District welcomes new tribal liaison

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON – Sean O’Donnell assumed duties as the tribal liaison for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District in October.

In his new position, O’Donnell informs and advises the district leadership on Alaska Native tribal government topics pertaining to consultation, policy and federal trust responsibilities. As the liaison, he will conduct and facilitate meetings with tribal leadership and staff to discuss concerns, programs and potential partnership opportunities across the district’s missions and projects.

O’Donnell has served in many public service roles during his career in Alaska and throughout the United States. Previously, he was a regulatory specialist in the district’s Regulatory Division reviewing permit applications for projects under the authorities of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.

From 2021-22, he worked as a program coordinator for the State of Alaska’s Office of Children Services and still assists on a situational basis. Previously, O’Donnell was a U.S. Forest Service program specialist covering the Grand Island lighthouses in the Hiawatha National Forest near Munising, Michigan, from 2016-19; the parks and programs manager for Clark County in Neillsville, Wisconsin, from 2013-14; and a park manager and law enforcement ranger for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife office in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 2010-14.

During his first stint in Alaska, O’Donnell was a park ranger at Denali National Park from 2008-09; a volunteer first responder in Healy from 2007-09, and a naturalist guide in Katmai National Park during the summer of 2006.

His career philosophy is focused on education, relationship building, partnership and connection.

O’Donnell attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks studying wildlife biology and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. He is originally from Chicago, Illinois, and is married with one pet.

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