About Us

A passion for wildlife in general and wild sheep in particular - I was born and raised in Western New York along the Alleghany River. The area had an abundance of wildlife, especially ruffed grouse. My father was a grouse hunter and precious days spent hunting with him is how my passion began. My love of sheep hunting came later in life.

Dare to dream - I have had opportunity to hunt all four North American Wild Sheep and most of the big game species in North America – something I only dreamed about growing up. As a growing organization AK WSF needs to embrace dreamers.

A career in the Army taught me about leadership and the power of teamwork. I attended college on an ROTC scholarship and was commissioned upon graduation from Syracuse. I started as an infantry officer and later transferred to Special Forces and ultimately served five years in one of the Army’s Special Mission Units.

The development of business acumen – Following the military I worked for several corporations in senior management where I helped start multiple successful businesses. Ultimately I started my own business as a general contractor and management consultant.

Payback and perpetuation of the hunting ethos. I am a Summit Life Member and Chadwick Ram Society Member because WSF is an excellent organization with virtually limitless potential. By continuing my involvement in WSF I hope to help perpetuate hunting in general and sheep hunting in particular.

Skip Bourgeois grew up in Maine with a family of outdoors men and women. His love for the backcountry and wild places drew him to Alaska in 2008, where he quickly fell in love with wild sheep and the mountains they call home. He now spends as much time as possible in Alaska’s sheep mountains and backcountry with his incredibly adventurous wife Sarah and two young kids.

Skip was drawn to the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation because of the organization’s solution-oriented focus on keeping sheep on the mountains of Alaska. He has been involved with the organization since 2015 and has been a board member since 2017. During his time with AK WSF he has proudly served as the banquet chair for the 2018 and 2019 annual banquets. He has also lead development of many of the chapter’s communication pieces including the chapter’s initial website, social media presence, and various other strategic marketing and communications efforts associated with all AK WSF initiatives.

Skip’s drive for all things wild is complimented by his marketing and communications skill set gained through education and business. His role as Vice President of Marketing at Coffman Engineers gives him real-world, practical experience with leadership and organizational strategy. He has served in a variety of positions on boards and committees of various professional organizations, including serving as founding President of the Alaska Chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services.

Tony has lived in Alaska for over 20 years and recently retired as the Assistant Director for the Division of Wildlife Conservation at the Department of Fish and Game. Before taking this position, he was the Area Wildlife Biologist in Palmer. Previously, he was the Nevada Regional Director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) from 1998 to 2002 and Senior Conservation Officer for Idaho Fish and Game from 1990 to 1998. He began his professional career in 1989 working in the state of Washington as a Wildlife Control Agent for the Department of Wildlife. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington (1983) and a Master’s degree from Washington State University (1992). His undergraduate research project included the study of mother-infant nursing behavior and ecology of Mountain Goats in the Olympic Mountains (WA). His MS Thesis project included field research examining the forage availability and relative preference of Elk and Cattle on upper elevation rangeland southwest of Wenatchee, Washington. While with ADFG, he compiled data and was the primary author for the 2014 Dall Sheep Report to the Board of Game – one of the largest compilations of current data and assessment regarding Alaska’s statewide Dall Sheep population status and harvest information. During his professional career, he has assisted with the capture, collaring, assessment, and transplant (in some cases) of RM Bighorn Sheep, CA Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goats, and Dall Sheep as well as numerous other big game species.
Tony’s volunteer experience includes committee fundraising activities with the RMEF, National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation (AKWSF), and Back Country Horsemen of America (BCHA). He was a founding member and chair of both the Elk City (Idaho) chapter of the RMEF and the first chapter of the BCHA in Alaska. He has participated as a volunteer on various field projects (e.g., guzzler installation, wildlife transplants, fence removal, etc.) for Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, NWTF, and RMEF. Currently, Tony is a life member of AKWSF and RMEF, an associate member of the Boone and Crockett Club, and a regular member of BCHA of Alaska, Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation, and Idaho Conservation Officer’s Association. Previous board membership experience includes 2 years as a board member on the Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition.
Tony has been married to his wife Kathleen since 1995 and has two sons, Brandon and Ryan. Both are active-duty pilots in the United States Marine Corps. The entire family enjoys hunting and other outdoor pursuits to the extent that it dominates their lifestyle! To date, Tony has taken 19 species of North American big game - all D-I-Y, self-guided.

