Spring 2026 Honorary Degree Award: Jim Jansen

Jim Jansen's life reads like a blueprint for purposeful leadership in Alaska. As chairman of Lynden - the multimodal transportation enterprise he has represented for 56 years - he has turned personal resourcefulness into statewide prosperity.

Born into trucking and construction, Jansen first came north in 1967, hauling ore at the historic Kennecott Mines. He later served as a Navy Seabee with a tour of duty in Vietnam, honing the mechanical ingenuity that would later define his management style. Returning to Alaska, he joined Lynden as a dispatcher, terminal manager, general manager, president, CEO and board chairman. He is an avid outdoorsman, and an 18,000-hour ATP rated pilot who is powered less by titles than by a willingness to lash a trailer or make a sales call. His wife Vicki of 58 years, three children and six grandchildren all live in Alaska.

Under Jansen's steady hand, with a team of outstanding people, Lynden evolved from a small trucking outfit into one of the state's largest private employers, comprising Alaska Marine Lines, Lynden Transport, Alaska West Express, Knik Construction, Lynden Logistics, Bering Marine and Lynden Air Cargo. The 1995 launch of the air-cargo subsidiary married his passion for aviation with a long-range vision of seamless land-sea-air logistics, allowing groceries, medical supplies and heavy equipment to reach some of the world's most remote communities. Throughout that expansion, a simple creed guided operation: be safe, work hard, be ethical and deliver quality.

Colleagues say Jansen's word is his bond. When the U.S. Capitol needed a 74-foot Sitka spruce for the National Christmas Tree, Lynden's crews were the ones who moved it from the Tongass to Washington, D.C. Employees praise the "open door" culture he fosters. Lynden's exemplary safety record and low employee-turnover rate are enduring proof that principle can coexist with profit.

Beyond the warehouse gates, Jansen invests his expertise in Alaska's future. He is a vocal advocate on infrastructure, trade and economic policy, and his civic leadership has earned the Commonwealth North Walter J. Hickel Award, AGC's Hard Hat Award, the Alaska Aviation Museum Lifetime Achievement Award, the Alaska Chamber's William A. Egan Outstanding Alaskan of the Year honor and the Alaska Oil and Gas Historical Society Lifetime Achievement Award.