Juneau, Alaska – Monday, Governor Sean Parnell announced appointments to the Boating Safety Advisory Council, Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank Board of Directors, Fishermen’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council, Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute Advisory Board, Real Estate Commission, Statewide Independent Living Council, and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

Boating Safety Advisory Council

Governor Parnell appointed Alan Sorum to the Boating Safety Advisory Council. The council supports boating safety in Alaska by recommending educational materials, reviewing proposed boating regulations, considering Alaska’s diverse regional boating safety needs and promoting boating safety education programs throughout the state.

Sorum, of Valdez, is currently the director of training for the Prince William Sound Community College, where he has worked since 2009. Previously, Sorum held senior public management positions with the Municipality of Skagway, the City of Valdez, and the City of Wrangell. He has been a port director, harbormaster, and borough manager. Sorum has received several awards for his years of dedication to boating safety in Alaska, including the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant’s Distinguished Public Service Award and the U.S. Coast Guard Commendation Medal. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a master’s degree in Alaska Native and rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Sorum is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.

Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank Board of Directors

Governor Parnell appointed Adam Galindo to the Commercial Fishing and Agriculture Bank Board of Directors. The board manages the bank’s assets and selects its officers.

Galindo, of Eagle River, has been the president of Taco Loco Products since 2002. He is also a retired member of the Alaska Air National Guard, where he served for 20 years in a variety of roles. He holds a degree in business administration from Wayland Baptist University and serves on the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership Inc. board of directors. He is the chairperson of the Municipality of Anchorage’s Diversity Advisory Commission. He is appointed to a public seat.

Fishermen’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council

Governor Parnell reappointed James Herbert to the Fisherman’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council. The council reviews all denials of benefits from the administration of the Fishermen’s Fund, which is used to financially support sick or disabled fishermen.

Herbert, of Seward, has been the owner and operator of several fishing vessels in Alaska since 1979 and a member of the Fishermen’s Fund Advisory and Appeals Council since 1997. In addition to his long maritime history in Alaska, Herbert is active in the fishing community as a member of several organizations, including the United Fishermen of Alaska, and the Seward Fish and Game Advisory Committee. Herbert has also served as a charter member and chair of the U.S. Coast Guard Fishing Industry Vessel Safety Advisory Committee. He holds a master’s degree in marine biology from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Wisconsin. Herbert is reappointed to a seat reserved for someone from the areas west of Yakutat to the East Coast of the Alaska Peninsula, including Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, and Kodiak.

Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education

Governor Parnell reappointed Representative Wes Keller, Anna Attla, Lucy Odden, Milton Cheemuk, and Kathleen Fitzgerald to the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education. The council serves as the interdepartmental planning and coordinating agency of the Department of Health and Social Services, the Department of Education and Early Development, and other departments which deliver services to people with disabilities or provide special education. The council also provides recommendations to the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority concerning the integrated comprehensive mental health program for people with mental disabilities.

Representative Keller, of Wasilla, has represented his community in the Alaska Legislature since 2007 and currently serves as the chairman of the House Health and Social Services Committee. A contractor by trade, Keller began his career in public policy by joining Alaska Senator Fred Dyson’s office as chief of staff in 1999. At present, Keller serves as a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Federal Areas and the Alaska Health Care Commission. Representative Keller holds a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification from the University of Wisconsin. He has also been a pilot with the Alaska Air National Guard. He is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the Alaska State Legislature.

Attla, of Anchorage, has been a peer counselor with Bryn Mawr, a volunteer receptionist with the ARC of Anchorage, and a member of the ASSETS Alaska Board of Directors. She is a current member of People First of Anchorage, and received her traditional alcohol counselor certification in 1998. She is reappointed to a seat reserved for a consumer of disabilities and special education services.

Odden, of Anchorage, has worked as a duplicating equipment operator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1980. Active in the special needs community, Odden has been a member of the ARC of Anchorage Board of Directors, the Special Olympics Board of Directors, the ASSETS Alaska Board of Directors, and the People First Board of Directors. She has also been a camp counselor and assistance nurse for ARC Alaska. Odden is reappointed to a seat reserved for a consumer of disabilities and special education services.

Cheemuk, of St. Michael, is the acting mayor of his village. He is an advocate for Alaskans with disabilities and was an Americorp Volunteer in St. Michael from 2001-2002. He earned an associate’s degree from Sheldon Jackson College in 1997. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for a consumer of disabilities and special education services.

