Citing ‘personal reasons,’ Denali Commission leader to resign amid civil-rights complaints from female employees

The head of a federal agency that funds projects in rural Alaska said he will step down this month for personal and family reasons, amid civil-rights complaints from female employees claiming that he engaged in sexist and ageist behavior.

Jason Hoke, federal co-chairman of the Denali Commission, took leave from the agency’s Anchorage office in early March to work from home, citing personal matters. He has not returned.

At the time, the complaints had already been filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Equal Employment Opportunity office.

“I’ll be stepping down on April 24,” Hoke said Thursday from his home near Glennallen.

“It’s personal reasons,” he said. “I live 220 miles from downtown Anchorage where my office and apartment was. It’s been hard to maintain a balance of life and work, and on top of that, my dad passed away, and with COVID-19 hitting, I’ll hunker down here.”

Hoke was appointed to the federal agency in April 2019. He had been head of the Copper Valley Development Association in Glennallen for several years.

The Denali Commission is an independent federal agency that has provided funding to improve village tank farms, docks and other rural infrastructure. It was created by the late Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

The agency has about 15 employees and a $20 million budget.

At least three of four complaints filed against Hoke in the Commerce Department are under investigation, said Matt Singer, a private attorney in Anchorage who said he represents some of the women who filed the complaints.

Hoke is accused of harassing and discriminating against the employees, Singer has previously told reporters.

Hoke said he could not discuss the complaints.

“There are two sides to every story,” Hoke said. “I’m not at liberty to talk about (my) side because there’s an ongoing investigation.”

Hoke said he’s leaving the agency with a heavy heart.

“I been fighting for rural Alaska and building infrastructure for a long time,” he said. “That will always be a passion of mine.”