ANCHORAGE - U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced that Steve Wackowski will serve as his Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs based out of Anchorage. Zinke made the announcement in Anchorage as part of his current tour of Alaska.
“A lifelong Alaskan and Air Force Major, Steve is perfectly qualified to advise me on Alaskan issues,” said Secretary Zinke. “Like 10 percent of Alaskans, Steve served in the military, and he then continued his service as a civilian working for elected officials. His broad range of experience will prove to be invaluable as the Department focuses on future energy opportunities in Alaska, the welfare of Alaska Natives, and the vast expanses of lands and waters under Interior’s management.”
"It's an incredible honor to be asked to serve on Secretary Zinke's staff. I look forward to working with our state, local, and First Alaskan partners to help unlock Alaska's potential," said Wackowski.
Wackowski grew up in Anchorage and spent his summers working in Ninilchik for his family’s halibut and salmon sport-fishing business. After graduating from Bartlett High School in Anchorage, he played division I-AA football at Saint Mary’s College, where he earned a degree in Computer Science and a commission in the Air Force Reserve from UC-Berkeley’s Air Force ROTC program.
He is currently a Major in the Reserve and drills at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson at the 611th Air Operations Center. He has served on several active duty tours throughout his reserve career including contingency deployments to Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iraq.
After his last active duty tour, Steve moved home to Alaska to work as the remote sensing operations manager for Fairweather Science, LLC in Anchorage. Wackowski’s work detecting and mapping maternal polar bear dens for oil and gas companies on Alaska’s North Slope was nationally recognized and helped earn him the Alaska Journal of Commerce’s “Top 40 under 40” Award in 2015.
His public policy background includes serving as a Professional Staff member on the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and as the late Senator Ted Stevens’ last serving Press Secretary. He most recently managed U.S. Senate Energy Committee Chairman Lisa Murkowski’s reelection campaign.
Steve is an avid hunter and fisherman who says he continually gets out-fished by his wife Lindsay. They enjoy spending time in the Alaska outdoors with their two-year-old son, Lucas, and their red fox lab, Cali.
Source: Department of Interior
