

Benjamin is currently a public accountant at Bluebird CPAs, one of the leading tribal accounting firms in the country. In this role, he works with tribal governments and their for-profit businesses nationwide, with a focus on tribal casinos. Benjamin has more than 10 years of experience working as a director-level employee within the gaming industry, at such places as Aria Resort and Casino, the Bellagio, and the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

A former Doyon Foundation scholarship recipient, Benjamin received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and communication arts from Linfield College, where he was also a NCAA collegiate basketball player, and speech and debate competitor. He obtained his executive master’s in business administration from the University of Nevada Reno in 2021, and will be qualified as a Certified Public Accountant in 2023.

“Doyon Foundation was not only a financial tool for graduate school but also a great resource for motivation, in that I could use the skills I acquire to assist in the mission of the Foundation,” he said.

In his spare time, Benjamin enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and hiking with his girlfriend and dogs.

Cheryl Cadzow was elected to the Doyon, Limited board of directors in March 2020 and was elected to serve on the Doyon Foundation board of directors in 2024.

She is retired and previously served as a classroom teacher for the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Cadzow previously served as a board member for the Fairbanks Native Association, as the chief and second chief of the Native Village of Fort Yukon, as a member of the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, as a council member for the City of Fort Yukon, as treasurer for Fort Yukon Dog Mushers, and as a board member for Gwitchyaa Zhee Corporation. Cadzow owned a small business in Fort Yukon for 13 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in cross-cultural education. Cadzow holds an Alaska Type B administrative certificate with a principal endorsement. She received training as a seasonal timekeeper for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry.

Matt Calhoun grew up in Homer, Alaska, and currently resides in Palmer. His adoptive parents are Dennis and Charlotte Calhoun. His birth parents are Steve Vollertsen and Rose (Edwards) Johns, of Holy Cross and Takotna. Calhoun and his wife, Maylie, have three children: Sophie, Gabriel and Ronin.

Calhoun holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a doctorate of philosophy (PhD) in civil engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He is the first Athabascan – and, in fact, the only Alaska Native – to ever earn a doctorate in civil engineering.

“But I’m working on changing that. It’s about to change soon,” Calhoun said with a smile.

Calhoun is currently an assistant professor of civil engineering at UAA. Previously, he was the director of pre-college academic enrichment in rural Alaska for the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP). He also worked as a project engineer at AHTNA Construction.

“I received Doyon Foundation competitive and basic scholarships during my undergraduate and graduate education, and it was one of the main reasons that I was able to continue going to school and I’m very grateful for the help during that time,” he said.

“Doyon Foundation is one of the main reasons that I was able to continue my education all the way to the PhD and I want to give back and help other Doyon shareholders achieve their goals.”

In his free time, Calhoun enjoys volunteering at the Alaska Native Medical Center and spending time with my family. “We generally like to be outdoors and always look forward to catching fish in the summer,” he said.

Marie Cleaver is originally from Ruby, and currently resides in Galena. She is the daughter of William and Katherine Dozette, and the granddaughter of William L. Dozette and the late Lilli Sweetsir, and the late William Captain, Sr. and the late Eleanor Captain. She is married to Clifford Cleaver and is the mother of Camden, Kamea, Kimber and Katiya Cleaver.

A former Foundation scholarship recipient, Cleaver studied tribal management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and received her certificate in spring 2019. Cleaver’s work experience includes Tanana Chiefs Conference, Fairbanks Native Association, and the Ruby Tribal Council. She currently works as a budget analyst for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Galena.

Cleaver is very involved with her children’s school and serves as a volunteer and is a member of the Sidney Huntington Parent Advisory Committee. Cleaver also serves as a council member for the Louden Tribal Council. 

She loves to be outdoors, snowmachining, boating, spending time at their cabin, hunting and fishing with her family. She finds joy in teaching her children how to subsist for moose, picking berries and fish.

“I have always been very passionate about education, whether it be furthering my own or encouraging others to continue with theirs. As a past scholarship recipient, I feel this is a great way to give back,” Cleaver said. “I am honored and grateful to be able to sit on and serve with the Doyon Foundation board. They have done wonderful things, and are continuing to do so much for our people. I look forward to learning and participating in all the awesome work that the Foundation is doing.”

Craig L. Fleener, originally from Fort Yukon and currently residing in Anchorage, is the son of Betty Itta and the grandson of Doris Ward. He has six children, Rebecca (Bell), Rachel (David), Rachelle, Craig, Sophia and Roman, and 10 grandchildren, and is married to Uliana.

