Sandy Harper, with her late husband, actor and director Jerry Harper, co-founded Cyranos in 1987. Five years later, they launched Cyranos Off Center Playhouse as the home of Eccentric Theatre Company, which later became Cyranos Theatre Company. Sandy is now Cyranos producing artistic director emerita, and the legacy and impact of the Harper's efforts to create an artistic community are captured in her newly published memoir, The Little Theatre That Could and Did. Sandy has served as president of the Anchorage Cultural Council, and on the boards of the Last Frontier Theatre Conference (now the Valdez Theatre Conference), the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, the Rasmuson Foundation, and the Anchorage Downtown Association. Among the numerous honors she has received are an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Contribution to Literacy Award, recognitions by the Soroptimist Society for advancing women in the arts and as a YWCA Notable Woman of the Year, the Lorene Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into both the Athena Society and the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame. For more information, visit sandyharperauthor.com.

Pamela Miller founded Alaska Community Action on Toxics in 1997 and serves as its Executive Director. Pam works passionately for environmental and reproductive justice, health, and human rights, with more than 35 years of research, education, and advocacy experience. She was elected in 2016 as Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), a network of more than 600 environmental health and justice organizations working in 124 countries. Among her honors are the Meritorious Service Award from UAA, the Alaska Conservation Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Olaus Murie Award in recognition of her “long-term outstanding professional contributions to the conservation movement in Alaska.” She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wittenberg University and a master’s degree in environmental science from Miami University. Pamela came to Alaska in 1989 following the Exxon Valdez oil spill to serve as a research biologist for Greenpeace. Prior to coming to Alaska, she was director of a marine science education center in Puget Sound, served as Washington’s Ocean Issues Technical Coordinator, and received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Washington State.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zwjyl4p7rju49bn85eym5/PresentationForAUUF20260412.pdf?rlkey=0699op1ocaupe3ip747486klp&dl=0

Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) - https://www.akaction.org

ACAT Legislative Priorities February 2026 - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nx7rohbdf6rjyb9ntuxa1/ACAT_Legislative_Priorities_2026_Revised_2-26-26.pdf?rlkey=t5x3v05wkbtbd9o614x2j6bmd&dl=0

What  you can do to reduce plastics - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x8a2qh94hbawniobmx9na/What-_you_can_do_to-reduce_plastics.pdf?rlkey=cse7hf1ewcssrh75g2xarkkxz&dl=0

IPEN - FOR A TOXICS-FREE FUTURE - https://ipen.org/

Matt Claman first came to Alaska in 1980 to work in a mining camp. After graduating from law school, Matt returned to Alaska to make his home, raise his family, and establish his career. Matt was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2014, the Senate in 2022, is currently chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and is a candidate for Governor in 2026. Prior to service in the State Legislature, Matt served on the Anchorage Assembly beginning in 2007 and served as the Acting Mayor of Anchorage in 2009. An attorney for over 37 years, Matt owned a small law business, taught law classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and served on the Board of Governors of the Alaska Bar Association and as President of the Board in 2007-08. Matt and his wife, Lisa Rieger, raised their two children, Maia and Ben, in Anchorage, where they both graduated from West Anchorage High School.  Along with his public service and work as an attorney, Matt is a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and accomplished commercial river guide in the Grand Canyon. And in the 1990s, Matt served several years on the Board of the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, including one year as our president. 

In this election year, the Forum is providing an opportunity for numerous candidates for various statewide offices and advocates for ballot propositions to speak with us. This is a continuation of our year-round mission to help attendees become better informed about the people and issues that will affect the future of our community and our state. AUUF does not support or oppose any candidates for public office or ballot measures.

Tom Begich is a candidate for Governor of Alaska in the 2026 election. Tom served in the Alaska State Senate from 2017 to 2023 and was the Senate Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023. In the past, he served as a staff assistant to two Majority Leaders in the Alaska State House and Chief of Staff to the Caucus Chair in the State Senate. He has served on numerous boards and commissions in Anchorage and Alaska since 1983. Through his firm CW Communications, Tom has engaged for three decades in strategic planning, community development, facilitation, communications, and training in Alaska and throughout the country in the areas of juvenile justice, restorative and community justice, education, government relations, and media relations. Begich is also a professional musician, writer, and poet.

My Focus For Alaska - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b124joqyy32oxzgf273ic/MyFocusForAlaska.pdf?rlkey=mnojosise0m3z6rcqrm1bq8v0&dl=0

In this election year, the Forum is providing an opportunity for numerous candidates for various statewide offices and advocates for ballot propositions to speak with us. This is a continuation of our year-round mission to help attendees to become better informed about the people and issues that will affect the future of our community and our state. AUUF does not support or oppose any candidates for public office or ballot measures.

Wesley James Furlong is a Senior Staff Attorney at the Native American Rights Fund. Wess practice primarily focuses on protecting Indigenous cultural resources and traditional cultural places and landscapes. Much of this work involves representing Tribal Nations, Tribal consortia and organizations, and Native Hawaiian organizations in large-scale and highly controversial natural resource development and infrastructure projects throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, and Hawai'i. Wes's practice also includes defending Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, repatriation, environmental and natural resources law, voting rights and redistricting, and subsistence rights. Wes grew up outside Seattle, Washington, and lives in Anchorage with his wife Carrie and their dog Skadi.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hrnitfn9xv1lpqocr5qhe/AUUF-Presentation_Furlong.pdf?rlkey=riu56d81lnibyxk9fe0vqzpq3&dl=0

Willie Hensley is an Alaska statesman and Native Elder.  He was instrumental in the creation of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which became law in 1971. He is a co-founder and currently serves as Chair of the First Alaskans Institute. Willie served as Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Business and Public Policy at UAA. He also helped found, and headed, both the Alaska Federation of Natives, and the Northwest Alaskan Natives Association (NANA), an ANCSA regional corporation encompassing his home community of Kotzebue.  Willie received his high school diploma from a boarding school in Tennessee, attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, and graduated from George Washington University with a degree in Political Science. Months after he graduated, he was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives, where he served from 1967 to 1970. He also served twice in the Alaska Senate. His book, Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People, recounts his childhood growing up in rural Alaska and his journey as an Alaskan politician and native rights activist.  Willie and his wife, Abbe, have six children and fourteen grandchildren. 

Anna Taylor is the Executive Director at the Alaska Institute for Justice. She started working with AIJ as a staff attorney in March 2014 at the Juneau office. In February of 2018, she moved to the Anchorage office. Since joining AIJ, Anna has helped clients get U visas, as victims of crime; T visas, as survivors of human trafficking; green cards, as survivors of domestic violence; and asylum, as survivors of persecution. She regularly does presentations on working with immigrant survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Anna graduated from the Washington College of Law at American University. She spent five months representing detained immigrants in Harlingen, Texas, at the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), then moved to Juneau to work for AIJ. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont, majoring in anthropology and history. She enjoys exploring the trails around Anchorage with her retired sled dog.

Slides -https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6ndjvz0b3fasovu9jaqm6/UU_3.8.2026.pdf?rlkey=y2h6w1df4c0io5i3wsu3a9cjs&dl=0

Jenn Bluntach is AUUF's Director of Religious Exploration. Jenn moved to Anchorage with her husband, Ryan, leaving behind their Minnesota roots, when she accepted the DRE position in the Fall of 2024. She has previous experience as an activity director and youth director at a progressive Presbyterian church in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She loves continuing to learn about Unitarian Universalism as it seems to be the faith she was searching for her entire life that she didnt know existed. She has a passion for working with youth and creating a fun, safe, inclusive environment for all. Jenn and Ryan have a blended family of five wonderful childrenfour of whom are now adults, and two adorable grandchildren.

Bill Hill is a lifelong Alaskan. The son of two teachers, Bill spent nearly 25 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. In 2023, he was named Alaska Superintendent of the Year. A Dena’ina Athabascan, Bill grew up in a small village in Bristol Bay. His childhood was spent subsistence fishing and hunting, trapping, and raising and racing sled dog teams with his family. Bill started setnetting as a young kid, before joining his dad on the family drift boat when he was 12. He’s fished every fishing season in Bristol Bay since. He’s also worked union construction jobs in rural Alaska, from building houses to working on remote health clinics and canneries, and the sewer system in the Bristol Bay Borough. Bill and his wife started Bristol Bay Brailer, a textile manufacturing business that supplies custom-made brailers for the commercial fishing fleet. Bill is the father of four, and Chada (grandpa) to 7.  His family has lived in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau, and he and his wife, Diane, are now back in Naknek, a population of 470.

website - https://billhillforalaskans.com

In this election year, the Forum is providing an opportunity for numerous candidates for various statewide offices and advocates for ballot propositions to speak with us. This is a continuation of our year-round mission to help attendees to become better informed about the people and issues that will affect the future of our community and our state. AUUF does not support or oppose any candidates for public office or ballot measures.

Charlene has served in many spaces as an advocate for Indigenous Womxn, Indigenous Sovereignty, climate justice, and Indigenous rights to health and wellbeing. Charlene is a lifelong learner in both her cultural traditions and decolonizing academia. She is a mother to Evan Lukluan. She earned her B.A. in American Ethnic Studies with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, an M.A. in Alaska Native Studies and Rural Development, and a PhD from the Indigenous Studies program at UAF. Charlene gratefully resides in Anchorage on the territories of the Dena'ina peoples. Here she has taught the Iñupiaq language and is part of the Kingikmiut dance group with her son. 

 Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ywzvx9wrnldx783jdj7h0/DIJ_AUUF_FEB2026.pdf?rlkey=w7sipisxn20bkcraz4cv5d0b3&dl=0

Website - https://www.dataforindigenousjustice.org/
 

Asa Hohman earned his law degree and an M.B.A. from the University of Montana and an LL.M. from the University of Washington. Shortly after his admission to the bar, Asa began focusing his practice on immigration and small-business formation for immigrant-owned businesses (as well as other small businesses). He practices in the full breadth of immigration, including asylum and removal defense, but focuses his practice on family-based immigration and business/employment immigration. He is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Alaska Bar Immigration Section, and the Ukraine Immigration Task Force.

 Mayor Suzanne LaFrance grew up in Palmer, Alaska, and is a proud graduate of Alaska’s public schools. She lives in South Anchorage with her husband Dave Hemstreet, their three kids, and their puppy. Mayor LaFrance served two terms on the Anchorage Assembly, including two years as Chair. She brings over 25 years of private sector experience, managing budgets, projects, and people. Mayor LaFrance received a bachelor's degree from the University of Portland and a master's degree from Purdue University. She has volunteered for Great Alaska Schools and has led local scout troops. Mayor LaFrance has lived in Anchorage for over 25 years. She and her husband, Dave Hemstreet, have three children.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b5q9c5te5pomm1yukf4zs/Unitarians02012026.pdf?rlkey=s2yi0y0x0atrmdd5hei2bp2a6&dl=0

Muni Web site - https://www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/Pages/default.aspx

From 1991-2024, Tlingit Joaqlin Estus spent her career primarily as a reporter for public radio and television, and for the national online news platform ICT (formerly Indian Country Today). She has a degree in history from UAA and first worked as a historian for the National Park Service, then moved into coastal management.  She began volunteering at KTOO, the public radio station in Juneau, working on a half-hour talk show on Native issues, then did an internship with Alaska Public Radio Network. This experience turned into jobs at KTOO, Minnesota Public Radio, and KNBA in Anchorage. She covered a range of topics, specializing in Alaska Native history, culture, and issues. She also worked in public communications for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In addition to awards from the Indigenous Journalists Association and Alaska Press Club, Joaqlin was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in October 2025 in recognition of her work as a cultural liaison. She continues to find interesting projects to work on during her retirement.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ywpbc2n6qwm5a3uexryji/Subsistence.pdf?rlkey=8yyglkjmldvjvxkd0on51ntqz&dl=0

Senator Bill Wielechowski has been representing East Anchorage in the State Legislature since 2007. He has served as the President and Executive Board member of the East Anchorage Northeast Community Council, the Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Anchorage School District Budget Review Team. He has held positions on the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board and the Muldoon Town Center Committee. Since 2023, Senator Wielechowski has served on the Senate Leadership team as the Senate Rules Committee Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Resources Committee. Bill earned his B.S. in business management and finance from Seton Hall University in 1989 and his J.D. from the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1992. He was an attorney for IBEW 1547, among others. His contributions have been recognized in numerous ways, from being named Legislator of the Year for the United States by the Vietnam Veterans of America and a Legislative Champion by the Public Safety Employees Association, to being named Hometown Hero in Muldoon. He enjoys fishing, skiing, and mountain biking. A  more complete list of his committee assignments and honors can be found at https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Member/Detail/34?code=wie#tab7_1

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/q884xymr4pfs3plpdzp9k/2026-January-AUUF-presentation.pdf?rlkey=ovdynpkrnn4oxna2zuh2hxc3s&dl=0

Caroline Storm was born in Canada to immigrant parents, one from South Africa and one from Czechoslovakia. Education and learning were central to her home environment, and she was pushed to pursue a professional degree. Educated and licensed as an architect, she left the profession after 25 years in practice to serve as Executive Director of the Coalition for Education Equity in Alaska. Caroline sits on the board(s) of: Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center; Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance and the Alaska Literacy Program (where she volunteer taught Civics for Citizenship). She also sits on the MOA Budget Advisory Commission. An avid road cyclist, she finally completed the Fireweed 200 in 2025 after crashing out of the race in 2018. In all her other spare time, she’s a haphazard gardener, optimistic DIYer, and doting dog mom.

Coroline's email - caroline@ceequity.org

• Dr. Robert Alexander is the CEO and Co-Founder of AuraLab, whose Breathscape app supports deep meditative states by transforming breath into music through biofeedback. Before launching AuraLab, he worked as a NASA fellow at the Goddard Space Flight Center, served as the Chief Innovation Officer at the University of Michigan, and lectured on Sound Design and Psychology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design.  Origin Magazine named him a top creative leader, and his work has been featured in Scientific American, National Geographic, VICE, Science Friday, and the BBC World News Service.  

 
 These links from Robert -
 

• Breathscape
  • YouTube: Guided Breathing Experiences
  • Breathscape iPhone App
• Poem: Rumi - Some Kiss We Want
• Jon Young
  • Wiping Off Road Dust Audio Recording
  • TEDx talk: Repairing Emotional Isolation by Reawakening Deep Nature Connection
• Recommended Books:
  • James Nestor - Breath
  • Andy Caponigro - The Miracle of the Breath
  • Donna Farhi - The Breathing Book
  • There are many others available! 
• Practices:
  • Box Breathing
  • Ujjayi
  • Breath of Fire
  • The Buteyko Method

Members of the fellowship can follow up with me at robert@auralab.io.

Jory Knott is the Executive Director of the Alaska Innocence Project. A lifelong Alaskan, he earned an interdisciplinary degree in art and music at UAA, then moved to Oregon, where he composed music, wrote grants for creative projects, and apprenticed in stone masonry. He became operations manager for a masonry company with stone cutting operations and rock quarries across the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, he moved back to Alaska. He changed his career trajectory, teaching music and art to adults with special needs while attending UAA, pursuing legal studies with a minor in civil engagement. He interned with the Alaska Innocence Project in the fall of 2015. He helped manage the office for months while the Executive Director, Bill Oberly, attended the trial of the Fairbanks Four, who were exonerated that December. Hooked on innocence work, Jory went to law school at the University of Montana, volunteering with the Montana Innocence Project. He returned to extern with AKIP during his last year of law school and has been working there full-time since graduating.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0oh6fju7ip2kadle46g0j/AKIP-AUUF-Powerpoint.pdf?rlkey=nc8et9o3ckchksnk50xzi8uzo&dl=0

Alaska Innocence Project "One Sheet" - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0bvslcxq3s21xbphhhr3p/AKIP-One-Sheet.pdf?rlkey=z5oz32gdp6hdeghzmc8s1qg9n&dl=0

AK Innocence Project website - https://www.alaskainnocenceproject.org

Fairbanks-Four drumming video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx5vvUTEhtk

John Weddleton moved to Anchorage in 1987 after a life of traveling across the country and world, including several years in Istanbul, Lugano, and five years as a dry cabin dweller in Fairbanks. John started his work career as an economic consultant. He now owns a retail business and some commercial properties. John went to a Community Council meeting in 1997, then things got out of hand.  His work through Community Councils, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee led to two terms on the Anchorage Assembly. He is now on the board of the Anchorage Affordable Housing and Land Trust. John's wife, Ronni, patiently allows him time for these activities. John has a master's in economics from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1986, and a B.A. in Political Science from Tulane University, 1980.

Erin Baldwin Day was elected this year to represent Midtown Anchorage, District 4, on the Anchorage Assembly. Erin was born and raised in Alaska, left for college after graduating from East Anchorage High School in 2000, and returned here in 2009 to raise her own family in Midtown. Following fifteen years of service as a local policy advocate, community organizer, pastor, and nonprofit leader, she joins the Assembly with a particular focus on the issues that impact the daily lives of working people in Anchorage: housing supply, childcare access, and transportation infrastructure. Erin lives in University Park with her husband of twenty years, two fantastic teenagers, and a dog named Max. When she's not at work, you might find her flying down a trail on her fat tire bike, whipping up delicious messes in the kitchen, writing bad poetry, or enjoying live music. She lives by the mantra that the long moral arc of the universe only bends toward justice if the people do the pulling.

John's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kxmjnpf3y5ienxn9dxm80/TSDO-Unitarians-12-14-25.pdf?rlkey=ddj71y13kxyfn63klwohb17td&dl=0

Erin's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/55hkd5tecbzeospw2wvh8/UU-Forum-Presentation.pdf?rlkey=tuikxtbci9x5g0eptbh6q3tho&dl=0

 Leon Jaimes (pronounced hi-Mays) is a network security professional who has provided security consulting services to the healthcare, financial services, state and local government, telecommunications, and retail sectors. He has over 20 years of experience in Cybersecurity and Information Technology. He lives with his amazing wife and two amazing children on the traditional lands of the Denaina Athabascans. He enjoys hiking, biking, and skiing with the family. He volunteers as the chair of the House District 20 Democrats and as an IT consultant for the Alaska Black Caucus. 

Margie Harrison has worked in libraries for over thirty years. She planned to go into social work after college, but her career path changed after taking a job at a small urban library. Margie graduated with a Master's Degree in Library Science from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, a couple of years later. Her love of learning and passion for serving and helping others drew Margie to librarianship and eventually to library leadership. Throughout her career, Margie has worked in public and state libraries in various capacities across the U.S., including Michigan, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon, and Louisiana. Margie came to the Anchorage Public Library from southwest Louisiana, where she served as Executive Director of a 13-branch library system. Margie has a servant's heart and a community spirit. She believes libraries are the ultimate community connector, linking people to possibilities, resources, information, and services. Margie is proud to have been selected to serve as the Anchorage Public Library's director and lead our competent, dedicated staff in our mission to connect people to information, education, and community.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ltlv8uexg523h3sofn1m6/UU-Presentation-2025.pdf?rlkey=4kx6wx3m20pqghhh71zy8vfiy&dl=0

Retired Judge Elaine Andrews served as a trial judge for over 20 years in Anchorage.  She served as Presiding Judge of the Third Judicial District from 1996 to 2002.  Prior to assuming the bench in 1981, she was an attorney serving in both the public and private sectors, practicing criminal and civil law.  She is the past chair of the Committee for Fair and Impartial Courts for the Alaska Bar Association.  She was the 2017 Recipient of the Jay Rabinowitz Award for Public Service, the 2016 recipient of the Anchorage Bar Association Distinguished Service Award, and the 2005 recipient of the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award.  She has a grown family of five and enjoys her retreat in the Wrangell-St. Elias area with her husband of 44 years.

Alaskans for Fair Courts: https://akfaircourts.com

Justice NOT Politics: https://www.justicenotpoliticsalaska.org

Alaska Bar Association - Fair & Impartial Courts: https://alaskabar.org/?s=fair+and+impartial+courts

Commission on Judicial Conduct: http://acjc.alaska.gov

Law, Juctice, and the Holocaust - https://vault.ushmm.org/adaptivemedia/rendition/id_9e07f1c26c8a6a740798108ab844bd55074d7e20

Ruth Adolf is an 18-year Police Officer with the Anchorage Police Department (APD). Her extensive experience includes patrol work, specialized Crisis Response, and a key role in developing and implementing APD's successful co-responder model—a concept that pairs officers with mental health professionals in the field. A former member of the Crisis Negotiator Team, Ruth is a dedicated instructor for the department's Crisis Intervention Training (CIT), sharing her expertise with first responders and community members. In her current assignment, Ruth applies her skills to compassionate outreach as a member of APD’s HOPE Team.

Tanya Vandenbos is a Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor (CDC I) and Behavioral Health Clinician (BHC I) with 8 years of service at the Anchorage Police Department. Drawing on prior experience in mental health outreach, case management, and housing support, Tanya was instrumental in bringing the Mobile Intervention Team concept to APD. Today, she plays a vital role in cultivating community resources for both officers and citizens. Tanya is committed to meeting people where they are and currently focuses her expertise on the Homeless Outreach Prevention Engagement (HOPE) Team.

Steve Lindbeck has enjoyed a 45-year career in Alaska journalism, public affairs, and non-profit management. He served as CEO & General Manager for Alaska Public Media, Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Associate Editor of the Anchorage Daily News, and Executive Director of the Alaska Humanities Forum, among other roles. In 2016, he spent an exciting year running for Congress. He has volunteered with many boards and committees, including Progress Alaska, the Rogers Park Community Council, the Anchorage Museum Association, the Alaska World Affairs Council, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and United Way. An Anchorage resident since 1968, he is a graduate of West Anchorage High School and Stanford University. In early 2018, he completed a Master of Science in Organization Development through Pepperdine University. He is married to Patty Ginsburg, a former journalist and consultant who is now retired. He and Patty were recipients of the 2015 Shining Lights Award for service to Alaska.  Steve is also a finisher of the relay team in the Race Across America.

Dr. Brad Cruz, originally from California and Nevada, came to Alaska in 1992 after completing his service in the Air Force to join a Radiology group in Anchorage. He was accompanied by his California-born wife and two young daughters. Over the years, he has been actively involved in competitive running, skiing, and biking, and has volunteered at various sports events in Anchorage, including the Run for Women, Lost Lake Race, and the Gold Nugget Triathlon. Brad worked as a Radiologist at Alaska Regional Hospital and Mat-Su Regional Hospital. He served several terms as Chairman of the Radiology/Pathology Department and on various committees, and for 11 years as an officer and board member of Anchorage Project Access. He retired from his Radiology practice in 2017 to have more time for teaching Anatomy at the UAA campus of the WWAMI Medical School program and working with Skiku. This non-profit travels to rural Alaskan villages to teach cross-country skiing. Brad has also served on the Board of Skiku in various officer positions, while continuing to coach in Gambell and Savoonga, where he began his coaching career in 2015. Brad is an accomplished crew member for a successful Race Across America team.

Trevor Storrs is a professional amateur athlete, who thrives on pushing physical and mental limits. From triathlons to martial arts to long-distance cycling challenges, including competing in the legendary Race Across America, Trevor embraces every race as a test of perseverance, focus, and heart. His commitment to fitness extends beyond competition; it reflects his conviction that discipline, resilience, and teamwork are essential to success both on and off the course. Speaking off the course, during the day, he is an advocate for children and families as the President & CEO of the Alaska Children's Trust, the statewide lead organization focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

Slides -

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/n5n4611olquhk8moqpzzp/TBA-in-RAAM-2025b.pdf?rlkey=hnmbt6ir2ripivfltl0n79rws&dl=0

Note that the following slides have associated videos - 6, 9, 17, 22, 33, 40, 46, 52, 58, 64, & 71. Each of these slides has a link labeled "VIDEO" in the lower right corner. Clicking on this link will open the video in it's own window. You will need to move or close the video window to continue with the slide show.

Julie Green-Graham is a retired teacher who served in the Anchorage School District for 34 years. Married to a lifelong Alaskan, she is the mother of four daughters and Mema to four grandchildren. She is a member of Central Lutheran Church and part of their Local Organizing Ministry team. In 2022, she served on the Anchorage Municipal Emergency Cold Weather Task Force. Her role was to listen to people with lived experiences, hear their stories, learn about their struggles and dreams, and share their insights with the task force.  That experience opened her eyes to the needs of our unhoused neighbors. She was honored with the 2023 Anchored Home Community Volunteer Award from the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. In 2024, Julie founded the nonprofit In Our Backyard to address the need for interim supportive housing for our unhoused senior neighbors.