Fitzgerald, of Anchorage, has been the coordinator for the Alaska Mental Health Trust Partners in Policymaking Project since 2006. Prior to her work with the project, she served as a program development specialist at the Center for Human Development. From 1995-2003, Fitzgerald was a family resource project coordinator at the center for psychosocial development. She has been the member of several organizational boards of directors focused on caring for those with special needs, including the Governor’s Council Autism AD-Hoc Committee, Autism Alliance Task Force, ARC of Anchorage, Key Coalition of Alaska, Parents of Autistic Children Alaska Chapter, and the chair of the Anchorage School Board Special Education Advisory Committee. Her work in the community has earned her the Alaska First Lady Volunteer Award, the Grace & Aram Wolf Award, and the Golden Key Award. She is reappointed to a seat reserved for a representative from a University of Alaska affiliated program.

Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute Advisory Board

Governor Parnell reappointed Glenn Ujioka, William Lindow, and David Totemoff to the Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute Advisory Board. The board works to identify and develop the best available techniques, equipment, and materials for dealing with oil spills in the Arctic and subarctic marine environment and to complement federal and state damage assessment efforts and determine, document, assess, and understand the long range effects of Arctic or subarctic oil spills.

Ujioka, a lifelong resident of Cordova, is an operating engineer and member of the local 302 operators union. He is also a commercial fisherman. A longtime tradesman, Ujioka has attended HVAC school, automotive and diesel college, and is a certified crane operator and welder He holds a certificate from the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators for welding. Ujioka is a member of the Native Village of Hyak Tribal Council, and a past chairperson of the Chugachmiut Environmental Protection Consortium. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for an Alaska Native.

Lindow, of Cordova, has been a commercial salmon gillnetter in the Copper River and Prince William Sound since 1978 and a halibut fisherman in the Gulf of Alaska since 1997. He has served on the board of the PWS Aquaculture Corp., the Copper River Fisherman’s Cooperative and the Copper River Salmon Producers Association. He was also a member of the PWS Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council. Lindow attended the University of Colorado and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has served on the board since 2006 and was reappointed to a seat representing a Prince William Sound fishing organization.

Totemoff, of Tatitlek, has worked for British Petroleum on the North Slope since 1976. He is also a commercial fisherman, and serves as BP’s community liaison to the Prince William Sound area. Additionally, Totemoff serves on the board of directors for Chugach Alaska Corporation. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for a representative of the oil and gas industry.

Real Estate Commission

Governor Parnell appointed Anita Bates to the Real Estate Commission. The commission regulates and controls licensing, suspensions and revocations of Alaska’s real estate industry and manages the surety claim fund.

Bates, of Anchorage, is the owner of Bates & Associates Realtors. Prior to opening her own business, she worked as an associate broker for Re/Max Properties and as an associate broker and sales manager for Coldwell Banker Best Properties. Active in her community, Bates serves on the Alaska Multiple Listing Service Board of Directors, Anchorage Board of Realtors Grievance Committee, and formerly on the Independence Park Community Association Board of Directors. A two-time recipient of the Realtor of the Year award from the Anchorage Board of Realtors, Bates is appointed to a seat reserved for a real estate broker.

Statewide Independent Living Council

Governor Parnell appointed Jessica Holden to the Statewide Independent Living Council. The council develops and submits the state plan for independent living for specific disability populations and monitors, reviews, and evaluates the plan’s implementation. The council also coordinates activities with the Governor’s Committee on Employment and Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities and councils that address the needs of specific disability populations.

Holden, of Anchorage, is a consultant for Information Insights, an Alaskan firm specializing in public policy research and management consulting. She was born and raised in Fairbanks. After graduating cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University with a bachelor’s degree in communication and conflict management, Holden spent a year working as a staff member at her alma mater. Holden has also worked as the transportation and environmental coordinator for the Tacoma-Peirce County Chamber of Commerce. Active in the Anchorage community, she volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters, sits on the non-profit Spirit of Youth board of directors, and has volunteered with Teachers Without Borders. Holden is appointed to a seat reserved for an advocate for those with special needs.

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education

Governor Parnell reappointed Diane Barrans to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The commission develops and disseminates information for higher education planning in the western states and provides access and opportunity for students from the 15 member states to sharing of higher education resources.

Barrans, of Juneau, has served as the executive officer for the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education and the Alaska Student Loan Corporation since 1995. She also served in a variety of other roles for those organizations for the 12 years prior to being named executive officer. Barrans holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and is appointed to a seat traditionally representing higher education.