Juneau, Alaska – Governor Sean Parnell today announced appointments to Alaska State Council on the Arts, Alaska Historical Commission, and the Professional Teaching Practices Commission.
Alaska State Council on the Arts
Governor Parnell appointed Josie Stiles and reappointed Diane Borgman, Adelheid “Micky” Becker, and Robyn Holloway to the Alaska State Council on the Arts. The council‘s mission is to enrich the cultural life of the state by encouraging and supporting excellence in the arts; provide opportunities for every Alaskan to experience the arts; promote the practice and enjoyment of the arts in Alaska; and guide the development of the arts throughout the state. The council also provides technical assistance and services to artists, arts organizations, and arts supporters in Alaska.
Stiles, of Nome, is the human resources manager for the Nome Eskimo Community and the president of the Nome Arts Council. A current member of the Nome City Council, she has also worked as customer service manager with Bering Air Inc., as director of the Nome Convention and Visitors Bureau, and as director for the Kawerak Inc.’s Village Public Safety Officer Program. A former board president of the Bering Sea Women’s Group, Stiles is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.
Borgman, of Homer, is a small business owner who had an extensive career in education, including 14 years as a principal or curriculum director for the Kenai Peninsula School District, nine years with the Northwest Arctic School District, four years as a teacher and principal in Kodiak, and six years as a teacher in California. She won the National Distinguished Principal of the Year award for Alaska in 1991, and has also previously won the Governor’s Award for the Arts. She serves as president of the Homer Council on the Arts, a member of the Homer Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and has served with the Alaska Arts in Education and Alaska State Arts Education Consortium. Borgman earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is reappointed to a public seat.
Becker, of Anchorage, is a public relations consultant for Shell Alaska. Previously, she worked for ConocoPhillips Alaska and its predecessor companies from 1985 to 2005, primarily as an executive assistant to the president, and as an administrative supervisor for a mining subsidiary from 1980 to 1985. She has also been a teacher of language and culture at U.S. military installations in Germany. An active supporter of the arts, she serves on the boards of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts and Breast Cancer Focus, Inc. She has also served on the boards of the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the Anchorage Festival of Music, the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Alaska, and the Special Olympics World Games held in Alaska. Becker has served on the council since 2006 and is reappointed to a public seat.
Holloway, of Juneau, has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration since 2003, and is currently a fisheries enforcement technician. A published poet, she taught creative writing seminars and judges Poetry Out Loud. She earned an associate degree from Prince William Sound Community College and a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing at the University of Alaska Southeast. She is reappointed to a public seat.
Alaska Historical Commission
Governor Parnell reappointed Patricia Roppel and Candace Waugaman to the Alaska Historical Commission.
The nine-member commission advises the governor and the Legislature on matters relating to Alaska’s history, oversees the state’s historic preservation plan, recommends historic preservation grant projects for funding, and develops criteria for evaluating monuments and historic sites.
Roppel, of Wrangell, is a published researcher, writer, and historian. She is a lifelong member of the Alaska Historical Society, which named her Historian of the Year in 1977. Her published works include “Salmon from Kodiak,” “Striking it Rich: Gold Mining in Southern Southeast,” and “Land of Mists.” She has served on the commission since 2003 and is reappointed to a seat reserved for a historian.
Waugaman, of Fairbanks, was a real estate saleswoman and was named Alaska Realtor of the Year in 1976. She serves on the Fairbanks Pioneer Home Foundation, and on the boards of directors for the Tanana-Yukon Historical Society and the Alaska Historical Society. Waugaman was named the Fairbanks Historian of the Year in 2001. She has served on the commission since 2004 and is reappointed to a seat reserved for a person nominated by the Alaska Historical Society.
Professional Teaching Practices Commission
Governor Parnell appointed Martin Laster to the Professional Teaching Practices Commission. The commission develops criteria of professional practices in areas of ethics, performance, professional services, and contractual obligations of educators. The commission also holds hearings to judge and sanction educators not meeting standards established by the commission.
Laster, of Juneau, works as an assistant professor and coordinator of the Educational Leadership Program with the University of Alaska Southeast. His career in education began in 1976 as an English teacher, and since that time, Laster has been a teacher, principal, and superintendent in school districts throughout Alaska. He holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership and public policy, a master’s degree in gifted education, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Denver. Laster also holds a bachelor’s degree in honor’s English and secondary education from Ohio University. He is appointed to a seat reserved for a representative of an institution of higher education.
