Director of Affiliates
Carmen brings a blend of corporate sales, public education, and nonprofit experience to ACF. With 15 years in the private sector—including seven years as a small business owner—she offers a diverse and grounded perspective to her work. As an educator, Carmen moved to Alaska in 2004 to teach in Akiak, where she collaborated with students, families, and the community to integrate local culture with Western education through place-based projects.
Since 2007, she has been involved in Alaska’s nonprofit sector, developing and managing grants, contracts, and partnerships between urban and rural organizations, including schools and tribal entities. Her experience includes working with the Southeast Regional Resource Center to develop academic and cultural out-of-school time programs and with the Alaska Humanities Forum, managing teacher cultural induction and cross-cultural programming, and at Calista Education and Culture directing a project that helped transition students from high school to postsecondary opportunities. Carmen holds a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from Ottawa University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Arizona.
Inspired by ACF’s success in building capacity and responding in a way that improves the lives of Alaskans on many different levels, Carmen is honored to apply her diverse skillset at ACF and its Affiliate Foundations to cultivate local leadership, grow permanent charitable assets, and increase philanthropy across Alaska. She is currently pursuing a certificate in Fundraising Leadership from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Philanthropic Interests: Education, Arts and Culture