Meet Our Management Team

Our Management Team holds the vital role of representing the interests of our employees, customers, and our communities.
As a result, we as a company are empowered to do what is right for our customers and community. We strive to provide excellent service, innovative solutions and value our work.
Meet the Management Team of Alaska Communications who help inspire these values and lead by example.
Matthew McConnell
President and Chief Executive Officer

Matt McConnell serves as president and chief executive officer overseeing the organization as it executes its industry-leading expansion of connectivity to all Alaskans.
McConnell is an accomplished CEO, COO, entrepreneur, community leader, board chairman, independent director and Fortune 50 executive with more than three decades of experience driving profitable growth in technology companies.
Prior to joining Alaska Communications, McConnell served as CEO of MediaKind, a best-in-class media technology company. His experience also includes COO and advisor to the board and CEO at Cantaloupe, a global technology leader in self-service commerce; senior vice president and general manager at Comcast NBCUniversal; president and CEO of Troppus Software Corporation, a SaaS start-up providing customer care software services; and senior vice president at Level 3 Communications, a multinational telecommunications provider.
In addition to an accomplished business career, McConnell served as adjunct professor at University of Denver teaching graduate-level courses in leadership, ethics and strategy.
McConnell has an MBA from Colgate Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, as well as a Bachelor of Science from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management.
McConnell and his wife Aileen have two grown children, Jack and Katie, and enjoy travel, skiing, golf and hiking.
Patrick Bergt
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Patrick Bergt leads the company’s legal and human resource functions, which include contract administration, regulatory compliance, regulatory advocacy, risk management, labor relations and other human resource functions.
Bergt is an experienced attorney with civil, criminal, municipal and regulatory experience in matters unique to Alaska. He received his law degree from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.
He’s a lifelong Alaskan and lives in Anchorage with his wife and two young children. He speaks Spanish and enjoys being outdoors.
Brea Schmidt
Chief Financial Officer

Brea Schmidt serves as Chief Financial Officer, leading the company’s revenue, treasury, and finance departments. Ms. Schmidt joined the company in 2022. She has served in several leadership roles in private equity, most recently as vice president at Freedom 3 Capital, an investment firm that provides structured credit and equity capital. Prior to Freedom 3, Brea worked in private equity at Lone Star Funds and Paceline Equity Partners in Dallas, TX.
Brea holds a B.B.A. in finance and accounting from Washburn University. She was formerly a CFA charterholder and licensed CPA, both of which are currently inactive. She and her husband live in Anchorage with their two children.
Our Advisory Board
Meet Our Advisory Board Team

Comprised of Alaskans, the Alaska Communications Advisory Board brings unique community and customer perspectives to guide decision making. Together with the leadership team, the Advisory Board evaluates the needs of Alaska businesses and consumers, identifies new opportunities, serves as the eyes and ears in the community, acts as ambassadors for Alaska Communications, supports business development and creates dialog with community members and business and political leaders.
David Karp
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ALASKA, SALTCHUK

Denali Kemppel
GENERAL COUNSEL, HILCORP ALASKA, LLC

David C. Eisenberg
Management Consultant and Mediator

Lisa Herbert
VICE PRESIDENT, PUBLIC RELATIONS, USIBELLI COAL MINE

John Wanamaker
PRESIDENT, MCKINLEY ALASKA PRIVATE INVESTMENT, LLC
