Our Mission
The mission of the Renewable Resources Foundation is to protect Alaska's fish and game resources and the habitat upon which they depend; and to educate the public on issues that affect the ongoing viability of these renewable resources.

The Renewable Resources Foundation, Inc. was organized and exists as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of Alaska and is a 501 (c) (3) entity.

Board of Directors and Officers

Richard A. Jameson
Director and President

Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania
B.S. Business Administration, 1967
Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
J.D. Law, 1972

Richard first started coming to Alaska in the mid- 1970's as an avid outdoorsman in pursuit of hunting and fishing adventures. In the mid- 1980s he built the first and only cabin on the Koktuli River near the site of the proposed Pebble mine. Richard moved his law practice from Pennslvania to Anchorage in 1990 and primarily represents commercial fishermen, businesses and native subsistence claimants in oil spill Litigation.

He and his wife, Ana, own Alaska Internet Marketing, Inc. which is based in Anchorage and which provides internet marketing solutions via its AlaskaOutdoors.com directory for Alaskans engaged in tourism, fishing and hunting related businesses.

Richard is a life member of the National Rifle Association and a long time member of Safari Club International as well as numerous other outdoor and professional organizations including the Dallas Safari Club. Richard has fished and hunted in the Bristol Bay area of Alaska for over 25 years and founded the Renewable Resources Coalition in June of 2005.

Francis Anthony Gallela
Director and Secretary

West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
M.B.A Finance, 1967
St. Francis College, Loretto, Pennsylvania
B.A. Economics, 1965

Mr. Gallela is the President of the economic and management consulting firm, Francis Gallela & Associates of Anchorage, Alaska. He has been in the economics, business management, litigation support, and business appraisal fields serving clients in the public and private sectors throughout Alaska for over 30 years. Francis has taught at the University of West Virginia and at the University of Alaska - Anchorage. He came to Alaska as an economist for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

Francis has testified concerning the difficulties facing business development and start-up before the Alaska State Legislature, The Human Rights Commission, The Ad Hoc Commission on Minority Business and others. Francis served in the United States Air Force and then in the Alaska Air National Guard retiring as a Colonel with approximately 29.5 years of service on 1 January 1997.

His memberships include the Institute of Business Appraisers, National Association of Forensic Economists, American Economic Association, Anchorage East Rotary Club, American Academy of Financial and Economic Experts, National Rifle Association, and Safari Club International.

David Harsila
Director

Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, WA - Marine Technology Program; and, Shoreline Community College, Seattle, WA.

Commercial Fisherman, Bristol Bay, Alaska and Washington
Commercial fishing business owner/operator in Bristol Bay (salmon and herring fisheries)  and in Puget Sound, Washington (salmon fishery).

President (1996 to present) and board member (1991 to present)
AIFMA (Alaska Independent Fishermen’s Marketing Association), Bristol Bay, Alaska
Represent Bristol Bay drift permitholders in the political, legal and regulatory arenas.

President of Excel Seafoods, Seattle, Washington. David also serves as stand-by crew, NRC, Seattle, Washington in the capacity of marine vessel operator for environmental-spill response team. He is also Chairman and board member of the Puget Sound Salmon Commission, Washington State Department of Agriculture as well as Co-founder and board member of the Puget Sound Harvesters (PSH), Seattle, Washington. For the last serveral years, David has also been Chairman of the Fishermen’s Terminal Advisory Committee, Seattle, Washington.

Commercial fishing has been David's life for as long as he can remember. He is comitted to preserving Alaska's wild salmon fishery and the habitat upon which it depends.

William ( Cort ) Phalp, Jr.
Director

Cort moved to Alaska with his parents at the age of 13 and has been an Alaskan resident for over 42 years. After he graduated from Dimond High School in Anchorage, Alaska, he joined the Air National Guard in 1969. He later started his own residential and commercial contracting business after he worked for several years in the construction industry.

Cort purchased Anchorage Yamaha in 1992, Alaska's largest full line Yamaha dealer. Suzan, his wife of 33 years was born and raised in Alaska, and helps Cort run Anchorage Yamaha along with their son Josh.

As an avid pilot and outdoorsman, Cort has flown extensively in many areas of Alaska.. He has hunted and fished throughout the state and enjoys snowmobiling and other outdoor activities.

Izetta Chambers
Director

Izetta Chambers is a recent graduate of the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona.  A life-long resident prior to college, Izetta still maintains strong ties to her home community.   

After completion of her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management, Izetta returned home to Naknek to serve as the first female General Manager of Paug-Vik, Inc., Ltd., the local ANCSA village corporation for Naknek.  In this capacity, she helped to settle long-standing land claims under ANCSA section 14(c), which set Paug-Vik on their way to finalizing their land claim entitlements.  She also helped the corporation achieve its first year of profitability in four years through full occupancy of their rental units. 

After working for Paug-Vik, Izetta served as the Manager of the Lake & Peninsula Business Development Center where she assisted Lake & Peninsula Borough residents to realize their dreams of entrepreneurship.  During this time she helped residents start a general store in Chignik, a daycare in Naknek, a fish company in Egegik, and many other small ventures. 

Like the salmon, Izetta returns to the Bristol Bay region each summer to participate in the harvest of salmon.  She is the manager of a small, family-owned fish company, Naknek Family Fisheries, which she formed in 2006.  She is married and has two children, Noah and Lovina.  Her husband Chet is her solid foundation, partner, and confidante.  They have been married for seven years and have traveled to many destinations in the world together, including southeast Asia, Australia, and Central America.

Daniel W. Oberlatz
Director

Dan Oberlatz is a founding owner of Alaska Alpine Adventures, an adventure travel company specializing in Alaska wilderness excursions. After graduating in 1992 from UC Irvine with a BA in Social Ecology, Dan moved to Lake Clark to spend a summer. He never left and began AAA in 1999, after spending several years exploring Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Dan’s love for this area of Alaska prompted him to merge his passion for exploration with his interest in introducing these wild and pristine areas to others, and walked with some trepidation into the business world of guiding. AAA continues to grow and in November of 2007 was recognized by National Geographic Adventure Magazine as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth.” In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of AAA, Dan continues to guide trips each summer. His focus, and that of his guides, is to educate clients about the value of the public lands they visit, with the goal of fostering conservation and stewardship of our natural resources Dan was the 2008 recipient of the Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association’s Ginny Hill Wood Award – a honor given to an AWRTA member who has contributed significantly to tourism conservation, sustainable tourism, and maintaining Alaska’s special wilderness quality. Dan currently serves as director and VP of AWRTA. When not out guiding or buried in email, Dan enjoys, climbing, hunting, fishing, skiing, rafting, kayaking, backpacking, and exploring Alaska’s mountains with his wife Danielle and his daughters Isabelle and Bryn.