Mat-Su residents named to state boards, commissions

JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank H. Murkowski recently announced the appointment, reappointment or nomination of three Valley residents and 41 other Alaskans to cover openings on 12 boards or commissions.

Alaska's 124 boards and commissions perform a variety of functions, from policing the qualifications and conduct of professional service providers to providing oversight and guidance to public and semipublic enterprises. With some exceptions, members serve on boards or commissions as volunteers, receiving no compensation except for travel expenses when called to do so. Unless otherwise noted, terms are for four years.

Jennifer Dalby of Palmer was appointed to a three-year term on the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Dalby has taught music for 20 years and presently is a music specialist with the Mat-Su Borough School District. She has served on the board of the Alaska Music Educators Association, and in 2000 was named Alaska Music Educator of the Year.

Roy Burkhart of Willow was appointed to a seat on the seven-member Pioneers' Homes Advisory Board. The board conducts annual inspections of Alaska's Pioneers' Homes and recommends changes and improvements in procedures to the governor.

Burkhart has worked for the Federal Aviation Administration and as a real estate broker. He is a former chairman of the Alaska Outdoor Council.

Edward Kern of Palmer was appointed to a seat on the Board of Agriculture and Conservation. Kern has extensive training in food inspection and is a licensed meat inspector, produce inspector and meat grader. He has been involved in the development of agricultural projects at Delta and Point MacKenzie, and takes a seat reserved for commercial agriculture production. His term expires in 2007.

Others appointed to boards and commissions include Rollo Pool of Juneau and Fred Reeder of Sitka, who were named to the Marine Transportation Advisory Board, which advises the commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities on matters related to marine transportation.

Pool is executive director of the Southeast Conference. Reeder is a former Sitka mayor.

Theresa Grantham of Juneau and Pamela Stratton of Anchorage have been appointed to seats on the Statewide Independent Living Council, which is charged with monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the implementation of state efforts to promote independent living for persons with disabilities. The council is also responsible for overseeing the coordination of state efforts with the Governor's Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation of People With Disabilities.

Grantham is project coordinator for Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation for Tlingit & Haida Central Council and also serves on the parent board of the Juneau Indian Studies program.

Stratton, who takes a seat for consumers/advocates, is a member of the national Learning Disabilities Association and a member of the Governor's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities.

Two were reappointed: Duane Mayes represents the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, while Joan O'Keefe of Juneau represents Independent Living Centers on the panel.

Senate president-elect Ben Stevens, R-Anchorage, has been named to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission seat designated for a member of the Alaska Legislature, replacing state Sen. Georgianna Lincoln, D-Rampart, who did not run for re-election. The term expires in 2009. The commission, which meets annually, promotes the best use of fisheries, and develops programs for conservation.

Stephanie Madsen, vice president of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association, was named to the commission to replace Dale Kelly, whose term expired. Madsen, from Juneau, is current chair of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council.

Kerry L. Rasmussen of Ward Cove and Martha Swink of Anchorage have been named to public seats on the Board of Marital and Family Therapy. The five-member board regulates licensing standards, examines applicants and determines disciplinary sanctions for licensed marital and family therapists. Three members of the board are license holders, two are members of the public at large. Both terms expire in 2006.

Rasmusson is a longtime employee of Madison Hardware in Ketchikan, and has served on the Children's Trust Board.

Swink is founder of the Breast Cancer Focus Luncheon and has served on the boards of the Anchorage Symphony, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Alaska Pacific University, Catholic Social Services, YWCA, the Mayor's Ball and Special Olympics.

Theodora "Teddy" V. Williams of Wrangell has been named to a seat on the 14-member Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Williams has worked for an alcohol/drug outpatient agency in Wrangell for 15 years. The board advises state and local government on policies related to the treatment of substance abuse and rehabilitation. Williams' appointment ends in 2007.

Soil scientist Fred Glenn has been named to a board seat reserved for beneficiaries. Glenn, of Moose Pass, works for the U.S. Forest Service.

Fairbanks dentist Arthur Hansen was named to a public seat, which expires in 2007.

