Ethan Berkowitz and his wife, Mara Kimmel, live in Anchorage, Alaska, where they are raising their two children, Ziva and Noah.
Ethan is involved in a variety of businesses across Alaska. Most recently, he has been working to install a submarine fiber optic cable that will run from Europe to Asia, through the Northwest Passage. He is also a Senior Vice President with Strategies 360, a positioning firm that serves clients at the intersection of business and politics. In addition, Ethan and Mara have an interest in several small businesses, including two restaurants and a commercial real estate venture.
Before beginning elected service, Ethan spent three seasons in Antarctica, doing everything from shoveling snow, to guiding, to working as an enforcement officer for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Ethan has also worked as a law clerk for the Alaska State Court of Appeals, as an Assistant District Attorney in various South-central and rural communities, and as an attorney in private practice. Along the way, he had occasion to commercial fish in Bristol Bay.
Ethan earned his undergraduate degree studying Government and Economics at Harvard University, where he graduated with honors. He subsequently gained a masters degree in Polar Studies from Cambridge University, and a law degree from Hastings College of the Law.
Ethan served in the Alaska State House for ten years, beginning in 1996. He has the dubious distinction of being the longest serving minority leader in state history, a post he held for eight years. In 2008, he ran for Congress, and in 2010 was the Democratic nominee for governor. He was the silver medalist in both elections. As a state legislator, he won national recognition for his distinguished service to Alaska, and championed many issues, including fiscal responsibility and energy policy.
