November Member Lunch

Alaska Association of Health Underwriters Member Meeting
November 16, 2022

      Sponsored by Moda Health/Delta Dental of Alaska
and Benefit Health Solutions

TOPIC:

Alaska Economic Update & Industry Trends 

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:

Bill Popp, President & CEO
Anchorage Economic Development Corporation

Bill Popp has spent over 48 years in both the Alaska private and public sectors. As President & CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation since April 2007, he sets the strategic direction in marketing Anchorage and Alaska to companies, critical workforce, and global industries considering Anchorage as a place in which to do business and assists local businesses looking to expand both within Anchorage and Alaska as well as Lower 48 and international markets.

Prior to joining AEDC, Popp was a special assistant in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor’s office from 2002 to 2007 focused on oil and gas and mining policy. Popp was also an elected municipal government official for the Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) from 1996 to 2002 and presided over the KPB Assembly as president in 2000. Popp has over 25 years of private industry experience working for large national and regional businesses and as a small business owner. He also served as project coordinator responsible for fundraising $2.5 million and coordination of design and construction, as well as program development of the Challenger Learning Center for Alaska from 1996 to 2000.

Popp is currently a leadership team member of the Roadmap to a Vital and Safe Anchorage initiative (RVSA), board member of the UAA College of Business and Public Policy Business Advisory Board, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Visit Anchorage, and Anchorage Downtown Partnership. Popp also serves as chair of the Alaska Public Media Board of Directors, chair of the USO Alaska Advisory Board, member of the Alaskan Command Civilian Advisory Board, is a leadership group member of the Alaska Regional Development Organizations (ARDORs) and is a member of the Anchorage School District’s Career and Technical Education Advisory Board. Mr. Popp is also a member of the Mayor Bronson’s Anchorage Economic Recovery & Diversification Advisory Committee, and the Anchorage Homelessness Leadership Council.

Popp has previously served as co-chair of the 49th State Angel Fund Business Advisory Committee, chair of the Economic Resiliency Task Force (COVID-19 Response), leadership member of the JBER Community Partnership, was co-chair of the Governor’s Alaska Civilian Armed Services Team (ACAST), JBER Base Economic Analysis Research (BEAR) Working Group and co-chair of the efforts to oppose the force reduction of the 4-25 Army Brigade at JBER. Popp recently served as member of the Municipality of Anchorage 2020 Census Complete Count Commission, Co-Chair of the Conquer COVID Coalition, and Co-Chair of the OneAlaska Campaign. Popp also served as a Transition Committee member for Governor Bill Walker, Mayor-Elect Ethan Berkowitz, and Mayor-Elect Dan Sullivan. He has also served as chair of the Governor’s Broadband Task Force, and Municipality of Anchorage Energy Policy Task Force.

Other past service includes serving on the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Concert Association, the Legislative Energy Policy Stakeholders Group; chairman of the KPB Economic Development Criteria Task Force; chair of the Economic Development Committee for the Municipality of Anchorage; vice chairman of the Alaska Stranded Gas Act Municipal Advisory Group; co-chair of Governor Murkowski’s Agrium Task Force; chair of the Kenai Peninsula Development Coalition; consultant for the British Columbia Provincial Government’s Offshore Oil and Gas Team; member of the Tri-borough Commission Energy Task Force; Board member of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Economic Development District; Fundraising Chair of the 2006 Arctic Winter Games; Fundraising Chair for the 2013 USS Anchorage Commissioning Ceremony; and a member of the Cook Inlet Natural Gas Pipeline Terminus Group.

Popp first moved to Anchorage in January 1968 as a military dependent at Elmendorf Air Force Base. A graduate of East Anchorage High School in 1977, Popp and his wife Nicole married in 1979. Work took Popp to the Kenai Peninsula in 1983 where he and Nicole raised their daughter and son over the 25 years they lived in Kenai. They have two grandchildren who live in Anchorage and happen to also be military dependents.

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor:

We hope to see you then!