Birch bark texture.

Ahtna Kanas Summer 2018

Dr. Genevieve John, DC, Senior Chiropractor, Southcentral Foundation Named 2018 Top 40 Under 40

Image of Dr. Genevieve Article

Ahtna would like to congratulate Ahtna shareholder and Board of Director, Dr. Genevieve John on being named a Top 40 Under 40 award recipient by the Alaska Journal of Commerce (AJOC).

The following interview in part and photo is reprinted with permission from the AJOC.

Education: Bachelor’s degree, exercise science, Point Loma Nazarene University (2000); master’s of public administration-policy analysis, University of Alaska Anchorage (2017); doctor of chiropractic, Southern California University of Health Sciences (2007)

Community work: Committee lead organizer for Walk for Tsucde (2014, 2015, 2017); Wilson4Alaska State House campaign (2014); Health Alaska Native Foundation Ravens Ball volunteer (2014); First Alaskans Institute Smokehouse Gala volunteer (2013); AWAIC volunteer (2013)

Family: Haven M. Harris, husband, (2017 Forty Under 40 member); Katie John-Harris, daughter (1 year)

Hometown: I grew up in Delta Junction and my home village is Mentasta Lake

Current city: Anchorage

What is your favorite place in Alaska and why?
Mentasta Lake. I love the drive to Mentasta and how it is surrounded by the mountains and lakes and rivers. It is where my dad and his family were raised and we would always go there to visit our grandmother (Katie John) before she passed in 2013. Now I am able to share this beautiful place with my own daughter.

Portrait of Dr. Genevieve John
Genevieve John

What is your most memorable Alaska experience?
Coming home. When I was 17, I left Alaska for college in San Diego. I then went on to chiropractic school in Los Angeles. I spent a total of 16 years living outside of Alaska while I went to school and worked in between. I would say my most memorable experience has always been coming home, whether for holiday break or summer breaks or just to visit.
In 2011, I had an opportunity to take a job in Anchorage working for our people in the healthcare field. This has been an amazing journey, full circle and coming home to serve the Alaska Native people has been most memorable to me. It has taught me a lot more about who I am and how I (we) can make a huge difference in such a big state.

Name the person you most respect and why?
I have great admiration for my Grandmother Katie John. She was a hard worker and provided for her family, including 14 children and 6 adopted children. She lived off the land and alongside my grandfather taught her children and grandchildren the customary and traditional ways of our people.
Later in her life, she took on the State of Alaska in a court case that is known as the Katie John case that would protect and preserve the subsistence way of life for her descendants and all Alaska Natives. Last year when our daughter was born, we gave her my grandmother’s name. It is our tradition to potlach in our honor of her name and we plan on doing that this coming summer.

To read the complete Alaska Journal of Commerce interview with Dr. Genevieve John visit www.issuu.com/61degrees/docs/ajoc-top40-2018