The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) proudly announces Public Safety Manager Sabrina Grubitz has been selected as a recipient of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) 40 Under 40 award. This prestigious honor recognizes outstanding Native American leaders for their leadership, innovation, and dedication to their communities.
Over the past two years, Grubitz has served as the Public Safety Manager, overseeing the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) within Tlingit & Haida’s Public Safety Division. In this role, she has been instrumental in coordinating emergency management efforts, liaising with governmental agencies, assisting Compact communities with emergency preparedness, and supervising community volunteers and employees engaged in OEM activities.
During the last six months, Grubitz has played a pivotal role in navigating the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), positioning herself as Tlingit & Haida’s FEMA expert. Her dedication was most recently demonstrated in August 2024, when she served as the incident commander for Tlingit & Haida’s response to the devastating Juneau flooding. Over six weeks, she worked closely with the Tribe’s incident command, National Guard, and other emergency response teams to coordinate relief efforts and ensure community safety.
“Sabrina has demonstrated exceptional leadership and initiative as Tlingit & Haida’s Public Safety Manager,” said Tlingit & Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson. “Her ability to lead during crisis situations, such as the Juneau flooding, has been invaluable. We are extremely fortunate to have her on our team.”
The 2025 NCAIED 40 Under 40 awardees will be formally recognized at the Reservation Economic Summit (RES) in March. In a statement issued by NCAIED President and CEO Chris James, he praised the awardees, saying, “On behalf of NCAIED, it is my great honor to congratulate you on being selected as a recipient of the prestigious ‘Native American 40 Under 40’ award. This recognition, now in its sixteenth year, celebrates the leadership, innovation, and dedication of emerging Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nation citizens. Your contributions are driving transformation and progress in Indigenous communities across North America.”
“I truly love the work that I do, on behalf of Tlingit & Haida and Tribal citizens,” said Grubitz. “I have great passion for moving our people forward, and this position allows me to reach that goal. I can’t thank the Tribe enough for the opportunity I have and for the nomination.”
Tlingit & Haida extends its congratulations to Sabrina Grubitz for this well-deserved honor and commends her for her ongoing dedication to public safety and emergency management within Indigenous communities.
Grubitz is the only recipient form Alaska for 2025. She joins a distinguished list of other Alaska Natives from Southeast who have been recognized by NCAIED:
- Sabrina Grubitz 2025
- Crystal Worl 2024
- Stephanie Masterman 2020
- Sarah Dybdahl 2018
- Ralph Wolfe 2018
- Richard Peterson 2014
Grubitz is Tlingit, Ch’áak (Eagle/Wolf), Kaagwaantaan. Her family is from Sitka, Eagle Nest House.