LIVE

Ana Richards arrived in Fairbanks , Alaska during the summer of 1985, and was completely immersed in the English language, culture and weather. Culture shock was inevitable and her studies were interrupted for many years. She decided to utilize her time teaching English as a Second Language to elementary and junior high school students through the FNSBSD and promoting cross cultural awareness in the schools and community. Education has always been her field of interest and she dedicated many years studying human behavior and learning styles. Subsequently she resumed her studies and with her non traditional teaching expertise, Ana began teaching Spanish as a Second Language at UAF. In 2005 received a BA in Foreign Languages and Language Arts. Although she is currently not enrolled in a Masters program, Ana also has taken several graduate courses and plans to resume her studies next semester.

Ana was born and raised in the sunny shores of Panama in Central America . Grew up speaking Spanish but always had a burning desire to learn languages to effectively communicate with others. Immediately after graduating from high school, Ana began working as an English teacher at a private elementary school. With her limited knowledge of the English language, she did her best to awaken her students learning interest; some are now English educators. A year and a half later, she was offered the job of Bilingual secretary at North American school through the United Fruit Company and subsequently became the recipient of a scholarship to attend UAF.

Ana became the Manager of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity at UAF one year ago last September. “It is a job perfect for her” is the opinion of many people who know her. Her own personal background and the 11 years of experience working as an English as a Second Language and Spanish educator, have prepared her to take this current role. As an advocate for equal rights, Ana is devoted to celebrate the cross-cultural richness through the connections that she makes in her daily interactions. Convinced that every individual has something to contribute to society, Ana’s mission is to channel every window of opportunity to embrace and demonstrate that diversity is what makes us a richer society.

Billie M. Blanchard is the President and CEO of Military and Civilian Federal Credit Union located at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. Billie came to the credit union in February of 1994 as the Executive Vice President and assumed the CEO position in April of 1999.   Prior to that, Billie worked for over 11 years in the financial institution industry. She also serves as an Adjutant Professor for Wayland Baptist University.

Billie holds a Masters of Business Organizational Management from the University of La Verne. She is also a 1998 graduate of the CUNA Management School, Madison Wisconsin. She is a proud UAF Alumni holding a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks (UAF). In addition she holds two associate degrees from UAF.

In 2003 Billie was named Outstanding Executive of the Year for the Alaska Credit Union League. Under Billie’s leadership in 2004 MAC Federal Credit Union was named a Family Friendly Workplace for helping employees balance work and family. April of 2005 Billie was honored by the military community and received the 2005 Jim Messer Award in recognition of support to Ft Wainwright and Eielson AFB. In October of 2005 Billie was honored with an Alumni Achievement Award for Community Support.

She is currently serving as Alaska State President for the Association of the United States Army. In additions she serves on the National Advisory Board for AUSA. Billie was elected in August of 2001 to serve on the board of directors for the Defense Credit Union Council, Washington DC as the Army representative and currently serves as 2nd Vice Chair. In November of 2002 she became the co-chair of the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee, which is responsible for maintaining relations between the business community and the military. She currently serves on the Civilian Advisory Board to the Alaska Congressional Joint Armed Services Committee. In addition, she has been serving as the Vice Chair for the Alaska Credit Union League since May of 2003. She serves her community as a Rotarian with the Downtown Fairbanks Club. In addition, she is proud to be a Life Member of the University of Alaska Alumni Association. 

A resident of Alaska since 1977, Billie originally came to Eielson AFB as a military spouse. She has been married to Randy Blanchard for over 26 years.