Thea Agnew Bemben is a Special Assistant to Mayor LaFrance, working to address the interrelated issues of health, homelessness, and public safety. Thea is a lifelong Alaskan who joined the Mayor's Office from her role as Principal and co-owner of Agnew::Beck Consulting, a local firm she co-founded in 2002. Thea brings expertise in health, housing, and human services planning, along with strong experience working with Alaska Native communities, Tribal organizations, and many diverse communities in Anchorage and across Alaska. She has worked on significant projects, including the implementation of Crisis Now, Medicaid Redesign with the State of Alaska, development of the Anchored Home plan, and plans to address youth homelessness in Anchorage, as well as housing initiatives, including Pay for Success. Additionally, she convened the Municipality's Complex Behavioral Health Task Force.

Susanne Fleek-Greene is the Chief of Staff for Anchorage Mayor Susanne LaFrance. She has twenty-five years of experience in management, policy, and politics, focusing on public and private land conservation, environmental protection, Native American rights, and community building. She served as Superintendent of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve until recently. Before joining the Park Service, she served as Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s Chief of Staff and as State Director for U.S. Senator Mark Begich. She also worked for Anchorage’s Office of Economic and Community Development, for the United States Senate in Washington, DC, and as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Born and raised in Alaska, Susanne has lived in Yakutat, King Salmon, and Anchorage.  She is a Sealaska shareholder and a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Susanne has a B.A. and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.   

In our backyard_Alaska Website - https://inourbackyard-ak.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InOurBackyardAK

Julie's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2ngjy50q8pz5ppolxgeof/JulieUnitarianPresentation-pdf.pdf?rlkey=on0e0gg0qmny7v25krz16cacg&dl=0

Thea's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p4y5kp9ojvnu0wkbl7bie/TheaCommunitySafetyPriorities2026.pdf?rlkey=l5e8g8b9lrfvtp5o1o1bv8uuu&dl=0

Sussanna's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/d9avf4socj5rucvbdsiii/SusannaSalesTax

Monica Lee is a Director of Operations for Southcentral Foundation. In her role, she supports SCF’s Specialty Care Services division, assisting with the smooth operation of services for customer-owners. She is responsible for the daily operations and growth of 20 different departments at SCF, providing both local and statewide health care for Alaska Native families. Prior to her current role, Monica worked as a Senior Improvement Advisor for SCF’s Medical Services Division, a Business Advisor for SCF’s Learning Institute, and in SCF’s Human Resources department. Monica holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, as well as a Graduate Certification in Alaska Native Executive Leadership and a SHRM-CP Certification from the Society of Human Resource Management. Monica is an SCF customer-owner with a background of Inupiaq and Korean descent.

Dawson Hoover is an Administrator for Southcentral Foundation, working directly with the Complementary Medicine, Laboratory, Radiology, Traditional Healing, and Pharmacy departments.  Dawson was born in Bethel, grew up in Kasigluk, and is of Yup’ik descent. He graduated from high school at Akula Elitnaurvik and earned a BA in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He completed the Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program (2022-2023 cohort) at the Alaska Pacific University. Dawson comes from a family of educators—both parents are retired K-12 educators. His better half, Seralee, grew up in Kwigillingok and is a Yup’ik teacher at the Alaska Native Culture Charter School here in Anchorage. They have four children, all of whom were born here on the Alaska Native Health Campus – Dejahn, Drake, Ravenna, and Serai.  His family enjoys fishing and camping with friends throughout Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xavub0ndg4eozlmy9k1nc/Typhoon_Halong_2025_Presentation.pdf?rlkey=5838w3zqcu6isbia18f77sraw&dl=0

Shirley Mae Springer Staten has called Anchorage, Alaska, home for over 45 years, dedicating her life to building bridges across race, class, culture, and generations. As an artist, educator, speaker, and cultural connector, she is known for her exuberance, compassion, and commitment to community and global understanding through the arts. In 2015, she founded Keys to Life, a nonprofit focused on cross-cultural connection through storytelling, artistic expression, and community gatherings. As executive director, she has led initiatives such as the Anchorage Cross-Cultural Summit, Camp Kaleidoscope for youth, Winter Voices, and the What Is the Meaning of Homea project designed for unhoused community members. Her work also includes projects with incarcerated parents and underserved youth, including the Hidden Roots documentary and the Eyes Closed exhibit.  Shirley Mae has coordinated statewide cultural and educational efforts, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Alaska Native Heritage Center conferences, and the Alaska Humanities Forums educator immersion programs. She has also contributed to museum and Smithsonian exhibits, led international youth travel programs, and created arts-based educational performances.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wfcgkjq90mtzwvleek876/ShirleyMaeSpringerStatenSlides.pdf?rlkey=nq4letmwp5pmw5v3q6ru3940m&dl=0

Keys to Life website - https://www.keystolifealaska.com/

Cathleen McLaughlin is the CEO of Restorative and Reentry Services (“RSS”). She has worked in law and advocacy for over 35 years.  In 2014, Cathleen became the Director of the Partners Reentry Center, which provided pre- and post-release reentry services to vulnerable individuals who would otherwise be released from incarceration to homelessness.  This experience inspired her to open RRS in 2016 to provide guidance to communities around the United States seeking to create their own community-based reentry programs. In April of 2020, RRS was hired to manage the emergency homeless shelter at the Sullivan Arena.  During the height of the pandemic, it was the largest congregate shelter in the US.  RSS currently works with the Mayor’s office, doing oversight for all homeless shelters in Anchorage, coordinates with the Anchorage Safety Patrol, serves as site manager for the In Our Backyard program, which operates the tiny home shelters at Central Lutheran, and is otherwise deeply involved in addressing many aspects of homelessness in our community. Cathleen received both her law degree and her MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.  She also holds a bachelor’s degree in History/Political Science from the University of Montana.

Emily Robinson is the Chief Operating Officer of RRS. She has worked with high-needs individuals and vulnerable families with young children since 2011 through platforms such as Head Start/Early Head Start and the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School. In 2021, Emily built a completely new program for the Anchorage School District, called Play to Learn Playgroups, targeting families with high needs, helping caregivers build tools and strategies to prevent or lessen the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Emily shifted to RRS in July of 2024 to work specifically with unhoused individuals and families. She specializes in trauma-informed practices, generational trauma, and the effects of childhood trauma on the brain into adulthood. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages and International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound, a Post-Baccalaureate in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University.

Restorative and Reentry Services website - http://restorativereentryservices.com

Slides -https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iq6qhui7rtlusijcprlnq/10.12.25-Presentation-RRS.pdf?rlkey=yq0cwngbpbxfxjp083yeuqrjj&dl=0

Felix Rivera came to Alaska for college and never left. He earned his BA in Liberal Studies at Alaska Pacific University. While studying journalism there, he covered local events and also wrote for an international wire service. His work as Constituent Relations and Special Assistant for the Mayor's Office helped to prepare him for his role as an Anchorage Assembly Member and Chair. During his time on the Assembly, Felix has chaired the Assembly as well as its Municipal Audit Committee and Quality Municipal Services Committee, served on the Housing & Homelessness and the Public Health & Safety Committees, among a number of others, and was the Assembly’s liaison to the Alaska Municipal League. He has made an effort to make a difference in the lives of people in his community, not only through his Assembly service, but also by serving on the boards of directors for nonprofits such as the Alaska Institute for Justice, the Public Transit Advisory Board, and the Alaska Youth Court. He is particularly proud of having helped fight for and eventually obtain protections for LGBTQ Anchorage residents in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Yareth Rosen came to Alaska in 1987 to work for the Anchorage Times. She has been reporting on Alaska news ever since, covering stories ranging from oil spills to sled-dog races. She has reported for Reuters, the Alaska Dispatch News, Arctic Today, and other organizations. She covers environmental issues, energy, climate change, natural resources, economic and business news, health, science, and Arctic concerns — subjects with considerable overlap. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, but misses many of her son's hockey games since he's now in college in Boston.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/09zemn54l846u4s618shi/UAFPresentationWithAdditiono.pdf?rlkey=3wxextpc3tprd6839v4zcq9v3&dl=0

 Rev Lisa Adams Sherry is the settled minister for the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  She grew up in Oregon as part of a blended family.  Her main interests growing up were dancing and theatre--she performed a lot!  Another highlight was learning French and spending her junior year of college in France. Lise is married to Nelson, and together they have two boys (Kennen and Derek) and a daughter-in-law, Maria.  They’ve lived in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, and Massachusetts.  Lise received her M.Div. from Meadville Lombard in Chicago.  Nature, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition inform her religious life.  Social justice, multi-generational worship services, and pastoral care are some of her favorite parts of ministry.  Lise also enjoys hiking, bicycling, reading, gardening, movies, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0m9zpmqcl7bbx6fkx5k6k/Musings-on_from-the-Camino-2025.pdf?rlkey=wpk8ag35ma0ql0f5apl9djapc&dl=0

Jane Angvik has been involved in Alaska public life since 1973. After serving on the Anchorage Charter Commission, she was elected to the Anchorage Assembly and became the first woman to serve as Assembly Chair. She has managed state agencies, coordinated a foundation, planned and built facilities, and assisted communities across Alaska in planning their infrastructure and long-range economic strategies. Jane has also taught many women how to conduct campaigns for public office.

Lisa Parker is a fourth-generation Alaskan with over 50 years of public service. She won her first election in 1975, at the age of 19, to the Anchorage Charter Commission. She is Vice Mayor for the City of Soldotna, has served for 14 years on the Soldotna City Council, and is the current President of the 165-member Alaska Municipal League.

Website - https://www.muni.org/50/PressReleases/Pages/Reflections-from-the-Past.aspx

APRN interview with Jane Angvik - https://alaskapublic.org/news/anchorage/2025-08-29/jane-angvik-one-of-the-architects-of-anchorages-charter-reflects-on-50-years-of-a-unified-municipality

East Anchorage Book Club Podcast with Andrew Gray - July 15, 2024 - Season 4•Episode 5 - The Unification of Anchorage 1975: Jane Angvik, Charter Commission Member - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1875228/episodes/15381921-the-unification-of-anchorage-1975-jane-angvik-charter-commission-member?t=0

East Anchorage Book Club Podcast with Andrew Gray - July 22, 2024 - Season 4•Episode 6 - Lisa Parker: Anchorage Charter Commissioner & Soldotna City Council Member - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1875228/episodes/15450310-lisa-parker-anchorage-charter-commissioner-soldotna-city-council-member

East Anchorage Book Club Podcast with Andrew Gray - July 08, 2024 - Season 4•Episode 4 - Jane Angvik: Founding Mother of Anchorage - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1875228/episodes/15376774-jane-angvik-founding-mother-of-anchorage

Ed Ulman is the President & CEO of Alaska Public Media (AKPM), Alaska's largest PBS, NPR, and statewide news organization. He joined AKPM nine years ago, having previously served as Executive Director and General Manager of the public television station in Tacoma. During his tenure, Ulman has led teams that revitalized local television production, expanded statewide enterprise journalism efforts, and established AKPM as a CPB-PBS Ready To Learn station. AKPM has earned multiple National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Regional Emmys, Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, and two National Edward R. Murrow Awards. Ulman shifted community engagement activities by focusing on localizing national content and delivering Alaskan stories to national public media audiences. America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) awarded Ulman the 2024 Excellence in Innovation Award "...for his groundbreaking leadership providing innovative public services throughout the State of Alaska and overcoming the challenge of reaching the State’s most remote communities." Ulman serves on the boards of PBS, America’s Public Television, the Alaska Broadcasters Association, and the United Way of Anchorage.

For a more complete bio, see https://alaskapublic.org/people/ed-ulman

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s64leoa146xfvqln7f5dp/Public-Media-Philanthropy-Presentation-EU-Version.pdf?rlkey=fyyv9jw0cuwj5w0y8kde9lcww&dl=0

Dr. Steven Konkel is passionate about connecting the environment and human health. He has worked at two national energy laboratories conducting energy assessments, policy analysis, and environmental evaluations of projects. He served as a Policy Analyst and Strategic Planner during Gov. Jay Hammond’s second Administration, with overall responsibility for rural and remote energy planning, energy R&D, and conservation and renewable energy programs. Dr. Konkel is currently an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at UAA, where he teaches courses in dispute resolution, Arctic Policy, Sustainability, and Governance. In 2003, Steve received the National Environmental Health Association’s Sabbatical Exchange Ambassador Award, which included a bench at King’s College, University of London, and visits to environmental health programs in nine EU countries. He held a Fulbright professorship at the Dublin Institute of Technology and was instrumental in establishing the Environmental Health Sciences Institute there. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Policy & Conflict Resolution from MIT, and holds a Master's in City Planning (MCP) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design with a specialization in environmental economics and natural resources management.

For a more complete biography - https://sites.google.com/site/rskonkel/home/biography?authuser=0

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bmhc6nzsp3mx7qsstj54f/AUUF31AugustBellwetherAlaskaClimate-Health-DrSteveKonkel.pdf?rlkey=i3r0bguu41tbi7x9y809n17qn&dl=0

 Douglas Eby, MD, MPH, has worked as a physician executive in support of Alaska Native people for over 30 years.  He has been the VP of Medical Services for the Baldrige Award-winning Southcentral Foundation for over 25 years, and helps jointly oversee the Alaska Native Medical Center.  While based in Anchorage, SCF manages and supports clinics across a huge swath of southern Alaska and partners with the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in providing support through the tribal health system to the entire state of Alaska.  He speaks and consults in many places nationally and internationally on health policy and a range of healthcare-related topics in addition to his work in support of Alaska Native People.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7fsgfay3pq07ctnsihwfm/Tribal-Health-System-Overview-08-2025.pdf?rlkey=y7ktvrs3341qe1drusg2jhamd&dl=0

Judith Anderegg and David Pelto have more than 100 years of life in Alaska between them.  Judith came to Anchorage with her family in 1957; David's family arrived in Juneau in 1966.  Both attended colleges in the lower forty-eight before returning to Alaska to live. Judith worked in the Hammond administration for the Coastal Zone Management program.  In 1980, Judith received her teaching certificate and began a teaching career, joining David in Kake, where he had been teaching since 1978.  Judith and David moved to Palmer in 1982.  Judith returned to the Alaska state government and worked three years for then Senate President Jalmar Kerttula. David taught English and theatre for 20 years in the Mat-Su Borough.  He taught there until his retirement in 2002.  Judith returned to teaching in 1985 and taught fourth grade until her retirement in 2003. Judith and David moved south in 2019 to Washington, but they still have their remote cabin. They return to Alaska to enjoy the cabin in the fall to hear the leaves fall off the trees, and in the spring to cross-country ski. While they enjoy their life in Washington, they feel blessed to have lived for so many years in Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zamt60zmw5phj8k6jy4df/Slideshow.pdf?rlkey=x2shoofr2x9jdrq9apdx0ynxi&dl=0

Sophia is a coach, athlete, bodyworker, and lifelong learner. She is passionate about human resilience, building teams, and uplifting passionate people. After several years of rowing competitively in flat water, Sophia set her eyes on the ocean, and in 2022, she and her team, Latitude 35, set the world record for the fastest women's team to row from California to Hawaii. A seasonal resident of Palmer, along with her commercial pilot husband, Logan Walters, Sophia currently serves as head coach of the Anchorage Rowing Association.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bx4jjn00xetaskwwrf93m/Anchorage-Unitarian.pdf?rlkey=xw9murcktovspgpv82oqes4hj&dl=0

Rose O'Hara-Jolley is state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, working to protect and promote reproductive and LGBTQ2+ health, rights, and justice. They oversee statewide advocacy programs, policy and legislative efforts, and Planned Parenthood’s local and state electoral programs, including ballot initiatives. Rose began as the Fairbanks organizer and then became Field Manager for Planned Parenthood before becoming State Director.  Rose grew up in north Florida, one of the first on their dad's side to graduate high school, and attended the University of Florida. They earned bachelor's degrees in Special Education and Early Childhood Education, and then a master's degree, focusing on hope in young children. Rose moved to Brooklyn and helped create New York’s first fully inclusive public school focused on an integrated constructivist curriculum. Rose continued as a kindergarten teacher and curriculum developer in New York City until a short visit to Alaska in their early 30’s led them to buy their first car and move to Cantwell, close to Denali National Park, where they learned to mush, ice skate, chop wood, and snow machine.

Planned Parenthood - Great-Northwest-Hawaii-Alaska-Indiana-Kentucky https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-great-northwest-hawaii-alaska-indiana-kentuck

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates - https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-alliance-advocates/about-us

Plan "C" - https://www.plancpills.org/

Northwest Abortion Access Fund - https://nwaafund.org/

Daniel Gwynn was sentenced to death in Philadelphia in 1994 after being convicted of first-degree murder, arson, and aggravated assault in the death of Marsha Smith. Thirty years later, in February 2024, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office dismissed all charges in the case, acknowledging that Gwynn was wrongfully convicted and unjustly imprisoned for nearly three decades. According to the DA-s Office statements at the lime, Gwynn's case offered "a cautionary tale of tunnel vision in policing and prosecution.

Daniel's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rkdkzerlkpf7ha1ap16zh/slideshow-presentation.pdf?rlkey=6kqfemkp190n60r29bxgty1d0&dl=0

Flyer for Fish Fry, Thursday, July 31, 2025 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Lidia Selkregg Chalet, Russian Jack Springs Park, Anchorage - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yzshisup32bazhioswqtk/FishFry.pdf?rlkey=6rwzpciajnge1i4ihuxkahksh&dl=0

Dennis Arashiro is a longtime member of AUUF and is the Executive Board President of the Alaska Japanese American Citizens League of Alaska.

Laura Norton-Cruz is a licensed master social worker (LMSW), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), lifelong advocate for children and families, former teacher and victim advocate, artist, and a mother of two wonderful elementary-aged children. She grew up in Anchorage, and attended Mount Holyoke College for undergrad and University of Michigan for graduate school. Laura has lived in Oaxaca, Mxico, and Bogot, Colombia, and taught 3rd grade in a Spanish-English dual immersion program in Californias Bay Area. Laura has also worked and traveled extensively throughout rural Alaska. She has received arts awards, an Alaskas Top 40 under 40 award, and is the only Alaskan to have been selected to Robert Wood Johnson Foundations Culture of Health Leaders program. She is part of the Early Childhood in Alaska Documentary Series Team, working together with Joshua Albeza Branstetter on creative photography and film projects.

The video that Laura used - https://vimeo.com/1078648558?share=copy

NOTE: Laura showed the video she made about the Infant Learning Program (ILP) with Josh Branstetter. When the film starts (at he 9'35" mark of the podcast), and you are listening to the podcast recording, you can pause the audio podcast and move ahead the 31'35" mark. You can start the video (link above) to get the full visual effect.

Laura's website about page - https://www.lauranortoncruzconsulting.com/about

Webpage on Laura's website with links to other videos - https://www.lauranortoncruzconsulting.com/our-team

Laura was joined in her Forum presentation by Amy Simpson, executive director of Programs for Infants and Children (PIC). https://www.picak.org/

Kay Brown is a former state official, political strategist and media specialist who moved to Alaska in 1976.  Kay has broad experience in political, non-profit and public arenas, including 10 years of service as an Alaska State Representative.  After leaving the legislature, she helped assemble and lead a large coalition of Alaska environmental groups, the Alaska Conservation Alliance and Voters. She also served as Director of Oil and Gas for the State of Alaska, and Executive Director of the Alaska Democratic Party. She currently chairs the Alaska Progressive Donor Table and works as Arctic Policy Director for Pacific Environment. A journalist by training, Kay is the founder of Alaska Women Ascend, a training program for progressive women candidates and campaign staff. Kay was inducted into the Alaska Womens Hall of Fame in 2017 for achievement in public policy and politics. She has a B.A. in journalism from Baylor University. After living in Alaska for 48 years, she and her husband Mark Foster recently moved to Palm Springs, CA.

Larry Michael is a retired school psychologist who landed in Bethel, AK in 1982 answering a newspaper ad.  For half his career he traveled to villages by airplane and for the other half he drove a car to schools in the ASD.  He now runs a B&B with his husband in downtown Anchorage. Their modern family is comprised of five children and two grandchildren from diverse backgrounds. Raised conservative Christian, Larry now challenges Christian Nationalism for its threats to religious liberty and pluralistic democracy.  His favorite podcast, Straight White American Jesus, ignited his knowledge on the topic. One does not have to be straight, white and a Christian to be a true American! Larry is an elder at First Presbyterian and involved in many community activities and organizations including the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Center for Psychosocial Development, and the Third Avenue Radicals.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3vjj57pzk0vm8q60k8qfr/ChristianNationalism.pdf?rlkey=0yfvb6zkoqks76zcgfhg5v7xg&dl=0

Heba El-Hendi is the Senior Director at CSS’s Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, bringing over a decade of experience in international development, refugee rights advocacy, and program management. She has worked with UNHCR and USAID, focusing on service delivery, community relations, and partnerships—including work in Western Sahara and Algiers. A Fletcher School graduate from Tufts University, she holds a master’s in human security, refugee & migration studies, and development economics, and earned her bachelor’s at Emory University. She held a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship in Morocco, and was a PeacePlayers International Fellow in Jerusalem. More recently, she served as Leadership Academy Director for PeacePlayers International. Passionate about supporting vulnerable populations, she has dedicated her career to addressing global inequality and conflict.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hfgo4ld5mdb0d4mt68br0/PPT_for_062925_AUUF_Forum_HebaEl-Hendi_RAIS.pdf?rlkey=cyrqed1eik0mc0zi4mp797rje&dl=0

Nina Kempell is currently owner of the consulting company, Altius, Fortius where she is working with the Alaska Cultural Trust to develop a fundraising campaign to enable the Trust to provide grants directly to arts and culture organizations. Previously, Kemppel was CEO at the Alaska Community Foundation where she oversaw many successful programs such as Pick.Click.Give and the Social Justice Fund, and partnered with the State to distribute $70 million in COVID-19 grant support to nonprofit organizations.  Nina has also served as the CEO at the Alaska Humanities Forum, a principal at the Coraggio Group in Oregon and a consultant at the global consulting firm, Oliver Wyman. She holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business. Prior to her business career, Kemppel had an international nordic ski racing career spanning 13 years that included a record-breaking 18 U.S. National Championships and four Olympic Winter Games. Kemppel has also won the Mount Marathon race nine times, eight consecutively. She also served on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Olympic Committee from 2010 to 2018.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/syq7lcv7u6p9q946dnxpq/AUUF_Alaska-Cultural-Trust-Presentation_06.22.2025_PDF2.pdf?rlkey=klkqarr06qrdmqazvmkmjikho&dl=0

Tim Bradneris publisher of the Alaska Economic Report and Alaska Legislative Digest, and has written extensively on Alaska natural resource and economic issues.  He has lived and worked in Alaska since 1962, attending the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and then working as a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Tundra Times, an Alaska Native weekly newspaper. As a journalist Bradner covered the Alaska Native lands claims movement in the 1960s and its settlement in 1971, the major oil discoveries on the North Slope and early planning for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. He joined BPs external affairs group in 1970 and represented the company before the state Legislature until 1985. His work for BP gave him working insights into an international energy company as well as Alaskas efforts in oil and gas tax and environmental policy. He attended Harvards Kennedy School of Government in 1985 and 1986 and returned to Alaska with a Master of Public Administration. Since 1986 Bradner has been co-publisher of the family-owned Alaska Legislative Digest and Alaska Economic Report with his brother Mike, now deceased. The publishing business he started with his now-deceased brother, Mike, he now continues with his wife, Shehla Anjum, an editor, and his daughter Saira, who manages the companys information systems.

Aubrey Wieber is Executive Director of the 907 Initiative, a public policy watchdog organization based in Anchorage. The 907 Initiative uses mass communications to deliver information on elected officials and issues to Alaskans through a variety of paid advertising platforms. Recent programs include long-term campaigns focusing on former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, increasing the base student allocation for public education, and taking funding away from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority to fund critical programs. Before working in political communications, Aubrey was a newspaper reporter throughout the greater Northwest, including working for the Anchorage Daily News.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/18vgc89k1ummdptjwvm6c/AUUF-June-2025.pdf?rlkey=e61j497h5oueqq0fjr0vi2s1t&dl=0

Be aware of "An event for writing letters and postcards to Senator Murkowski" in support of Medicaid and Planned Parenthood, this Tuesday, 10 June, at the fellowship from 6:30 to 88:30 PM.

