Born in Ketchikan and raised in Craig, Alaska, Mackie grew up with a strong sense of the Native peoples of Alaska and the bounty of a resource-rich land. His connection to the Alaska Native community has been an asset as an elected official, and as a lobbyist for Alaska’s Native Corporations, the companies developing the state’s rich resources and many other groups working to build a stronger Alaska. 

Mackie’s entrepreneurial spirit is strong. At age 16, he became an EMT and became Alaska’s youngest fire chief. He has worked as a seine boat captain and fishing guide, and owned a fishing lodge, advertising and public relations agency, the Alaska Aces professional hockey team, and a commercial self-storage facility in Anchorage. Mackie served on the board of directors of his Native village corporation and at the age of 27, was elected to the Alaska State House in 1990 and the Alaska State Senate in 1996, the only known person in U.S. history to serve as both the Democratic leader of the House and the Republican leader of the Senate. 

Mackie has been a lobbyist since 2002, representing a wide range of clients including Alaska Native corporations, medical and health, housing, transportation, tourism, telecommunications and resource development entities. In addition, he has been involved with many successful campaigns and initiatives including managing the Super Pac “Alaskans Standing Together” – a successful effort in 2010 to elect Lisa Murkowski in the nation’s first-ever write-in campaign for U.S. Senate, after she lost in the Republican primary. Mackie also was an advisor to U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan in his successful campaign for U.S. Senate in 2014 and served in that capacity again in 2020.

In 2022, Mackie co-managed “Alaskans for Lisa”, a Super Pac which was instrumental in helping to re-elect U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.

Pawlowski grew up in West Anchorage, the fifth generation in his family to live in Alaska. His deep connection to the state and devotion to public service have helped him navigate many of the challenges Alaska has faced over the last 20 years. Working for numerous elected officials at the state and federal level, he has experience on issues from renewable energy policy to traditional resource development and from fiscal policy to healthcare. 

Starting in 2003, Pawlowski spent the better part of a decade as an aide to three different Alaska legislators, working on everything from budgets to energy policy and other initiatives. In 2012, he joined Gov. Parnell’s administration to develop a new approach for the reform of the oil and gas production tax. He became the Deputy Commissioner of Revenue in 2013 and was one of the architects and lead negotiators for the enabling legislation and commercial agreements that established the Alaska LNG Project. He also served on the Board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority and as staff with the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority. 

In 2015, Pawlowski went to Washington, D.C. to serve as Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Senior Policy Advisor on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. There he worked to develop policies to support the development of the Keystone Pipeline, promote offshore oil and gas development and other vital energy-related issues.  For the past five years, he served as Sen. Murkowski’s Chief of Staff and chief advisor and strategist through attempts to reform the Affordable Care Act, Comprehensive Tax Reform, the opening of the 1002 area of ANWR, three Supreme Court Nominations and the federal response to the global pandemic – among a range of policy issues.

In 2022, Pawlowski co-managed “Alaskans for Lisa”, a Super Pac which was instrumental in helping to re-elect U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski.