The Leadership Forums series is the Alaska Federation of Natives' bold attempt to invite and learn from the brightest minds worldwide and from our midst. Our first Leadership Forums back in 2004 focused on the Knowledge Economy and the notion that human creativity and imagination are the most powerful resources to grow an economy over the long run. Our more recent Forums in 2006 and 2008 expanded upon our early discussions, exploring economic growth with an emphasis on innovation and shared prosperity.

On August 5, 2008 the Alaska Federation of Natives convened a leadership forum titled: Partnerships for Affordable Energy. The Roundtable fostered an open dialogue about the changing national and local economies due to high energy costs and impacts on Native communities. The discussion focused on perceptions and realities of the energy crisis, actions which can be taken by government and the private sector, and the range of partnerships that can turn a crisis into an opportunity for the future. The event provided a venue for exploring big ideas and concrete steps which could incorporate the wider community. Learn more...

On September 20, 2004, AFN convened a half-day seminar continuing the dialogue begun in June at the Anchorage Leadership Forum on the importance of fostering knowledge-based economies in the evolving global marketplace. Speakers and participants further explored the belief being proven in development circles around the globe: that efforts aimed at strengthening indigenous cultures provide an economic edge in the global economy. Learn more...

This Leadership Forum, convened on June 28-29, 2004, was a first of its kind event in North America; a conference to examine what a knowledge-based economy is and how a knowledge-based economy can be developed in rural Alaska and other parts of the world. The task was undertaken by a collaboration of the Denali Commission, AFN and Harvard University. This partnership grew and expanded to include key leadership from the Inuit in Greenland and participants as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand. Learn more...

Learn more about the first Forum by checking out the 2004 Leadership Forum Video ~ Innovation, Culture & Rural Economies: Mapping the Future.

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