Diane Kozak is the Student Leadership Coordinator and Greek Affairs Advisor at the University of Alaska Anchorage .   Through the Division of Student Development, Diane actively engages students and works to develop their leadership capacity.   Before joining UAA, Diane worked for several years in higher education in the state of New York .   She received her master's degree in College Student Personnel with an emphasis in Counseling and an undergraduate degree in English with an emphasis

This born and bread upstate New Yorker found herself alone in Alaska the fall after she graduated high school. She came to UAF for adventure and "something new" and found a home and a University full of family. She graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and Spanish in 2005 and quickly jumped aboard as a staff member becoming the Special Programs Coordinator for New Student Orientation and Wood Center marketing. She just joined the Wood Center team this summer and has made herself at home. Ginny is an AVID knitter, addicted to most reality TV-shows, loves listening to music and hanging out with friends, and is discovering the wonders of sourdough!

Jeff Stepp has worked at UAF since 1999, serving first as a teaching assistant in the Department of Professional Communication, then as an adjunct instructor teaching courses such as Conflict and Mediation, Conflict Resolution in the Workplace, and Mediation; and, since 2002, in the Wood Center as the Student Activities and Concert Coordinator. In his current position, Jeff has collaborated with many students, staff, and faculty to enhance the out-of-the-classroom education and experience for UAF students and the campus community. Professional highlights have included hosting a concert by the Blind Boys of Alabama, spoken word performances by Sage Francis and Chuck D, and presentations by Rob Corddry and Morgan Spurlock, and too many more to mention.

In addition to Staff Council and Staff Alliance, Jeff serves as the chair of the Nanook Traditions Committee, as a member of the selection committe for the UAF Outstanding Student Employee Award, and as a member of the Division of Student and Enrollment Services Professional Development Committee.

In the seven years Jeff has lived in Alaska , he has served on the boards of directors for the Alaska Dispute Settlement Association, Interior Alaska Center for Non-Violent Living, Yukon Quest, and Fairbanks Folk Fest. He also had the opportunity to explore a tiny portion of Alaska 's arctic during five glorious summers as a tour guide for Northern Alaska Tour Company.

Jeff graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990 with an undergraduate degree in Speech Communication. Prior to moving to Alaska , Jeff worked at a public health department, community mental health center, domestic violence shelter, as well as working as a substitute school teacher, concert promoter and band manager. He has finished his coursework for a Master's Degree from UAF's Departement of Professional Communication, and is currently exploring options for a thesis topic.

Kayt Sunwood,   an educator with a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instructional Technology from Iowa State University , is the manager of the Women's Center at UAF. In this, her inagural year as manager of the Women's Center, Kayt will be participating in the Provost's Academic Leadership Institute. For the past three years, she has lived and worked in Alaska , facilitating teaching, learning, leadership, and online community building in the rural circumpolar North. Last year Kayt worked with the Math in a Cultural Context Project   developing and studying math curriculum based on the traditional wisdom and practices of the Yup’ik Eskimo people of Alaska . This work provided   opportunities to travel by small plane to rural villages across Alaska ’s Arctic regions, working with and listening to the stories of Alaska Native elders, teachers, and schoolchildren. Prior to her work in Alaska , Kayt was the director of the Faculty Development Center at the University of Wisconsin Superior , supporting mentoring and leadership initiatives for faculty, staff, and students

Keli is the founder and operator of Hites training and consulting business out of Fairbanks, Alaska. She has a Masters in Professional Communication from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Keli assists organizations from various industries helping their leadership to be clear and effective. She has over ten years of experience in training and development and over seven years experience in organizational development consulting. Keli specializes in training, coaching, and facilitation of public, organizational, and one-on-one meetings to achieve organizational insight and implemented solutions. Keli’s dynamic personality, gift for understanding the needs of her clients, and customized approach is making her well known throughout Alaska. As a UAF Alumni and graduate of Delta High School in Delta Junction, Alaska, she understands the uniqueness of organizations serving Alaskans.

A New Englander born and raised, Lael grew up in a small southern New
Hampshire town called Keene . After high school she moved to Winooski ,
Vermont where she studied American Studies and Secondary Education at
Saint Michael's College. Having acquired a taste for programming and
love for higher education, Lael worked for three years as an Admission
Counselor at her alma mater before continuing on to the University of
Vermont to complete her Masters of Education degree in Higher Education
Administration and Student Affairs. Most recently Lael worked as a
Career Counselor at St. Lawrence University and now lives and works as
the Resident Director of Moore Hall.

