About Me

Who is Thomas Ikaaq Baker?

I was born and raised in Kotzebue. My parents are Andy and Tammy Baker, my grandparents were Bob and Marge Baker and Gladys Richards. My Inupiaq name is after Roland Booth of Noatak. I attended the Kotzebue schools until graduating from Kotzebue High School in 2013. I then went to the Ivy League Dartmouth College where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in English with a Minor in Anthropology in 2017.

Once I returned home with my degree in hand I wanted to give back to the community that raised me. I started the Arctic Boxing Club, a boxing club aimed at promoting fitness and teaching the sport of boxing in a community with limited activities. Then I saw there were issues at hand that needed attention and decided to run for local office to do my part in addressing those issues.

As a member of the City and Tribal councils I prioritized bringing forward the concerns of those I represented. My grandmothers and my parents instilled in me a drive to help those around me and work to make our home a better place.

  • I believe in working with our local leaders and the organizations they represent to reach our shared goals,

Since 2019 I have worked for Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation, the ANCSA Village Corporation for Kotzebue. Currently I serve as the Lands Manager, overseeing roughly 200,000 acres of ANCSA land, as well as the Construction Operations Manager overseeing construction projects in the community.

I have also worked as a tour guide, boxing coach, restaurant manager, a writing professor and tutor for the University of Alaska, a heavy equipment operator at Red Dog Mine, a flagger, CDL truck driver, and acted in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. Along with my wide range of experiences, I have a strong work ethic and dedication to reaching the goals I set for myself. In my spare time I enjoy reading, hunting, fishing, and participating in competitive Strongman competitions around Alaska.

  • Rural Alaska is my home and one of my goals to ensure Rural needs are being met. As a Representative I intend to do everything in my power to support and reach our goals as a people.

I am

Inupiaq

I am proud to be an Inupiaq man and to have learned and live my culture. From subsistence hunting to practicing our Inupiat Ilitqusait, I strive to give back to the people and culture that I was raised in.

A Volunteer

I believe in volunteering and serving others. Outside of roles as an elected official I am a volunteer firefighter and first responder in Kotzebue. I also serve as an Officer in the Alaska State Defense Force, the State’s organized militia, to help prepare, coordinate, and respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.

Dedicated

It is my belief that to be a leader you must be totally committed to the roles you take on and the people you represent and work for. I work until the job is done and will always fight for what is right. It goes without saying that the Legislature is a place where you need to be fully committed to doing the work of the people.

Past Roles

Locally

I have served as the Vice Mayor of the City of Kotzebue while a member of the City Council. I have also been a member of the Tribal Council for the Native Village of Kotzebue.

Regionally

I have served on the Northwest Arctic Borough’s Village Improvement Commission representing Kotzebue. I currentyl serve as chair of the Northwest Arctic Regional Advisory Council for the Federal Subsistence Board, providing leadership and input on subsistence matters for the Northwest Arctic.

Statewide

I have been a member of the Denali Commission’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) evaluating and awarding funds to transportation improvement projects across Alaska. I have also been a member of the Board of Directors for Alaska Geographic, bringing a rural Indigenous perspective to the stewardship of Alaska’s parks, refuges, forests, and lands.

As a Representative

Sponsored Legislation

I sponsored two pieces of Legislation this session:

HJR20: Urging withdrawal of proposed Bureau of Land Management regulations affecting the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; and urging meaningful engagement with tribes, local governments, and affected communities. This Resolution was overwhelmingly supported across the aisle in both the House and the Senate as I fought to have the voice of the people of the North Slope heard when the BLM ignored the concerns of our communities

HJR22: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Alaska relating to subsistence use of replenishable natural resources by state residents. The goal of this Resolution was to show how important subsistence is to the people of rural Alaska by creating a priority for rural subsistence hunting and fishing before any sport or trophy harvest could take place.

Committees

I served on the following committees this year:

  • Resources, working to safely and responsibly manage the resources of our State

  • Energy, dealing with how to lower high power costs

  • Tribal Affairs, addressing the issues facing the Indigenous people of Alaska

  • Community and Regional Affairs, overseeing policies that affect and directly support our communities

I also served as Chair of the Arctic Policy, Economic Development, and Tourism Committee

Co-Sponsored Legislation

This session I co-sponsored a number of pieces of legislation and advocated for their passage to include:

  • HB 202, providing security for correspondence education funding as well as the availability and administration of opioid overdose drugs in public schools

  • HB 169, allowing for permitting projects for fishery rehabilitation to protect and keep local salmon in our rivers

  • SB 151, establishing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Review Commission

  • SB 118, urging the development of a strategic plan for the state to safely and responsibly produce critical and essential minerals