Alaska State Fair Finds New CEO in Oregon
Alaska State Fair
The Alaska State Fair selected a new CEO to run the organization that mounts the event each summer and manages its property in Palmer. Jeff Curtis is moving to Alaska from Oregon, where he had been CEO of the Portland Rose Festival since 2004.
Prior to his role as CEO, Curtis served as the Portland Rose Festival Foundation’s sponsorship manager and director of sales and marketing for the Portland Rose Festival Foundation. He left that organization last September.
“I made the choice to step away from a twenty-five-year career with the Portland Rose Festival Foundation with the sole purpose to begin an exciting new chapter of my life and career,” Curtis says. “This new chapter is one where I can take my experience with the Rose Festival Foundation and apply it to an organization like the Alaska State Fair. I am also eager to meet new people, embrace a new community, and make a difference.”
The Portland Rose Festival comprises more than thirty events over thirty days, drawing an estimated attendance of more than 1.2 million. The festival twice received the Grand Pinnacle Award from the International Festival and Events Association, in 2007 and 2011. Curtis then served on the world board of that association from 2012 to 2019, and he was its president in 2018.
Current Issue
September 2026
Curtis earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Prior to the Portland Rose Festival, he worked for the Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers Class A Affiliate.
Alaska State Fair Board President John Harkey says, “Jeff has a proven track record of success and a passion for community engagement. He brings a fresh perspective and innovative vision to the Alaska State Fair. Having demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and a deep understanding of the festival industry, Jeff is well-equipped to take the fair to new heights, creating an unforgettable experience for both visitors and participants.”
Curtis succeeds Jerome Hertel, who served as the Alaska State Fair’s CEO since December 2014.
What happens when a city with fewer than 300 residents becomes a major freight and tourism hub, despite being accessible only by boat, plane, or a one-lane highway/railroad tunnel managed on a strict schedule?
If you’re in the City of Whittier, you get busy. The city has two separate transportation planning efforts underway, including a safety action plan under the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All initiative, which focuses on improving safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and emergency responders. The second is Whittier Moves, the city’s transportation master plan, which serves as the long-term roadmap for growth.