Our Team – Ak Entrepreneurship Week

Alaska Entrepreneurship Week is organized entirely by volunteers. Our leadership team coordinates city-level events, vertical initiatives, statewide partnerships, and community engagement across Alaska.

Statewide Co-Chairs

AKEW's Statewide Co-Chairs serve on a volunteer basis with zero compensation. They coordinate the initiative statewide and ensure it remains mission-driven and accountable. Learn more about AKEW governance →

Norma M Lucero

Co-Chair

Pascual J Reig-Munoz

Co-Chair

City Leads & Co-Leads

Carrie Jean Shephard

Valdez Co-Lead

Ginny Grabowski

Anchorage Lead

KellyAnn Cavaretta

Kenai Lead

Margaret Auble

Valdez Co-Lead

Pascual J Reig-Munoz

Rural Lead

Peter Webley

Fairbanks Lead

Prnsis Bay

Mat-Su Lead

Sandy Hussain

Juneau Lead

Strategic Partner Team

Colleagues from AKEW's strategic partner organizations who help organize the 2026 programme. They bring the dimension their organization covers, and they work on the week itself.

Ricky Tejapaibul

Managing Partner, Tech Wildcatters

Ricky Tejapaibul is Managing Partner at Tech Wildcatters. With more than 20 years of investment experience, he is an entrepreneur, startup mentor and early-stage investor, and has worked in management consulting, investment banking and corporate finance for Fortune 500 companies, including General Motors as it emerged from bankruptcy. Drawing on his own experience of growing up and working in Asia and the United States, he encourages entrepreneurs to think globally and push past the limits of a single market. He is a computer engineering graduate of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and holds multiple master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon University.

Grace Hawks

Senior Associate, Tech Wildcatters

Grace Hawks joined Tech Wildcatters in 2019 and serves on the investment team as a Senior Associate. She sources and evaluates early-stage startup investments, manages investor relations and provides portfolio support. She directs the TW Training Camp accelerator and is Head of the Middle East and North Africa office, drawing on experience from living across that region and Southeast Asia. Her background includes the oil and gas sector alongside founding a private group fitness business. She holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Interested in Leading?

AKEW is always looking for passionate community builders to serve as City Leads, City Co-Leads, or Vertical Leads. Bring THE Week to a community or focus area near you.

Get in Touch