UAA College of Business and Public Policy

The College of Business and Public Policy's Leadership Fellows Program pairs high-performing CBPP students with a mentor in the Anchorage business community, giving students the opportunity to learn about real-world leadership from local business leaders. This year’s cohort includes 21 CBPP students, called protégés, and their mentors. To begin the program, each protégé interviewed their new mentor, and every week, we will feature one of these interviews with the mentors, who share their thoughts on leadership. This week’s featured protégé/mentor pairing is Evgeniia Sezionova, and her mentor, Jim Hasle.

1 Where are you from? How did you decide to pursue a career in Alaska?  “ I was born and raised in Virginia, in a place called Alexandria. I had been in the DC marketplace for many years and about 16 years ago, I decided to take an opportunity to work with the predecessor firm, Mikunda, Cottrell & Co. I was working with an Alaskan Native Corporation subsidiary down in Virginia and I was talking to the auditors from the parent, which was in Alaska. We were auditing some subsidiaries out of Virginia marketplace and that is how I knew about Mikunda and ended up coming up to Alaska. I had been up here for a vacation a couple years earlier and I enjoyed the environment in Alaska. It was something different from Virginia and I really liked it.”

2 Where did you go to college? What did you study in college?  “I went to James Madison University in Virginia. I studied Accounting and got my bachelor’s degree there.”

3 Did you have anyone you relied on for mentorship/solid career advice? If yes, what is the most important leadership advice they shared with you?  “I have had some different mentors throughout the process. Certainly, when I was younger and when I was in high school, I was involved in sports. Some coaches were our mentors/leaders in terms of a way to inspire you. In terms of a professional career, when I first started, I had some managers and partners that I thought were very impressive. I think the best advice that I ever had was that the kind of leaders that people want to follow are much more effective than the kind of leaders that people have to follow. I think that is quite important. That also includes your language, how you treat people, and how you respect people. Leadership is not just about utilizing your position to inforce rules, but really about creating a culture as a leader that people want to follow.”

4 It is important and beneficial for CBPP and Anchorage’s business community to collaborate and invest in the next generation of leaders. What do you think should be conveyed to our next generation of leaders?  “I think the main challenge for the next generation of leaders is how to create a sustained, available, and ready workforce in Anchorage. Obviously, we want to continue diversifying the economy with new businesses while staying strong in oil and gas. In order to keep diversifying our economy, we will need entrepreneurs, as well as a talented workforce that lives here. It is also important to attract new businesses to Alaska, and to invest in the community so businesses can be successful here. Alaska is pretty far from the rest of the country and that is going to be a challenge with the workforce. However, I do believe that when you have the educational system, the governmental system, and the business community all aligned in terms of the purpose for the sustainability of the economy, creating jobs and economic opportunities, it turns into a great power to get things done and I believe that we can have it in Alaska. Hopefully we will have more entrepreneurs and startup companies coming to Alaska. That will make the problem less challenging. ”

5 CBPP will be highlighting each mentor and protégé pairing on the front of it’s website during the academic year. Do I have your permission to have this interview and our mentor/protégé pairing highlighted on the website? Is there anything else you would like to add? “Yes and No.”