Iḷisaġvik College is pleased to share that one of its employees was recently named as a 2023 Top Forty Under 40 young professional by the Alaska Journal of Commerce. Serena Nesteby, advancement officer, has been with Iḷisaġvik College since December 2020 and has been an exemplary employee since her hiring.

The Top Forty Under 40 program is sponsored by the Alaska Journal of Commerce, and it recognizes the state’s top professionals younger than age 40 who have demonstrated professional excellence and a commitment to their community. Each year, the Alaska Journal of Commerce seeks nominations from across the state for the program.

According to their press release, the Alaska Journal of Commerce received more nominations this year than they have in the 24 years that the program has been in existence. They received and considered 380 nominations, which resulted in 262 individual nominees. The magazine featuring the Top Forty Under 40 will be released in April 2023; an awards event will also take place on April 21, 2023, at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage, Alaska.

Advancement Officer Nesteby was nominated by both her professional and community service-related colleagues for this honor. She is a lifelong Alaskan who grew up in Utqiaġvik and is a champion of equity and access in education. Nesteby has been an asset to Iḷisaġvik since she joined the college’s Institutional Advancement Department. She has stewarded the reinvigoration Iḷisaġvik’s individual giving campaigns and worked to secure new corporate partners and supporters. She is also an adjunct professor and Title IV adjudicator. Nesteby gives her time to nonprofits outside of Iḷisaġvik. She has served on the board of directors at Friends of Alaska’s Children in Care since 2017, served as a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, and was an outside field supervisor for UAA’s Social Work Department. She is a co-owner of Nesteby’s Nest, and member of Accio Books.  Iḷisaġvik College is excited to acknowledge this honor and congratulate Nesteby on her recognition.