Executive director of the Alutiiq Museum to speak at Mat-Su College 2012 Commencement Ceremony on May 11

Matanuska-Susitna College is pleased to announce that Sven Haakanson, executive director of the Alutiiq Museum, will be the featured speaker at the 2012 Commencement Ceremony to be held at the Mat-Su Career and Technical High School on Friday, May 11. This year's graduating class has 146 students.

Haakanson holds a B.A. in English from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University. He became executive director of the Alutiiq Museum in 2000. Since that time, he has worked to share Native American perspectives with museums as well as sharing museum practices with Native people.

In his role as executive director, he serves as the museum's lead spokesperson and fundraiser and works with the Alutiiq Heritage Foundation board to enhance charitable giving. He also increases collaboration with Kodiak's Alutiiq villages, manages the museum staff and represents the museum at public functions and professional meetings. In 2007, his work was honored with a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Haakanson serves on many cultural organizations and maintains an active research program. He is systematically documenting Kodiak's prehistoric petroglyphs and continues to publish his research on the Nenets culture of Siberia. In addition, he is an accomplished artist known for his carvings and photography. Sven is married to Kodiak educator Balika Finley Haakanson. They have two daughters.