Löki Gale Tobin was elected in 2022 to represent District I (downtown Anchorage and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) in the Alaska Senate.  Born and raised in Nome, she is a University of Alaska Anchorage graduate and holds a master’s degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Peace Corps Master’s International Program, having served as a Youth Development Volunteer in Azerbaijan from 2008-2011. Currently, she's a PhD candidate at UAF; her research topic is focused on culturally responsive education. Löki has worked in marketing and communications for Alaskan nonprofits like Boys & Girls Clubs, Kawerak, and the Alaska Community Foundation. She was also a certified fundraiser for the Anchorage Museum. Löki met her mentor, Tom Begich, on one of his many trips to Nome, and eventually joined his legislative team in Juneau as Policy Director. Löki has worked to expand universal, voluntary pre-K across Alaska, protect renters and homeowners from predatory insurance practices, and recognize the resiliency and continued saliency of the Alaska constitution. She's an avid bicycle commuter and community volunteer.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mk19ubvg54adnyn6e2vhb/2025AnchorageUU.pdf?rlkey=lewcem18w4uawhpekfxbvju8z&dl=0

email - Sen.Loki.Tobin@akleg.gov

Dr. Jennifer Schmidt works at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska, as an associate professor of Natural Resource Management and Policy. She has been at ISER since 2015, and before that was in Norway for a few years and Fairbanks since 2002.  Jens research revolves around humans and the environment, which means her interests are broad.  Currently she works on wildfire risk and resilience, food/water/energy security, and land use.  Some of the tools she uses are spatial analysis, surveys, interviews, and workshops. Jen earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and in Genetics and Cellular Biology of University of MinnesotaTwin Cities in 1999, and her Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology from University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2007.

For Dr. Schmidts CV, see https://iseralaska.org/people/name/jennifer-schmidt/

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sxivkp8b8ns8lywc6l7x8/Living-with-Wildfire1.pdf?rlkey=mg8f46rciio59q2slhak24zxu&dl=0

There are video's associated with pages 2 & 28 of the PDF file. If you click on the images on those pages, the videos should open in a webbrowser tab or page. Let me know if you have questions.

Ken Blaylock has lived in Alaska for over 50 years. He served over 20 years in the military, earned a Bronze Star Medal from service in Iraq, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Ken has been a whistleblower on drugs, sexual assaults, and illegal expenditures of money that led to the removal of multiple senior personnel from the Alaska Army National Guard. He is a small business owner, running his own martial arts school, where he is an instructor.  He is also a Certified Master Gardener, a beekeeper, and owns and operates a farm.

Jenny McNulty came to Alaska in 2021 to serve as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at University of Alaska Anchorage. Before that, she spent 25 years in big sky country, as a professor and administrator at University of Montana. She majored in both chemistry and mathematics at Providence College, graduating in 1985, then earned her master's degree in mathematics at Stony Brook University, and her Ph.D. in Mathematics in1993 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She taught for a number of years at University of Montana before transitioning to associate dean in UMs College of Humanities and Sciences in 2010. She held that position for eight years before becoming the interim dean and then transferring to UMs Western campus to serve as the interim provost for a year before accepting her current role at UAA. In 2018, she traveled to the University of Gondar in Ethiopia as a Fulbright Scholar, working with mathematicians there on curriculum design, mentoring a new group of female faculty with little prior teaching experience that the university had recently hired.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/pgy7s0admetbx7igmgozf/CAS-Overview-2025.pdf?rlkey=pbxspxj0qwczud6bb6oe5uu29&dl=0

Harlow Robinson is Founding Member of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. He has been involved with Healthy Futures since 2006, initially serving as an advisory board member, and since 2012 serving as its Executive Director. Prior to his current position, Harlow worked with at-risk youth for 15 years as a direct care staff, supervisor and manager. He has served on numerous boards and commissions and is on the Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation Commission. An accomplished mountain runner, Harlow is involved in organizing numerous Alaska sporting events. Harlow earned a bachelors degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Evergreen State College in Washington in 1986, and a bachelors in Journalism from University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1992.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kxyrzc509ot9w6dpp44oj/HF-Presentation-2025-v2.pdf?rlkey=2932htu1ycgvcisoefebx128p&dl=0

This Sunday the Forum celebrated National Poetry Month by hearing about and listening to poetry of Alaska Poet Laureate Tom Sexton, who died last month. Hear a variety of readers, and maybe a surprise or two.

choral music piece used to set five of Tom’s poems to music - https://libbylarsen.com/works/alaska-spring/

Poems read during choral music - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/32kfdncynhujnze5kvu2r/Five-Sexton-Poems.pdf?rlkey=d8nlzesz8c6jgjl2tp6yd7x2i&dl=0

Dr. Royce Fitts is a holistic and clinical psychotherapist, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a certified dream worker, and a liberal theologian with a doctorate in ministry. He is the author of The Geography of the Soul: Dreams, Reality and the Journey of a Lifetime, which blends memoir, political and social consciousness, and spiritual wisdom and explores relationships between physical and spiritual landscapes, personal and collective histories, and night-time dreams and how they weave together to reveal and heal the wounds of our lifetime. Originally from western Nebraska, he earned a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 1992, was a Clinical Fellow in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, and is ordained and certified as a Dream Work Minister and Facilitator through the Marin Institute for Projective Dream Works. He is in Alaska for a year on special assignment at JBER as a Military and Family Life Counselor.

Slides (there are just 2) - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/d2kdpl30s9weqg099gsdc/RoyceForum.pdf?rlkey=vz4ci52jxpx6xph5gjqrdv981&dl=0

Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Alaska Public Media. She covers the state's congressional delegation, public lands, and resource development policy from the nation's capital and Anchorage. She has worked at Alaska Public Media since 2013. She previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News and started her career at the Homer News. She graduated from West Anchorage High School and the University of Washington. She has a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. In addition to her news stories, Liz writes a fortnightly newsletter called Alaska At-Large. Outside of work, Liz is an avid baker of bread. She likes hiking and skiing, exploring historical sites around D.C., and visiting her little house in Anchorage.

Contact Liz by email at lruskin@alaskapublic.org.

Alaska At-Large newsletter sign-up - https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/e89fZVl/AKAtLarge

Brad Hillwig is an award-winning filmmaker, journalist, and communications professional driven by the art of innovative storytelling. During a career in Alaska media that spans more than two decades, Brad has developed and produced television shows for U.S. cable networks, created brand-defining commercial campaigns, and directed documentaries in some of Alaska's most remote places. In 2021, Brad launched Greatland Studios, a startup production company built around authentic, community-based documentary storytelling. Using an immersive, cinematic style, Brad's films range from independent documentaries to brand-funded content that defies traditional marketing. At the core of his work is a simple mission: to tell purpose-driven stories that capture unique aspects of the human experience. Brad holds an MBA from UAA (2010), where he now serves as the 2024/25 Atwood Chair of Journalism.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8n6fkowdrp2pbkqa55wqm/Atwood-Presentation-DECK-AUUF-March-2025.pdf?rlkey=cnjw13plwexp55kd9jo50pnoj&dl=0

The PDF contains short video clips embedded on pages 4, 10, 14, 17, and 24. To start the videos, you must click on those pages.

You can see other work by Brad, visit his website, and/or contact him -

Work: https://vimeo.com/greatlandstudios

Website: https://greatlandstudios.com/

Email: brad@greatlandstudios.com

Meg Parsons was born and raised in Berkeley, California, in the 50s-60s.  She enjoyed what the city and state provided for education and uprearing.   She received a BA from Humboldt State College.  She left the wet weather and logging industry of the Pacific Northwest to come to Alaska for the summer in 1975, ended up in Homer, and is still smitten with the beauty and spirit of Alaska after fifty years. She joined Friends of AK National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) while attending the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer in 2016.  Since then, Meg has done volunteer work at Tetlin NWR and Izembek NWR, and on the Friends Outreach Committee, participated in the Friends 2024 Discovery Trip rafting the Kisalarik River in Yukon Delta NWR, and rafted the North Fork of the Marsh River bird-watching and hiking in the Arctic NWR.

Poppy Benson is Vice President for Outreach for Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges. She has been involved in Friends for all 20 years, first as a refuge employee coordinating with Friends and after retirement from the Fish & Wildlife Service as a Friends Board member.  Prior to her 2014 retirement, she was the supervisory park ranger for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge based in Homer, founding the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival and developing the Islands & Ocean Refuge Visitor Center. She also taught a two-semester class on Alaska's wildlife refuges for Anchorage OLÉ! (Opportunities for Lifelong Education) and lobbied in Washington for increased funding for refuges. Poppy has a degree in Forest Recreation from the University of Minnesota, where she was raised. She moved to Alaska 40 years ago after working in natural resources in Minnesota, Oregon, and Nevada.  She lives in Homer and loves camping, boating of all kinds, from kayaks to liveaboards, skiing, fishing, birding, and hiking.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/86t3wmlzt9b1d51wdba5s/Friends-outreach-presentation-2025-big-screen-for-presentation.pdf?rlkey=6addrvetuebkfds8p5o2o7hz3&dl=0

Kachemak Shorebird Festival - https://kachemakshorebird.org/

Dr. Jack Hickel is the Board President of the Alaska Health Project South Sudan. Jack was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He has an MD degree and is board-certified with the American Board of Family Medicine.  Jack has a Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Diploma from the Republic of South Africa. He worked in Eswatini, Africa, for 16 years, from 1982 to 1997. While there, he was the Chief Medical Officer of a large urban hospital and a small rural hospital and, at various times, was also the medical director of 16 rural clinics. Dr. Hickel worked with Alaska Natives from 2000 to 2024. In 2008 he co-founded the Alaska Sudan Medical Project, now called the Alaska Health Project South Sudan, which delivers hope and health to Old Fangak and other desperate villages along the Nile River, and helps to save countless lives by building a new health center, a tuberculosis clinic, providing clean water, and establishing small farms.   

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9xme6n5icbr0fxlgdhyfm/Jack-Hickel-Cruise-2024.pdf?rlkey=yq5bfmg6r2dpjhksla7har8iw&dl=0

Slides 32-38, 40, 43, and 45 contain links to videos. The video does not auto-play. You have to click on the slide.

Molly Southworth is an endocrinologist, retired from the Alaska Tribal Health System, a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Medical Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage / WWAMI. She is also the Past Regent of the American College of Physicians. Molly graduated from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and as an undergraduate, she studied music and chemistry at Oberlin College. She served as principal harpist for the Anchorage Symphony for 11 years.  Molly is married to Bret Haering, and they have three adult children, Russell, Don, and Celia, who grew up in the AUUF RE Program.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/fevd5079lqjtgao/Obeslty%20%26%20Health%20in%20Our%20Community%20AUUF%201.pdf?dl=0

Venus of Willendorf - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Willendorf

Dove commercial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

Dove Self Esteem Project - https://www.dove.com/us/en/dove-self-esteem-project.html

Suzanne LaFrance was elected as the mayor of Anchorage in 2024. Before becoming mayor, she represented South Anchorage on the Anchorage Assembly from 2017 to 2023. She served as Assembly Chair from 2021 to 2023, was Chair of the Assembly's Budget and Finance Committee, and Co-Chair of its Health Policy Committee. She also served on the board of the Alaska Municipal League. She is a 25-year Anchorage resident with 25 years of private sector experience, managing budgets, projects, and people. LaFrance grew up in Palmer and is a proud graduate of Alaska's public schools. After graduating from Palmer High School, she earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Portland and her masters from Purdue University. LaFrance has also volunteered with Great Alaska Schools Anchorage and the Rabbit Creek Elementary PTA and has led local scout troops. She and her husband, David Hemstreet, have three children, all students in the Anchorage School District. They enjoy outdoor activities and sports.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/zqndrc6zyy8ob08/LaFrance%20Slides--AUFF%20Sunday.pdf?dl=0

Mike Huelsman is a community activist and advocate. He came to Alaska as a VISTA Volunteer in 1966, served in the combat infantry on the DMZ in Korea, and then worked as a commercial fisherman, carpenter, and laborer in Alaska until he found permanent work. He helped prisoners leaving jail with finding work and housing while working for the Division of Corrections. He was a grants administrator and helped develop and manage alcohol, drug, and mental health programs in Anchorage. As an Ombudsman Assistant, he investigated citizen complaints and made recommendations to improve government. He was a political finance campaign investigator for the Alaska Public Offices Commission and a public health planner and researcher for the Municipal Health Department. He was also the Artistic Director of Out North Theater. A frequent traveler, Mike lived in Russia for two months a year between 2014 and 2019 and lived in Ukraine in October and November 2024, volunteering in a rural

Mike's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/a8mkxuux77u1l80fnipux/20250223_0900.mp3?rlkey=b3ksolxqz4rjeu82v9lsi6ohb&dl=0

Note that the second to last slide is an art piece that depicts the resistance.

George Bryson on Stewardship - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6z6uhuwih12nv9bvpf2qj/05_February23_GBrysonVersion2.mov?rlkey=lbe95aq2n3tewb1r7gu8p7d7r&dl=0

Tim Toll has served for the past twenty years as Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, an organization he helped start in Dillingham in 2000.  Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the land trust owns or holds conservation easements on 58,412 acres in Bristol Bay and helped broker protection for 21,320 acres in the Wood Tikchik State Park. Tim came to Alaska in 1978 as a VISTA volunteer lawyer for Alaska Legal Services in Bethel.  From 1980 to 1985, he was the city manager of St. Mary's, where he helped the Lower Yukon region revitalize Yup'ik Dancing. The Alaska Federation of Natives honored Tim with its Denali Award in 2019.

Tim's slides can be found here -  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7dtqooc40zbsvajpmbzum/Sitka-SJ-Presentation-AUUF2.pdf?rlkey=jyljnsb121gs507mjf3aw5oz6&dl=0

Slide #7 is a video. To start the video, "click" on the speaker on the slide.

There is another video that Tim mentioned. It can be found here - https://aifg.arizona.edu/film/dancing-people-yupiit-yuraryarait

Mel Langdon Stewardship video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l7cihifkirlwafcsnsd5m/04_February16_MelLangdon.mp4?rlkey=ipnxa7jz16tsqjztglneu2s4t&dl=0

Note that Mel's Stewardship video starts about 1'15" into the podcast and has been replaced (in the podcast) by 3 seconds of static.

Erin Jackson-Hill is Executive Director of Stand Up Alaska, one of the state’s only BIPOC women-led social justice organizations. Her advocacy is mainly focused on issues that disproportionately affect minority communities. She’s a proud alumna of Wonder Park Elementary, Wendler Jr. High School, and Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School. Her rich and diverse experience in nonprofit management and event production began at Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, where she became Events Manager. She has also worked at the State of Alaska-Child Support Division, Doyon Limited, and JJ Powers Public Relations. Erin's foray into organizing was serving as the statewide coordinator for the Recall Dunleavy campaign. She founded the Alaska Civics Academy, a program promoting civic participation and understanding. She actively contributes to the Alaska Coalition for Justice, explicitly focusing on police reforms and the school-to-prison pipeline. Erin is also a board member of Alaskans for Fair Courts and serves on the steering committee of Alaska Women's Ascend and the planning committee of Juneteenth Anchorage.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lxirurtkskflmhznupi2l/Alaskans-Take-A-Stand-Stand-UP-Alaska-Action-Team-2.8.pdf?rlkey=7ak92ddm0o8hm6gj6nrk0dk15&dl=0

Stan Up Alaska - https://standupalaska.org

AUUF Stewardship video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FzZBJ5D1qM6ufXa_zRVHXLcNVyyLzxut/view

Ben Robinson is the General Director of Anchorage Opera, the Artistic Director of Raylynmor Opera (New Hampshire), and the Managing Director of Lyric Fest (Philadelphia). He works as a director, librettist, educator, and arts administrator. As a stage director, he is best known for his inspired and engaging storytelling in diverse works ranging from Baroque to modern. He directed the internationally acclaimed film Gianni Schicchi for Opera Ithaca in 2020, which Opera Magazine heralded as the "deftest use... of Covid-era technology as part of modern operatic reality." He was announced as a 2021 recipient of the Ewing Arts Award, which celebrates the diversity and excellence of artists in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. In February 2023, his 2022 "moving, visually daring" (Opera News) Julia Child-inspired Hansel and Gretel film joined the Opera Philadelphia Channel and was subsequently streamed at a series of outdoor events for the company in September 2023.

Dennis AraShiro is a current member of the Fellowship and Executive Board President of the Japanese American Citizens League. His father served in the US Army during the American Occupation of Japan after World War II, where he met Dennis's mother. Because that time and place are the setting for the new Anchorage Opera production of Madama Butterfly, he advises the production.

Slideshow - https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0hv4nosct5tx40/February%202%20UU%20Presentation.m4v?dl=0

Steve Lindbeck has enjoyed a 45-year career in Alaska journalism, public affairs, and non-profit management. He served as CEO & General Manager for Alaska Public Media, Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Associate Editor of the Anchorage Daily News, and Executive Director of the Alaska Humanities Forum, among other roles. In 2016, he spent an exciting year running for Congress. He has volunteered with many boards and committees, including Progress Alaska, the Rogers Park Community Council, the Anchorage Museum Association, the Alaska World Affairs Council, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and United Way. An Anchorage resident since 1968, he graduated from West Anchorage High School and Stanford University. In early 2018, he completed a Master of Science in Organization Development at Pepperdine University. He is married to Patty Ginsburg, a former journalist and consultant now retired. He and Patty were recipients of the 2015 Shining Lights Award for service to Alaska.

Dr. Brad Cruz, originally from California and Nevada, came to Alaska in 1992 after completing his Air Force service to join a Radiology group in Anchorage. He was accompanied by his California-born wife and two young daughters. Over the years, he has been active in competitive running, skiing, and biking. He has volunteered at various sports events in Anchorage, including the Run For Women, Lost Lake Race, and the Gold Nugget Triathlon. Brad worked as a Radiologist at Alaska Regional Hospital and Mat-Su Regional Hospital. He served a few terms as the Chairman of the Radiology/Pathology Department and on various committees, and for 11 years as an officer and board member of Anchorage Project Access. He retired from his radiology practice in 2017 to have more time to teach anatomy at the UAA campus of the WWAMI Medical School program and work with Skiku. This non-profit travels to rural Alaskan villages to teach cross-country skiing. Brad has also served on the Board of Skiku in various officer positions while continuing to coach in Gambell and Savoonga, where he began his coaching career in 2015.

Link to Team Breath America fundraising page - https://teambreatheamerica.funraise.org/fundraiser/steve-lindbeck

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/yakubp1y2lm818p/RAAM2.pdf?dl=0

Note that slides 4, 12, 17, 20, and 21 are linked to short videos. You will need to "click" on the slides to download and start the videos.

Steve and Brad's presentation ended with a 20-minute training ride video. That video's sound was deleted from the audio podcast because it interfered with the presenter's audio. It was replaced with 2 seconds of static. However, you can get the video here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/74xe5g194u0s23h/RAAM%2020%20minute%20ride_4C260C4F-C106-4D61-A8D7-095C41CB280E.mp4?dl=0

Justin Ruffridgge was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2022 to serve the Kenai/Soldotna area and was re-elected in November 2024. He expects to serve on the Health and Social Services Committee in the coming session. His parents, both educators, moved their family to Alaska in 1994, where they taught at a small Christian school. Justin graduated from high school in 2001 and Washington State University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2008.  He married his wife Jessie in 2004, and after graduation, they moved back to the Kenai Peninsula to help care for Jessies terminally ill mother. Justin began his pharmacy career at Soldotna Professional Pharmacy. In the years since, he and a business partner acquired the Soldotna Pharmacy, the Juneau Drug Company in downtown Juneau, and the Alpine Apothecary Pharmacy in Girdwood. Justin was briefly on the Soldotna Planning and Zoning Commission before serving on the Soldotna City Council. He has advocated for those struggling to find housing and worked diligently on COVID-19 prevention, mitigation, and treatment efforts during the pandemic. He enjoys coaching Little League.

Andrew Gray was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2022 to represent the UMED District in Anchorage and was re-elected in November 2024. He is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee and the Joint Armed Services Committee and to serve as Vice Chair of the Health and Social Services Committee in the new Legislature. During his first term in the Legislature, he brought forward legislation related to housing and homelessness. He carried Senate Bill 119 in the House, which requires the Department of Corrections to provide valid photo ID to all incarcerated people upon their release; the bill passed both chambers unanimously. He also served as co-chair of the Freshmen Caucus with Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna. That Caucus is not currently active, but the relationships established there remain intact. Outside the Capitol he is a physician assistant at Alaska Urgent Care. He hosts a podcast: the East Anchorage Book Club, which features interviews with Alaskans of political interest. He and his husband Jay and their 11-year-old son Waylon have been members of AUUF since 2017. 

Peg Tileston has been active in Alaska public policy and conservation issues since arriving in the state 51 years ago. She is on the board of Alaska Common Ground, a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to build coalitions and consensus on matters of importance to Alaskans. She is also on the board of Trustees for Alaska, a non-profit legal organization. Peg spent many years with the Alaska Center for the Environment, co-founded the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and served on the Chugach Electric Association board from 1983 to 1993 and several state and local advisory commissions. Since 1999, Peg has distributed What’s Up, a weekly newsletter listing natural resource and conservation information via email to over 2600 Alaskan addresses. Over the years, she mentored many young women leaders. Peg is married to Jules and has three children and two grandchildren.

Alaska Common Ground website - https://akcommonground.org/

Alaska Humanities Forum sponsored community conversations - https://www.akhf.org/programs/kindling-conversation

NYT "The Interview" -  Robert Putnam Knows Why You’re Lonely - https://youtu.be/sqZ4Po4vMAQ?feature=shared

Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam - book website http://bowlingalone.com

One Small Step - StoryCorps - https://storycorps.org/discover/onesmallstep/one-small-step-connect/

Rev. Lise Adams Sherry is the settled minister for the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  She grew up in Oregon as part of a blended family.  Her main interests growing up were dancing and theatre--she performed a lot!  Another highlight was learning French and spending her junior year in France. Lise is married to Nelson, and together, they have two boys (Kennen and Derek) and a daughter-in-law, Maria.  They’ve lived in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois and Massachusetts.  Lise received her M.Div. from Meadville Lombard in Chicago.  Nature, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition inform her religious life.  Her favorite parts of ministry are social justice, multi-generational worship services, and pastoral care.  Lise also enjoys hiking, bicycling, reading, gardening, watching movies, traveling, and learning about other cultures.  

Dr. Stephen Haycox is a distinguished professor of history emeritus, a respected author of numerous books and essays, and a columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. In 2003, he was named the Alaska Historical Society's Historian of the Year and received the Alaska Governor's Humanities Award.  Before his retirement, Prof. Haycox taught history for over 40 years at the University of Alaska, where he was named a distinguished professor and was awarded the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. Steve earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1970. His books include Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics, and Environment in Alaska, Battleground Alaska: Fighting Federal Power in America's Last Wilderness, and the recently revised Alaska: An American Colony, which has been called “the finest history of Alaska yet produced.”  He was born in the Upper Midwest and attended high school in a suburb of New York. He was a musician in the Navy and served in the Pacific.  

Norm Eisen, co-founder of State Democracy Defenders Action - from his speech at the Anti-Autocracy Conference in July 2024

1. Democracy rests on the rule of law. Someone who denies the sanctity of the Constitution and serially violates our laws cannot be president.
2. Democracy cannot survive without truth, facts, science, and evidence. 
3. Free and fair elections are the essence of democracy, where power resides in the people. 
4. Civil discourse must resolve differences. Compromise is essential to governance. 
5. A democratic government cannot operate without an independent, nonpartisan civil service; subject matter expertise is essential to good government. 
6. An ethical government free from corruption and self-interest is vital to democracy. 
7. The United States is indispensable for international stability, economic prosperity, and democracy. Our military takes an oath to the Constitution, not to a single leader. 
8. Democracies require and ensure widespread prosperity. Technologies that deliver economic benefits for citizens require domestic calm, commitment to the rule of law, and opposition to cronyism. 
9. A vibrant, independent press is essential to democracy. 
10. Equality and civil rights are foundational to the American creed. Men and women are created equal.

Jory Knott is the Executive Director of the Alaska Innocence Project. A lifelong Alaskan, he earned an interdisciplinary degree in art and music at UAA, then moved to Oregon, where he composed music, wrote grants for creative projects, and apprenticed in stone masonry. He became the operations manager for a masonry company with stone-cutting operations and rock quarries across the Pacific Northwest. In 2009, he moved back to Alaska. He changed his career trajectory, teaching music and art to adults with special needs while attending UAA and pursuing legal studies with a minor in civil engagement. He interned with the Alaska Innocence Project in the fall of 2015. He helped manage the office for months while founding Executive Director Bill Oberly attended the trial of the Fairbanks Four, who were exonerated that December. Hooked on innocence work, Jory went to law school at the University of Montana, volunteering with the Montana Innocence Project. He returned to extern with AKIP during his last year of law school and has been working there full-time since his graduation.