Kevin was born and raised in Chugiak Alaska located in the heart of the Chugach Mountains, Well known for its vast array of wildlife. From a very young age he and his father could be found fishing the local streams for salmon and trout and hunting small game such as grouse, rabbits and squirrels. It was during these adventures Kevin found his true passion for the outdoors. Like most kids, the small game pursuit lead to bigger adventures such as Black bear, Caribou and Moose. This is where the foundation to not only pursue the big game animals of Alaska, but learn the critical skills such as field dressing, caring for the meat, and most importantly the concept of fair chase, and conservation were engrained in him.

Kevin has been hunting, fishing and backpacking the many different mountain ranges in Alaska his entire life, and it was here, in the far remote canyons of the Brooks Range where he found his true passion for chasing the elusive Dall Sheep. It was clear however early on, that even though the experiences chasing Black Bears, Caribou, and Moose were beneficial, that there was a whole new learning curve to chasing Alaska’s white sheep. This led Kevin to start working as a packer for an Outfitter in the Brooks Range, which ultimately started a guiding career that took him all around the state. This was an opportunity to learn from the best, and get the repetition and experience that he just simply could not turn down.

It was sitting around a camp fire after a successful harvest one August evening, chewing on Dall Sheep tenderloin that a client started a conversation regarding a local sporting goods store in Anchorage called Barney’s. Little did Kevin know, that this conversation would lead him even greater adventure.

Barney’s Sports Chalet is a small hunting shop in Anchorage known for outfitting hunters from all over the world with the best and most innovative gear. After many years of hard work, Kevin and his wife Chelsea purchased this very same store and continue to operate out of the same location it’s been since 1963.

Through the many years of conversations with resident, and non-resident hunters, air taxi services, guides, and outfitters, it was clear that Kevin’s passion for Wild Sheep was ever increasing. Having been fortunate enough to not only be a part of many successful harvests as a guide, but a few of his own, the importance of age, maturity and quality of animals has always been engrained in his skill set. By continuing his involvement in AK WSF, Kevin hopes to continue the conservation efforts for wild Caprinae in Alaska, perpetuate hunting in general and sheep hunting in particular.

James Cooney’s passion for hunting and conservation began in Spokane, WA as a child, where his father taught him the importance of ethical hunting and how hunters directly contribute to wildlife conservation. Through the many years of hunting with his father, James quickly learned that no one does more for wildlife conservation than hunters and has been committed ever since.

In 2004, James was stationed in Alaska and served on active duty as an Army Officer. From 2005-2006 he left Alaska to deploy with his unit in Iraq. In 2008, James transitioned from being an active duty Soldier to an Army Civilian employee working for the U.S. Army Headquarters in Alaska on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, AK, where he still works today.

During his time in Alaska, James has found ways to continue his support for wildlife conservation by volunteering for various conservation organizations and serving on the State of Alaska’s Board of Game. From 2015-2017, he served as a director on the board of the Safari Club International Alaska Chapter. During that time, James simultaneously volunteered as the Banquet Chairman to lead the first two Annual Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation (AK WSF) Banquets. Since 2017, James has volunteered to serve as a director on the board of the AK WSF and since 2021, has served as the organization’s Vice President. In 2021, Governor Mike Dunleavy appointed James to the State of Alaska Board of Game. He just completed his three-year appointment to the Board of Game. He continues to support wildlife conservation through his Life Memberships in organizations such as the NRA and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. James is also a life member of the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation and a Summit Life Member of the National Wild Sheep Foundation.

As a life-long hunter, outdoorsman and conservationist, James Cooney is honored to support the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation in its pursuit of putting and keeping sheep on the mountains of Alaska.

Keith is a life-long Alaskan who grew up in Fairbanks and has resided in Anchorage for the last 17 years. He graduated from Gonzaga with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and began his career in public accounting. He holds licenses as a Certified Public Accountant, and Certified Fraud Examiner. Keith is currently the CFO at Denali Universal Services.

In his spare time Keith enjoys getting back to the Fairbanks area for annual moose hunts with his father and friends and mountain hunting in the South-Central region. He has a Piper Pa-12 that he uses to access the wilderness with his wife and two young children.

Keith began working with AK WSF as the Treasurer in 2019. He has been an integral part of the annual banquets and been the lead in upgrading the systems and automated platforms used by AK WSF for accounting. He has also represented AK WSF at the Sheep Show in Reno.

