Anchorage’s Chief Human Resources Officer Niki Tshibaka abruptly resigned Monday, citing an “increasingly toxic, hostile, and demoralizing work environment.”
Mayor Dave Bronson announced Tshibaka’s resignation in a written statement Monday afternoon. The statement did not say why Tshibaka stepped down, and a spokesman for Bronson declined to comment.
Tshibaka’s resignation letter was later released by his attorney. In it, Tshibaka says his resignation is effective immediately.
“I can no longer continue to serve in what has become an increasingly toxic, hostile, and demoralizing work environment, making the positive progress and forward momentum the people of Anchorage deserve and expect of this Administration virtually impossible,” Tshibaka wrote in the letter addressed to Bronson.
Tshibaka’s departure is the latest in a series of resignations and firings among top city officials. The highest profile departure was just two months ago, when Bronson fired then-Municipal Manager Amy Demboski. Through an attorney, Demboski alleged numerous illegal, misogynistic and unethical acts in an 11-page letter. She warned that she may sue over wrongful termination and urged the administration to settle out of court.
Like Demboski, Tshibaka took his job with the administration when Bronson took office in July 2021. Tshibaka has been embroiled in a number of prominent controversies since.
In November of that year, he defended Bronson’s then-nominee for health director Joe Gerace, calling initial allegations against him “pure character assassination.” Gerace resigned from the health director job months later, shortly before a report revealed his fraudulent resume.
Anchorage Assembly co-chair Chris Constant said in an interview Monday afternoon that he did not expect Tshibaka’s resignation, and did not know why he left the job. He cited numerous problems during Tshibaka’s tenure, beyond just Gerace.
“If you look at the municipality’s HR process and the hiring practices right now, we’re down a massive number of people,” Constant said. “And our labor force is at almost a crisis point, I would say. And all of that falls right back to Mr. Tshibaka.”
In an unprecedented move, Assembly leaders recently subpoenaed Tshibaka to testify on the hiring, investigation and eventual resignation of Gerace.
Constant said Tshibaka was also the subject of a second subpoena linked to Gerace and was expected to speak during the upcoming Assembly meeting Tuesday night.
“And so the timing is such that we now have to review the subpoena process and figure out who the right recipient of that subpoena is to get us those records,” Constant said.
In his resignation letter, Tshibaka said the HR department was directed to vet and onboard Gerace “with a one business day turnaround.”
“As you are aware, HR conducted its vetting and onboarding of executive appointments according to longstanding policy, processes, and standard operating procedures that preceded your Administration,” Tshibaka wrote. “The department professionally carried out its historic role with respect to executive appointments, applying those practices and procedures, even under tight timeframes.”
Last year, Tshibaka was also the center of a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Heather MacAlpine, the former director of Anchorage’s Office of Equal Opportunity. Tshibaka faced criticism for supporting deputy library director Judy Eledge as she was being investigated by MacAlpine for allegedly making racist and insensitive remarks to staff. Tshibaka wore a black t-shirt that said in bold, white text, “I’m with Judy,” a reference to Eledge, during a library advisory board meeting, as Eledge was being investigated. The city ombudsman “walled off” Tshibaka from investigating any library staff complaints.
Tshibaka’s letter made no mention of the lawsuit or of Eledge. He wrote that, since 2022, he and HR leadership had identified and started addressing initiatives to improve the HR department.
“I am confident that your HR Department will continue to serve you and the Municipality with passion, professionalism, and diligence throughout the remainder of your Administration,” he wrote. And he closed: “It has been a privilege to serve the people of Anchorage.”
Before working for the Bronson administration, Tshibaka was the deputy commissioner of the Department of Education under Gov. Mike Dunleavy. He’s also married to Kelly Tshibaka, a Republican candidate who unsuccessfully ran against Lisa Murkowski last year for U.S. Senate.
In Monday’s statement from the mayor’s office, Bronson named Raylene Griffith as the acting head of HR. He thanked Tshibaka for his “dedicated service to the citizens and the employees of the Municipality of Anchorage.”
Since Bronson took office in July 2021, numerous high-level appointees have been hired, then fired or resigned. Before Gerace’s resignation, an earlier acting health director, David Morgan, resigned after just over a month on the job, and the city attorney resigned after less than a year.
The current acting municipal attorney, Blair Christensen, announced at the end of January that she would also be leaving. Her last day is Wednesday.
Bronson’s first and second chiefs of staff also resigned. Several former employees, including MacAlpine, have sued for wrongful termination.
Deputy Chief of Staff Brice Wilbanks also departed abruptly last month.
Bronson has not publicly addressed most of the departures, citing confidentiality around personnel matters.
Alaska Public Media’s Jeremy Hsieh contributed to this report.