Martha Penrose, Sherrie Slick and Roberly Waldron were appointed to seats on the seven-member Pioneers' Homes Advisory Board, while Ed Zastrow of Ketchikan was reappointed.

The board conducts annual inspections of Alaska's Pioneers' Homes and recommends changes and improvements in procedures to the governor.

Penrose, a longtime employee of Alaska Electric Light and Power, is a grandmother of 14 and great-grandmother of nine, and has served in a number of volunteer positions since moving to Juneau in 1980.

Slick, of Ketchikan, is a past president of the Ketchikan Chamber of Commerce and Ketchikan Visitors Bureau.

Waldron, of Anchorage, is a former Pioneers' Home administrator, has worked as an independent real estate agent and is a former deputy commissioner of Administration. Waldron served two terms on the Sitka Borough Assembly.

Zastrow, from Ketchikan, is a mechanical engineer and a former Ketchikan mayor. At present, he is the legislative affairs officer for the Ketchikan AARP chapter and is president of the Ketchikan Senior Citizens Site Council.

Carrol Martin of Soldotna and Bruce Willard of Homer were appointed to seats on the Board of Agriculture and Conservation.

Martin has been a beef and dairy cattleman for 30 years. He has raised hogs, sheep and horses and owned registered quarter horses. Martin takes the seat reserved for soil/water conservation and commercial agriculture. His term expires in September 2005.

Willard owns and operates Willard Farms, which includes a cattle slaughterhouse. Willard is a longtime big-game hunting guide, longshoreman and commercial fisherman. He has served as director of farm service agencies and has been on the Homer Ferry Terminal board for 18 years. Willard takes the seat designated for commercial agriculture production. His term expires in September 2005.

Former administrative law judge Benjamin Brown of Juneau has been appointed to a three-year seat on the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Brown is a member of the Alaska Humanities Forum and is a longtime volunteer and board member of Juneau public radio and TV station KTOO. Brown was also named as vice chairman of the council.

Jocelyn Clark of Juneau has been named to a two-year term. Clark, who holds a master's degree in East Asian studies from Harvard University, is a musician and lecturer in Asian music, language and arts. She is co-founder of the CrossSound Music Festival of Juneau, and recently performed in a program of the Museum of Modern Art in Berlin.

Vera Crews of Anchorage has been appointed to a one-year term. Crews is an independent travel consultant and a longtime volunteer in the performing and visual arts, including membership in the Anchorage Opera Guild and Anchorage Symphony.

James Evenson of Kenai is an accomplished painter and lithographer, working for 25 years as an art teacher and 40 years as a commercial fisherman. Evenson, named to a two-year seat, holds a master's degree in fine art in painting from the University of Iowa.

Sven Haakanson of Kodiak is appointed to a three-year seat, and has been named council chairman. Presently he is executive director of the Alutiq Museum and Archeology Repository in Kodiak.

Nancy Harbour of Anchorage, appointed to a one-year term, is president of Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage. She is past statewide director for Arts Alaska Inc.

Joann C. McDowell of Valdez, appointed to a two-year seat, is a past president of Prince William Sound Community College.

Theresa Arevgaq John of Bethel has been reappointed to a three-year term. John is founder of the Nunarpak Dancers and has performed worldwide. In addition, John helped develop the Festival of Native Arts.

Norman Campbell of Sitka has also been reappointed to a three-year term. Campbell is a board member of the Greater Sitka Arts Council and Rotary International, and volunteers with Sitka community schools and the Sitka school district.

Catherine Wilson of Tok has been appointed to public seat on the seven-member Alaska State Board of Public Accountancy. Wilson served as business manager for the Alaska Gateway School District for 21 years and presently serves as treasurer of the Tok Community Library.

Sharon Howerton-Clark of Homer and Betty Keegan of Wrangell have been named to seats on the Alaska Commission on Aging. The function of the panel is to identify concerns and needs of older Alaskans and help formulate solutions.

Howerton-Clark has 12 years of experience as an administrative officer with state and federal senior housing programs.

Keegan, who was reappointed, has lengthy experience in health-care administration, and serves on the Wrangell Planning and Zoning Commission.