Mae E. Marsh was both born and raised on the east coast and is a product of the 1960s civil right era.   As such, issues of diversity, “race” and oppression has been at the center of her life and her quest for answers is the impetus for the work she does today. Mae is known for her insightful and progressive facilitated sessions on tough topics and has become an icon for transforming thinking and perceptions, managing community and workplace diversity, addressing root causes and uniting diverse people.

Mae is the President of Transformations, a privately owned business established to assist individuals, schools, businesses, tribes, communities and governmental agencies better understand the social, institutional and interpersonal dynamics that shape our world.   She has touched thousands of lives and presented facilitated workshops, tailored classes and keynote addresses on eliminating the barriers of race and other forms of oppression throughout Alaska and the lower 48 states.  

Major Burnham graduated from high school in the Bahamas in 1981 and returned to his home state of Maine to attend college at the University of Maine at Orono.   While at UMO Burnham studied Geology and participated in the Army ROTC program.   He accepted a commission into the US Army upon graduation.   As an active duty officer he completed assignments in Maryland , Alaska and Hawaii , leaving the army after 7 years to attend a graduate program in Environmental Science at the University of Alaska Anchorage .

Major Burnham worked for six years as an environmental geologist, telecommuting from home for a portion of this time as he raised his infant daughter to school age.   When his daughter entered primary school Major Burnham returned to UAA to complete a Masters of Arts in Teaching to become a High School teacher.   Burnham also reentered military service at this time as a member of the Alaska Army National Guard.

After completing his MAT, Burnham taught for a year at UAA as an Assistance Professor in the Geology Department, before taking a job at West High School to teach biology, chemistry and geology.  

Major Burnham was asked to return to active duty for a short tour to assist with the operation of the Army ROTC program at UAF.   Major Burnham joined the faculty at UAF in June of 2005.   He is accompanied by his wife Sandy (a graduate student in the Anthropology Department), his daughter Maggie (a sixth grader at Wood River Elementary), four chickens and one dog.

Dr. Mary Frank Ehrlander was born and raised in Fairbanks . She began her university studies after her three sons were in school.   She earned a BA in Political Science in 1992 and an MA in Northern Studies in 1993, both from UAF.   She earned her MA and Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia .   She taught four years at Lathrop High School before joining the UAF faculty, where she is Co-Director of Northern Studies and Assistant Professor of History.

Dr. Ehrlander has been supportive of Student Leadership Development since she joined the faculty of UAF in 2001.   Together with her colleague, Dr. Judith Kleinfeld, she developed the Minor in Leadership and Civic Engagement, along with the introductory course to the minor, Leadership, Citizenship and Choice and the Senior Seminar in Leadership and Civic Engagement.   Besides teaching these courses, she teaches US History and northern history courses.

• Vice President of Marketing with Northern Schools Federal Credit Union.

• Master Practioner of Neurolinguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy.

• Certified DiSC Facilitator.

• President of UAF Alumni Association Fairbanks Chapter.

• Current member and former Chair of Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Education Committee.

• Previous participant on West Valley High School Counselor’s Advisory Board.
• Member of the Far North Lions Club.

• Former tutor for the Literacy Council of Alaska.

• Former member of National Women in Construction; Served as National Block Kids Contest Coordinator for 3 years. This contest focused on 4th graders through out the district to encourage exploration of construction trades.

• Former President of L.O.V.E. Preschool (Parent Co-op preschool).

• Actively supports education and personal development through one to one personal coaching, facilitating Interpersonal Skill Development and Effective Communication workshops, and Personal Financial Management Skill Development workshops.

