Alaska's Washington, DC office unstaffed as Gov. Dunleavy searches for a new director

Apr. 18—WASHINGTON — The state of Alaska's office in Washington, D.C. is vacant, leaving Gov. Mike Dunleavy's staff in Alaska to advocate for the state's agenda in the nation's capital — more than 3,500 miles away.

The governor's D.C. office promotes the state's priorities to federal agencies and Congress. The director of state-federal relations has historically acted as the state's top lobbyist in the nation's capital, working on issues like energy and public lands. The office has also served as a liaison between the Alaska congressional delegation and governor's office.

The last person to perform director duties, former Interior Department official and Alaska attorney general Gregg Renkes, stopped providing state services in March, state officials say.

Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said in an email last week that "the recruitment process for a new director is underway and interviews with qualified applicants are being conducted."

Without the D.C.-based link between the congressional delegation and the governor's office, Dunleavy chief of staff Tyson Gallagher has become the designated point of contact on federal matters, according to Turner. Gallagher participates in weekly calls with congressional staff.

Once considered a key connection between the state and federal government, the office has dwindled over the past decade. Under Republican Gov. Sean Parnell, five people worked for Alaska's office in D.C. His successor, independent Gov. Bill Walker, downsized the office to two staffers in 2015.

Dunleavy, a Republican, tapped Kip Knudson to direct the office in 2019. Knudson — who had worked a past stint as director under Parnell — retired in February 2022. Through his career, he also worked for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, chaired the Alaska Chamber and lobbied for Tesoro, among other jobs.

After Knudson's retirement, the state contracted responsibilities to Renkes of the D.C.-based law firm Van Ness Feldman, LLP. Renkes performed director duties from his law office rather than from the governor's D.C. office, according to Turner.

Alaska Department of Law spokeswoman Patty Sullivan said Renkes stopped providing the state services on March 1.

"Our understanding is it was because he was leaving his law firm. The contract had not yet timed out," Sullivan said in an email last week.

The contract expired March 30, Sullivan said Monday.

Renkes now works for Chenega Corp., an Alaska Native village corporation, as senior vice president of government relations.

He previously served as Alaska attorney general under Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski, resigning under pressure in 2005 for negotiating a deal which he would have personally benefitted from. An independent investigator later found that the investment was not an ethics violation.

More recently, he worked in the Interior Department as director of the Office of Policy Analysis in the Trump administration and later as an administrative judge for the Interior Board of Land Appeals until Nov. 2021.