LEADERS IN INNOVATION AND

PERFORMANCE

OUR LEADERSHIP

The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation has assembled an experienced, knowledgeable, and diverse executive team to ensure that APFC’s strategic directives are developed and implemented in accordance with our mission and vision. APFC’s executive team is unified in their commitment to promoting and adhering to the principles of transparency, accountability and prudent investment practices in the management of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

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DEVEN MITCHELL | Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer

Deven Mitchell serves as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.  Selected for this role by the Board of Trustees in October of 2022, Deven provides executive leadership to the Corporation in setting and achieving its mission, goals, and objectives in accordance with guidelines and parameters established by the Board. 

Deven understands the importance of the Permanent Fund and the Corporation’s mandates to protect and maintain the Principal, generate returns and provide a sustainable source of revenue to the State for the benefit of all generations of Alaskans. Prior to APFC, Deven worked for 30 years in public service to the State of Alaska Department of Revenue and the Alaska Municipal Bond Bank, a career of service based on fiduciary duty and commitment to fellow Alaskans.

Mr. Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Northern Arizona University. He and his wife Erin reside in Juneau, where they raised their two sons.

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VALERIE MERTZ, CPA | CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Valerie Mertz is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. As CFO, Ms. Mertz oversees the portfolio and corporate accounting functions; financial, performance and compliance reporting; middle office trade support; and the custodial relationships for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.

Valerie first joined APFC in 1993 from the Audit Division of Arthur Andersen. In 2002, she left the corporation to open her own business which provided accounting and controller-consulting services to non-profits and small businesses in Juneau. She returned to APFC in 2012 as Chief Financial Officer.

Ms. Mertz holds a Bachelor of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance with a minor in Economics from New Mexico State University. She has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Alaska since 1995.

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MARCUS FRAMPTON, CFA, CAIA, FRM | CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER

Marcus Frampton, CFA, CAIA serves as the Chief Investment Officer of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. Mr. Frampton has been with APFC since 2012 and served as the Director of Investments, Real Assets & Absolute Return.

Prior to joining APFC, Marcus held diverse roles ranging from investment banking with Lehman Brothers, private equity investing with PCG Capital Partners, and as an executive with LPL Financial, a private equity backed portfolio company.

Mr. Frampton holds a BA in Business-Economics with a minor in Accounting from UCLA.

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SEBASTIAN VADAKUMCHERRY | CHIEF RISK & COMPLIANCE OFFICER

Sebastian Vadakumcherry serves as the Chief Risk & Compliance Officer for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation.  Sebastian joined APFC in 2018. 

Sebastian’s financial services career spans over two decades, most of which was with Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC), Kuwait.  As the Head of Risk Management Division at GIC, he played a key role in setting up the risk management function and developing an overall ERM framework.

Mr. Vadakumcherry holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, India and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Texas A&M University, Texas.

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CHRIS POAG | GENERAL COUNSEL

Chris Poag serves as General Counsel for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. Chris joined APFC in 2014 from the State of Alaska Department of Law where he had been providing legal advice since 2004 to various state agencies, including the Department of Revenue and the Office of the Governor.

Mr. Poag graduated from Wayne State University Law School in 1997 and moved to Ketchikan, Alaska for a clerkship with Superior Court Judge Michael Thompson. After quickly falling in love with Alaska, Chris passed the Alaska Bar Exam and joined a small law firm in Ketchikan where he was a criminal defense lawyer and contract public defender. Fishing, hiking, kayaking, and skiing with his family are his passions when he is not practicing law.