Chugach Electric members elect one new board member, re-elect another

By SUZANNE DOWNING

June 8, 2026 – Members of Chugach Electric Association have elected two directors to the cooperative’s seven-member board following the utility’s 2026 annual election.

Penny Gage was elected to the board and incumbent Rachel Morse won re-election to another term after four weeks of voting by Chugach members. The results were announced May 29 during the cooperative’s annual meeting at ChangePoint Alaska in Anchorage.

Four candidates competed for the two open seats on the board. Gage and Morse, both endorsed by radical activist group Alaska Center, will each serve four-year terms.

Gage serves as chief policy and partnerships officer at Launch Alaska, where she oversees public policy initiatives, strategic partnerships, and support for the organization’s portfolio companies. Her work focuses on advancing energy innovation and technology deployment across Alaska through collaboration with policymakers, government agencies, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs.

A 2024-2026 Fulbright Arctic Initiative scholar, Gage is conducting research on clean manufacturing, mining, and energy policies throughout the Arctic region.

Raised in Pelican and Sitka, Gage is Tlingit Alaska member of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. She earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Alaska Fairbanks and a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She also served in the US Peace Corps in Nicaragua.

Gage’s professional background includes economic development, entrepreneurship support, state and federal government service, nonprofit leadership, energy policy, and international affairs. She currently serves on the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy Alaska and as an elected delegate for her local community council.

Morse was elected to her third term on the Chugach board, where she has served for several years. During that time, she has held leadership positions as chair, vice chair, and treasurer.

In 2023, Morse was elected to the board of trustees of the Northwest Public Power Association.

Her career spans more than two decades in nonprofit work, fundraising, consulting, and organizational management. Morse has worked as an executive director, consultant, assistant vice chancellor for alumni relations at University of Alaska Anchorage, and development director for Rural Alaska Community Action Program (Rural CAP).

Morse currently works in federal grant compliance for the Alaska Municipal League and in fundraising for Alaska Public Media.

She holds both a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Science degree in natural resources.

Chugach Electric is Alaska’s largest electric cooperative, serving more than 92,000 members across Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, and surrounding communities. The board of directors sets policy and provides oversight for the member-owned utility.