Our Staff

Olena was born in Belarus, where she earned her first degree in engineering. After marrying her husband, she moved to Ukraine and pursued a second degree in psychology. In Odessa, she built a distinguished 15-year career as a psychologist, spending nine of those years leading a counseling center.

Throughout her extensive practice, Olena specialized in supporting families and children, addressing challenges such as depression, panic attacks, and anxiety. Following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2014, her counseling center expanded its mission to provide critical assistance to refugees from Eastern Ukraine and wounded soldiers.

In 2018, Olena and her husband immigrated to the United States on a talent visa. Before relocating to Alaska, she lived on the East Coast, where she taught an enrichment program she developed for children.

In September 2024, Olena joined Project Alaska, bringing her deep expertise and hands-on experience to the team. Her dedication and extensive background make her an invaluable contributor to the organization’s mission.

Born in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Alyona Lujan moved to Alaska in 2019. As a trained journalist, television, and film director when Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, Alyona traveled to the frontlines. She covered the conflict as a reporter, producing multiple documentaries. She volunteered and worked with refugees from Donetsk and Luhansk, organized children’s camps, provided art therapy for refugee children, and was part of the “Yellow Bus” project, which provided trauma therapy for teens. Alyona was an early volunteer with the Ukraine Relief Program, helping to fundraise and collect humanitarian aid. Alyona and her husband Chris have sponsored 23 Ukrainians in their relocation to Alaska.

Alyona worked as an on-call interpreter with the Ukraine Relief Program in 2022. Ayona is a massive asset to Project Alaska, with a deep knowledge of Ukrainian culture; she understands firsthand the challenges of those who have arrived and is qualified in trauma aid.