Juneau, Alaska – On Monday Governor Sean Parnell announced appointments to the Alaska Fire Standards Council, Alaska Bar Association Board of Governors, Wood-Tikchik State Park Management Council, Alaska Boating Safety Advisory Council, and Alaska Student Loan Corporation Board of Directors.

Alaska Fire Standards Council

Governor Parnell appointed Sara Garcia to the Alaska Fire Standards Council. The council establishes professional standards for fire service personnel, and curriculum requirements for the certification of training programs.

Garcia works as a medical records analyst at the Petersburg Medical Center and volunteers with the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department as a firefighter, EMT, and basic life support instructor. She is the project manager and secretary for the Petersburg Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Southeast Representative of the Alaska State Firefighters Association, the organization which she will represent on the council.

Alaska Bar Association Board of Governors

Governor Parnell appointed Adam Trombley to the Alaska Bar Association Board of Governors. The board governs the Alaska Bar Association, administers the bar exam, approves and recommends rules concerning the practice of law in Alaska, and provides disciplinary action and continuing legal education for its members.

Trombley, of Anchorage, is a member of the Anchorage Municipal Assembly and works in the oil and gas industry. Prior to his current career, he ran a small construction business with his brother. Trombley, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Lewis and Clark State College, is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.Wood-Tikchik State Park Management Council

Governor Parnell appointed Tina Tinker and reappointed Roger Skogen to the Wood-Tikchik State Park Management Council. The council develops a management plan for the park with advice and assistance from the Department of Natural Resources.

Tinker, of Aleknagik, is the vice mayor of the City of Aleknagik and a member of the Nushagak/Mulchatna Watershed Council. She is also a member of the Coastal Resource Service Area Board of Directors and an IGAP assistant with the Aleknagik Traditional Council. Tinker, who holds an environmental studies certificate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus, is appointed to a seat reserved for a representative of the Village Council of Aleknagik.

Skogen, of Koliganek, is a retired teacher and volunteer pastor. He also served in the U.S. Navy. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for a member of the community of Koliganek.

Alaska Boating Safety Advisory Council

Governor Parnell reappointed Daniel O’Hara, Terry Buness, Terry Johnson, and Jim Sepel to the Boating Safety Advisory Council. This seven-member advisory board promotes boating safety in Alaska by helping write boating regulations, making recommendations for safety educational materials and promoting boating safety education programs throughout the state.

O’Hara, of Naknek, is mayor of the Bristol Bay Borough. He is a commercial salmon fisherman and the owner and operator of Bay Marine Surveyors. O’Hara formerly served on the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Board of Directors and was a longtime commercial pilot for Pen Air. The pastor of Naknek Community Bible Chapel, O’Hara is reappointed to a public seat.

Buness, of Wrangell, has been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for 25 years and holds a “six-pack” certification to carry passengers for hire. He has served as an emergency medical technician and firefighter, and is currently the assistant fire chief at the Wrangell Fire Department. He is a partner in Buness Bros., Inc., a marine supply and variety retail business. He is reappointed to a public seat.

Johnson, of Anchorage, is a fisheries professor and marine recreation specialist with the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. He owned and operated commercial fishing vessels from Southeast Alaska to Norton Sound from 1978-1996, ran a Bering Sea wildlife viewing charter boat from 1997-2008, and has boated recreationally in Alaska since 1978. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in marine affairs, both from the University of Washington. He is an Alaska Marine Safety Education Association-certified marine safety and survival instructor, U.S. Coast Guard-licensed passenger ship operator, and marine safety teacher. His numerous publications include the Kachemak Bay and Prince William Sound supplements to the Alaska Boaters Handbook. He is reappointed to a public seat.

Sepel, of Juneau, is a retired U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) commander and the current president of Sepel & Son Marine Surveying Inc. He is a board member and past president of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors. Sepel is reappointed to a public seat.

Alaska Student Loan Corporation Board of Directors

Governor Parnell appointed Randy Weaver to the Alaska Student Loan Corporation Board of Directors. The board is responsible for the financing of the Alaska Student Loan Program.

Weaver, of Fairbanks, is the chief financial officer for Denali State Bank. He has worked as the controller of the University of Alaska statewide system, as the University of Alaska Director of Internal Audit, and as an accounting manager with Cook & Haugeberg. He also serves as the treasurer for the Fairbanks Youth Soccer Association Board of Directors, and as the treasurer for Zion Lutheran Church. Weaver is appointed to a seat reserved for a representative of the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.

Source: Office of the Governor