Becky Gerritsen was raised on her parent’s apple orchard on the upper Columbia River is North Central Washington. As a young girl she started upland, waterfowl, and mule deer hunting and fell in love with the outdoors, wildlife, and the memories created through those opportunities. Growing up in a rural agricultural community allowed for many hunting opportunities and way of life which was instilled at an early age. After graduating from the University of Idaho in her PGA Golf Program, she moved to Oregon where she continued to hunt black tail deer, turkey and black bears and met her husband, Nick.
In 2016, Nick and Becky decided to pack everything up and move north to Alaska. The migration north was stemmed by the fact of being able to live a subsistence lifestyle and raise a family where these opportunities were available. The vast expanse of land and sea available was too great to pass up with year-round harvesting possibilities and access to public lands.
Never backing down from a challenge, she became a sheep hunter the first year possible and has not missed an opportunity to spend those days backpacking in the mountains chasing sheep with Nick, even while 4 months pregnant. After experiencing the mountains and all that Alaska has to offer that first year, she was hooked to the allure of the white ghosts and the breath-taking scenery they call home.
Since moving to the Mat-Su valley and being the PGA Golf Teaching Pro at Settlers Bay Golf Course, their family has grown with the addition of their two daughters. They spend their family time out foraging in the woods, fishing on the ocean, or hiking around in the mountains for game big and small.
Being able to have public lands and provide hunting/fishing opportunities through herd management and conservation is what drew Becky to the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation. Since becoming a member in 2017, Becky has been on the banquet committee every year, and taken on more responsibilities as the Director of Donor Relations and lead on the tiered raffle. She looks forward to the opportunity to become more involved with this organization and help keep sheep on the mountains for generations to come.

Cory was raised in Southeastern Texas. The area had a plethora of wildlife, especially Whitetail Deer. Cory’s days were spent hunting deer, ducks and geese with both grandfathers and stepfather, which ignited his own excitement for hunting. His affection did not stop at hunting- he is an avid fisherman. Cory has had the opportunity to not only hunt in Texas but had ventured to other states such as: New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, hunting birds, waterfowl and big game. He and his wife Becky and 5 children have spent many of their days out fishing and hunting.

A career in the Air Force taught Cory about leadership and the power of teamwork. He also learned about reliability and how to persevere. Cory enlisted in the Air Force as an Armament specialist, servicing and retiring at almost 19 years. During his tenure in the Air Force, he worked on several aircraft and on multiple bases, temporary duties, and deployments. It was the Air Force that brought Cory and his family to Alaska in 2007.

Following the military, he worked for Cabela’s as the Hunting and Firearms Manager. His dedication to conversation started shining though as he started providing services and volunteer time over the past 7 years to the Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Fallen Heros and other non-profit corporations.

Shane grew up in a small town in Missouri chasing bass in the local ponds and whitetail deer in the fall. During his college years, it was an invite from an uncle living in the Anchorage that brought Shane to Alaska for a week of fishing. This trip would spark his love for Alaska and in 2004, after earning his degree in construction management, Shane packed his bags and moved north. Once here, the mountains and wild sheep quickly became a part of his life.

Now 17 years later, Shane along with his wife Sabrina and two children, Amara and Corbin enjoy adventures in Alaska together. From mountain bike excursions and first caribou hunts, to simply canoeing the local lakes, the family's draw to nature is always there. When Shane can peel away from work and his family (and lots of soccer), the sheep mountains are always calling.

For the past 10 years, Shane has worked as lead estimator and project manager for local construction company STG Incorporated. This position has allowed him to travel across western Alaska from Shemya to Kotzebue and dozens of local villages in between. He's been able to experience what some call "the real Alaska," and travel to locations which many residents of the state will never see. His professional career has given him real-world experience in working with and leading people of different backgrounds, working through the fine details, developing a plan, and finding creative cost-based solution.

Shane was excited at the reintroduction of the Wild Sheep Foundation in Alaska. He felt the lack of an Alaska Wild Sheep Foundation chapter was truly a hole among the Alaska conservation organizations and quickly became a member. After a couple years watching the organization grow and seeing the positive direction AK WSF was taking, Shane decided he could do more to support the organization and began actively volunteering. He has now been a banquet committee member for three years working on fundraising and banquet execution. Sven years after the chapter’s reintroduction, Shane is still excited by the mission of the AK WSF and the shared passion of its members and leadership.