A previous Doyon Foundation scholarship recipient, Craig was elected to the Foundation board in November 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Science in natural resources management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Master of Arts in intelligence studies from American Public University. He also studied wildlife biology at the University of Calgary, and is currently pursuing a PhD in law and policy at Liberty University.

“I’ve received significant benefits and support from Doyon for decades. Not just financial, but also mentorship from many staff, Elders and colleagues since the beginning of my working life,” Fleener said. “It’s time for me to give back, share my experiences, and help guide the next generation of scholars and young people. It is very important for me to help the next generation in their pursuit of careers, education and life choices in general.”

As a board member, Fleener said he wants to see the Foundation help students identify their educational and professional pathway, and support them from start to finish. “I think this should include an analysis of the educational and job markets of the future in our state to guide students towards high-paying and sustainable professions that enables students to remain in Alaska, if it is their wish,” he said.

Fleener has parallel career paths both as a civilian and in the military. He is currently the deputy advisor of Arctic security affairs at Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies. Previous positions include CEO of Alaska Tribal Broadband, executive director of Alaska Ocean Cluster, and senior advisor on Arctic Policy and director of state and federal relations with the State of Alaska Office of the Governor, among other roles.

Fleener’s military career began in 1986 with the U.S. Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Kaneohe, Hawaii. He has served in various positions with the U.S. Air Force Alaska Air National Guard at Eielson Air Force Base, Kulis Air National Guard Base, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson since 1991, rising to his current rank of lieutenant colonel. He currently serves as a senior intelligence officer with the Alaska Air National Guard.

In addition to Doyon Foundation, Fleener volunteers on a number of boards, committees and councils in support of veterans, wildlife, fisheries, endangered species, and homelessness solutions.

Beth Ginondidoy Leonard, originally from Shageluk, Alaska, now resides in Anchorage. She is the daughter of James and Jean (Aubrey) Dementi, with maternal grandparents Charles and Ruth (Weatherbee) Aubrey, and paternal grandparents Charlie Cikal and Lena (Phillips) Dementi. Beth is married to Michael Leonard and has one daughter.

A former Doyon Foundation Scholarship recipient, Beth holds a BA in Linguistics, an MEd in Language and Literacy, and a PhD in Cross-Cultural Studies.

Beth is currently a research professor at Alaska Pacific University (APU), an institution striving to achieve tribal university status. She teaches undergraduate courses such as Indigenous Well-Being and Ways of Knowing, Indigenous Knowledges and the Sciences, and Arctic Research is Relationship. Beth is also collaborating with APU faculty to develop a Bachelor of Arts program in Indigenous Studies.

From 2016 to 2020, she served as a professor of Alaska Native Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). In 2014, she was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Core Scholarship, spending five months at the School of Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington in Wellington, New Zealand. There, she conducted research and taught alongside Dr. Ocean Mercier, an associate professor of Māori Studies. Beth has also held several faculty positions at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, including roles at the Alaska Native Language Center, the Alaska Native Studies Department, the Interior-Aleutians Campus, the School of Education, and the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies/Indigenous Studies PhD Program.

As a second-language learner and teacher of her heritage language, Deg Xinag, Beth has contributed extensively to language revitalization. She has worked as a content creator for the Doyon Languages Online Project and as a mentor in the Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP). She also serves on the Dene Cultural Advisory Committee for the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Beth is committed to supporting the Doyon Foundation’s mission and is passionate about helping current and future students achieve success.

Eileen Whitmer, of Rampart, is the daughter of the late Turak and Liz Newman, and the granddaughter of the late John and Florence Wiehl, and the late Turak and Hilda Newman. She and her husband, Dave, live in North Pole. They have three grown children, Steven, Jessica and Dylan.

Eileen is currently business manager and president of the Teamsters Local 959. She is also a trustee for the Alaska Teamsters-Employer Pension and Health and Welfare Trusts. In the past, Eileen served as president of the Fairbanks Joint Craft Council and as a board member for Baan O Yeel Kon, the village corporation for Rampart.

A graduate of Rampart High School, Eileen also attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“I’ve always been a firm believer in continuing education and developing job opportunities for our people,” Eileen said. “I’m excited to work with the Doyon Foundation board in an effort to explore workforce development programs that will allow shareholders to receive on-the-job training towards a rewarding career. There are so many opportunities for the Foundation to work with Local Unions to take advantage of existing training programs and develop new programs that fit our lifestyles.”