Board of Directors

About Our People

The Ninilchik Village Tribe is the modern Alaska Native tribe of most of the southern Kenai Peninsula. Its descendants trace their roots from ancient peoples within its tribal boundaries. The tribe’s governing organization, the Ninilchik Traditional Council (NTC), is the presiding body over tribal affairs and maintaining tribal sovereignty. Headquartered in Ninilchik, the Ninilchik Traditional Council provides services and outreach for both tribal members and the public residing in tribal boundaries.

Board of Directors

Executive Director

Departments & Staff

Elections

Employment & Volunteers

Board of Directors

R. Greg Encelewski

President

Current Ninilchik Traditional Council President Greg Encelewski is a Ninilchik elder and has been active in tribal governance and issues for more than 40 years. He is also a commercial fisherman and has an over 25 year long career with Conoco Phillips. In addition to his work with the Ninilchik Tribe he also serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ninilchik Natives Association, Inc., and is a member of the South-central Regional Advisory Council of the Federal Subsistence Board. Greg is also a retired veteran from the Navy where he served in the US Navy Construction Battalion. Among his goals and visions for the tribe are protecting indigenous rights for all Native people, creating a tribal land base for cultural development, and attaining greater economic independence. Having four sons, seven grandchildren, and a great grandchild he is dedicated to working for subsistence rights for future generations to be able to use the resources of their land.

W. Dean Kvasnikoff

Vice President

Dean Kvasnikoff is a Ninilchik-born tribal elder who is a strong advocate for subsistence rights in Ninilchik. In addition to being active in traditional activities he has had a long career in construction and industrial projects including 13 years with the Alaska Railroad. He has also received licensing from the US Coast Guard. Currently he owns and operates private contractor Alaska Native Resource Consulting on the Kenai Peninsula for Cook Inlet Region, Inc. projects. Dean has two children, five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren, and hopes to preserve and revitalize traditional ways of life for generations to come.

Jamie Leman

Director

Tribal elder, Jamie Leman was born in Fairbanks and taught school in Fairbanks, Anchor Point, and Ninilchik for over 30 years and was a KPBSD Teacher of Excellence in 2008/2009. Jamie has a Masters Degree in Secondary Education, a Bachelors Degree in Regular and Special Education and has served on the NTC Board in the past. Jamie has three daughters, four granddaughters and one grandson and will work hard to maintain a high level of excellence in the Tribal Government and to ensure its continued success for future generations of the tribe. It is important to know where we came from, who we are, and to ensure continued education and opportunities looking forward.

Eric Kvasnikoff

Director

Tribal Elder, Eric Kvasnikoff was raised as a young boy in the Ninilchik Village. As he says, “I have always had a deep respect and love for my people and my community.” Eric is a semi‐retired fisherman who was raised by a lifelong hunter, trapper, and fisherman. Eric said that his father deeply ingrained in him the great need to continue and always fight for our hunting and fishing rights. Eric supports this very strongly and loves Ninilchik.

Whitney Schollenberg

Secretary & Treasurer

Whitney Schollenberg was born in Homer, Alaska and holds a Bachelor of Science in Media Arts degree from Eastern Oregon University. She grew up in Ninilchik where she worked on her family’s set net fishery and graduated from Ninilchik High School. Whitney currently lives in Ninilchik and is now a stay-at-home mother of two, and she also operates her own professional photography business. With her experience as program assistant at the CIRI Foundation, Whitney has witnessed what tribal and native organizations can accomplish and she encourages the involvement of young people in tribal activities and governance. She would like to work on emphasizing the role of education for not only tribal members but the local community as a whole.

Click below for NTC office and business locations, hours, and contact information.