Jared Reynolds - Executive Director
jwreynolds6@alaska.edu

Jared began as the Executive Director of CED in October 2024. He brings experience in entrepreneurship, economic and business development, and research. Jared previously led Do North, where he built regional and national entrepreneurial ecosystems. At Do North, he started the Forest Products Accelerator, the country’s first forest industry-focused accelerator, to work with companies developing new technologies with the potential to change the industry.
Jared previously held roles in economic development and research at the University of New Hampshire, AECOM, the Center for Municipal Finance and Center for Tax and Budget Accountability. He has also started and run numerous for-profit and non-profit businesses and organizations. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and graduate degrees from the University of Chicago.

Margo Fliss, EDP - Associate Director
mgowens@alaska.edu

Margo leads strategic engagement for UA CED and is part of growing Alaska‘s entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a focus on helping early-stage entrepreneurs learn new tools to pursue their ideas. She currently runs CED’s Upstart Intern program and co-leads the Upstart Alpha student accelerator at UAA. Her talents lie in creating a collaborative and welcoming space for exploration and problem-solving. With a background in education, Margo believes facilitation and guided learning are a blend of art and science, and that the most important outcome of her process is an actionable, achievable framework. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Mills College and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Margo is a certified Strategic Doing Workshop Leader and earned her “Foundations in Design Thinking“ certification from IDEO in 2018. She currently serves on the board and as the secretary for the University Economic Development Association, and on the thread Alaska board.

Kelly Wyche - Entrepreneurship Specialist
kawyche@alaska.edu

Kelly is a community-minded business strategist with diverse industry experience developing innovative systems, products, ventures, and culture. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Wharton Business School, an MBA from Yale University and has worked for Google, IDEO, Target, and Duke Energy over her career. In Kelly's previous role in Philanthropy, she helped rural communities access federal funding for climate resilience projects. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland - Kelly grew up in North Carolina and has lived and worked with communities throughout the Southeastern US through her nonprofit Collective Power. Kelly’s aim is to change the way infrastructure is designed and developed by centering community needs, environmental justice, and collective action in the work of building a more regenerative future.

Heike Merkel - Research and Data Manager
hmerkel@alaska.edu

Heike came to the Center for Economic Development from the renewable energy sector. She previously worked for the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, where she was the Pacific Marine Energy Center project manager and also developed an undergraduate student internship program. She was also a Technical Project Officer at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy. Heike’s educational background is in structural/civil/arctic engineering and geophysics.

Heike’s personal and professional interest is sustainable community development. She likes to use data and imagination to devise strategies and solutions to improve life in her local community. She is aiming to provide her expertise in data analysis, project management, proposal and budget development, grant writing, and contract management to the various projects at CED.

Heike has lived in various places around Alaska and currently resides in Homer. She has worked on a water taxi electrification project for Kachemak Bay and recently became interested in sustainable food production and distribution around Alaska, where currently only a very small fraction of the food consumed is produced in the state.

Ian Mills, CEcD - Research and Data Manager
imills2@alaska.edu

As Research and Data Manager, Ian plays a key role in supporting the center's mission to foster economic growth and innovation across Alaska. In this role, Ian manages data collection and analysis, financial modeling, and is a key component of CED’s applied research and technical assistance efforts. Ian is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) with a broad background in economic development, data management, and strategic planning. Ian’s professional interests include behavioral economics, macroeconomic market dynamics, economic efficiency and development, economic policy, data analysis, and investment. Ian holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics. Ian also currently serves on the Anchorage Municipal Budget Advisory Commission. In this role, he provides insights and recommendations on the city’s budgeting process, helping shape policies that promote responsible fiscal management and sustainable economic development.

Aaron Cappelli - Research Professional
accappelli@alaska.edu

Aaron is a temporary researcher at UAA working on projects focused in Kodiak. Aaron was raised in Colorado and came to Alaska in 2013 while serving as an artillery officer at JBER. After the military, he spent two years at ANTHC working in remote water utility management for Alaska Native communities in Southwest Alaska. He left Alaska in 2019 to complete a dual-degree program, earning an MBA from UNC and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke. He has experience with consulting projects in mass timber, affordable housing, ranching, and mariculture. Ultimately, Aaron aspires to become a leader on the cutting edge of sustainability, with a particular interest in innovative food and agriculture. After completing graduate school, Aaron moved back to Alaska in 2023, where he is raising his two young kids with his wife, Emily.