Jory's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9e3v5ex99629iu6d2j081/AKIP_AUUFPowerpoint.pdf?rlkey=9vho70g1u6nxih6z8il4snza9&dl=0

Forrest Dunbar -  -  was elected to the Alaska State Senate in 2022 as a Democrat representing District J, the East Anchorage, Campbell Park, UMED, College Gate, Airport Heights, Mountainview, and Russian Jack neighborhoods. After challenging Don Young for Alaska’s Congressional seat in 2014, Forrest served on the Anchorage Assembly from 2016 to 2023, including two stints as Assembly Chair. Forrest is a lifelong Alaskan, originally from Eagle, on the Yukon River, and a graduate of Cordova High School. Growing up, he worked as a commercial fishing deckhand, cannery worker, and wildland firefighter.  He earned his bachelor’s in economics and international service from American University and then a dual master’s in public policy and a law degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and Yale Law School. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kazakhstan and is a major and Judge Advocate in the Alaska Army National Guard. Forrest is a member of Congregation Beth Sholom and was married in July of this year to Tasha Boyer.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/17kgtz0a17dka8k5qsn12/Anchorage-Unitarian-Universalist-Fellowship_11.17.24.pdf?rlkey=iqjj596648c5ia5ohmuqo97xg&dl=0

Daniel Bentle serves the Food Bank of Alaska as its Chief Philanthropy Officer, leading fundraising, donor relations, marketing and communications, and volunteer efforts to support the organization’s mission to eliminate hunger in our state. Daniel came to the Food Bank from the private sector in 2024, having worked in early and growth-stage ventures in agriculture, community and economic development, management consulting, and higher education.

Before moving to Alaska, Daniel taught at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. He served as Director of the Center for Experiential Learning, which provides faculty-guided, student-driven services for public and private sector partners, non-profits, NGOs, and social entrepreneurs worldwide. Born and raised in the Midwest, Daniel and his wife Heidi, a native of Anchorage, have two girls in elementary school at Grace Christian and enjoy ample time on the slopes and trails here on the Last Frontier.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/17kgtz0a17dka8k5qsn12/Anchorage-Unitarian-Universalist-Fellowship_11.17.24.pdf?rlkey=iqjj596648c5ia5ohmuqo97xg&dl=0

FBA website - https://foodbankofalaska.org

Aaron Legget was born in Anchorage and is Dena’ina Athabascan. He currently serves as the President/Chief of the Native village of Eklutna. Aaron is the Senior Curator of Alaska History and Culture at the Anchorage Museum and serves as an advisor to the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center. He is a member of the Alaska State Museum Collections Committee and the Alaska Native Heritage Centers Program & Policy Committee. Also, he serves on the board of directors for the Cook Inlet Historical Society. In 2014, Aaron was recognized by CIRI as its Shareholder of the Year, by the Alaska Federation of Natives as Cultural Bearer of the Year, and by the Governor of Alaska for distinguished service to the humanities. Building on knowledge obtained from his Dena’ina grandmother and after earning a degree in anthropology from UAA, Aaron set out to change the historical narrative. He has played a vital role in indigenous curation and Tribal governance in Alaska and has authored numerous scholarly articles and co-authored publications about the Dena’ina language and people.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/phvc6jqsl66h5c9y7o4o4/unitarian_casino.pdf?rlkey=dq9089gr1jsfp4uubm33jbksp&dl=0

John-Henry Henkendornis is the managing partner of the Anchorage-based political consulting firm Ship Creek Group.  He has worked on over 100 Alaska political campaigns and initiatives in the last 12 years, helping launch Ship Creek Group in 2015 and working as Policy Director to Governor Bill Walker (I-AK) and Aide to Airbnb founder and CEO Brian Chesky. John-Henry graduated from Whitman College with degrees in politics and economics and as an All-American in intercollegiate debate. He has served on the Board of the Alaska Sustainable Fisheries Trust and as a commercial fishing deckhand in Bristol Bay.

Burke Croft is the Deputy Data Director for Ship Creek Group. Born and raised in Anchorage, Burke has always been drawn to the curiosity of science and the kindness of community action. Since starting at Ship Creek Group in 2019, he’s been working to combine those passions. He studied Chemistry and Data Science at the University of Chicago and was also a Fellows Ambassador Team Leader at the Institute of Politics. Burke served as Digital Communications Director for U.S. Representative Mary Peltola and managed the elections legislation portfolio for Alaska’s lone Congressional office. He’s also a co-founder of Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling (MHATS) in Anchorage. You'll usually find him biking in the summer, ice skating in the winter, and making themed playlists whenever the weather shifts.

Ship Creek Group website - https://www.shipcreekgroup.com

Bridget Jochum is the Development and Operations Support Coordinator at the Alaska Literacy Program. She supports the fundraising and communications arm of ALP’s programming. Bridget previously worked in refugee resettlement services for the State of Alaska, with many of those same resettled refugees now attending classes at ALP.  She was a Jesuit Volunteer AmeriCorps with Catholic Social Services in Anchorage after graduating from John Carroll University with a degree in Digital Media Communications.

Bridget's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/aq2xwi7hg1w9d5t28nva0/AUU-Alaska-Literacy-Program.pdf?rlkey=6919w0dgiuym30vk7184jjikm&dl=0

Bridget's first and second slides contain links to the Alaska Literacy Program's website (http://www.alaskaliteracyprogram.org), where you can find the video Gretchen used at the beginning of her presentation.

Bretwood "Hig" Higman is a geologist who lives in Seldovia. After graduating from high school there, he spent 13 years in college and grad school, studying glass art and walking from Seattle to the Aleutians before moving back to Seldovia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in geology at Carleton College in Minnesota. Then, in 2007, he earned his PhD in geology at the University of Washington, studying the onshore effects of tsunamis while also studying physics and computer science. He has spent his career as a geologist studying tsunamis, earthquakes, and landslides. In addition to natural hazards, Hig has a passion for wilderness adventure, collaboration between stakeholder communities and scientists, trail building, natural resource policy, science communication, and chainsaw milling. Hig has also studied Yoshokai Aikido and invented the jewelry manufacturing method behind Sundrop Jewelry. He is the Executive Director of Ground Truth Alaska. This educational nonprofit seeks to advance public understanding and engagement in climate change, wilderness, energy, hazards, and natural resource issues in Alaska. He co-founded this organization, named initially Ground Truth Trekking, with Erin McKittrick. He and Erin now live in a yurt, near family, where they’ve raised their children.

https://groundtruthalaska.org/

Note that Hig's presentation included a LOT of computer graphics that are not easy to capture in a PDF slide show. We've decided to include a link to the video of Hig's presentation and all of the questions and his answers, along with the regular audio podcast. If you can view the video (it's in .mp4 format), I highly recommend that you do just that. While the audio format is very useable, the video is MUCH more helpful. The video starts after a 2-second tone, following John's introduction.

Link to presentation video -

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xddkkvsb28oate2t8ds47/Presentation.mp4?rlkey=3negusa8fgifq7dowh0034gac&dl=0

Bob Loeffler is a Research Professor of Public Policy at the UAA Institute of Social and Economic Research, where he teaches and completes research on Alaska's economy, fiscal issues, and natural resources.  Along with Dr. Matt Berman, he teaches Econ 300, The Economy of Alaska, at UAA.  It is an excerpt from this course that he is presenting at AUUF.  He is also a partner in Jade North, a small Alaskan consulting firm, and specializes in working with mining and other natural resource issues.  Bob Loeffler has a Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a Master's in Regional Planning from Harvard University. For seven years, ending in 2005, he was Director of the DNR Division of Mining, Land, and Water.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6wpfp0ilauccedj6l4put/AUUF.pdf?rlkey=0ugktfhuq86glmh7dvjxqrlpb&dl=0

This morning's scheduled speaker was unable to make it to the Forum and is looking forward to being rescheduled. John McKay (our regular host) miraculously rescued the Forum and turned it into an "open forum," allowing folks to participate physically or virtually (via the marvels of modern science—Zoom). We took the opportunity to discuss what was on people's minds.

Early on, John stated that this was the Forum for 6 October. It is indeed the 13 October Forum.

Corey Aist is president of the Anchorage Education Association. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Science in Child Development in 1992. In 1993, Corey and his then-girlfriend, now wife, drove up the AlCan with their two young puppies, and ever since, have called Alaska home, along with their four children, all students and graduates of Anchorage School District.  Corey began working for the Anchorage School District in 1996, after earning a Bachelor of Education degree with Honors from UAA.  He taught at Muldoon Elementary School for ten years, then at Polaris K-12 for 14 years. Corey joined AEAs Bargaining Team and Rights Committee in 2004. Always an advocate for teachers, he helped negotiate nine contracts for AEA members before becoming AEA President in July 2020.

Corey's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/npyypnqk3vrd6rrn0ewls/20241006ASD_Presentation_4_AUUf.pdf?rlkey=1f9ekxrwlkpfun2t1m1r2ibtj&dl=0

Joe Josephson has a long political and public service history in Alaska, beginning in 1957 when he served as legislative assistant to Alaska Delegate in Congress, E. L. (Bob) Bartlett. In 1959, When Bartlett became Alaska's first United States Senator in 1959, Josephson continued as his legislative assistant until 1960. Josephson earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 1953 and attended Columbia University Law School from 1953 to 1955, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He finished his law degree at the Catholic University of America in 1960. He was appointed that year by President John F. Kennedy as the Chair of the Alaska Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He was admitted to the Alaska Bar Association in 1961 and 1962 and was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. He held that position until 1966, when he became a member of the Anchorage City Council, later of the Borough Assembly. Following the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, Josephson also served as State Co-Chair of the Joint Federal-State Land Use Planning Commission, appointed by Alaska Governor Bill Egan. Josephson served his first term in the Alaska State Senate from 1968 to 1972. In 1975, he was vice-chair of the Anchorage Charter Commission, which unified the Anchorage Borough and City of Anchorage. Between 1982 and 1988, he served again in the Alaska State Senate. He has served as president of the boards of Southcentral Alaska Red Cross, Congregation Beth Sholom, and Out North Theatre, and as a board member for Alaska Civil Liberties Union, Child Care Connection, Cook Inlet Historical Society, and Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship was also an adjunct instructor at UAA. Josephson, a husband and father of five, continues to practice law in Anchorage.

After a career as a teacher and prosecutor,  Andy Josephson was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2013 and has continued to serve there since. His father came to Alaska in the 50s to work for Bob Bartlett in his quest to achieve statehood, and his grandfather founded the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in the 1930s. Andy is a West High graduate with a BA in History from Whitman College, a Master’s in Teaching from UAA, and a law degree from Penn State, and has lived and worked in six communities across Alaska.  He has worked as an intern with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, a legislative aide, a public school teacher, an assistant district attorney, a lawyer in private practice, and an adjunct professor at UAA. Andy and his wife, Donna, live in Anchorage and enjoy kayaking, backpacking, tennis, swimming, and baseball.

The podcast has been edited to eliminate “dead spots” and  maintain a semblance of order. Each "dead spot" is filled with two seconds of static.

Rev. Matt Schultz graduated from Westminster College with a BA in Art in 1995. He is married to Rev. Elizabeth Schultz. Together, they attended Princeton Theological Seminary and are ordained as pastors in the Presbyterian Church (USA). They live in Anchorage, Alaska, where they go on wild adventures with their three beautiful children, two awesome dogs, and one average cat. Since 2013, Matt has been the pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Anchorage and also serves with Christians for Equality, the Homelessness Leadership Council, and other city and statewide service and advocacy groups.

Matt Gray's East Anchorage Book Club podcast with Rev. Matt Schultz - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/east-anchorage-book-club-with-andrew-gray/id1592614366?i=1000670170928

Tom Choate is a mountain climbing legend, former college biology professor with a Ph.D. from the University of Montana, who was a ski infantryman and served in a US Army intelligence and reconnaissance unit at Fort Richardson during the Korean War, and was the first ranger naturalist in Mt McKinley National Park (now Denali National Park). Before coming back to Alaska in the late ‘70s, Tom and his family lived in New Zealand; he spent four years doing Antarctic research on penguins and their predators and spent ten years in the former Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) teaching, enjoying climbs of Kilimanjaro and other outdoor activities in Africa, and launching expeditions from there to the Himalayas and the Andes. He has reached the peak of Denali multiple times, spanning five different decades, and was the oldest person to summit Denali at 78 in 2013.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mx7a8ecc4qxkhcozq1fjz/TomsSlides.pdf?rlkey=8bda99v8rew004gqkljnq3cdd&dl=0

James Morrison is a playwright, TV, film, stage actor, filmmaker, poet, singer-songwriter, and yoga teacher. He was raised in Anchorage, served his theatrical apprenticeship with the Alaska Repertory Theatre, and since has appeared at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Mark Taper Forum, Princeton's McCarter Theatre, the Pasadena Playhouse, the Salt Lake Acting Company, The Old Globe, L.A. Theatre Works, the Edinburgh Festival, and on London's West End. James has been nominated for a SAG Award, received the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award, and three Drama-Logue Awards for performance. Film appearances include The Jazz Funeral, Catch Me If You Can, and Jarhead. On television, in addition to the Emmy-winning series 24, he was a regular on Those Who Kill and the cult sci-fi series Space: Above and Beyond, and has had other recurring roles and countless guest appearances in shows like Frasier, West Wing, Law & Order: SVU, Twin Peaks, Private Practice, Six Feet Under, and Revenge. He is in Anchorage to perform his one-man play, “Leave Your Fears Here,” exploring his journey after their young son was diagnosed with brain cancer.   For more about James, you can check out his webpage:  https://www.thejamesmorrison.com/ and IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0607175/

David Block is the Artistic Director of Midnight Sun Theatre. David has directed countless productions in Anchorage at almost every venue and company. He has appeared on stage or behind the scenes with productions in Anchorage, Juneau, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and at the Edinburgh Fringe. In addition, he has written more than 20 plays, including one commissioned by the Municipality and School District about the Anchorage Centennial. David was an educator in the Anchorage School District for over 25 years and received numerous awards, including MIT's Most Inspirational Teacher, AEA's Teacher of the Year, and Best Teacher in Anchorage by the Anchorage Press. The arts program that he helped develop at West Anchorage High School was recognized as the 2022 Performing Arts School of Excellence by the National Federation of High Schools and was selected as a Creative Ticket School of Excellence by the Kennedy Center.

Paul Brown has over forty-five years of experience in management, fundraising, marketing, and organizational development.  He was a founder and producing director of Alaska Repertory Theatre, the first professional theatre in Alaska. He later transitioned from producing theatre to producing films, including documentaries about former Governor Wally Hickel and Senator Ted Stevens (research and pre-production). He chaired the commission for the design, development, and funding of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. He helped establish the Alaska Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and plan the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Alaska's statehood. Paul has been deeply involved in national and international efforts to assist victims of depleted uranium, including American military veterans and indigenous and other local populations in combat zones. He is a member of Bridge Builders and Backbone and a board member of You Gotta Believe, a Brooklyn-based organization whose mission is to find permanent homes for foster children over ten. He is a parent with thirteen- and eight-year-old grandchildren.   

Pics used in the presentation

James - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4hhffmjdsx1mr1ttjkhij/james.jpg?rlkey=rmjv6c580bhgn9xtkzu1qmhbl&dl=0
PlayBill - https://www.dropbox.

 Joelle Hall is the President of the Alaska AFL-CIO, elected in 2020. She is the first woman to hold the role. Before her election, she served as the Alaska AFL-CIO Political Director for 11 years. Joelle has worked in Alaska politics for over 30 years, with an emphasis on electoral campaigns and advocacy work. She has built and managed large campaigns and community coalitions. Before coming to the AFL-CIO, Joelle was Executive Director of the Alaska Democratic Party and had her own consulting business for ten years. She has a bachelor’s degree in foreign languages from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In a previous life, Joelle was an interrogator/paratrooper in the US Army and an AFS exchange student in Honduras. Joelle and her husband, Mallie, have two grown children and live in Peters Creek.

slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cw75y2uy5zhda4as658mq/BetterJobsAK_UU.pdf?rlkey=mkbtlbz41ckzoskwi38a24pjz&dl=0

AFL-CIO website - https://www.akaflcio.org

Marilyn Romano is the Alaska regional vice president for Alaska Airlines. She spent nearly two decades with the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, the second largest paper in Alaska, and 11 years as publisher. She was the newspaper’s first woman top executive. Marilyn serves on the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation and Rasmuson Foundation boards. She also serves on the Governor’s Aviation Advisory Board and is a member of the American Heart Association statewide and Alaska Airlines Foundation boards. She’s been inducted into the ATHENA Society, named a YWCA of Alaska “Women of Achievement,” and recognized with a Top Forty Under 40 award from the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Woman of Distinction from the Farthest North Girl Scouts, and the Cashen Award for meritorious service to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Marilyn and her husband, Brian, live in Anchorage.

Alaska Airlines video -
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eO_K0e9K_jly5pXdm8Bbl6ohrTIk0SMK/view?usp=drive_link

Xáat Kwáani video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vr3jkabzz2tt2r7bedul8/AlaskaAirlinesSalmonPeopleAircraft_X-atKw-ani.mp4?rlkey=kvmpr3tehjanmvwhfxbu7zhem&dl=0

Link to Alaska Airlines Sustainability page - https://www.alaskaair.com/content/about-us/esg


This page has several links, including the 2023 Sustainability Report, and it is worth roaming around.

John Hagen is the Curator of Indigenous Art and Initiatives at the Anchorage Museum. Hagen works to further the Museum's work with Alaska living cultures, with an emphasis on Indigenous art, artists, climate change, national and international connections, and other initiatives. He is the curator of the exhibit currently on display at the Museum, Alaska from Above: The Art of Bradford Washburn. Hagen is Iupiaq, Unangax, Irish, and Danish. His work at the museum incorporates a longstanding passion for photography. As a professional photojournalist, he published newspaper photographs by the tightest deadlines. After studying New Media Arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico, John returned to Alaska and found himself empowered to tell his own story, with his work shifting from that of a photographer seeking publication to an artist desiring to express himself.

Anchorage Museum Bradford Washburn video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/m8q9xg3sykwdxf2ibhsh6/lp-bradford-washburn-30-sec-video.mp4?rlkey=cvtylvvintngl34ylv7fj6aca&dl=0

John's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/azsyrudu5n3o3jcg3lisc/AlaskaFromAbove.pdf?rlkey=o1of3u3xze02dhonk5nveg0gw&dl=0

Suzanne Little has worked extensively in partnership with Alaska Native Tribes who live in intrinsic connection with remote lands across the state. She is currently staff to the 38-Tribe Bering Sea Interior Tribal Commission. Her work aims to ensure that local voices are represented and heard in land use decisions, including policy considerations relating to the conservation or development of Alaska's rugged and pristine landscapes and traditional lands for centuries of Alaska Native Peoples. Based in Anchorage, she brings policy development, strategic and land use planning, and nonprofit management experience to her work. Little served as an elected representative on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly and in the Alaska State Senate for one term each.

Little was voted the most effective new state legislator and led the effort to rewrite Alaska's Open Meetings Act, championing public involvement and local control for land use decisions. She holds a bachelor's degree in environmental planning and landscape architecture from the University of California, Davis, and currently serves on the steering committee of Alaska Women Ascend.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wrfjetzvo975367pumvjl/UUPresentationAlaskaWomenAscend.pdf?rlkey=5jlhbot49twv2cbmn7qpt5vii&dl=0

Website - https://www.akwomenascend.org

Scott Langley is a New York-based photographer specializing in documentary work on human rights in the United States and elsewhere. His work has been widely exhibited worldwide, and he often travels with his exhibits to give presentations about the intersection of photography and human rights. His photos have appeared in dozens of media outlets, including CNN, the AP, the BBC, HBO, the Economist, National Geographic, and PBS, as well as in many books and films.

Website - https://deathpenaltyphoto.org/

Betsy Baker is a board member of In Our Backyard, a new Anchorage nonprofit whose mission is to provide safe interim housing and connections to support services for unhoused senior neighbors. Dr. Baker is an international lawyer whose consulting work on ocean law and Arctic policy builds on 25+ years of experience as an author, consultant, law professor, and most recently as director of an Alaska-based marine science funding organization, the North Pacific Research Board.  She is a member of the Polar Research Board of the National Academies of Sciences. Betsy received her J.D. from the University of Michigan and her LL.M. and doctorate in law from Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany, where she was an Alexander von Humboldt Chancellor's Fellow. She has taught at Harvard, Minnesota, and Vermont Law Schools.  Betsy attends First Covenant Church of Anchorage, served on the municipality’s 2023 task force on sanctioned camps, and previously served on the board of Facing Foster Care in Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2qznqmytgmjemfbtetaby/2024-7-28-In-Our-Backyard.pdf?rlkey=g9di3cu7kahw3zmuv4vc6vdxx&dl=0

In Our Backyard website - https://inourbackyard-ak.org

Text Betsy - 907 787 9496

Kate McClellan was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and spent her youth in the suburbs of Chicago. In 1977, just before she turned 17, she left a traumatic home life and headed for Alaska in a VW bus, moving here permanently in 1986. Kate received a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in History in 2002. During her last year at UAA, in the build-up to the war in Iraq, she became an activist with Alaskans for Peace and Justice, opposing the war, and met a Palestinian man named Khalid, who expanded her perspective on the conflict in Israel/Palestine. As a consequence, she has been avidly following what has transpired there. She lives in Nunaka Valley with her dog Mariah and takes in other dogs for boarding. She is a long-term member of St. Marys Episcopal Church, loves long walks with the dogs, hiking, and gardening, and is something of a compulsive news junkie.

Link to slides that Kate used - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kosfn2biax5j67kkpjc70/TheSituation.pdf?rlkey=cywafl80uqylkdws06jj8ohi9&dl=0

Link to YouTube video that Kate showed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhI2Rlt3SSc&rco=1 This link is to a video -  If you only open the Forum podcast, you will experience the audio of this video. It is well worth accessing the video.

Cindy Chaput is the College, Career, and Life Ready Director for the Anchorage School District. An Alaskan resident for 28 years, Cindy has spent three decades in the education sector, gaining valuable experience in administration and counseling across various schools in the Anchorage School District. In her current role, she supports the expanding technical and real-world opportunities for ALL students, bridging the gap between education and the workforce through the Academies of Anchorage initiative. Beyond her professional life, Cindy and her husband, Dave, enjoy building projects with their four adult children, retreating to their cabin, and hiking in the mountains.

Misha Chakraborty, with over 15 years of experience in academia, brings a wealth of knowledge to her role at United Way, Anchorage. Her personal interests, such as spending time outside and enjoying music, make her more than just a professional. She is a mother of two daughters and a fur baby, and she is excited to be involved in the Academies of Anchorage initiative through United Way, where her role is to connect the schools with the community and business partners.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ylotzb6nn92a5f7ubyoe0/Community-Partner-AoA-Presentation.pdf?rlkey=b2zsvpdnpae6pdwthfcdadyfj&dl=0

How to get involved - https://www.asdk12.org/domain/6221 Building a Partnership / Partner With Us (asdk12.org)

Academies of Anchorage Pathways link - https://www.asdk12.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1507&ModuleInstanceID=43761&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=86054&PageID=2516

Chat - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4jb5jn7k5i6jgvjwmru6a/20240714_chat.pdf?rlkey=ooqg1e2z7nt3tscsem69g40o4&dl=0

Travis’s primary interest areas are star formation, climate change advocacy, and astronomy education research.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics from Trinity University in 1992 and his master’s (1995) and Ph.D. (1998) in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado. His UAA Faculty website lists his many publications.  He also works with a team to make color astronomical images, which you can see in the NOIRLab image gallery.  Paola Banchero is a journalist and Professor of Journalism and Public Communications at UAA. She worked as a reporter and editor at the Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Business Journal, the Wichita Eagle, the Arizona Daily Star, and the Anchorage Daily News, as well as in strategic communications for a large agribusiness. Paola is the chair of JPC and has taught various courses, from Corporate Communications to Documentary Filmmakers and Filmmaking, to Magazines to Media Literacy. She is a faculty adviser to The Northern Light and a member of the UAA Media Board. She serves on the Alaska Public Media Board of Directors.  She earned master’s degrees in Journalism (Northwestern) and Business Administration (Benedictine).

