24 ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW SUMMER 2024 Anna Atchison brings wealth of experience in breaking down barriers BY BARBARA NORTON GROWING UP ON A HOMESTEAD AT THE BASE OF THE TALKEETNA MOUNTAINS, THERE WAS NOTHING ANNA ATCHISON WAS TOLD SHE COULDN’T DO. It was when she began mentoring women who work in Alaska’s resource industries that she began to realize the extent of the challenges that she and other women face. “I’ve mentored women that have been so direct and blunt with me about their experiences. The last couple of generations of women are so much more comfortable speaking openly about things,” said Atchison, the U.S. Director of External Affairs for Kinross Gold Corporation and Vice President of the RDC’s Board of Directors. She herself was “just not raised to be that way,” she says, but is inspired by the newer generations of women who speak up. “I respect that so deeply and I love that, and I benefit from that.” Though Atchison describes herself as “very late” to recognizing the barriers that she’s faced, she is a critical advocate for women in Alaska’s resources. One manifestation of her advocacy is the RDC’s annual “Women in Resources” reception, which Atchison emceed this spring in Juneau for its 20th anniversary. In recent years, Atchison has worked with a group of other women to help reshape the reception to be more inclusive and expansive, and strengthen its mentorship element. For Atchison, the event is a dedicated space for women to “celebrate our power and influence.” Part of the rebrand involves inviting women who aren’t directly involved with resources, such as academics. Additionally, experienced female leaders are encouraged to invite other women who are at an earlier stage in their career. The purpose of the reception is to “inspire, it’s sharing, making sure we all fight to have a voice at the table,” she said. By contrast, the theme of the 2005 reception was “Gold, Silver, and Jade… Women Love Resources!” The new era of the event, Atchison said, is “a lot more of an inclusive approach.” The event also offers women a chance to “talk through everything,” including the challenges that they face in their industry. “Women don’t have much room to screw up,” she said. “You just don’t when you’re very much in the minority—and in resources, you are. Let’s say you’re one of two to three women on a fourteen-member management team. I’ve been there myself. There’s a lot more focus on you and what you do. You just don’t have room to screw up, you better be on your game.” She cites lower wages, barriers to career development, and male-dominated work environments as a few of the challenges that women frequently face in resources. “Women have learned over time, and I was one of these, to shield themselves. They need to hide their true identity, they have to restrict self-expression. With that comes a lot of burnout,” which she says she has experienced personally. With these challenges, conversations among women are key, she said. At the RDC’s 49th Annual Membership Luncheon in June, she was speaking with a young woman working in mining who was struggling to move into the next DEFINING THE PATH FOR WOMEN IN RESOURCES RDC’s 20th annual Women in Resources reception in Juneau this spring.
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