Who We Are

In 1983, Tom Begich founded Alaska Social Science Research/Alaska Research Associates after completing his BA in History at Bard College. Focused initially on Alaska History, over time the business grew and changed direction. Along with those changes came name changes and an evolving portfolio of services. Incorporated as The Research Group, Inc. (TRG) in the 1990’s, the firm focused on electoral and initiative campaigns and messaging, quantitative and qualitative public opinion research, strategic planning, and community-based initiatives related to substance use prevention, juvenile delinquency and community justice, poverty, and equity. During this time TRG also supported the publication of POL, a magazine of politics and public policy. TRG transitioned in the late 90’s to a new company and format: CW Communications.

CW Communications has focused over the last quarter of a century on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, restorative and community justice, education initiatives including work on the landmark Kasayulieand Moore settlements, as well as strategic and community planning for governments and school districts, private companies, non-profit groups, initiatives, and individuals throughout Alaska and the United States.

By maintaining positive relationships with leaders in these sectors, CW Communications draws upon a wide variety of state, local, national, and even international expertise to address the needs of its clients. Devoted to helping drive positive community change that makes our communities healthier, our justice systems fairer, and our education systems stronger, CW Communications is uniquely equipped to provide hands-on planning and consultation that meets your needs and helps you plan for an ever-changing and volatile future.

Get to know our lead consultant.

Our Clients

What our clients are saying

  • “We were at a successful plateau, ready to scale up or stay the course that we were handling well. When we brought our story to Tom, he re-inspired us. We knew that our work in arts integration education had such a positive impact and we wanted to reach more students and teachers across the state. Tom listened to our hopes and dreams, then gave us resources and guidance to show us how we could make it happen!”

    Jeanne Kitayama AAEC

  • “Tom Begich is a brilliant strategist and sophisticated planner. His ability to communicate and collaborate across sectors in government, community-based organizations and diverse communities has made him an important partner in the work of Reclaiming Futures and an adjunct to our leadership team for more than 25 years.”

    Evan Elkin, Executive Director Reclaiming Futures

  • “Tom possesses extraordinary skills that support development of sustainable organizations and governments and their internal systems. He offers insightful, clear guidance for determining a strategic vision and establishing and implementing goals.”

    Donna Goldsmith, Alaskans for Fair Courts

  • “Tom effectively led our heterogeneous group of justice system stakeholders to identify a common purpose, inclusively facilitated the establishment of a strategic plan, and expertly focused our group on creating a framework for sustaining the collaborative processes to achieve our goals.”

    Tim Marcel St. Charles Parish Reclaiming Futures project