OUR TEAM
With years of collective experience in rural development, natural resource management, governance, research, policy, and communications, the NSG team works to develop comprehensive, personalized strategies to help each client successfully navigate complex systems and achieve results.
Veronica is a trained communities and social performance professional with more than 30 years of experience in economic development, community engagement, stakeholder relations, and matters affecting the Arctic, rural communities, and Indigenous peoples. Ms. Slajer holds a Masters of Rural Development degree with a concentration on community engagement in the mining and extractive industries. Ms. Slajer served on the U.S. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a federal advisory committee shaping a global standard to improve accountability for oil, gas, and mining revenues. A lifelong Alaskan, Ms. Slajer resides in Anchorage, Alaska, and Washington, D.C.
Karl provides in-depth analysis and historical context for issues and advocacy. He started in Alaska journalism, covering fisheries, natural resources development, and state and municipal government which led to a successful public service career working for the Alaska State Legislature, the Office of the Governor, the Department of Commerce & Economic Development, and Department of Labor & Workforce Development. In both Juneau and D.C., Mr. Ohls has advocated for resource sector jobs and training, the seafood industry, rural Alaska, local government, the Arctic ecosystem, and Indigenous culture.
Andrea, an Alaska Native woman of Yupik descent, is currently an undergraduate studying Business and Environment Studies. A former Student Representative on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board, she helped write and implement the district’s health curriculum. Ms. Wagner has advocated for blending learning in the classroom, Alaska Native language instruction in school curriculums, and youth leadership.
Lisa co-leads NSG’s Communities and Social Performance (CSP) practice along with Ms. Slajer. Ms. Dean is a multi-lingual sustainable development professional known for bridging the social and economic development practices of the NGO world with those of the corporate sector, most specifically in the extractive industry. Ms. Dean served 15 years as a communities and social performance principal adviser to Rio Tinto, developing and applying the company’s social performance standards and sustainable development practices across its global portfolio. Within Rio Tinto Ms. Dean was a recognized subject matter specialist in closure and legacy management, livelihood restoration, human and Indigenous Peoples rights, and gender.
Aldyn grew up in Juneau, Alaska, and has recently returned to Juneau after spending the past decade calling other places ‘home’. She holds a BA in International Development Studies and French from Portland State University and an MSc in International Development & Management from Lund University in Sweden. Aldyn has been with NSG since 2019; she currently works in non-profit administration for the southeast Alaska-based organization Spruce Root.
Grant specializes in data analysis, writing, and implementing tech solutions for clients. He graduated from Carleton College in 2019 with a BA in Political Science/International Relations and Economics. Mr. Ackerman, a third-generation Alaskan who currently works out of Washington, DC.