UMIAQ Environmental Promotes Policy and Permitting Manager
Photo Credit: UIC Commercial Services
UMIAQ Environmental, a division of UIC Commercial Services, promoted Emily McDonald to Policy and Permitting Division Manager, responsible for the company’s permitting, federal compliance, and mapping services.
McDonald has been with UMIAQ Environmental since 2012 and has contributed to several high-profile projects across Alaska. She ensured compliance for subcontractors on the Point Thomson Project and provided federal environmental documentation for infrastructure projects such as the Quintillion Subsea fiber network and the Bristol Bay Telephone Cooperative ReConnect project. For Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation, she was instrumental in permitting a new gravel source to provide Utqiaġvik with material for the next thirty years. She also co-authored documentation for the Charles Etok Edwardsen Jr. Mitigation Bank, the North Slope’s first wetlands mitigation bank.
McDonald holds a bachelor’s degree in natural resources management from Green Mountain College in Vermont, and she moved to Alaska in 2010.
Current Issue
January 2026
RDC’s Hajdukovich Elevated to Executive Director
Experienced military advisor Connor Hajdukovich can remove “interim” from his title as Executive Director of the Resource Development Council for Alaska.
NANA Acquires Drake Construction, Expanding Infrastructure Capabilities
NANA Regional Corporation completed the acquisition of substantially all assets of Drake Construction, a Kotzebue-based general contractor.
Online Hub Centralizes Data to Empower Carbon Storage Projects
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources launched the Alaska CCUS Hubsite to compile geological, technical, and regulatory data for carbon capture, utilization, and storage developers.
We’re honored again this year to celebrate our partnership with Junior Achievement of Alaska, a nonprofit that educates local youth about enterprise, business, money, and financial literacy. In the special section, three Junior Achievement of Alaska students weigh in on their experience with the exceptional volunteers and teachers involved with the program.
And in Industry Support, we explore the range of varied services that industry in Alaska requires, from mancamps to spill response to off-grid energy solutions.
Outside the special sections, make sure to check out the 2026 Economic forecast, where Alaska leaders share their insights on what may lie ahead in the coming year. Enjoy!