Interests:

• Developing personal potential, traveling, scuba diving, dancing, reading, community involvement, skiing, embroidery and other crafts. I thoroughly Enjoy people and looking for the   positive potential in everyone

Sarah is entering my fourth year as the Associate Director of Programming.   In the position she   provide leadership and support to four staff members who oversee Orientation, Student Activities, Leadership, and Outdoor Adventures.   In her   ten years as a staff member at UAF she   has held a variety of different positions including Student Activities Coordinator and Interim Assistant Dean of Students.   She has a Masters of Arts in Professional Communication and she   currently serve as the Regional Director for the Association of College Unions International Region 14.

Saul Williams received his B.A. in acting and philosophy from Morehouse College in Atlanta , and his Masters in acting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

He co-wrote and starred in the award-winning film Slam, which garnered the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in France ; he was also featured in the documentaries Slam Nation, Underground Voices, and I'll Make Me A World.

Patti Picha joined the UAF Career Services staff in 2002. Previous to working in Career Services Patti spent her professional life working in student activities and outdoor programming in Washington and Colorado .  She held the position of College Center Director at Mesa State College, Grand Junction , Colorado .  

Patti has an undergraduate degree in Recreation/Psychology from Central Washington University and her M.Ed from Western Washington University .  

“I have enjoyed the challenge of working with Career Services; in the past my emphasis has been helping students gain a broad set of skills through academics and extracurricular pursuits.  Now I assist students with marketing those skills.”  

Patti enjoys spending time with her family, volunteering at Lathrop High School , reading, gardening and rafting rivers, preferably those located on the North Slope of the Brooks Range, Alaska .   Her favorite quote is “ I’d rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than any city on earth” – Steve McQueen.   

Susan Herman has spent more than 25 years as a business owner, and twenty years as a management consultant and university professor.    As a professor of Management at Keene State College, a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Commerce at the University of British Columbia , and a current member of the faculty of the School of Management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks , she has taught the skills of management to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, and adult professionals.   Her various careers have all focused on finding, developing and working with the people best suited to an organization's needs.   Her doctoral studies in Organizational Development and her subsequent research and consulting practice focus in part on leadership, and on ways managers can build organizational commitment to enhance organizational productivity and employee satisfaction.   She has written the book Hiring Right, a Practical Guide for Managers, which leads the reader step by step through the hiring process from needs assessment to recruiting, selecting, reference checking, contracting, and orienting the new hire.   She has researched and written on the topic of environmental leadership.  

T imi joined the Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ in Spring 2003. As a collegiate member she held the positions of secretary, president, and fundraising chairman, as well as serving on multiple committees including the Standards Board and nominating committee. Timi graduated with honors and received her BA in law and justice studies with a minor in psychology in May 2006. She is currently employed by Alpha Sigma Alpha as a leadership consultant and is spending the 2006-2007 school year visiting and advising chapters throughout the midwest and Alaska. Timi is also currently working with a colony of Alpha Sigma Alpha here at UAF with a goal to install the colony as an official chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha in Spring 2007.

Teresa was born and raised in Northern New York and moved to Washington , D.C. after graduating with an Associates degree from the State University of New York when she was 19.   She lived and worked in the D.C. area for six years until she moved north to Alaska .   Teresa has been in Fairbanks for 17 years and has worked in a variety of positions, including Legal Assistant for local law offices, Administrative Assistant for the Chief Financial Officer of GVEA; Community Development Manager for United Way, and most recently as Partnership Development Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters.   Teresa has a passion for helping people and her position at Big Brothers Big Sisters gives her the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of children.

Teresa has been a Sunrisers Rotarian since 2002 and loves her Rotary family.   She was a Team Leader for two years and served on the Board as Vice President this past year.   In 2004 Teresa graduated from UAF with a bachelor’s degree in Communication.

Teresa has been married to her husband, Todd, for 13 years and they have two Miniature Schnauzers named Mac and Schatze.   Todd and Teresa are active members and volunteers of Friends Community Church .   Todd and Teresa are a Big Couple for the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program to a 10-year old boy named Aerich.   They spend lots of time together doing all sorts of fun activities.   Teresa loves Alaska and enjoys skiing, snowmachining, hiking, camping, and she loves to cook.