Steward Wisely

February 9, 2026

Love abundantly.

Share generously.

Steward wisely.

Those words were printed on the cover of the Celebration of Life program for my cousin, Tad Fujioka.

I didn’t know Tad.

We didn’t grow up together, even though we were only a few years apart in age.

Our lives ran on parallel tracks that never quite crossed.

Tad was killed by a grizzly bear while hunting outside of Sitka on October 30, 2024.

He was fifty.

He left behind a wife.

Two daughters.

And a community across Southeast Alaska that valued him, respected him, and trusted him.

Tad was a fisherman.

And a major fisheries advocate.

Deeply respected by his peers,

not because he sought attention, but because he was steady.

Because he cared.

Because he understood what it meant to protect something that feeds others.

I’ve been thinking about Tad today.

About those words.

Steward wisely.

Not because they describe something new for me,

but because they name—

clearly and simply—

the way I’ve always understood the work I'm doing.

What I do has never just been leadership.

Leadership can be positional.

Temporary.

Sometimes loud and ineffective.

What has guided me, long before today, has been stewardship.

Stewardship is quieter.

It’s rooted in responsibility, not recognition.

It understands that the role you hold is borrowed,

and that the consequences of your choices are not.

Stewardship asks different questions.

Not what do I want, but what has been entrusted to me.

Not what’s easiest, but what’s responsible.

Not what serves the moment, but what serves the future.

As I head into two long days that carry real weight,

I’m not changing how I lead.

I’m standing firmly in how I always have.

Holding the responsibility with care.

Listening closely.

Choosing with intention—

with an eye not just on today,

but on what must happen now

so that we can get to where we need to be.

So today, I’m holding those words close—

not as an aspiration, but as an affirmation.

Love abundantly.

Share generously.

And continue doing my best

to steward wisely.