Alaska Communications Hires Sandy Knechtel as COO

A former Alaska Communications manager returns to the Anchorage-based telecom as Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Sandy Knechtel leads and supports operations, opportunity management, sales, product and strategy, marketing, and information technology.

Knechtel most recently served as area manager for Alaska and Hawaii for Gartner, a global research and advisory company. Under his leadership at Gartner, he helped significantly grow its business in these markets. Prior to Gartner, Knechtel served in various management roles for Alaska Communications, spanning sales operations, workforce development, and marketing and analytics.

Knechtel has an MBA in marketing and strategy from Indiana University Bloomington. He also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Western University. He serves on the board for Alaska Business Week, a nonprofit organization focused on teaching business and leadership to high school students.

Knechtel and his wife live in Anchorage with their four children. They enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, and generally getting outdoors.