Mike Dunleavy arrived in Alaska in 1983 as a young man looking for opportunity, and he found it. His first job was working in a logging camp in Southeast Alaska. Later, Dunleavy pursued his dream of becoming a teacher. He earned his teacher’s certificate, and then a master of education degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Mike spent nearly two decades in northwest Arctic communities working as a teacher, principal, and superintendent.
Governor Dunleavy’s wife Rose is from the Kobuk River Valley community of Noorvik. They were married in Nome and together, they have three daughters – Maggie, Catherine, and Ceil – who were raised in both rural and urban Alaska.
When the Dunleavy family moved to Wasilla in 2004, that was where he worked on a number of projects to improve education, including a statewide mentoring project to recruit and retain excellent teachers. Dunleavy served on the Mat-Su Borough School Board, with two years as Board President, and then as a State Senator for five years. In November of 2018, Mike won the election to become Governor of Alaska and was sworn into office on December 4th back up in Northwest Alaska. Governor Dunleavy is working to tackle the hard fiscal decisions that face our State and has forced the discussion of priorities that will determine the future of Alaska.