Travis and Paola have one daughter and enjoy the outdoors in Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ua7t5p0bvcry2y2e1dp6i/AUUFJuly2024.pdf?rlkey=pnpfq0uwt6ca05qfze6u3hz24&dl=0

Some interesting websites -

http://www.citizensclimatelobby.org

http://www.ThirdAct.org

http://www.350.org

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-record-breaking-heat-in-the-atlantic/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1cdf50Zt6ph8l26eXPl8Q80GjHIgHBajfpaQPNjSKcK1IBSikaEAzcw5A_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2022/10/what-can-you-do-about-climate-change-take-this-quiz-to-find-out/

https://drawdown.org

Travis;s pubs -https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-arts-and-sciences/departments/physics-and-astronomy/faculty/rector.cshtml

Color astronomical images - https://noirlab.edu/public/images/

Jane Anvik came to Alaska in 1973 as a city planner for the Anchorage Borough. She served in political office as an elected member of the Anchorage Charter Commission and later a six-year member of the Anchorage Assembly, which she chaired. Jane managed the Alaska Public Forum for Governor Hammond, and then worked for the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska Native Foundation and the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  She has managed the Alaska Division of Lands and the Department of Commerce and Economic Development. Since 2000, she’s worked on community development projects across Alaska as a consultant.  She has served on many Boards of organizations that support women and the development of girls, such as AWAIC, STAR, Planned Parenthood, Girl Scouts of Alaska, Alaska Women Ascend and Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. She has worked on many campaigns for progressive candidates. Jane was joyfully married to Vic Fischer for 42 years until his death in 2023. They raised their daughter, Ruth, and shared their delight in their four grandchildren. Jane earned a BA in Urban Studies and an MA in Public Administration from Harvard.

A link to some great photos - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nqtro2n1j8swkectuprfe/PhotCollection.pdf?rlkey=66ftfowg28uoxv7vvn95ng7iv&dl=0

Asia Amini, her husband Abdul, and their one-month-old son, Mohammed, fled Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in August 2021. In January 2022, the family moved to Anchorage, which now includes their almost 2-year-old daughter, Alina. Afghans who helped the US military in the fight against the Taliban were almost exclusively male. Asia is a rare exception as, in her family, she was the one who helped the US military as a member of the Female Tactical Platoon.  39 members of the Female Tactical Platoon, including Asia, are now living scattered throughout the US. Asia works at Catholic Social Services, helping other refugees in many ways: getting jobs, learning English, and meeting the challenges newcomers face. She is a Peer Navigator with the Alaska Literacy Program.  She loves helping people and has a special place in her heart for helping women become more independent.

Dena Doublex was born and spent her first decade in a small, rural, all-white town in Oregon. The next decade was spent as a white student in mostly black schools in Oakland, California, and many decades traveling to different countries as often as possible.  Seeing the differences and similarities among people has always fascinated her. As a retired person, she spends a lot of time with friends new to the US, helping in various ways, such as teaching people to drive, sharing meals or tea, and playing with kids.

She views volunteering with newcomers as a fun and cost-effective way to travel without the expense and inconvenience of flying. If you are interested in teaching people to drive, she has a list of people, so contact her at denaldoublex@gmail.com. 

If you want to volunteer at Catholic Social Services, Refuge and Immigration Services (RAIS), you can get more info at https://www.cssalaska.org/our-programs/refugee-assistance-immigration-services/.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7wl1s4ed20cvnsb5tog8x/WorldRefugeeDaySlides.pdf?rlkey=wak504uyiyld21wsl08w4hmma&dl=0

Note that 3 slides have been removed from the podcast slides and replaced by blank pages.

Hal Bernton has worked in journalism for more than four decades. He was a staff reporter for The Seattle Times from 2000 to March 2023 and previously worked in Alaska for more than a decade with the Anchorage Daily News. The Oregonian, The Twin Falls Times News, and columnist Jack Anderson have also employed him. He was part of a reporting team at the Anchorage Daily News that received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on Alaska's Native peoples, and a team at the Seattle Times, which received the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News for reporting on a landslide that killed 43 people.  He has won numerous other awards, including this year's Alaska Press Club award for best environmental reporting. Hal has written extensively on energy, environment, and fisheries issues, and his overseas reporting includes dispatches from Haiti, China, Indonesia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Photos - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/51k02n9pqnthsrnmo7c8b/2404PressClub.pdf?rlkey=25xfags9gzh7dagfohtvduuew&dl=0

All photos © Loren Holmes, Anchorage Daily News.  Thanks to Loren Holmes and Anchorage Daily News for the use of the photos in Hal’s presentation.  They are made available here solely for viewing as you listen to the podcast recording of this Forum presentation and should not be copied, distributed, or used in any other way without permission of Loren Holmes, ADN.

Dick Reichman has been a central figure in Alaska theatre for decades as a playwright, actor, director, producer, and more. He was born in 1945 in New York's Garment District. Instead of returning to take over the family store after college, he went to Carnegie-Mellon University on a Schubert Playwrighting Fellowship, then wrote and directed for Theater Workshop Boston. To support his passions for theatre and baroque keyboard instruments, he worked in radio stations and tuning pianos in several states, eventually landing in Valdez.  He was the morning man at KCHU for ten years until Jerry and Sandy Harper drew him to Anchorage in the 90s to be an integral part of their new Eccentric Theater Company (later Cyranos), which premiered ten of his plays. More recently he has done plays with RKP Productions, which he co-founded with Audrey and Bruce Kelly and the late Bob Pond. Dick and his wife, Christine, have three children, Nathaniel, Benjamin, and Amanda, who are all involved in the arts.

Link to list of Dick's work - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sg7kx5k309516hybrjrc9/DickReichman_in_Alaska_theatre-as-actor-playwright-director-producer.pdf?rlkey=nq6ia57yz0wquyuagc2wfhxn0&dl=0

Erik was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, and Robin is from Kansas City, Missouri. They met at The Kansas City Star, where Erik worked as a photographer, and Robin covered city hall and courts as a reporter. Moving to Anchorage in 1984, Erik began a long career as a photojournalist with the Anchorage Daily News, and Robin worked as a freelance journalist. She later earned a Master's in education and taught in the Anchorage School District for almost 20 years. Robin also co-founded the local Habitat for Humanity Anchorage affiliate. Erik and Robin have worked for several years as election workers, are members of long-established book groups, and volunteer for various community organizations. They each served on the AUUF Board, Program Council, and other teams and committees. Both enjoy reading, walking, long road trips, and spending time with family and friends. They have two adult daughters and recently became grandparents. 

Mel Langdon grew up in Anchorage, lived in Denver for 12 years, and returned to Anchorage in 1994 to raise two daughters. She worked as a civil engineer for various entities in Denver and Anchorage. She retired in 2017 and spent the first 14 months of her retirement teaching high school math in Lesotho. She joined the fellowship last November and came across the announcement for the LLP pilgrimage in a Fellowship newsletter. This sounded like the inspiration she needed, so she signed up just before the registration deadline. 

Marty Freeman is retired from a career with the AK Department of Natural Resources in land use planning and forest policy. Retirement has allowed her to volunteer with OL and AUUF and serve as an election worker for the Municipality and state. She still has time to indulge in gardening, canning, and quilting and to happily spend more time outside on Alaska's trails and waters. A lifelong northerner, the Alabama Living Legacy Pilgrimage was her first visit to the Deep South.

Note that photos should not be reproduced without permission from Erik Hill - akhills@ak.net

Slides for opening - https://www.dropbox.com/s/flo0mhik4mq28pr/SlidesResized.pdf?dl=0

Slides for the program -
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1O7RYj90eeM7UvjSRDmQfC05BRyKVkClVSZDtWSVSOv0/edit?usp=sharing

Viola Liuzzo slides - Robin - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/gha4xrnteqpiy01uowo3e/ViolaLiuzzo_Robin.pdf?rlkey=l6t9wbruilxeg981oxsmkxi0r&dl=0

James Reeb slides - Erik - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vbwwm46eidycxkqsjo3jl/JamesReeb_Erik.pdf?rlkey=ruwz8btk27oixb4aci9h7a07r&dl=0

Cathy Giessel, the majority leader of the Alaska Senate Bipartisan Coalition. She was first elected to the Senate in 2011 and served as Senate President from 2019-21 before taking a short break from elective office.  She was born in the Territory of Alaska, in Fairbanks, where she was raised and graduated from Lathrop High School before moving south to Anchorage in 1974.  Cathy is a Nurse Practitioner, in Family Practice.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and her Master of Science degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, both in Nursing. She is actively engaged in community service with a behavioral health board, a school-based clinic, children's programs at her church, and as a foster care and health fair volunteer. She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007 and was named an 'exceptional leader' by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing in 2010. She and her husband of 50 years, Richard, raised three kids in the home Rich built for them in 1979.  They have 7 grandchildren.

George Bryson is a journalist who worked for the Anchorage Daily News for 30 years as a reporter, Washington correspondent, magazine writer, and editor of We Alaskans. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing and has taught journalism and literary nonfiction courses at UAA and UAF. He's co-authored books on natural science and Alaska history and served as the longtime organizer of the University of Alaska /Anchorage Daily News Creative Writing Contest. Since retiring from the newspaper, George has traveled extensively by motorcycle, bike, boat and foot. A 46-year resident of Alaska, George was born and raised in California. He developed a love for rowing that he still maintains as a member of the Anchorage Rowing Association and through trips worldwide for the World Masters Games. He and his wife, Ann, have three grown daughters and three growing grandchildren and are happily settling into their new home in Bear Valley.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/j15x4lp54eyrn0w/Girls-in-the-Boat.pdf?dl=0

George's slides contained several videos. Videos are a little weird in PDFs, so I have placed "placeholder" numbers on the slides where the videos go.

        Video links for slide place-holders -

Slide #27 video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/1icxew82qlqh2irsgtch2/27_kiss_the_joy-trailer.mp4?rlkey=z8eqsugdwdd2shq8wwnps8kb0&dl=0

Slide #30 video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wqlztl1hpru5yguctlgng/30_A_HERO_FOR_DAISY-trailer.mp4?rlkey=hano2nwj4cdy3831h5iz1ecrn&dl=0

Slide #32 video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/d8b9p3pb368whycbe6i1k/32_Alaska_Sports_Hall-of_Fame_Inductee-Kristen_Thorsness.mp4?rlkey=7clvvq0dsb41eexpsj71qtce0&dl=0

Slide #43 video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hqljmf2h775uhig28idyl/43.mp4?rlkey=ed7jyuyw3kxnswt19zx6vv6gu&dl=0

Amanda Metivier is an alumnus of Alaska's foster care system. Amanda and a group of foster youth/alumni co-founded Facing Foster Care in Alaska in 2003. Through her advocacy with FFCA, She has led efforts to expand services and support for foster youth across Alaska. Amanda is the Director of the Child Welfare Academy, overseeing the training of child welfare staff and the Office of Youth Empowerment (OYE), a partnership of the Child Welfare Academy and FFCA. She spent a decade managing the college fund for foster youth & provides training for child welfare staff & allies. She was a foster parent for 15 years and has adopted from foster care. Amanda has been recognized for her work to amplify youth voices and share her own experiences. She received the Casey Excellence for Children Award, was named one of Alaska's Top 40 Under 40, was recognized by Alaska Children Trust as a Champion for Kids, was honored by the YWCA as a Woman of Achievement,  was named one of Treehouse Foundation's Champions for Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America in 2020, and was recognized by the University of Alaska Anchorage as an Alumni of Distinction in 2021.

Heidi Huppert (she/her) is a life-long Alaskan and social work veteran of over twenty years. Heidi is the Chief Program Officer for Covenant House Alaska and a subject matter expert in human trafficking, ethical storytelling, and youth experiencing homelessness.  Heidi's passion for this work comes from her own experience as a young person experiencing homelessness. Heidi has been featured in several publications, panels, and public appearances for her lived experiences. Heidi received a Bachelors in Social Work and Anthropology from UAA.  She was a 2021 40 under 40 award recipient and recognized by the Alaska Legislature for her work. Heidi graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy in 2021 and served on their board until 2024. On her off-time, Heidi cannot be found as she usually travels in the woods or hides in her art studio. Heidi is known as a mischief engineer, a friend of dogs and lover of science fiction.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/tumgmogavmrkhqm/20250512_0900.mp3?dl=0

Facing Foster Care AK website - www.ffcalaska.org

Covenant House AK website - www.covenanthouseak.org

Each year the month of April is set aside as National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate poets and their craft. AUUF has a long tradition of reserving one Sunday in April (Poetry Sunday) to celebrate National Poetry Month. This year, poets that joined us were Mike Burwell, Tom Choate, Gretchen Diemer, Erin Hollowell, John McKay, John Morgan, Don Rearden,  Mistee St. Clair, Ken Waldman, Emily Wall, and Tom Sexton (read by Lynn Clark).

To read bios of these poets, you can go here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5ypj99fgm00ksy3dy8nm6/2024AUUFPoetrySunday-Bios.pdf?rlkey=k1yifn5j8clbybkhcqhxjiagh&dl=0

Dr. Roman Dial, a professor of mathematics and biology, will soon retire from Alaska Pacific University after teaching there for over 30 years. His research has included the ecology of tropical rainforest canopies, the organisms that live on glaciers and icefields, and, for the last two decades, the effects of climate change on boreal and Arctic ecosystems. Most recently, he has combined quantitative and outdoor skills with fieldwork in Alaska's Brooks Range, where he, his students, and collaborators study tree line advance, greening and "shrubification," and the staining and rusting of Arctic rivers. While this Forum will focus on his academic pursuits, Roman is well known as an outdoorsman and adventurer, having pursued a near obsession with Alaskan wilderness for two decades.  He says the wild side feeds emotion and spirit; the analytic side feeds intellect and family. https://www.alaskapacific.edu/people/roman-dial/

So - our Zoom recording of the 21 April Forum failed. HOWEVER, Roman gave a VERY similar talk to a group in Whitehorse, YT after his last day teaching at APU on 26 April and got a Zoom recording of that presentation and shared it with us. John and I will likely add an audio lead-in to the Whitehorse presentation.

Video of Whitehorse presentation - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6nhsuve11id4qvxf5orkk/DialWhiteHorseTalk.mp4?rlkey=6b1gn3inlchbc07grnr4l3vyv&dl=0

 Max Romey is an artist, filmmaker, producer, educator, and environmental advocate.  Growing up dyslexic in Alaska and upstate New York, Max always struggled to share the outdoors with words, so he turned to his sketchbook and camera. Max graduated from Service High and Western Washington University. After years of freelance filmmaking abroad, he returned to Alaska to make a difference at home. Using his unique blend of watercolors and filmmaking, he is working to highlight complex environmental problems affecting his Alaskan community, from marine debris in Katmai to warming winters in Anchorage and advocating for the Alaska Long Trail.

Slideshow -https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/066sjdb94l9ame1o67an7/One-Sheet-of-Paper.pdf?rlkey=hc62via4nyh6fj98h3k1wyvqz&dl=0

Max's website - https://trailboundsketches.com/

"If You Give a Beach a Bottle" - https://youtu.be/vpCdyXen_qI

Video of Zoom session -https://www.dropbox.com/s/84szu7yqzreija8/20240414.0900a.mp4?dl=0

Daniel Lord earned his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Cruz, during which time he also studied acting at UC Berkeley.  He holds master’s degrees in education and psychology and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Michigan.  After working as a licensed mental health professional, he pursued law and human rights studies at the University of Iowa. While there, he participated in the Iowa Playwrights Workshop.  He retired as a psychology professor at the University of Alaska but is an affiliated global faculty member with the Bahá’í Institute of Higher Education in Iran.  Close to a second retirement, he currently works as an attorney-public advocate in Anchorage and is a member of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section.

Nava Sarracino was born to American and Iranian Bahá’í parents. She grew up in South Africa, where she earned her Master's in Sustainable Development. She moved to Anchorage 15 years ago and has worked in a birth center and as a medical biller. But she sees her calling in life as a theatre practitioner and storyteller and believes deeply in the power of the arts to be a great educational tool.  While working as a project manager in rural Alaska, she brought theatre and storytelling into the local school and has performed in communities worldwide. Her latest story-telling event was at the Halifax Fringe Festival in Canada, and her most recent stage performance in Anchorage was in RKP’s production, “Lifespan of a Fact.” In her latest theatre project, she hopes to bring awareness to the plight of the Bahá'ís in Iran by sharing the story of 14 individuals who were killed in Iran 40 years ago for their faith.

Bahá'î website - https://www.bahai.org/

Mary Sattler Peltola is a member of the US House Representatives. She was elected in August 2022 to fill the remainder of the late Representative Don Young’s term, becoming the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and the first woman from Alaska to serve in the U.S. House. In November 2022, she was elected to a full two-year term in Congress. She serves on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, its Aviation Subcommittee and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, and on the House Committee on Natural Resources and its Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, and its Federal Lands subcommittees. Rep. Peltola is Yup’ik, born in Alaska and raised on the Kuskokwim River.  She began fishing commercially with her father when she was six and worked as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game during college. At age 24, she was elected to the Alaska Legislature, where she served in the House for ten years.  A Democrat, she helped to rebuild the Bush Caucus, which passed legislation and influenced budgets that improved lives in rural Alaska under her tenure as Chair. After leaving the legislature, she worked as Manager of Community Development and Sustainability for the Donlin gold mine project and as Executive Director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. She served on the Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court and the Bethel City Council, and on the boards of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska Children’s Trust, and Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska.  Mary has seven children (including three stepchildren).

Cynthia Wentworth is Anchorage-born and raised.  She first took the Alaska Railroad to Montana Creek in 1960 to visit a friend on her homestead.   In 1966, she and her sister Dana, both in the West Anchorage High School band, took the train to Palmer for basketball games.  Cynthia spent her federal and state career as an economist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Alaska Railroad Corporation.  From 2007 to 2013, she lived in Paris, France, where she translated documents on a modal shift from truck to rail for a French transportation agency.  In 2014, she earned her Master's in Cultural Anthropology from Pariss School for Advanced Social Science Studies.  In 2018, Cynthia served on Governor Walker's commuter rail advisory task force.  Since 2022, she has represented Alaska on the Sierra Club's Clean Transportation Committee and rail interest group.  Cynthia's sister Dana moved to England in 1978.  Cynthia spends winters in both England and France, close to family members and where she does not need a car.  She takes the train!

LaMarr Anderson has lived in Palmer for the past 20 years and has long been active with various Mat-Su Borough citizen boards, community service organizations, and community improvement projects.  He retired as Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force with 21 years of service. His assignments included Director of Manpower/Personnel, Hq USAF Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Mission Support Squadron Commander, and various assignments at the Hq USAF Manpower and Personnel Center and Strategic Air Command. Following Air Force retirement, he served in various civilian management roles. He served two terms on each of the MatSu Transportation Advisory and Mat-Su Borough Platting Boards.  He is currently active on the Boards of Mat-Su Health Services, Mat-Su Council on Aging, Valley Charities, and the Mat-Su Salvation Army. His other community involvement includes Palmer Rotary, Mat-Su Community Orchestra, and Concert Band. 

Andrea Feniger is an Anchorage resident and has been the Alaska Chapter Director of the environmental non-profit Sierra Club for three and a half years. She holds a BA in political science from The University of Alabama and is a Master of Public Affairs Candidate at The University of California, Berkeley. After growing up in the South, she was excited to settle in a place with abundant natural access. She is grateful to have the opportunity to apply her experience and passion to climate and conservation issues around the state of Alaska.

Joel Cladouhos is a father, husband, and social innovator. He was born in Fairbanks and grew up in Juneau. His background includes economic development, the blue economy, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Joel earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Grinnell College and his MBA from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Joel is interested in the sustainable use of Alaska's natural resources, such as fisheries, mariculture, renewable energy, eco-tourism, outdoor recreation, local food systems, the circular economy, and the regenerative economy, and supporting the unique opportunities for sustainable development that represent the greatest potential for Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zaoqr37bjc2glto4a6n7o/Commuter-Rail-in-Alaska-AUUF-3-24-2024.pdf?rlkey=zrgqtxmyzraptwrk0x1cbwl4m&dl=0

Alaska Commuter Rail Coalition - https://commuterrailak.com

Anchorage Transportation Fair - 28 Mach 2024 - 3 pm-7 pm - UAA Alaska Airlines Center, Auxiliary Gym

Dr. Gretchen Bersch has dedicated her life to adult and continuing education. She created the master’s degree in Adult Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage, coordinated the Credit for Prior Learning program, co-created the UAA/Magadan student exchange program, trained teachers in rural villages, and created a series of filmed interviews with 80 of the world’s top scholars in the field of adult education. Bersch was nominated for the Professor of the Year award from the Carnegie Foundation and received the University of Alaska’s Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. She was a U.S. representative for the UNESCO conference on adult learning held in Germany and co-chaired the humanitarian relief effort Operation Magadan. In conjunction with a UNESCO meeting in Budapest, Hungary, Bersch was inducted into the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. While fully retired, she serves on the Olé! board and organizes adult education activities through her learning retreat center at her family’s homestead on Yukon Island.

Link to slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wwthbb0xpd8yxh4w7eb2a/Women_in_Action_UU_2024.pdf?rlkey=pg0lits908x2bvlscqunc20xq&dl=0

Ernest Gruening, Alaska Territorial bill (link also on page 6 of slides): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUP2fNZ3LPc

For much more, see https://www.alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/gretchen-bersch/

Robert Churchill has been involved with organizations with equal rights as a core value for over 40 years. He has assisted incarcerated Alaskans for the past decade as a volunteer with the NAACP, Alaska Branch 1000 in Anchorage, and the Alaska Nations Reentry Group, providing help to hundreds of individuals, especially Alaska Natives, with discrimination claims, medical and other issues.  One of the Reentry Group projects resulted in a multicultural panel that does a cultural orientation for new police officers. Robert was a long-time member and Chair of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission.  He is the former Director of Human Resources for the United States Postal Service in Alaska, and since he retired from that position, he has owned an HR consulting business.  As a parent, he was active for many years with the Anchorage Community Council system and volunteered with the Anchorage public school system. Robert lives in Anchorage with his wife, Susan, and together they have two adult children.

Recommended books:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, a civil rights litigator and legal scholar.
The 48 Laws of Power: by Robert Greene
From Here to Equality by A. Kirsten Mullen and William A. Darity Jr.
From Here to Equality, Second Edition: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century by William A. Darity Jr & A. Kirsten Mullen
Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration by Christine Montross 

PBS documentary series (part of Independent Lens) - Philly D.A. | District Attorney Larry Krasner (can be watched online using PBS Passport

‭Robert Churchill phone - (907) 529-0935‬

Bill Popp served as President & CEO of the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation for 16 years until 2023. Before joining AEDC, after a job change took him to the Kenia Peninsula, Popp and his family spent 25 years becoming engrained in that community.  He served as special assistant in the Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor's office from 2002-2007, focusing on oil & gas and mining policy under mayors of both parties. He served on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly from 1996-2002, and as Assembly President in 2000. Popp also worked for 25 years in the private sector as a business owner, and for small, regional and national corporations. Popp came to Anchorage when his family moved to Elmendorf Air Force Base in 1968, and he graduated from East High School. He and his wife, Nicole, have been married for 44 years and have a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Rachael. Popp has served on boards and committees too numerous to mention; a list of nearly three dozen can be found on his website.

Website: https://poppforanchorage.com

Chris Tuck served seven terms as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 2008 to 2023. He was twice elected Majority Leader of the House, leading a bipartisan House coalition for four years between 2017 and 2023. He previously served on the Anchorage School Board. Tuck is a product of Anchorage public schools. After graduating from Dimond High in 1984, he went on to an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and became a journeyman electrician. He also attended Arizona State University. He is a board member of the Alaska Joint Electrical Apprenticeship School, where he was an instructor for over 20 years. He served for over 20 years as Business Representative for the IBEW Local 1547 and recently started his company, Tuck Electrical Services. He is a member of Change Point Community Church and Anchorage Youth Court. In 1999, he won the Yukon River Championship Sled Dog Race, and he continues to enjoy outdoor activities, coaching youth soccer, racquetball, and music.

 tuckformayor.com

Paper titled "The homelessness plan for a better Anchorage" that Chris Tuck had available at AUUF - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f1rra6tn2xvp9wywb1lzm/HomelessnessHandout_Tuck.PDF?rlkey=cpbm5q11aljhyiwxa24gt7tqh&dl=0

Dr. Lawrence Matsuda was born during World War II in the Internment Camp at Minidoka, Idaho, where his family was incarcerated after forced removal from the West Coast.  He grew up to attend the University of Washington, earning his Ph. D. while serving in the Army Reserves.  He devoted 27 years to education as a junior high school language arts teacher and Seattle School District principal and administrator, creating the first Asian American history course in Washington state. An award-winning poet and writer, he memorialized the Japanese Internment experience in many of his works, including the poems in A Cold Wind from Idaho.  He co-edited the textbook, Community and Difference: Teaching, Pluralism and Social Justice, which won the 2006 National Association of Multicultural Education Phillip Chinn Award.  His passion for social justice extends beyond his writing to his work in securing the apology and reparations for World War II incarceration and his involvement with the Asian Coalition for Equality and the Japanese American Citizens League.

