Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP), remembers former Executive Director Phil Smith for his service to low-income, vulnerable Alaskans.
Smith served as the private, statewide, nonprofit organization’s Executive Director from 1975-1981. During that time, Smith oversaw the development of RurAL CAP’s Energy Program which secured federal funds for fuel loans that allowed rural recipients to pay their energy bills while fuel costs were skyrocketing. Most notably, Smith advocated for and helped write an amendment to the Economic Opportunity Act that recognized ‘poverty of access’ as a legitimate criterion for admission into poverty programs such as Head Start.
After serving as the Executive Director for RurAL CAP, Smith worked as a manager for both state and federal programs that limit access to commercial fisheries. He then became the program administrator for the Restricted Access Management Program for the Alaska Region of NOAA Fisheries Service (NMFS).
In remembrance of Smith, RurAL CAP CEO Patrick M. Anderson has stated “Phil was already a prominent social activist in Alaska when I met him in the late 1970’s. We shared Cordova as a home, where he graduated from high school while I was a young boy living there in the 1950’s. Following in Phil’s large footsteps as the CEO of RurAL CAP, which he led during the Pipeline Era, is an honor and privilege. The best tribute I can leave for Phil and his family is that he cared deeply about Alaska and its vulnerable people.”
RurAL CAP is a private, statewide, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors representing the public sector, the private sector, and the different regions of rural Alaska. With a mission to empower low-income Alaskans through advocacy, education, affordable housing and direct services that respect Alaskan’s unique values and cultures, RurAL CAP collaborates with community partners to ensure that all Alaskans have access to the vital services needed to promote the vision of Healthy People, Sustainable Communities, Vibrant Cultures.
