Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell yesterday announced recent appointments to the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board, Alaska Public Offices Commission, Alaska Retirement Management Board, Alaska Mental Health Board, Serve Alaska, and the State Vocational Rehabilitation Committee.

Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board

Governor Parnell appointed Stacy Allen to the Workers’ Compensation Board. The board hears and resolves disputed benefits claims as part of the workers’ compensation system.

Allen, of Palmer, is the business agent with the Laborers’ Local 341 and previously worked as a staff nurse at Alaska Regional Hospital. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and has taken an active role in the nursing community as a health fair volunteer. She has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Alaska Nurses Association and is a member of the steering committee of the Alaska Health Care Workforce Coalition. Allen was appointed to a seat reserved for a labor representative from the 3rd Judicial District.

Alaska Public Offices Commission

Governor Parnell appointed Carol Brenckle to the Alaska Public Offices Commission. The commission administers laws upholding the public’s right to know the financial affairs of lobbyists and their employers, and of candidates and public officials at the state and municipal level.

Brenckle, of Kenai, is an attorney in private practice. She has worked as a public defender and as a law clerk with the Alaska Court of Appeals. Before earning her law degree at the University of Oregon, she worked as a librarian at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Brenckle is a member of the Kenai Chamber of Commerce, Kenai Library Commission, Kenai Peninsula Youth Court, and Bishop’s Attic of the Kenai Peninsula. In addition to her law degree, she holds a master’s degree in library science from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Marymount Manhattan College. Brenckle was appointed as a representative of the Republican Party of Alaska, as Alaska Statutes reserve two members for each of the two political parties whose candidate for governor received the highest number of votes at the preceding general election in which the governor was elected.

Alaska Retirement Management Board

Governor Parnell appointed Tom Brice, Sandra Ryan, and reappointed Martin Pihl to the Alaska Retirement Management Board. The board’s primary mission is to serve as the trustee of the assets of the state’s retirement systems, the State of Alaska Supplemental Annuity Plan, the deferred compensation program for state employees, and the Alaska retiree health care trusts established under current law.

Brice, of Juneau, is the Business Representative of the Alaska District Council of Laborers. He served four terms in the Alaska House of Representatives and also worked as the apprenticeship outreach coordinator for the Alaska Works Partnership. Brice is the president of the Juneau Building Trades Council, treasurer for the Juneau Central Labor Council, a trustee for Chapel by the Lake, and a member of the Juneau Gun Club. He was appointed to a seat reserved for a Public Employee Retirement System representative.

Ryan, of Fairbanks, is a mathematics and tech prep instructor at West Valley High School, and has been a teacher since 1988. She is a member of the National Education Association Alaska Board of Directors, and a member of the Fairbanks Education Association. Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, a bachelor’s degree in communication, and master’s degree in computer science engineering. She was appointed to a seat reserved for a Teachers Retirement System representative.

Pihl, of Ketchikan, came to Alaska in 1962 to work for Ketchikan Pulp Company, becoming president and general manager in 1987 until his retirement in 1994. He then served as acting executive director for the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. Pihl serves as a director of National Bank of Alaska and on Wells Fargo Bank’s Alaska Statewide Advisory Board, as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Alaska Timber Insurance Exchange, and as a regent for Pacific Lutheran University. He is also a member of several advisory boards including Holland America-Westmark-Ketchikan Advisory Board, Ketchikan Ports and Harbors Advisory Board, and Alaska Airlines Southeast Alaska Community Advisory Board. Pihl holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Washington and has been a CPA since 1958. Pihl was reappointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.

Mental Health Board

Governor Parnell appointed Ilina Saucedo to the Mental Health Board. The board serves as the state planning and coordinating body for federal and state laws relating to mental health services for persons with mental disorders.

Saucedo, of Anchorage, is an outreach and volunteer coordinator with the Alaska Youth and Parent Foundation. She has worked in a variety of other jobs since completing her high school studies, and plans to attend the University of Alaska Anchorage in the fall of 2012. Saucedo was appointed to seat reserved for a consumer of mental health services.

Serve Alaska

Governor Parnell appointed Kate Powers to Serve Alaska, which aims to engage Alaskans in community-based service and volunteerism, and promotes participation in the AmeriCorps and the Learn and Serve America programs. The commission also manages a disability placement plan to assist programs with making national service and volunteerism accessible to more individuals.

Powers, of Anchorage, is a marketing and development assistant with the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center. She teaches English as a second language with AmeriCorps. Powers is active in her community as a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a volunteer community writer, and an event volunteer with Catholic Social Services. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Powers is appointed to a seat reserved for an individual between the ages of 16 and 25 who was involved with a national service program.

State Vocational Rehabilitation Committee

Governor Parnell appointed Dan Elstad and Patrick Shallcross and reappointed Shaunta Brown and Nancy Russell to the State Vocational Rehabilitation Committee. The committee promotes employment of people with disabilities by creating statewide interest in the rehabilitation and employment of people with disabilities.

Elstad, of Juneau, is the facilities director at REACH, an employment and services provider for Alaskans with disabilities, where he has worked in a variety of capacities since 1985. He has taken courses at the University of Alaska Southeast, Skagit Valley Community College, and Western Washington University. Elstad was appointed to a seat reserved for a consumer advocate.

Shallcross, of Haines, is a case manager with REACH and has served in a variety of other roles over the past decade including community services supervisor, employment consultant, and vocational trainer. He was a member of the Governor’s Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities from 2008-2011. Shallcross was appointed to a seat reserved for a recipient of vocational rehabilitation services.

Brown, of Anchorage, is the Parent Training and Information Center director and the project coordinator for the Alaska 360 Military Family Support Project at Stone Soup Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those with disabilities. After retiring from the U.S. Navy where she served from 1985-2005 as the director of health services, Brown worked as a care coordinator for Hope Community Resources, Inc., as a patient advocate at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and in a variety of other service-related roles. She earned a master’s degree in human services with a specialization in health care administration from Capella University. Brown was reappointed to a seat reserved for a member of a Parent Training and Information Center.

Russell, of Fairbanks, is the chief operating officer and a senior vice president with Denali State Bank, where she first started her career as a loan officer more than two decades ago. Her active role in the Fairbanks community includes more than 20 years of service as a member of the Fairbanks Resource Agency Board of Directors, service as a member of the Fairbanks Lions Club Board of Directors, and involvement with the Tanana Historical Society. Russell, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, was reappointed to a seat reserved for a member of the business community.