AP article about Lava Ridge wind farm - https://apnews.com/article/minidoka-idaho-pilgrimage-japanese-americans-incarcerated-wind-505960bd4f634633ef373e1bde447570

The video used by Dr, Matsuda in his presentation  can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ckdtjfj616mq6za/Minidoka%202%281080p%29.mp4?dl=0

Dr.Cal Williams is a community activist and historian. Born in Monroe, Louisiana, he graduated college, served in the United States Air Force during the early 1960s, participated in the historic March on Washington, and was affiliated with the Congress of Racial Equality. In 1965, he moved to Alaska, seeking job opportunities, racial integration, and a better life. He has served as President of the Alaska Chapter of the NAACP, was a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and ran for the Alaska House of Representatives. Cal served as the Filipino choir director at St. Anthonys, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus at St. Patrick's, and American Legion Post 34 chaplain. He helped exhibit the late George Harper collection, documenting the history of African Americans in Alaska. Cal collaborated with UAA associate professor of history Ian Hartman, Ph.D., in writing Black Lives in Alaska: A History of African Americans in the Far Northwest and on many related presentations and events. For his invaluable contributions, UAA awarded Williams an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in fall 2022.

Suzanne LaFrance represented South Anchorage on the Anchorage Assembly from 2017 to 2023. She served as Assembly Chair from 2021 to 2023, and was Chair of the Assembly’s Budget and Finance Committee and Co-Chair of its Health Policy Committee. She also served on the board of the Alaska Municipal League. In 2020, she narrowly lost the race for a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives. She has 24 years of experience in financial analysis, capital budgets, management, project management, marketing, and telecommunications, including working as an area manager for AT&T. LaFrance is a lifelong Alaskan. After graduating from Palmer High School, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Portland and her master’s from Purdue University. LaFrance has also been active with Great Alaska Schools Anchorage, the Rabbit Creek Elementary PTA, and the Boy Scouts. She and her husband, David Hemstreet, have three children, all students in the Anchorage School District. They enjoy outdoor activities and sports.

www.votesuzanne.com

Terrence Kelly, is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alaska Anchorage, a member of the Alaska Ethics Center, and author of Professional Ethics: A Trust Based Approach.  He earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy at St. Louis University. He has published and presented on various professional ethics and social justice topics and teaches biomedical and professional ethics courses. He conducts ethics training sessions for professional organizations as well as governmental entities and is a long-serving member of the Anchorage Municipal Board of Ethics.  Terry lives with his wife, son, and three dogs in Anchorage, Alaska. 

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/s58do6k2feaok15vyee04/TrustworthyProfessional.pdf?rlkey=5xeobbkuuw9afnkvdphcnkh36&dl=0

Indra Arriaga is the Strategic and Operational Director for the Alaska Institute for Justice. She works across AIJ's different programs and on multiple grant development and operations aspects. Prior to joining AIJ, Indra served as the Language Assistance Compliance Manager for Alaska’s Division of Elections, and under her direction the program expanded to language access in 14 languages and dialects.  Indra has spent more than two decades working directly with rural and remote communities in Alaska in various capacities, including elections, community development, and demographic and social research projects. Indra holds a BA and MA in Political Science from St. Mary’s University in Texas. She has worked in finance, management consulting, research, and analysis and sustains an artistic practice. As an immigrant, a woman, a person of color, and an LGBTQ person, ensuring that all voices are heard equally is a priority for her personal and professional life.

Note that there is a 3-second period of "noise" at about 1 minute 25 seconds that replaces several minutes of "technical confusion."

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cxghmw90prz1vd6ujm515/AIJ-2023-highlights.pdf?rlkey=5u4gbx7qpsb0ct95gwfgdw53k&dl=0

Tim Troll is the Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, a non-profit he helped start in Dillingham in 2000. In 2022 he completed a journey, many years in the making, to sail a restored 1936 Bristol Bay commercial fishing sailboat from Homer back to its historic home in Naknek. That same year, with help from partners, foundations, and many donors, the Land Trust raised 20 million dollars to protect 44,000 acres of critical salmon habitat on Lake Illiamna. The land trust now owns or holds conservation easements on 58,400 acres in Bristol Bay and has facilitated the protection of another 21,320 acres in the Wood-Tikchik State Park.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/y5lxc3bvr9jtt83t9yo7x/Sail-Back-UU-Presentation.pdf?rlkey=1vigq68cxkw8oi0uice4n4wxz&dl=0

Movie (PDF page 100) - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vv1izxb2agdvj5c6opsdd/Sailboat_Naknek_7_31_22_1080p.mp4.mov?rlkey=k60oa8vtcc1cdzo6ykcfavhdm&dl=0

We Alaskans - When sailboats ruled Bristol Bay by Tim Troll
Updated: December 2, 2017 - Published: May 21, 2017 - https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/we-alaskans/2017/05/21/when-sailboats-ruled-bristol-bay/#

Howard Weaver, a boy from Muldoon, was probably the most important figure in Alaska journalism. He led the Anchorage Daily News to two Pulitzer prizes—the Gold Medal for Distinguished and Meritorious Public Service, both times. ADN recently went on to win this award for a third time. Only three other newspapers in the 100+ year history of the Pulitzer prizes have earned that honor more often, and the paper’s continuing great work is, in part, a significant reflection of his lasting impact on journalists throughout Alaska today—whether they ever knew him or have even heard of him.  At today’s Forum, we heard from dozens of Howard’s colleagues and friends from Alaska and around the country—many of the best journalists Alaska has known.  They shared their personal and professional memories of Howard with one another. They gave the rest of us insights into a remarkable man engaged in public service journalism as a writer, editor, leader, role model, and inspiration, as well as us a window into some of the most exciting and vital times in journalism.  After leaving Alaska, Howard shared all he had to offer to editors and writers across America as Vice President for News of one of the country’s leading news organizations. 

You can find more about Howard in his memoir, “Write Hard, Die Free” (Epicenter Press, 2012), or in the definitive profile of him published upon his death by author and journalist Tom Kizzia: 
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2023/12/15/howard-weaver-editor-who-led-anchorage-daily-news-through-transformative-years-dies-at-73/

You can also listen to a podcast of Howard’s June 17, 2018, presentation to the AUUF Forum entitled “Living in a Post-Truth World” here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1965762/episodes/10577494

A reformatted PDF of the Zoom Meeting chat can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zxg857o31ddr1wtrng80e/20231217_0900_RecordingChat.pdf?rlkey=zgxstk0zvzwdycl1ic4oumm1a&dl=0

Michael Jeffery served as the first full-time Alaska Superior Court judge in Utqiagvik, formerly Barrow, from 1982 until his retirement in 2014.  A California native, Judge Jeffery received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 1966 and his law degree from Yale Law School in 1969. After spending five years in India, much of it in an ashram under the tutelage of a guru, he moved to Barrow, where he has lived since 1977.  He organized the first Alaska Legal Services Corporation office there and served as its supervising attorney until his appointment to the bench. The special interest he developed in understanding fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and dealing with FASD issues in the justice system that informed his legal career remains a focus of his continuing public service on state and national governmental and nonprofit committees, councils, and boards. He is active in Rotary, a drummer in an Eskimo dance group, and in summer, he fishes a commercial set net site in Bristol Bay with his family. He and his wife Esther, who met singing in their church choir, have three adult children and two grandchildren.

2022 Quyaana performance of the dance group - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qkq2OgaJF0

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ffhzzmjn75ga6ior26gif/JusticeandCommunityUtqiagvik.pdf?rlkey=t9wdixbh09d15uhlvexhh8vua&dl=0

Duke Russell is a lifelong Alaskan and an artist well known for his "street-level" art style that captures the essence of modern-day life in Anchorage. His work has been exhibited in the Anchorage Museum, the airport, galleries throughout the state, and trendy local spots like the Spenard Roadhouse. His iconic "Spenardian" painting characterizes one of the city's most famous/infamous neighborhoods.  Russell has immersed himself in Anchorage's local art scene. He is dedicated to fostering Alaska's next generation of creatives and artists, offering drawing and painting courses where he encourages his young students to nurture their talents. Russell also advocates for the city's vulnerable, unhoused population. He has recently inspired others to join his efforts, from assembling volunteers to coordinate access to essential care and services, food, and shelter to providing daily soup kitchens at Anchorage's Centennial Park and elsewhere. In 2022, the Rasmuson Foundation recognized Russell's art and activism and awarded him its prestigious President's Award.

Tim Huffman moved to Alaska from Oregon in 1984. His many jobs have included state employment, commercial fishing, remote sport fish guiding, high school and college volleyball officiating, golf course employment, and rearing angelfish for local aquarium supply stores.  In 2018, Tim began keeping bees in backyards across Anchorage and has been the beekeeper for 49th State Brewing since 2020. Tim wants to break Alaska's dependence on imported California bees by developing a sustainable beekeeping community in which local beekeepers use modern methods and gear to replicate his success.  He shares local beekeeping information on his YouTube Channel, Anchorage Backyard Beekeeping. He is one of many experienced beekeepers who post information and answer questions on the Facebook Midnight Sun Bee Club Forum page.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zl3rmav8tahm82nho44ug/Farm-Bureau-Presentation-2023-11-11.pptx.pdf?rlkey=tacnffu9ncx8riie30d5urwtm&dl=0

Randy Kimpton is the president of The Last Frontier Honor Flight, a nonprofit organization that takes Veterans from Alaska to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments constructed in their honor.  Anchorage has been his home since early childhood, besides the two years he spent serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Glasgow, Scotland.  After returning from there, he married his best friend, with whom he will celebrate their 44 anniversary this month. He is retired after working 30 years at JBER, followed by a stint with Allen and Peterson.   Randy keeps himself busy with hobbies, including restoring or working on collector vehicles—pretty much anything with wheels—and traveling. Still, most of his time is spent serving our veterans through working with The Last Frontier Honor Flight.

Ron Travis was a founder and first president of the Last Frontier Honor Flight program.  He was raised in rural Washington. Immediately upon graduation from High School in 1961 at age 17, he joined the Navy, following in the footsteps of his dad, a WWI vet, and brother, a Vietnam Vet. He attained the Machinist Mate 3rd class rank, spending most of his tour in the Far East and Vietnam. After he was discharged in 1964, he earned a degree in Social Work from the University of Eastern Washington.  He headed to Alaska in 1976 to find his fortune, working as a mechanic during the Pipeline days. From 1989 to 2000, he worked as a probation and parole officer for the State and then another five years as a Security Officer on the Pipeline in Valdez. Ron has been active with the American Legion in Wasilla for 20 years, serving as Adjutant for eight years and past Commander three times. Ron and his wife Lynda have been married for 43 years and have four children.

KTUU's Last Frontier Honor Flight story & Videos  - Video © KTUU Channel 2/Alaska's News Source.  Used with permission Note that the two specific clips used in today's Forum presentation come at “Day 5" -  the one that has the caption “Last Frontier Honor Flight makes journey back to Anchorage” and the one that has the caption “Last Frontier Honor Flight receives rousing homecoming at airport” - https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/10/31/last-frontier-honor-flights-17th-mission/

Website - https://www.lastfrontierhonorflight.com/

Speaker photos - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8d1ff8p888o1l9cc7bj9k/RandyRon-Tiffany.jpg?rlkey=h95urrs28u7qsiwzvn98nxum0&dl=0

Dr. Diane Hirshberg is the Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research and a Professor of Education Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She also serves as Vice-President Academic for the University of the Arctic. Her research includes education policy analysis, indigenous education, circumpolar education issues, and the role of education in sustainable development in the Arctic. She has studied the boarding school experiences of Alaska Native students and teacher supply, demand, and turnover, including the cost of teacher turnover in Alaska. She co-edited the book Education, Equity and Inclusion: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable North, published this year. Her current work focuses on education and knowledge sharing in self-determined sustainable development in remote villages and supporting community efforts to build energy security and sustainability in northern and Indigenous communities. Dr. Hirshberg teaches in the Master of Public Policy Program at the UAA College of Business and Public Policy. She has a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and two bachelor's degrees from UC Berkeley.

Dr. Hirshberg's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/cxe0jt97ilx8o53dcabob/HirshbergUnfinishedHistory.pdf?rlkey=z0skuyk87nw28244mbctxpyho&dl=0

The Helen & Lee Gorsuch Public Policy Forum: Public Education Funding in Alaska (7 December 2023 UAA) https://iseralaska.org/2023/10/the-helen-lee-gorsuch-public-policy-forum-public-education-funding-in-alaska/

Fresh out of law school, Meg took a job in Anchorage, sight unseen, representing Alaskans experiencing disabilities. This job brought her to Alaska, let her travel throughout the state, and gave her valuable experience working on systemic issues.
 
As an elected member of the Anchorage Assembly, Meg has been instrumental in expanding the Municipality's work around behavioral health and homelessness, including improving overall public health and safety and the well-being of vulnerable people. Meg has joined the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness to apply her experience and expertise. Meg enjoys spending her free time with her husband Zach, their daughter Zelda, three dogs, a cat, and four chickens.

Anchorage Assembly PoV on Homelessness

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0x28fcl8qbbjfq6624ugn/Unitarian-Housing-Presentation-MZ-AnchAssemblyPOV.pdf?rlkey=fmgwn3i1qmg3cuy78bj62zhpi&dl=0

An Overview of Homelessness in Anchorage and Alaska

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w198plx24q0lths9d0piw/Community-Presentation-2023-MZ-_-ACEH.pdf?rlkey=yt9zadeta0jnj2zcikz1i9b12&dl=0

Housing Action Week Events  (October 30-Nov. 4)

https://www.anchoragehousingaction.org/events

Housing Action Summit  (Friday, Nov. 3)

https://www.anchoragehousingaction.org/    

https://www.anchoragehousingaction.org/events/haw-summit

Doug Baily was the Attorney General of Alaska from 1989 to 1990 under Gov. Steve Cowper. Before that, he served as administrative assistant to Governor Jay Hammond and as a trustee of the Alaska Permanent Fund.  Before becoming a lawyer in 1965, Doug engaged in oil exploration in Alaska. From 1968 to 1971, he was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Alaska and was responsible for designing and conducting the state's legal case against the Rebecca and her captain in 1968. The Exxon Valdez oil spill on March 24, 1989, occurred during his tenure as AG.  After the spill, Attorney General Baily filed multiple court cases against Exxon Corporation and the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. Doug now lives in Homer with his wife, Landa, after moving back to Alaska from Oakland, Oregon, where they maintained the Old Baily Heritage Farm, raising rare breeds of American Livestock, including Myotonic Goats, Dexter Cattle, and American Guinea Hogs.

Tankers Full of Trouble, the Perilous Journey of Alaska Crude -https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/tankers-full-of-trouble-the-perilous-journey-of-alaskan-crude_eric-nalder/1111321/#edition=410297&idiq=90105 (may also be available at Title Wave)

Clark and Dawe - The Front Fell Off (comedy sketch) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM

Doug's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nbko1zqoayb076q819uro/Baily-TheTankerRebeccaIncident.pdf?rlkey=osxq0lnp1ntghpl5njxmftdzn&dl=0

Bill Oberly is retiring from the Alaska Innocence Project, where he has worked, first as the Executive Director and more recently as the Legal Director.  Bill was the first Executive Director at Alaska Innocence Project, where he handled all aspects of the innocence work done by the Project, including casework, education, and legal reform.  Before AKIP, Bill was a solo practitioner for eighteen years, with a general civil and criminal defense practice, handling cases at all levels of the Alaska Court System and all over the State of Alaska.  He is a former President of the Alaska Trial Lawyers Association.

Alaska Innocence Project website - https://www.alaskainnocenceproject.org

Lise Adams Sherry is the settled minister for the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  She grew up in Oregon as part of a blended family.  Her main interests growing up were dancing and theatre--she performed a lot!  Another highlight was learning French and spending her junior year of college in France. Lise is married to Nelson, and together, they have two boys (Kennen and Derek) and a daughter-in-law, Maria.  They've lived in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois and Massachusetts.  Lise received her M.Div. from Meadville Lombard in Chicago.  Her religious life is informed by nature, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition.  Her favorite parts of ministry are social justice, multi-generational worship services, and pastoral care.  Lise also enjoys hiking, bicycling, reading, gardening, movies, traveling, and learning about other cultures. 

Proposed Revision to Article II - Purposes and Covenant - https://discuss.uua.org/t/proposed-revision-to-article-ii/842 There are a LOT of links from this page!

John Sharify is one of the most honored broadcast journalists in the country.  A 79-time Emmy award winner, he received the 2021 DuPont Columbia Award, the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, for his Death with Dignity documentary Bob's Choice. Sharify is the Atwood Chair in Journalism and Public Communications at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Sharify has been honored with nine National Edward R. Murrow awards, including four National Murrow awards for writing, and was twice selected as the National Press Photographers Association Reporter of the Year (ROY) for his work at KING 5 News in Seattle. Sharify is a graduate of Princeton University.  He has a Master of Fine Arts degree in film directing from Columbia University, where he studied under Oscar-winning film director Milos Forman. His passion for storytelling has taken him around the world as he presents workshops on the craft of video storytelling in newsrooms and other venues, like his 2012 Ted Talk about his documentary, Climb of a Lifetime.

Beth Rose is co-founder and Board Chair of the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance. She is a lifelong Alaskan with over 30 years of non-profit management, fund development, public relations, finance skills, and strategic planning. She is passionate about her work with AKEDA and its outreach to partners around the state to improve awareness of eating disorders, support for individuals and families, and access to evidence-based treatment. Beth is an active member of the Collaborative for Eating Disorders Organizations and is involved with the national advocacy group Eating Disorders Coalition. Her career before co-founding AKEDA included serving as the Alaska Community Foundation Vice President of Philanthropy and Communications and the UAA Assistant Vice Chancellor for Development. In addition to serving on the board, Beth is an avid photographer.

Beth's slides can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5gsht7y79j0mg1u6n916s/20230925_AKEDA_presenentation_AUUF.pdf?rlkey=oepkiz3bdf0d20hwpgrdgnut7&dl=0

Beth recommended a video, which can be found here -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qc6QjfJyc

The link to the AKEDA website (Alaska Eating Disorder Alliance) is https://www.akeatingdisordersalliance.org/

The link to a film AKEDA has produced featuring local Olympic athlete Holly Brooks is: https://www.akeatingdisordersalliance.org/videosathletesanded

Andrew Halcro currently hosts a blog on politics, life, and entertainment called With All Due Respect.  He served two terms as a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and was a candidate for governor and mayor. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Avis Rent a Car of Alaska, one of the state's oldest and most successful family-owned businesses. He became president of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce in 2012 and served as executive director of the Anchorage Community Development Authority from 2015 until 2021. 

Larry Persily has worked in journalism and public service in Alaska for more than 45 years, growing increasingly cynical. He currently owns the weekly newspaper in Wrangell, assists other Southeast weekly newspapers, and writes opinion columns for the Anchorage Daily News in the delusional hope that people will read them, rise, and tell their elected officials: "Tax me!"

Robert Alexander earned his Ph.D. in Music and Technology from the University of Michigan.  As a NASA Fellow, he collaborated with scientists at the Goddard Space Flight Center to transform our understanding of the sun and solar wind through auditory data analysis, leading to numerous publications in the field of space physics. By day, he is the co-founder and CEO of Auralab Technologies Inc., whose Breathscape app supports deep meditative states by transforming breath into music through biofeedback. By night, he infuses music with solar data and works with the NASA-funded HARP team to bring the captivating sounds of the Themis satellite to citizen scientists around the globe.

There were videos used throughout Robert's presentation, and he provided access to these via Dropbox. If you click on the Video Files (Dropbox) link below, you will be taken to Robert Alexander's Dropbox folder Movie_Files, and you will see a depiction of the video files arrayed in the order that he used them in his presentation. As you listen to his presentation, Robert "announces" the start of each individual video, and you can start the video on your computer to follow along. NOTE - You do NOT have to join Dropbox to use these videos!

Video Files -
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/oz40yytcgkkm7512b4m8w/h?rlkey=ety6pg0pzco31ik830ibegq10&dl=0

HARP Citizen Science Project -
https://listen.spacescience.org/aboutHARP.html

The Breathscape App:
http://breathscape.com/

Chris Rose is the founder and Executive Director of Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP), a non-profit coalition of diverse energy stakeholder organizations working to increase renewable energy development and promote energy efficiency across Alaska. Before establishing REAP in 2004, Mr. Rose had a private law practice for over a decade, including work in remote Northwest Arctic villages and mediation of various disputes around the state. He has written a monthly opinion column for Alaska's only statewide newspaper and served on various statewide boards, including the state's Renewable Energy Fund Advisory Committee. Since 2008, that Fund has granted over $300 million to 90 renewable energy projects that today are displacing the equivalent of 30 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. Since 1992, he has lived 65 miles northeast of Anchorage, where he and his partner grow flowers and apples.


Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fpktnu3vgildj52idkzm4/ChrisRose.pdf?rlkey=4uhbmq4t88dbjy3rbw2bym1xj&dl=0

Kate Troll is an author, op-ed columnist, wilderness adventurer, and speaker on conservation and climate issues. She has over 22 years of experience in fisheries, coastal management, and climate and energy policy. She is the former Executive Director of United Fishermen of Alaska and Alaska Conservation Voters. She has been elected to local office twice. Her opinion pieces have been published in the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, and the Nation. She was a regular columnist for Alaska's only statewide paper for three years. In 2017, Kate published a creative nonfiction book that combined wilderness adventure stories with lessons and insights about sustainability and climate change. Her book, The Great Unconformity, Reflections on Hope in an Imperiled World, led to her being invited as faculty at the Chuckanut Writers Conference in Bellingham, Washington.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ynb77pmbma2mkza2d7fas/All-in-Due-Time.pdf?rlkey=202y7j62ma8n8lvtd920k0i71&dl=0

Dan ONeill was born and raised in San Francisco, graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, and moved to Alaska at age twenty-five.  He worked construction, studied poetry, built log cabins, hunted, fished, trapped, and ran dogs.  As a research associate at the oral history program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, he produced radio and television documentaries for public broadcasting. He wrote three books of nonfiction: The Firecracker Boys (for which he was named Alaska Historian of the Year), The Last Giant of Beringia, and A Land Gone Lonesome.  He wrote a political opinion column for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner for several years.  In 2021, the University of Alaska Fairbanks awarded ONeill the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Dan's slides can be found here as PDF - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ceh1rugyc0q8kb0b88jfi/AnchUUsPwrPtPics1.pdf?rlkey=0w8vnekr63xfhxjh6u7u2x8wr&dl=0

Another good link - akhopecongress.org

Dr. Bill Cox is a board-certified diagnostic radiologist who practiced medicine for over three decades before retiring in 2015. He attended college and med school, did his residency in Michigan, and has worked in numerous hospitals and clinics since then throughout Alaska and several Western states.  He's also presented papers and lectures at numerous conferences throughout the world. Bill has traveled extensively, particularly throughout Alaska and Asia, and has met an incredible array of interesting people, from a Japanese medical student he met as a college student bumming through Europe and later climbed Fuji-san with an Athabaskan elder and chief, from Mongolians in the Gobi Desert, and a dumpster-diving street person in Anchorage, to the Dalai Lama. He has written about many of these encounters in his book, My Pursuit of the Axis of Evil and Other True Stories from Asia and Alaska, published earlier this year.

Alex Mar is a writer based in her hometown of New York City and in upstate New York. Her first book, Witches of America, was a New York Times Notable Book and Editors Pick in nonfiction. Her second nonfiction book, Seventy Times Seven, was recently published after five years of immersive research and writing and has been praised in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and The New York Times (Editors Choice), among others. Some of her journalism and essays have appeared in The Believer, Wired, New York Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, The Guardian, Elle, The Virginia Quarterly Review, The Oxford American, The Best American Magazine Writing, and the Ecco anthology Unspeakable Acts. Formerly an editor at Rolling Stone, she has been a guest correspondent for CBS, ABC, National Public Radio, and the BBC. She is also the director of the feature-length documentary American Mystic. Mar is a first-generation American of Cuban and Greek descent. https://alex-mar.com/

Dermot Cole has been a newspaper reporter, columnist, and author in Alaska for over 40 years. For two decades, he wrote a daily column for the Fairbanks Daily News Miner while penning several history books. More recently, he served as a political reporter and columnist at the Alaska Dispatch News. Since the paper was sold, he's continued working as a journalist through his political blog, Reporting from Alaska, where he's broken several exclusive and important stories regarding the Dunleavy administration.

