AKWA-DC is a policy consulting and advocacy shop based in Alaska and Washington State and maintains a strong presence in and connection to Washington, DC. In 2019, its founding idea was that Alaskans and many in the Pacific Northwest region lacked effective, full-service representation in Washington, D.C and at home.
Today, the mission remains unchanged: to provide Alaskans and Cascadians with a strong advocacy voice, a fresh perspective, and value-driven strategy and analysis in public policy processes. The challenges facing Alaska, Washington, and our nation are not simple: climate change, political polarization, and ongoing economic strife. However, AKWA-DC stands prepared to navigate these complex dynamics and find creative solutions.
Ephraim Froehlich leverages more than a decade of experience as a policy expert and relationships developed at the highest levels of government to achieve legislative and regulatory results. He was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. 
He holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. Froehlich worked for United States Senator Lisa Murkowski in Washington, D.C., as lead policy advisor on fisheries, wildlife, maritime transportation, environmental change, and the Arctic. He next joined Alaska Governor Bill Walker’s administration as senior advisor on fish and game and as the deputy director of federal relations. In 2018, Froehlich served on the board of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. Froehlich founded AKWA-DC LLC in 2019, a policy consulting firm focused on fisheries, maritime, and the environment. He enjoys getting outside whenever possible with his sons and partner to camp, hike, and fish and is an avid soccer and basketball player.
Ann Robertson joined AKWA-DC in 2022 after serving three years in the Office of Senator Lisa Murkowski as a Sea Grant Fellow and subsequently as the Senator’s fisheries advisor.
Prior to working in the Senator’s office, she spent four years as a research contractor with the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (NOAA) while also working as a deckhand in the Southeast Alaska gillnet fishery. In 2016, Ann worked as a policy intern in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Division of Energy and Environment, supporting the President’s Arctic Executive Steering Committee. Hailing from Juneau, Ann brings a practical blend of scientific expertise, hands-on commercial fishing experience, extensive community stakeholder and policymaker connections, and a deep understanding of State and Federal fish policy. Ann holds a BA in Earth Science from Vassar College and a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment.