Angvik began public life in the 1960s, where she worked for the Minneapolis Model Cities program. The program tackled areas with high rates of poverty, crime, unemployment, and aimed to improve community development. Angvik moved to Alaska in the early 1970s and continued her public life. In 1975, Angvik was elected to the Anchorage Charter Commission, which wrote the charter for the Municipality of Anchorage.[2][3] She was elected as a member of the Anchorage Assembly in 1979 and 1982, and served as the Chair of the Assembly from October 1984 to October 1985.[4][2][3] In 1986, she ran for lieutenant governor.[5][6] She also was the state Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development until December 1990[7] and was the state Director of Lands in the Department of Natural Resources.[2]
Angvik helped in the development of the Alaska Native Heritage Center[2] between 1990 and 1995. She also helped create the Alaska Women's Political Caucus, now known as Alaska Women for Political Action.[8] In 2019, she was a primary sponsor of the Fair Share Act to raise taxes on oil companies,[9][10] which became Ballot Measure 1 in 2020[11][12] and was unsuccessful in the election.[13]
Angvik has been active with the Girl Scouts of Alaska, and was the capital campaign chair to help construct Camp Singing Hills.[14][15]