YoungAlaskans.org

Joseph Hardenbrook

Steering Committee Chair, Past Creating Alaska Director
Joe Hardenbrook coordinated the first Conference of Young Alaskans and currently serves as the Chair of the COYA II Steering Committee. A 2002 graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Joe has served as Chief of Staff to a state senator, Alaska State Director for Barack Obama and currently serves as Campaign Manager for Ethan Berkowitz, Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress.
During his college career, Joe was a member of the University of Alaska Board of Regents, a lobbyist for the Associated Students of UAF and chair of the Student Senate. Joe - and his partner Anna - live “off-the-grid” in the glorious Goldstream Valley, just north of Fairbanks. Joe’s interests include green living, gardening, cooking and keeping up with the thousands of improvement projects at his homestead.

Pat Race

Forum of Young Alaskans Committee Chair, COYA I Steering Committee Member
Patrick is a graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a partner at Lucid Reverie, a small design and media firm. He is a recipient of the Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist Award and was named to Alaska’s “Top 40 under 40″ in 2006. His comics and short films can be found at Alaska Robotics.

Mary Hiratsuka

Steering Committee Member
Mary was born and raised in Dillingham where most of her summers in high school evolved around the commercial fishing season. After graduating from Dartmouth College, she was awarded the Lewin and Stefansson post graduate fellowships that enabled her to live and work out of Nuuk, Greenland. As a fellow, Mary interned for Greenland’s Inuit Circumpolar Council and conducted research on Greenlandic youth living in a trilingual society. She has since returned to Alaska, and works out of Anchorage. Mary loves long Alaskan summer days, her Dad’s smoked salmon and bike commutes.

Anna M. Sorensen

Steering Committee Member, COYA I Project Assistant
Anna Sorensen is a lifelong Alaskan who graduated from Lathrop High School in 2001 and UAF in 2006 with a B.A. in History. In 2004 she began working with the Creating Alaska Project and the first Conference of Young Alaskans. Though she calls Fairbanks home, her interest in Alaska politics has taken her to Juneau to work as a Legislative Aide the past two sessions. Anna has recently accepted a research position with Green Star, a non-profit in Anchorage that encourages business to practice waste reduction, energy conservation and pollution prevention. Away from work, Anna is an active member of Rotaract and loves to be out of doors skijoring and gardening.

Dana Betts

Steering Committee Member, High School Leader
Dana Betts is a senior at Kenny Lake School. Born in Jackson, Wyoming, she moved to the great state of Alaska when she was six years old. She has been involved with student government since junior high, and is currently Vice-President of the student council. Hockey, which she’s played since 2nd grade, occupies most of her time in the winter, and she loves it. After graduating, she plans to attend college and either major in nursing or be pre-med.

Walter Disarro

Steering Committee Member, COYA I Steering Committee Member
Walter is out fishing at the moment and we’ll get a biography from him when he gets back on the grid.

Terin Walton-Rantz

Steering Committee Member, COYA I Delegate
Terin has lived in the Fairbanks area since 1991, and loves her experiences in Alaska. She graduated from UAF in 2006, and is the UAF Wood Center Special Programs Coordinator. Terin strives to motivate and empower Alaska’s youth through various civic engagements, and is excited to connect with all of the participants of The Forum of Young Alaskans and The Conference of Young Alaskans II.

“Let’s make these phenomenal events!” - Terin

Andy Moderow

Steering Committee Member, COYA I Delegate
Andy Moderow, a lifelong Alaskan, grew up exploring Alaska’s outdoors. A dog musher since 1989, Andy has competed in numerous dog sled races, including the Iditarod, Copper Basin 300, and Jr. Iditarod. After graduating from Cornell University in 2005, Andy researched wildlife issues for the National Parks Conservation Association and National Park Service. Currently he is employed as a legislative aide, working for State Senator Hollis French. When not working, Andy can usually be found hiking, mushing or floating down rivers in the Denali area. He also enjoys construction projects and photography.

Liz Pozey

Steering Committee Member
Liz Posey was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Pre Medicine Studies from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR in 2003 where she was featured in ESSENCE Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Incredible College Women,” for her leadership on campus and in the community. Since then she has worked as a policy consultant on youth, health and energy issues. She also worked as a legislative aide for Senator Bettye Davis and as a Retention Coordinator for students of color and international students at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Liz is President of the Anchorage Urban League Young Professionals, the first multi-ethnic charter in the nation. And is the Project Director for their Youth Civic Engagement Initiative, OurTime 2008. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Health & Human Services Commission for the Municipality of Anchorage and is on the advisory board for the Hip Hop Association. Liz is very involved in various community projects and loves international travel (as a child her goal was to dig a hole to China in her back yard). She currently owns a community development consulting business, Gro::Tuit, LLC.

Nils Andreassen

Steering Committee Member
Nils has a Bachelors degree in Peace and Development from the University of Bradford in England, is an adjunct professor at UAA, was recently the Rural Planning Coordinator at RurAL CAP, is the Anchorage coordinator for the Knowledge Industry Network hosted by Commonwealth North, and is now the full time coordinator for the Alaska Dialogue at the Institute of the North. He has two children and a very patient partner.

Lee Ryan

Steering Committee Member, COYA I Delegate
Lee Ryan is employed by Arctic Transportation Services in Anchorage Chief Pilot and Director of Safety. Lee graduated from the University of Alaska in December 2004, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Lee is an executive council member for the Inuit Circumpolar Youth Council and Chairman of the State of Alaska’s Aviation Advisory Board. He was a delegate to the January 2006 Conference of Young Alaskans, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Alaska’s Constitutional Convention. In addition to his passion for aviation, Lee enjoys playing hockey, spending time with family and friends, and is an avid fisherman and outdoor enthusiast.

Maggie Grega

Liaison to the University of Alaska Anchorage and Eight Stars of Gold Project
Maggie Grega joined the University of Alaska Anchorage in June of 2007. She worked in the Chancellor’s office before taking on the role of Statehood Anniversary Manager in UAA’s Office of Advancement. A recent graduate of the University of Oregon, Maggie is happy to once again call Alaska home. She is especially excited to be involved with planning and promoting all of the wonderful activities that the 50th Anniversary of Statehood celebrations bring both to the University and around the state.

Ian-Michael Hebert

Primary Project Coordinator Staff - Information Insights, COYA I Steering Committee Chair
Ian-Michael Hebert helped create the first Conference of Young Alaskans as the steering committee chair, and has now shifted into a professional role for the coordination of this next phase of events. Born and raised in Fairbanks, Ian-Michael feels the rivers of the interior in his veins and the heights of Denali in his soul. As a father, homebuilder, and conference coordinator, he strives to serve his local, state, and global community.