Our Team
ENRIC FERNANDEZ
Interim General Manager
Enric Fernandez has been Donlin Gold’s Permitting and Environmental Manager since August 2020. Prior to that time, Enric held the position of Senior Environmental Coordination between 2008 and 2017 and was involved in the execution of Donlin Gold’s environmental baseline program and permitting effort. Enric’s experience in natural resource development projects in Alaska is broad, not just in the mining, but also in the oil and gas sector. Enric was born and raised in Barcelona and moved to Alaska in 1994, where he graduated with a BA in Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University in 1998. When he is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife, and traveling to remote parts of the state or the world in search of birds and opportunities to see and photograph wildlife.
Vernon Chimegalrea
Community Development and Sustainability Coordinator
Vernon Chimegalrea joined the Donlin Gold team in 2011. Vernon was raised in the communities of Napakiak and Bethel and currently resides in Anchorage. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics with an emphasis in Eskimo languages. He has worked extensively in the language field as well as in realty, arts administration and development.
Colleen Laraux
Community Relations Coordinator
Colleen joined the Donlin Gold team in 2011. She was born in Bethel and raised in Bethel and Kongiganak. Colleen graduated from Bethel Regional High School and attended Alaska Pacific University and the University of Alaska Anchorage. She has held various positions in Bethel and Anchorage in the healthcare industry and legal field. Colleen is proud to be able to read, write and speak her Native Yup’ik language. Her parents are Martha and Walter Larson Sr., from Bethel. Colleen and her husband, Kris Manke, live in Bethel and together have six children and nine grandchildren.
Samantha “Angaiak” Miller
Community and Tribal Liaison Coordinator
Samantha “Angaiak” Miller is the daughter of John and Barbara Angaiak from Bethel. Samantha grew up in Bethel, where she enjoyed fishing, camping, boating, dog mushing and hiking in the Y-K region. Sam graduated from Bethel Regional High School in 2005. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Brown University. Samantha’s first professional job after graduating college was at KTUU-TV as an associate producer in Anchorage. She also produced the Late Edition and weekend newscasts before later honing her storytelling craft as a reporter and multimedia journalist. During Sam’s time as a reporter, she worked to help viewers understand many complex topics. Samantha also served as Election Communications Manager for the State of Alaska Division of Elections and worked in the offices of Anchorage Representative Chuck Kopp. She lives in Anchorage with her husband Owen Miller and they are proud puppy parents to their black lab Luna. Samantha joined the Donlin Gold team in 2020 as the Community and Tribal Liaison Coordinator.
Rebecca Wilmarth
Community Relations Supervisor
Rebecca joined the Community Relations team in 2019 and was promoted to Regional Supervisor in 2021. Her parents are Shirley Vanderpool and the late Richard Wilmarth. Rebecca graduated with honors from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2019 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Rural Development. Aside from being a small business owner, Rebecca has worked as a community liaison for her Tribe, Native Village of Georgetown, and has held similar positions with The Kuskokwim Corporation and the Native Village of Napaimute.
Rebecca and her husband Corey Nicoli have two daughters and live in Red Devil, one of the smallest villages on the Kuskokwim River and nearest to the Donlin project site.
Lloyd Daniel Adams Twitchell (Dan)
Environmental Field Coordinator
Dan Twitchell joined the Donlin Gold Community Relations team in 2016. He was born in Anchorage and raised in Bethel. His parents are Betty Twitchell, originally from Colorado, who moved to Bethel and worked at the Native hospital as a Registered Nurse, his father, Peter Twitchell, was born and raised in Bethel and worked at KYUK and at YKHC correctional facility as a counselor. Dan graduated from Bethel Regional High School and attended Fergus Falls Community College and Northern Arizona University, where he studied environmental sciences, and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP).
Dan worked as an Environmental Coordinator for his home tribe of Orutsaramiut Native Council (ONC) and for the Native Village of Napaimute. Danny joined Donlin Gold as an Environmental Specialist. He remained with Donlin Gold for eight years before moving to Barrick’s Turquoise Ridge mine in northern Nevada as an Environmental Specialist II. In 2016, Dan returned to his home state of Alaska to again work for Donlin Gold as a Community Relations Coordinator and Environmental Field Coordinator.
Dan is married to Isha Twitchell, also from Bethel, and they live in the Anchorage area with their three children, Bessie, Betty and Daniel.
Shaun tygart
Human Resources
Shaun Tygart is Human Resources professional with 18 years of experience and demonstrated HR knowledge in a variety of industries, with much time spent with Alaska Native Corporations and Natural Resources. Skilled in Employee Development, Benefits, Policies, Performance Management, and Training, Shaun also holds an MBA focused on HR Management from Alaska Pacific University.
Born in California and raised in Anchorage, Shaun and his wife Leila (Kimbrell) make their home in east Anchorage and enjoy hiking, traveling and spending time with family. He is a board member of Junior Achievement of Alaska, and the Anchorage chapter of the University of Oregon Alumni Association.
DONLIN GOLD LLC
2525 C St., Suite 450
Anchorage, AK 99503
T: (888) 225-7590 or (907) 273-0200