David Reamer is an academic and public scholar interested in the intersections of social justice, history, and community construction. David is the co-author, with Dr. Ian Hartmann, of the book Black Lives in Alaska: An African American History of the Far Northwest, published last year by the University of Washington Press. His other publications include journal and magazine articles on topics ranging from Jewish Alaska history to baseball to waffles, and his Histories of Anchorage series appears weekly in the Anchorage Daily News. Current research topics include the presentation of history on social media and early LGBT+ history in Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/tgbbw3aar6ymq1s/FairviewPresentation.pdf?dl=0

Speaker notes for slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1x6ymgzk9sagkui/FairviewPresentation_verbiage.pdf?dl=0

Jessica Downes is a Nurse Consultant working in the Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for the State of Alaska.  Jessie works in the Health Systems Collaboration unit and specifically focuses on conditions and programs designed to assist the healthcare system to identify, treat and prevent chronic diseases.  Jessie works to partner with individuals, the community, and with the clinical system to deliver chronic disease management and prevention programs to Alaskans through a variety of in-person and digital platforms.  Jessie has two boys, Jonathan and Lucas, who are two and four.  She and her husband love hiking, canoeing, camping, and spending time outdoors.  Jessie is also a bit of a Star Trek geek, and you may have noticed that she named her boys “John-Luke” in honor of her favorite character (Jean Luc).

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/gb32ffiya14ovxe/FreshStartIntroduction-GeneralConference.pdf?dl=0

Note that the Forum formally ends at the 1:09:17 mark. But there is some interesting chatter that takes place after that.

Scott Kendall is an experienced litigator, appellate advocate, and strategic consultant. Among his specialties is campaign and election law, and he has represented candidates for local, statewide, and national office as well as industry coalitions, non-profits, ballot measure groups, and independent campaign expenditure organizations (known as super PACs). Scott was counsel to U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski's historic 2010 write-in campaign for reelection and also served as Campaign Coordinator for her 2016 reelection campaign. From 2016 to 2018, he served as Chief of Staff to Alaska Governor Bill Walker. Scott drafted a 2014 statewide ballot measure aimed at protecting the Bristol Bay salmon fishery and more recently authored, litigated, and advised the successful ballot measure campaign to improve Alaska's statewide election system, featuring a Top 4 open primary election along with Ranked Choice Voting in the general.  He earned his bachelor's degree from Western Washington University and his law degree from the University of Washington School of Law. Scott is a board member of STAR Alaska and serves as Vice Chair of the board of the Institute of the North.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/vazpuaqoffwp87i/2022ElectionsRecap.pdf?dl=0

Darrel Hess is the Ombudsman for the Municipality of Anchorage. He has called Anchorage home since 1965 and has lived in Fairview since 1987.  Darrels public service career started in April 2008 when he was hired by Mayor Mark Begich to work on community-based projects in the Office of Economic & Community Development. In September 2009, Mayor Dan Sullivan appointed Darrel as Anchorage's first Homeless Coordinator. In July 2012, the Anchorage Assembly confirmed Darrel as Anchorage Municipal Ombudsman, and he was reappointed in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2020. The Municipal Ombudsman serves as an independent, impartial reviewer of constituent complaints and concerns and makes recommendations to the Assembly and Mayor regarding Municipal codes, policies, and procedures.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/3kqf0je1g4spm4j/2022Ombudsman%27sOffice.pdf?dl=0

Andrew Gray was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2022 to represent the UMED District in Anchorage. He serves on the Judiciary, Ways & Means, and Military & Veterans Affairs committees. During his first session in Juneau, he brought forward legislation related to housing and homelessness and carried Senate Bill 119 in the House, which requires the Department of Corrections to provide valid photo ID to all incarcerated people upon their release; the bill passed both chambers unanimously. He also co-chairs the Freshmen Caucus with Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna. Outside the Capitol, he is a physician assistant at Alaska Urgent Care and in the Alaska Army National Guard, with whom he deployed to Kosovo in 2019. He hosts two podcasts: East Anchorage Book Club and East Anchorage Matters, which feature interviews with Alaskans of political interest. He and his husband Jay and their 9-year-old son Waylon have been members of AUUF since 2017.

Justin Ruffridge was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2022 to serve the Kenai/ Soldotna area. His parents, both educators, moved their family to Alaska in 1994, where they taught at a small Christian school. Justin graduated from high school in 2001 and Washington State University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2008.  He married his wife Jessie in 2004, and after graduation, they moved back to the Kenai Peninsula to help care for Jessies terminally ill mother. Justin began his pharmacy career at Soldotna Professional Pharmacy, and in the years since, he and a business partner acquired the Soldotna Pharmacy, the Juneau Drug Company in downtown Juneau, and the Alpine Apothecary Pharmacy in Girdwood. Justin was briefly on the Soldotna Planning and Zoning Commission before serving on the Soldotna City Council. He has advocated for those struggling to find housing and worked diligently on Covid prevention, mitigation, and treatment efforts during the pandemic. He enjoys coaching Little League.

Slides -https://www.dropbox.com/s/24mfv6r934h6cso/FreshmanSlides_Gray%26Ruffridge.pdf?dl=0

Eric Stroshane has twenty years of experience working in public, special, and academic libraries. He currently provides the American Library Associations Office for Intellectual Freedom challenge support, database maintenance, and assistance with publications as part of their efforts to combat censorship and defend the freedom to read. He is the news editor for the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy, curates a weekly news compilation for Alas's Intellectual Freedom Blog, and is a former president of the Mountain Plains Library Association. He has delivered training and presentations on intellectual freedom issues for library directors, staff, board members, and the general public nationwide.  He holds a Masters degree in Library Science from Indiana University Bloomington, an MA in English from the University at Buffalo, and a BA in English from Pennsylvania State University. In his life beyond library walls, Eric is an electronic musician, mountain biker, kayaker, hiker, dog-lover, and yogi.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/uzifqxbgiaa6u2x/LibraryBooksUnderFire.pdf?dl=0

Dr. Jharrett Bryantt is the Superintendent of the Anchorage School District.  Prior to joining ASD in the summer of 2022, Dr. Bryantt was an executive officer at the Houston Independent School District, leading efforts to attract, retain, evaluate, and competitively compensate talent for the nation’s 7th largest school district. In 2019 Forbes Magazine’s named him as one of 30 education leaders to watch, and in 2021 it listed him as one of 50 champions for advancing communities of color. He holds doctoral and master’s degrees in educational leadership and policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science from Yale University. He serves on the Junior Achievement of Alaska board and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He is a core member of United Way of Anchorage’s Cradle to Career initiative. Dr. Bryantt was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and is proud to call Anchorage his home.    https://www.asdk12.org/superintendent

Dr. Arleigh Reynolds is a veterinarian, professor of clinical nutrition, Senior Scientist and Director of the One Health Initiative at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Associate Dean of UAFs College of Natural Science and Mathematics, and a World Champion sled dog racer.  He has published prolifically and holds a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine from Cornell University.  He specialized in researching the relationship between nutrition and performance in sport dogs. He served as the associate dean of UAF's Department of Veterinary Medicine, before being appointed Director of One Health in 2018.  Now he is working on the future of global health, through One Health's holistic, integrated, multidisciplinary approach to studying, understanding, and managing issues related to environmental, human, and animal health.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/2o9llmn712337wv/ArleighReynoldsPPT_5-28-2023.pdf?dl=0

Links -
https://www.uaf.edu//onehealth/
https://waywework.com/podcasts-and-events/dr-arleigh-reynolds-on-creating-a-career-of-passion-purpose-and-impact
https://www.alaska.edu/orgcharts/uaf/vc-research/dir.-one-heath-arleigh-re/
https://www.uaf.edu/vmed/about/steering-committee/reynolds-arleigh/index.php

Alyse Galvin represents House District 14—Spenard, Rogers Park, and Midtown—in the 33rd Alaska Legislature, where she serves on the House Finance Committee. Alyse was elected to the state House of Representatives as an independent. Also, she was an independent candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 and 2020, running with the endorsement of the Alaska Democratic Party against Rep. Don Young in his final two races. Alyse is a third-generation Alaskan who grew up in a family that battled addiction, mental illness, and abuse, but she broke that cycle. She served Alaska under Republican and Independent governors. She led a non-partisan grassroots movement to restore education funding and improve our public schools, helping grow that organization from 40 to 4,000 strong. She has owned two small businesses and was a manager of a major hotel in Anchorage. Alyse is a graduate of the University of California San Diego. She and her husband Pat are proud parents of four.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/x2rg3pmw3r3u5b1/230521-AUUF%20Presentation-New%20Revenue.pdf?dl=0

Cathleen McLaughlin has worked in law and advocacy for 35 years. In 2014, she became the Director of the Partners Reentry Center, a community-based center that provided pre- and post-release reentry services to vulnerable individuals who would otherwise release from incarceration to homelessness. This experience inspired her to open Restorative and Reentry Services in 2016 to provide guidance to communities around the United States seeking to create their own community-based reentry programs. In April 2020, RRS was hired to manage the emergency homeless shelter at the Sullivan Arena for the operator, Beans Cafe. During the height of the pandemic, it was the largest congregate shelter in the US. The Municipality hired RSS in March to provide oversight of the Sullivan Arena emergency shelter and the two remaining hotels housing otherwise homeless individuals in preparation for their expected closing and is also advising about homeless policy after the closure of these facilities. Cathleen received both her law degree and her MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She also holds a bachelor's degree in History/Political Science from the University of Montana.

Jared Huffman is a member of the United States Congress, representing California's 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. First elected in 2012, he serves on the Natural Resources and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committees. Jared founded the Congressional Freethought Caucus to promote sound public policy based on reason, science, and moral values while protecting the secular character of government and championing the value of freedom of thought worldwide. Before serving in Congress, Jared represented the
North Bay for six years in the California Assembly. Before that, he worked as a Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) after a successful stint as a public interest attorney.  Jared graduated magna cum laude from U.C. Santa Barbara, where he was a three-time NCAA All-American volleyball player. He played for the USA Volleyball Team, ranked #1 in the world, before graduating cum laude from Boston College Law School. Jared lives in San Rafael with his wife, Susan, a teacher, and their two children, Abby and Nathan.

For more, see - https://huffman.house.gov/meet-Jared

Washington Post article = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/11/09/this-lawmaker-is-skeptical-that-god-exists-now-hes-finally-decided-to-tell-people/

Christina Eubanks is the Executive Director of Hillcrest Children's Center, a parent-owned nonprofit child-care center that has been an Anchorage institution since 1968. After earning her BA in Sociology, she moved to Alaska to work for Camp Fire USA AK Council as a Program Director for Program Quality.  Previously she was on the Parent Board and the Academic Policy Committee of Winterberry Charter School while her four children were enrolled there.  She is on the Board of the Anchorage Association for the Education of Young Children, where she focuses on public policy to increase access to affordable, quality care. 

Link to the slides used in Christina's presentation - https://www.dropbox.com/s/0gzh4rnhcc607mj/Child%20Care%20Crisis.pdf?dl=0

Link to video played by Christina during her presentation (starts at 17 minutes and ends at 43 minutes in the podcast) - https://vimeo.com/814699053

Link to Alaska Beacon article on childcare -
https://alaskabeacon.com/2023/04/21/day-care-waitlists-are-so-long-moms-are-quitting-their-jobs-or-choosing-to-stop-having-kids/

Link to the reading of the poem “One Boy Told Me” by Naomi Shihab Nye - https://youtu.be/biJ3FP8aDjY

Senator Löki Gale Tobin represents District J, including downtown Anchorage. She's also a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Alaska Fairbanks; her research topic is focused on culturally responsive education.  Born and raised in Nome, Lki is a University of Alaska Anchorage graduate with a Master's degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Peace Corps Masters International Program, having served as a Youth Development Volunteer in Azerbaijan from 2008-2011.  Löki is active with the Pride Foundation, has worked in marketing and communications for Alaskan nonprofits like Boys & Girls Clubs, Kawerak, and the Alaska Community Foundation, and was also a fundraiser for the Anchorage Museum. Sen. Tobin met her mentor, Tom Begich, on one of his many trips to Nome. This long friendship eventually led to her joining his legislative team in Juneau as Policy Director. For the past several years, she has worked to expand universal, voluntary pre-K across Alaska, protect renters and homeowners from predatory insurance practices, and champion the Alaska constitution. Lkis an avid bicycle commuter and community volunteer.
 
Mara Kimmel is the executive director of the ACLU of Alaska. She has been on faculty at the Seattle University School of Law, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Pacific University. She has served as a Senior Research Fellow at the Anchorage Museum. Mara has worked as an immigration attorney and advocate for tribal subsistence rights. She's been involved with initiatives focused on equity, resilience, and combatting human trafficking. Mara serves on the national board of directors for Welcoming America, the regional advisory board for the Anti-Defamation League, and is a board member and co-founder of the Alaska Institute for Justice. Mara was a States Climate Action Leadership Team member and chaired the Advisory Committee for the 2019 Municipality of Anchorages Climate Action Planning process. Mara has a Ph.D. from Central European University, a JD from the University of Minnesota School of Law, a Master's degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a bachelor's degree from the University of California Berkeley.

Joclyn Reilly, LCSW, PMH-C, is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Postpartum Support International, Alaska Chapter (PSIAK). She also volunteers for PSI as a local coordinator. She has worked as a Family Support Counselor with Providence Alaska Childrens Hospital since 2012. She has been a social worker since 2001 and graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Social Work in 2003. In addition to providing individual therapy, she teaches Happiest Baby on the Block classes and facilitates the Monday Mamas Support Group at Providence. She is also the Alaska Representative for the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers. In 2021, Joclyn joined the Alaska Perinatal Quality Collaborative (AKPQC) as faculty for the Substance Affected Pregnancies Initiative. Joclyn attends AUUF regularly and volunteers on the A/V team. She is a singing member of Alaska Sound Celebration, Alaska's premier a cappella chorus. Joclyn is married and parenting three school-aged boys. Her children attend school at Steller Secondary and Bowman Open Optional Program.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/1gk6zzq4irdpzz2/Copy%20of%20PSI%20AK_%20Advocacy%2C%20Awareness%2C%20and%20Education.pdf?dl=0

A Forum on the Forum.  This concerns everyone at AUUF, so check out the discussion. If you can't participate, let us know what you think. The Forum has been Zoom-only for over three years during the pandemic.  As many groups and activities return to in-person gatherings, what should we do with the Forum?  Stay on Zoom?  Meet in person?  A combination of both? If we return to the building, when and how often?  Every week?  Once or twice a month?  What are the pros and cons, not just for you as a Forum participant but also for our larger AUUF community?  What must be done to prepare the way for a return to normal?  What are the moving parts, the stumbling blocks, and the opportunities that come into play with this transition? Whether you participate in the Forum regularly or occasionally, this affects you.  And if you don't, but you are part of AUUF, it still affects you.  It will make a difference in how the main groups of AUUF interact with one another, how we all use the space and resources, how we connect with other UUs, and how we consider ourselves as one community and the synergy that comes from that.  We want input from the wider AUUF community before deciding how and when to make this happen.

Erin Baldwin Day is an innovator and rabble-rouser living on Denaina lands in Midtown. She and her family embrace the practice of radical hospitality as the key to a more just and compassionate world, and believe that a bigger table is always preferable to a taller fence. She pastors progressive, inclusive communities of faith that may or may not look like church, and is convinced that a Jesus-shaped life means an unwavering commitment to social justice and solidarity among the marginalized. She is an organizer of MANAMutual Aid Network of Anchorageand former pastor of the United Methodist Church of Palmer. She is currently working on legislation to end predatory lending practices of payday loans.

Mutual Aid Network of Alaska Website - weareMANA.org

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/twswhk4vhs3atke/UUF%20Presentation%20Slides.pdf?dl=0

Alex Johnson manages NPCA’s programs to protect and enhance the national parks and preserves in Alaska. He's is an outdoor and wilderness and is particularly fond of long-distance human-powered travel, e.g.,) skiing, canoeing, running, and backpacking.

Alex is a Wyss Scholar, having earned his MS in environmental studies and Certificate in Natural Resources Conflict Resolution from the University of Montana.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/xq2wxpupd9kfgm0/AnchorageUUPresentation2023.pdf?dl=0

Dr. Steven Haycox is a distinguished professor of history emeritus, a respected author of numerous books and essays, and a columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. In 2003, he was named the Alaska Historical Society's Historian of the Year and received the Alaska Governor's Humanities Award. Before his retirement, Prof. Haycox taught history for over 40 years at the University of Alaska, where he was named a distinguished professor and was awarded the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. Steve earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1970. His books include Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics, and Environment in Alaska, Battleground Alaska: Fighting Federal Power in America's Last Wilderness, and the recently revised Alaska: An American Colony, which has been called by far the finest history of Alaska yet produced. He was born in the Upper Midwest and went to high school in a suburb of New York. He was a musician in the Navy and served in the Pacific.

ART DAVIDSON grew up in Colorado and lived his adult life in Alaska, where he helped create the state's first state park and has been engaged in major conservation and indigenous rights battles. From his climbing days, Art wrote "Minus 148: The First Winter Ascent of Mt. McKinley," considered a classic of mountaineering literature. He also authored "Endangered Peoples" about the struggles of indigenous peoples worldwide.  He met former NPR correspondent Anne Garrels during the Iraq war and worked with Shi and Sunnis to relieve orphaned children in that conflict. In 2022, Art joined Anne Garrels, Heinz Coordes, his lifelong friend from Colorado, and a couple of others to form the organization Assist Ukraine to deliver non-military aid to Ukrainian people defending themselves from the Russian invasion and so greatly affected by this ongoing war. To find out more about their work, check assist-ukraine.org.

OLGA SHPAK is a marine biologist who grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Until last year Olga was pursuing her scientific passions, doing prestigious, cutting-edge whale research with the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.  But when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, she found the war had changed her priorities. Olga left her position and returned to her home country, where she has worked tirelessly since, partnering with Assist Ukraine to source, purchase, and distribute what civilians and defenders need to survive.

Some of Kateryna's pics (starts at about 10:19) - https://www.dropbox.com/s/auiiibkmst522co/KaterynaPics.pdf?dl=0

Video recording of Forum - https://www.dropbox.com/s/rh1zuqzldwklfnq/Forum.mp4?dl=0 (it's big)

Reports from Kateryna Pryshchepa  - https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/11/29/a-fortress-in-the-east-notes-from-kharkiv-in-september-2022/ & https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/11/15/a-tale-from-under-the-shelling-living-through-war-in-a-ukrainian-community-at-the-russian-border/

Other links   https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/former-ups-driver-carries-out-civilian-rescues-in-ukraine-157642309979 & https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/one-thing/episodes/bd765c27-1a75-4528-ad21-afb300fb0126 & https://youtu.be/a2RjRNXGhs8 (Bakhmut Brad)

Website - https://assist-ukraine.org/index.html

Snail mail -  PO Box 1740 Carbondale, CO 81623

Art Davidson's contact info - artdavidson43@gmail.com & 907-952-3355

Craig Campbell was appointed as the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport Interim Manager in March 2022. He has a distinguished career in public service, previously serving as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard, President and CEO for Alaska Aerospace, and Board Chair for the Alaska Railroad. He was also Alaska’s tenth Lieutenant Governor and served three terms on the Anchorage Assembly. Craig is a former pilot, air traffic controller, and adjunct instructor in aviation for Embry Riddle University. His aviation career also includes over fifteen years as a consultant, during which he completed numerous airport master plans and noise studies at a variety of airports across the state, and was the project manager for planning work at the Anchorage International Airport in the 1980’s. Craig earned degrees from the University of Tulsa, Golden Gate University, and the Naval War College.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/h3kvv64lqthzwi9/ANCHORAGEUUFELLOWSHIP%20PRESENTATION.pdf?dl=0

Neal Fried is an economist with the Alaska Department of Labor, where his primary duty is to produce economic data and analysis on a variety of economic issues facing the state. Neal is a primary author of articles appearing in the monthly magazine Alaska Economic Trends, published by the Department of Labor and distributed to over 5,000 subscribers. He has performed economic analysis and written articles on annual economic forecasts, the cost of living, the military, the health care industry, transportation, oil industry issues, rural economic trends, economic impact of the Prince William Sound oil spill, the Mat-Su Valley's economy, Covid and many other issues. He has served on the Alaska Public Media Board, the King Career Centers Business Industries Advisory Committee, UAAs Advisory board as well as the Pacific Northwest Economic Conference board. Neal is a  recipient of the Governors Denali Peak Performance award. He earned his economics degree from University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1978, and in 2019 was recognized as Alumnus of the Year by UAF.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/dcby0shb563cyvb/unitarians2023.pdf?dl=0

Ed Mighell is an artist specializing in handmade ceramic tiles depicting Alaska animals and plants and images associated with his Alaska Native heritage. Eds mother is Inupiat from Point Hope. His father is from Massachusetts and was stationed in the Arctic with the Army Corps of Engineers where he met Eds mother. Ed has a degree in civil engineering and a fine arts degree in printmaking, both from the University of Alaska Anchorage. He left his engineering career behind to pursue his art, which is collected throughout America. He feels comforted to be playing a role in reviving an old art form in Alaska, as the last native potter died around 1880. The main ingredient in his tile body is the glacial clay from the mudflats next to Anchorage, where Ed lives with his wife, Kathryn.

Video © KTUU Channel 2/Alaska's News Source.  Used with permission - https://www.dropbox.com/s/qq8ejifnid1uh46/TAS%20ALASKA%20TILES-PKG.mp4?dl=0

Sierra Gregg is the Manager of Prevention and Education at STARStanding Together Against Rape and has extensive experience with creating and providing educational content to adults and youth across the state. She is a lifelong Alaskan and is driven by the need to make Alaska a safer place by helping to reduce the number of people that are harmed. She takes pride in being part of a team of people who provide comprehensive services to victims/survivors, their families, and the community.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/6i7iz5oe3rt2obk/AUUF%20SA%20and%20Consent.pdf?dl=0

Chris Kolerok is the Director of Public Policy with Cook Inlet Housing Authority, the Tribally Designated Housing Entity for the Cook Inlet Region of Southcentral Alaska. Chris is Cup’ik, German, and Irish, and his grandparents are from Mekoryuk in Western Alaska. Chris was previously the President of Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority in Nome, and CEO of Togiak Natives, Ltd. Chris serves on the Governor’s homelessness and housing advisory council and the two Continuums of Care in Alaska, the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness and the Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness.

The slide presentation is available here as a pdf - https://www.dropbox.com/s/2vugyfeq0pefg97/UUF%20Presentation%201.22.23.pdf?dl=0.

Zack Fields is entering his third term in the Alaska House of Representatives. His district includes Downtown, South Addition, Forest Park, Valley of the Moon/Northstar, Fairview, and Eastridge. Prior to working in the legislature, he was a Workforce Development Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Labor, a congressional and local government aide, and a freelance outdoor writer.

Graham Downey is AKPIRGs Consumer Advocate.  His research and advocacy is focused on issues of economic justice, including debt and housing. He works closely with diverse coalition partners to find fair and effective policy solutions to issues that affect the lives of everyday Alaskans. Graham grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. Hes been in Anchorage, on Denaina land, since 2020.  Outside of work, Graham loves to read books, walk Jubilee the Dog, and play bike polo. Graham holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and a J.D. from Yale Law School. In the past, Graham has worked as a cook, barista, school garden teacher, LSAT tutor, and legal scholar.

Shirley Mae Springer Staten is the executive director of Keys to Life, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to empowering, creating, and strengthening an inclusive community through rich arts and cross-cultural experiences.  She has worked as a VISTA volunteer, traveled to Cuba and Africa, served as Cultural Events Project Coordinator for the United Nations/NGO Womens Conference in Beijing, and worked in various positions for the Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage School District, Home Base After School Program, and others. Shirley Mae earned her Master's Degree in Applied Psychology from the University of Santa Monica in 1996 after receiving her bachelors in Human Resource Development from Alaska Pacific University. She has received numerous recognitions, including Athena Society membership, YWCAs Women of Achievement Award, Mayors Arts Awards, the Honor Kempton award and legislative citations for advancing the causes of humanity, Alaska Black Caucus Community Service Award, and Interior Alaska Ecumenical Peace with Justice Council Peacemakers Award. 

Lise Adams Sherry is the settled minister for the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  She grew up in Oregon as part of a blended family.  Her main interests growing up were dancing and theatre--she performed a lot!  Another highlight was learning French and spending her junior year in France. Lise is married to Nelson, and together they have two boys (Kennen and Derek), and a daughter-in-law, Maria.  They've lived in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois, and Massachusetts.  Lise received her M.Div. from Meadville Lombard in Chicago.  Nature, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition inform her religious life.  Some of her favorite parts of ministry are social justice, multi-generational worship services, and pastoral care.  Lise also enjoys hiking, bicycling, reading, gardening, movies, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

Jim Anderson is the Chief Financial Officer of the Anchorage School District. He joined ASD in 2015 after retiring as a Colonel from 27 years of active federal service in the U.S. Army. Jim served as an infantry officer, ordnance officer, and logistics officer. He served in numerous leadership positions, from Platoon Leader to Battalion Commander, deployed several times to Bosnia, the Middle East, and conducted numerous missions in Africa. Jim's last job in the Army was as the Chief of Staff, Logistics for the U.S. Army Alaska. He provided policy, guidance, and oversight for all active Army forces in Alaska. He earned his undergraduate degree before joining the Army. While in the service, he earned master's degrees in Human Resources from Webster University and Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. He is a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and a past board member of the Anchorage Girl Scouts.

