TVC CEO RETIRES; ALUMNI DIRECTOR NAMED INTERIM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 1999
Fairbanks, Alaska - Ruth Lister, director of the Tanana Valley Campus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks since 1994, has announced her plans to retire Dec. 10. College of Rural Alaska Executive Dean Ralph Gabrielli, who oversees UAF's extended campuses including TVC, has named UAF Alumni Association Director Jake Poole as interim Tanana Valley Campus director. A nationwide search for a permanent replacement will take place later this year.
"It is with great reluctance that we say goodbye to Dr. Lister," said Gabrielli. "She's made a tremendous difference at this university and in this community, and we've been lucky to have her." Gabrielli said that under Lister's stewardship, TVC expanded its delivery of vocational-technical, academic and student support programs. "Ruth has labored diligently with community and business leaders throughout the state to identify and meet modern workforce needs," he said. "And she's done that in innovative ways."
Gabrielli cited the popular Microcomputer Support Specialist Program, which was offered for the first time this year, as an example of TVC answering the state's growing need for trained specialists to operate and maintain computer systems and networks. More than 80 students are enrolled in the program and any UA student in the state can participate.
As TVC's chief academic and administrative officer, Lister oversaw a wide variety of programs targeting people who want to obtain or improve job skills, from fire science and aviation mechanics to computer applications and early childhood development programs.
As interim TVC director, Jake Poole brings nearly a quarter century of teaching, program development, administration and management experience to the position.
"I'm confident Jake will be able to step in to ensure no momentum is lost in our critical program areas and initiatives, like the Hutchinson Career Center expansion," said Gabrielli.
"Jake has strong ties to the community through his membership in various boards and committees. He's a member of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank Board of Directors, the Fairbanks International Airport Community Council, the Red Cross Board of Directors, the school district's Strategic Planning Team and Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Education Committee chairman," Gabrielli said.
The UAFAA Board of Directors, a group representing some 20,000 graduates of the university worldwide, named Poole executive director of the UAF Alumni Association in 1997 following an extensive search. Poole came to UAF from Belgium, where he had just completed a 22-year career in the U.S. Army. He lived in Fairbanks from 1992-1995 and was the Post Commander at Fort Wainwright from 1993-1995. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Lt. Colonel.
Poole earned his bachelor's of science degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1975 and his master's degree in education from Pepperdine University. For three years, he was an assistant professor and faculty advisor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also attended the U.S. Armed Forces Staff College in 1989.
In addition to his numerous Fairbanks community activities, Poole is the chairman of the UAF Provost's Outreach Working Group and the UAF Master Planning Committee. Poole's wife Janice is the Community Outreach Manager at the Resource Center for Parents and Children. They have an 8-year-old son Christopher.
Cindy Branley, a 1992 UAF graduate, will take over the leadership role at the UAF Alumni Association while Poole serves as TVC interim director.
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CONTACT: College of Rural Alaska Executive Dean Ralph Gabrielli, 907-474-7143, UAF Interim TVC Director Jake Poole, 907-474-7081, or Public Information Officer Debra Damron, 907-474-7581.
DPD/11-17-99/00-028