Nurse Practitioners Strengthen Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute’s Mat-Su Branch
Photo Credit: Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute
The Alaska Heart & Vascular Institute (AHVI) added two experienced advanced practice providers to its Seward Meridian Parkway location in Wasilla.
Monica Lewis
Photo Credit: Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute
Monica Lewis is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She brings a blend of clinical expertise and experience serving remote Alaska communities. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Utica College and a master’s degree from State University of New York Upstate Medical University. Her career began as an emergency medical technician and transitioned to nursing, specializing in emergency medicine at a Level I trauma center. Before joining AHVI, she provided primary, urgent, and emergency care in remote Alaska villages.
Current Issue
May 2026
Geoff Mittelsteadt
Photo Credit: Alaska Heart and Vascular Institute
Geoff Mittelsteadt is an acute care nurse practitioner and certified emergency nurse. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. A retired US Air Force veteran, Mittelsteadt served twenty-eight years as a mentor, educator, and healthcare leader. With seventeen years of experience in intensive care, trauma, and critical care, he was drawn to AHVI’s mission and statewide impact.
New CEO, Leadership at Mt. McKinley Bank
Mt. McKinley Bank added CEO to President David Durham’s titles, and Alli LeBon and Jeremy Pletnikoff are promoted as Executive Vice Presidents in charge of operations and credit administration, respectively.
SBDC Finds New State Director at Sister Program CED
The new State Director of the Alaska Small Business Development Center is Jared Reynolds, who moves in from down the hall, where he was Executive Director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development.
First Alaskans Institute Intern Returns as Communications Director
A former intern at First Alaskans Institute, Carissa Larson, returns to the statewide nonprofit advancing Alaska Native voices as its Communications Director.
