Alana Peterson, Executive Director of Spruce Root, is an entrepreneur and non-profit leader whose lived experience brings together indigenous values with Western economic systems to build towards a sustainable future. She started her first business at age 7, taking wood scraps from her father’s carving shed and painting them to sell to tourists on the docks. Working with other small businesses deepened her understanding of the transformative power of an entrepreneur’s journey. Alana brings this expertise to her work with Spruce Root, a community development financial institution that is building up a strong small business sector in her home region of Southeast Alaska. She believes that small business is the foundation of a strong community, much like the root system of a healthy forest floor. 

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