Roald Helgesen
Chief Operating Officer
Roald Helgesen serves as Chief Operating Officer of Tlingit & Haida, providing leadership across the Tribe’s programs, operations, facilities, and growing portfolio of enterprises. Working closely with the President and executive leadership team, he helps turn the Tribe’s strategic priorities into action, from strengthening services and developing new facilities to expanding economic opportunities and building the organizational capacity needed to serve Tribal citizens well into the future.
Roald brings more than three decades of executive leadership and public service experience to the role. Before joining Tlingit & Haida, he led two of Alaska’s largest Tribal health organizations, serving as Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as well as Administrator of the Alaska Native Medical Center and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium. His career began in his hometown of Sitka, where he volunteered as an EMT-III and firefighter, later serving as a fire captain and as a member of SEARHC’s medevac team.
Throughout his career, Roald has worked at the intersection of Tribal governance, health care, business, finance, and community development. He serves on the board of Tlingit Haida Tribal Business Corporation, the Tribe’s federally chartered Section 17 corporation, and represents the Tribe on the board of Haa Yakawuu Financial Corporation, an Alaska Native CDFI. He also serves as President of the Tlingit & Haida Foundation Board of Directors, supporting investments in education and opportunities for future generations.
Roald earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Alaska Anchorage and his Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.
Raised in Sitka, Roald is Haida, Eagle/Frog of the SG̱ajuuga.ahl clan. From his first years responding to emergencies in his hometown to leading major Tribal organizations across Alaska, his career has remained rooted in service to Alaska Native people and in building strong institutions that will serve generations to come.