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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 to come.

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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 - coming soon.

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