Margo Bellamy is President of the Anchorage School Board.  A career educator, she has spent over forty years in education working in various positions (clerk typist, teacher, librarian, assistant principal, principal, executive director, mentor, and trainer of staff and leadership). During her three-year tenure on the Anchorage School Board, Margo is in her second year as president and has served as Clerk, Communication Committee Chair, and Vice-President. During retirement, Margo enjoys working as an Adjunct Professor in the UAA Educational Leadership Program and is the new president-elect of the Alaska Association of School Boards. She is a member of the National School Board Associations National Black Caucus, National Native American/Alaskan Native Caucus, and the National Hispanic Caucus. Her local service also includes service on the Boards of Directors of the Alaska Children's Trust, Anchorage Library Foundation, and the Alaska Community Foundation.  She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the National NAACP. Margo is married and is the parent of two adult children, both ASD graduates, and a grandparent to two grandsons who attend the school in the Anchorage School District.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/h4ex5tqd279afgr/Dec%2011th%202022%20Briefing%20to%20AUUF.pdf?dl=0

Mary Sattler Peltola is the Representative for All of Alaska.  She was elected in August to fill the remainder of the late Representative Don Young’s term, becoming the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and the first woman from Alaska to serve in the U.S. House. In November, she was elected to a full two-year term in Congress. Rep. Peltola is Yup’ik, born in Alaska and raised on the Kuskokwim River.  She began fishing commercially with her father when she was six and worked as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game during college. At age 24, she was elected to the Alaska Legislature, where she served in the House for ten years.  A Democrat, she helped to rebuild the Bush Caucus, which passed legislation and influenced budgets that improved lives in rural Alaska under her tenure as Chair. After leaving the legislature, she worked as Manager of Community Development and Sustainability for the Donlin gold mine project and as Executive Director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. She served on the Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court and the Bethel City Council, and the boards of the Nature Conservancy, Alaska Humanities Forum, Alaska Children’s Trust, and Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska.  Mary is married to Gene “Buzzy” Peltola and has seven children.

Mary's official website is https://peltola.house.gov

Jim Lottsfeldt is one of the preeminent political consultants in Alaska. After graduating from Willamette University, Jim worked as a legislative aide in the Alaska legislature. After one session, he switched gears and became a political consultant and campaign manager, and has since conducted over 75 political campaigns since that time. Former & current clients include US Sen. Lisa Murkowski, US Sen. Mark Begich, Gov. Bill Walker, Gov. Sarah Palin, Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, Alaskans Against the Tax Cap, and many legislative candidates, including state Senators Bill Wielechowski, Linda Menard, Johnny Ellis, and North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta.

Margaret Stock is a lawyer who focuses on immigration and citizenship law. She is a nationally known expert on immigration and national security laws and has testified regularly before Congressional committees on immigration, homeland security, and military matters. As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Military Police, U.S. Army Reserve, Margaret has extensive experience with U.S. military issues. Margaret  is the author of the book “Immigration Law and the Military.” She has also worked as a professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point and as an adjunct instructor at the University of Alaska. Margaret has served on the board of the Federal Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section and is a former member of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Immigration. Margaret received her undergraduate degree in Government from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, and her law degree from Harvard, as well as a Master’s of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a Master of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. In 2013, she was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow (“genius grant” recipient) by the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

a look at demographics -

https://usafacts.org/data/topics/people-society/population-and-demographics/our-changing-population?endDate=2021-01-01&startDate=1987-01-01

Note that you can adjust the timeframe - very enlightening.

Bert Lewis is the President of the Friends of Stewart Trail. Bert grew up in the mid-west and the Rocky Mountains, where early interest in animals and all things outdoors led to a career as a biologist. His first Alaska experience was volunteering at the University of Washington Fisheries Research Institute in Dillingham. After studying and working in Colorado, Utah, Washington, and Idaho, a telephone job offer from the Alaska Dept of Fish and Game to move sight unseen to Ketchikan was an easy decision that has resulted in a 22-year career with ADFG, where he is Regional Supervisor of the Central Region of the Division of Commercial Fisheries based in Cordova and Anchorage. Enjoying skiing, hiking, and mountain biking in spectacular locations led Bert and his family to purchase their house on the Anchorage hillside because of the proximity to the Stewart Trail and the Chugach State Park.
​
Nancy Pease is a lifelong Alaskan with a life-long passion for land use issues.  She earned degrees in Geography, Urban Studies, and Environmental Planning.  She developed land use plans for the State of Alaska and served for eight years on the municipal Planning and Zoning Commission. Since 2018 she has served as a member of the Municipality’s Board of Adjustment and is a past Chair and current Land Use Chair of the Rabbit Creek Community Council. Nancy is passionate about local transportation reform and trail development, working on policy issues and funding.  She recently helped to procure funding for the new Muktuk Marston Trail in Chugach State Park and is now working to bring attention to hidden easements across Anchorage so that more neighborhoods can have safe pathways for recreation and healthy travel. A legendary mountain runner, Nancy was inducted into the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Court Decision - https://www.dropbox.com/s/23ata4vjgichzw4/Court%20Decision%203AN-19-05746CI.pdf?dl=0

Trail map - https://www.dropbox.com/s/cx06ew9f40u1s75/Stewart%20Trail%20Map.jpg?dl=0

Map 6.6 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/sx1ucxivpjo6g3n/Map6_6.JPG?dl=0

Map 6.7 - https://www.dropbox.com/s/u1aojziyjw6mfgv/Map6_7.JPG?dl=0

Images from the trail -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kuimfmjnuclns0y/Simon%20sledding%20stewart%20trail.JPG?dl=0 &\ https://www.dropbox.com/s/ycrfw7mhqy1wzla/Bert%20and%20Simon.jpg?dl=0

Michael Livingston works as a cultural heritage specialist at Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, and serves as affiliate faculty at Alaska Pacific University and the University of Alaska Anchorage and principal investigator with the National Science Foundation.  Mike has worked as a police officer and continues to serve with the State of Alaska's Cops-on-Call program, and is a captain with the Alaska State Defense Force.  He was raised in Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula.  His father, Sgt. Robert Livingston, served in WWII.  His mother, Annabelle, served as a nurse's assistant at the Cordova Hospital in Prince William Sound.  Mike graduated from Bristol Bay High School and holds two master's degrees in psychology and archaeology and a Ph.D. in education. Mike enjoys World War II history and honoring those who served and sacrificed.

Mike's email address - mikel@apiai.org

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/jbckz03i6ykm2b6/finally_honoring_private_george_fox.pdf?dl=0

Bathsheba Demuth is a writer and environmental historian specializing in the lands and seas of the Russian and North American Arctic. Her interest in northern places and cultures began when she was 18 and moved to the village of Old Crow in the Yukon, where she trained huskies for several years. From the archive to the dog sled, she is interested in how the histories of people, ideas, and ecologies intersect. In addition to her prize-winning book Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait, her writing has appeared in publications from The American Historical Review to The New Yorker and The Best American Science and Nature Writing. She is currently the Dean’s Associate Professor of History and Environment and Society at Brown University.   For more, check www.brdemuth.com

slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/bt1a00cqe1ofnni/BeringStraitTalk.pdf?dl=0

Leslie Ishii is the Artistic Director of Perseverance Theatre and an actor, director, voice practitioner, activist, and community builder.  She is Yonseifourth generation Japanese American. While a teenager, she debuted as an actor in Northwest Asian American Theaters Breaking the Silence and raised legal funds for WWII US concentration camp resister Gordon Hirabayashi and his Supreme Court case. Since experiencing her community's tremendous emotional response to this, Leslie has felt called to advocate for historical truth, healing, and storytelling of Black/Indigenous/People of Color artists and communities. She maintains ongoing relationships with legacy BIPOC theatres around the country and continues to collaborate on facilitation teams, teach, and serve in coalition on national committees and panels to dismantle white supremacy culture in the American Theatre. Click here for a complete biography and recounting of her numerous directing and acting credits, affiliations, and awards.

Resources - 

• https://www.dropbox.com/s/8xp4i1p81f8mkus/Social-Identity-Wheel.2.0.pdf?dl=0
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/1q50r3o605nyvom/4_Steps_to_Becoming_an_Ally.pdf?dl=0 
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/gun2rxfxhdvmtab/IDENTITY%20AND%20SOCIAL%20LOCATION%20DEFINITIONS.1.5.pdf?dl=0
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/ui88wey6w1bu3kz/unpacking-invisible-knapsack.pdf?dl=0
• https://www.dropbox.com/s/qicyyyh2eq8olzs/whitesupcul13.pdf?dl=0, https://www.dropbox.com/s/8rr0l4yh86izq42/Tool-%20Recognizing%20Microaggressions%20and%20the%20Messages%20They%20Send.pdf?dl=0

This is the sound recording of the celebration of life for Jack Roderick held at the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on 22 October 2022.

There is a video of the service I am working on (there are several Zoom glitches that I am fixing). I will post a link to the video when it is done.

This links to the Celebration of Life program - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ihn535m3ik6323p/CELEBRATION%20OF%20LIFE%20-%20program%20for%20Roderick%20service%20USE%20THIS.pdf?dl=0

Jack spoke at the AUUF Forum back on 31 July 2016. You can find a recording of that Forum here - https://anchorageunitarianuniversalistfellowshipforumpodcasts.buzzsprout.com/1965762/10577675-sixty-years-in-anchorage

Tim McGinnis wrote a remembrance of Jack that you can find here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/pd8ceagtevpe8v1/Jack%20Roderick%20Remembered--Tim%20McGinnis.pdf?dl=0

Here is a link to the video of the service - https://www.dropbox.com/s/0v01mrnwgxqsuro/JackRoderick%20-%20720WebShareName.mov?dl=0

Note that the video is pretty large (over a GB) and is in .mov format.

Cathy Giessel was an Alaska State Senator from 2011 to 2021 and served as President of the Senate. For the past year, she has co-chaired the bi-partisan group Defend Our Constitution. She was born in the Territory of Alaska, in Fairbanks, where she was raised and graduated from Lathrop High School before moving south to Anchorage in 1974. Cathy is a Nurse Practitioner in Family Practice. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and her Master of Science degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage, both in Nursing. She is actively engaged in community service with a behavioral health board, a school-based clinic, children's programs at her church, and a foster care and health fair volunteer. She received the Anchorage Republican Woman of the Year award in 2007 and was named an exceptional leader by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing in 2010. She and her husband of 48 years, Richard, raised three kids in the home Rich built for them in 1979.

Donna Goldsmith is a retired attorney who litigated child protection, domestic violence, and federal Indian law cases throughout the United States.   Donna also served as a special assistant attorney general to Attorney General Bruce Botelho and as a tribal judge.  She chaired and served on several committees for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges for 13 years, conducted training for state and tribal judges throughout the length of her career, chaired the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Section, where she received awards for her work, created and ran a cross-jurisdictional Judicial Forum for federal, state and tribal judges, and ran the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference for more than a decade. Donna also consulted on developing tribal courts in Canada and the United States.  She is a former president of the ACLU of Alaska and is currently the president and co-chair of Alaskans for Fair Courts.  Donna is an artist and a cook when she is not engaging in advocacy on behalf of her community. 

Retired Judge Elaine Andrews served as a trial judge for over 20 years in Anchorage.  She served as Presiding Judge of the Third Judicial District from 1996-2002.  Before assuming the bench in 1981, she was an attorney in both the public and private sectors, practicing criminal and civil law.   She co-chairs Alaskans for Fair Courts and is the past chair of the Committee for Fair and Impartial Courts for the Alaska Bar Association.  She was the 2017 Recipient of the Jay Rabinowitz Award for Public Service.  She has a grown family of five and enjoys her retreat in the Wrangell-St. Elias area with her husband of 42 years.

Cathy's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/tzodhc49qu6z9ch/NoOn1.pdf?dl=0

Mr. Whitekeys moved to Alaska during the Gold Rush of 1898 and immediately began playing piano in sleazy bars. He has described his chosen profession as “mouthing off and making snotty comments,” and his writings have appeared in an Anchorage Daily News column, Alaska Bizarre—a comedy print version of The Whale Fat Follies, humorous contributions to The Alaska Almanac, a monthly column in Alaska Magazine, and weekly satirical newscast commentary on Anchorage’s KTUU-TV. Mr. Whitekeys’ Fly By Night Club was a mecca for “Spam, Booze, Rhythm and Blues” for 25 years, and The Whale Fat Follies remains the pinnacle of Alaskan vaudeville and satire. His DVD, Alaska, The First 10,000 Years, is a farcical romp through Alaska’s history, and despite its absurdity, it has been used instructionally by misguided history teachers throughout the state. In his spare time, Whitekeys is addicted to coral reef marine biology and is currently the Commander-in-Chief of the Anchorage Audubon Society, where he will continue to embarrass the entire environmental community until someone else agrees to take the job.

Mr. Whitekeys website: http://www.flybynightclub.com

Codie Costello came to Alaska in 2005 as Director of Development for the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Her arts and management career has spanned more than 25 years, including positions with San Jose Repertory Theatre and Red Ladder Theatre Company in California, The Pearl Theatre Company in NYC, Spawn Ideas, Alaska Dance Theatre, and Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage. She is currently the President & COO of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and the General Manager of Broadway Alaska, the PAC’s new program in partnership with the Nederlander Organization. Codie also serves on the Board of Life Alaska Donor Services. She holds an MFA in Directing from the Actors Studio at New School University in NYC, a BA in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University, and is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio in New York. She lives in the Chugach Mountains in Eagle River with her family, husband Brendan, and two kids, Adelaide and Walker.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/tmh8ksn8f16gw05/PAC_Updates_and_BAK_Announcement.pdf?dl=0

Andrew Kitchenman is Editor-in-Chief of the Alaska Beacon, a new independent, nonpartisan news organization affiliated with the national nonprofit States Newsroom and focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.  Andrew has covered state government in Alaska since 2016, serving as the Capitol reporter for Alaska Public Media and KTOO before joining the Alaska Beacon. Before this, he covered state and local governments on the East Coast – primarily in New Jersey – for more than 15 years. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.  He enjoys reading, watching movies, and walking around Anchorage. 

Tim Bradner is an economics writer who has lived and worked in Alaska since 1962, attending the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and then working as a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Tundra Times, an Alaska Native weekly newspaper. As a journalist, Bradner covered the Alaska Native lands claims movement in the 1960s, its settlement in 1971, the major oil discoveries on the North Slope, and early planning for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. He joined BP’s external affairs group in 1970 and represented the company before the state Legislature until 1985. His work for BP gave him insights into an international energy company and Alaska’s efforts in oil and gas tax and environmental policy. He attended Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1985 and 1986 and returned to Alaska with a Master of Public Administration. Since 1986 Bradner has been co-publisher of the family-owned Alaska Legislative Digest and Alaska Economic Report with his brother Mike, now deceased. He continues today in the family business with his wife, Shehla Anjum, an editor, and his daughter Saira, who manages the company’s information systems.

Bradners' Alaska Legislative Digest - and Economic Report

Stephanie McFadden-Evans joined Alaska Public Media in 2017 and serves as its Director of Education and Engagement. She brought with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Stephanie is a retired Navy cryptologist with over 30 years of experience working with the Department of Defense and other federal government and non-profit agencies. Stephanie holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Troy State University and two Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Alaska Anchorage.  Stephanie works at Alaska Public Media because she enjoys diverse experiences and feels privileged to work with an organization and people that make a difference to viewers and listeners. She enjoys spending time with her husband and young children, playing racquetball, traveling, and being active in the community.

Presentation in PDF - https://www.dropbox.com/s/52p0yscxzsocl7v/StephanieMcFaddenmPresentationAUUF_20220911.pdf?dl=0

Dr. Ray Macfarlane is AUUF’s new Director of Learning and Exploration.  Before coming to Alaska, Ray taught and conducted research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where they earned a Ph.D. in Sociology. While pursuing their Ph.D., Ray connected with UU congregations in Ogden, Chicago, and Las Vegas and found opportunities that inspired them and made a difference in people’s lives, including creating a support group for queer youth in rural Utah, teaching in youth programs, and working with The Night Ministry to build community and bring resources to people experiencing homelessness.  Ray has worked in advocacy and education for the past 20 years: anti-violence work in domestic violence and LGBTQIA+ services, economic justice supporting access to careers, education, leadership opportunities, and housing for underrepresented populations, and evaluating mental health and addiction services. Ray grew up in Southern Utah, hiking barefoot in the red rock and rolling down the pink dunes. They look forward to exploring their new home in Alaska with their partners, Joe and Martin, and their children, Sagan and Rhonan.

Former Alaska Governor Sean Parnell began his role as chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage on June 12, 2021.  Most recently an attorney in the Anchorage office of Holland & Hart LLP,  Sean Parnell has 25 years of active law practice. He was elected to two terms in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1992 until 1996, when he was elected to the Alaska Senate (1996-2000). In 2006, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and served as Governor of Alaska from 2009 to 2014.  Parnell graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1980, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1984 from Pacific Lutheran University, and a J.D. degree in 1987 from the University of Puget Sound School of Law (now known as Seattle University School of Law).

The slides can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/isk71zx9v3b3m1q/2022%2008%2025%20-%20Slide%20Deck%20Presentation%20-%20AUUF.pdf?dl=0

Gary was AUUF's called minister from August 2012 - December 2017. This was his memorial service at AUUF.

Memorial Service Program - https://www.dropbox.com/s/npoyaidu5q8nw3s/Program.pdf?dl=0

An index of Gary's Sermons/Messages  to AUUF can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/st66f6qc1julvl2/Catalog_20220816.pdf?dl=0

The recordings can be found in this Dropbox folder - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/29u1znfucrfg35i/AAByDE8Lh0C6qdmINotHj52ba?dl=0

Gary Holthaus and Stephanie Holthaus – StoryCorps Archive
https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/akc000151/

Rosene Beachy has been the Religious Educator at AUUF since 2000. She and her husband, Doug Eby, and their family moved to Alaska in 1990 and joined AUUF when it moved to the Turnagain building. A long-time teacher, Rosene became the half-time DRE for the Fellowship in 2000 and grew the program from a Sunday morning coordination position to a full-time position, including a wide variety of programs for families.  Along
with a huge cadre of volunteers, programs such as Hogwarts School of Wisdom and Wizardry, Winter Game Nights, Coming of Age, Jr. Youth retreat, Summer Sundays, Peace Camp, YRUU, and OWL for all ages have become traditions at AUUF. Rosene enjoys skiing, hiking and gardening, and travel and kayaking trips with her family.

"A vision without a task is a dream - A task without a vision is drudgery - and a vision and a task is hope for the world.  And that is what this job has been for me!"

Vicky Ho is the managing editor of the Anchorage Daily News. She was born and raised in the Houston, Texas, area and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010 with a major in English and a minor in architecture. While at UT, she worked for the independent student newspaper, The Daily Texan. In 2011, she joined the Steamboat Pilot & Today staff in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where she learned how to ski while working her way up from copy editor to evening editor. In 2015, Vicky was hired by the Daily News as a copy editor and page designer and over time became night homepage editor, then deputy editor/online, before she was named managing editor in February 2022. An avid skier and hiker, Vicky previously wrote an outdoors column for the ADN and worked part-time at REI in Anchorage. She is a coach with the Poynter Institute's Table Stakes program, which helps news organizations across the country pursue financial and organizational sustainability through performance-driven change and audience-centric journalism. 

Alex Cleghorn is the Senior Legal and Policy Director of the Alaska Native Justice Center. Alex is of Sugpiaq descent, a tribal citizen of Tangirnaq Native Village (Woody Island), and a shareholder of Alaska Native Corporations – Natives of Kodiak, Koniag Incorporated, and CIRI. As an attorney licensed in Alaska, California, and several tribal jurisdictions, his work has focused primarily on representing tribal interests. Alex is President of the Woody Island Tribal Council, a pro tem judge of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Alutiiq Museum, Koniag, Inc., and the Alaska Native Heritage Center.  He was a 2018-2019 Marshall Memorial Fellow and served as a Special Assistant to the Alaska Attorney General on Alaska Native legal issues, General Counsel of Southcentral Foundation, and Chief Judge of the Northern California Intertribal Court System. He is a husband and a father and lives in Anchorage with his family.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/r953v11j4gy6nud/AUUF%20Tribal%20Courts%2C%20Sovereignty%20and%20VAWA%2022.pdf?dl=0

Paul Brown has more than forty-five years of experience in management, fund-raising, marketing, and organizational development. He was a founder and producing director of Alaska Repertory Theatre, the first professional theatre in Alaska. He later transitioned from producing theatre to producing films, including documentaries about former Governor Wally Hickel and Senator Ted Stevens (research and pre-production). He chaired the commission for the design, development, and funding of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, helped establish Alaska’s Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and plan the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Alaska statehood. Paul has been deeply involved in national and international efforts to assist victims of depleted uranium, including American military veterans and indigenous and other local populations in combat zones. He is a member of Bridge Builders and Backbone and a board member of “You Gotta Believe,” a Brooklyn-based organization whose mission is to find permanent homes for foster children over ten. He is a parent with thirteen- and eight-year-old grandchildren.

Dr. Steven Haycox is a distinguished professor of history emeritus, a respected author of numerous books and essays, and a columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. In 2003, he was named the Alaska Historical Society's Historian of the Year and received the Alaska Governor's Humanities Award. Before his retirement, Prof. Haycox taught history for over 40 years at the University of Alaska, where he was named a distinguished professor and was awarded the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. Steve earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1970. His books include Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics and Environment in Alaska, Battleground Alaska: Fighting Federal Power in America's Last Wilderness, and the recently revised Alaska: An American Colony, which has been called “by far the finest history of Alaska yet produced.” He was born in the Upper
Midwest and went to high school in a suburb of New York. He was a musician in the Navy and served in the Pacific.

Documents -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ycadopvia84miiu/FourthAveTheatreTimeline_from_Stephen%20Hayco_20220717.pdf?dl=0

and

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2x0qv93b3wls5zi/Proposal%20to%20the%20Alaska%20Historical%20Commission%20to%20save%20%20the%20%204th%20Ave%20Theatre%E2%80%94Grant%20Callow%2C%20March%2017%202017.pdf?dl=0

Barbara Jones has served as the Anchorage Municipal Clerk since July 2012.  As the Municipal Clerk, Jones is responsible for managing a staff of eleven regular employees. The Clerk’s Office supports the Anchorage Assembly and Assembly Boards such as the Board of Ethics, conducts fair elections, accurately manages the records created by the Assembly, and reviews and issues marijuana and certain other business licenses. Prior to her appointment as Clerk, Jones served as the Anchorage Ombudsman from January 2011-July 2012, and as Executive Director and Staff Attorney for the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission from 1999-2011.  Jones received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and her law degree from the University of Denver. She has also received her Certified Municipal Clerk designation from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. Jones has been involved with the Alaska Bar Association and its Law Related Education Committee, and the Alaska Association of Municipal Clerks. She has also been involved in other community organizations, including the Arthritis Foundation and Girl Scouts.

A video of Barb's presentation can be found here  -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d40qpd4pbymbtbf/BarbJonesTrimmed.mp4?dl=0

NOTE: There was a Zoom/Internet issue with Barb's connection and so there are some audio cut-outs  - have patience.

Delia Perez Meyer was born in Texas and has lived in Austin most of her life. She comes from a large and musically accomplished family and has a background in bilingual education, cultural arts, international business, and human rights activism. Delia earned her BA in Spanish & International Business and a masters’ in Business Administration and is currently a candidate for her Ph.D.  After Delia’s brother, Louis Perez, ended up on death row, she has worked tirelessly with the Texas Moratorium Network, Texas Abolition Movement to Abolish the Death Penalty, Amnesty International, the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, the National Campaign to End the Death Penalty,  the Abolition Action Committee, and others to help educate the public about wrongful convictions and restorative justice. She has also produced death row inmates’ art shows to showcase her brother’s art as well as the art of other death row inmates.

A PDF of Delia's slides can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/fk4plwfmrn9o6vt/Art%26Activism_Jane_UU.pdf?dl=0

An image of her lion art can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/h35wx5at9hty0hi/lion.jpg?dl=0