Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Forum Podcasts

Dr. Steven Konkel is passionate about connecting the environment and human health. He has worked at two national energy laboratories conducting energy assessments, policy analysis, and environmental evaluations of projects. He served as a Policy Analyst and Strategic Planner during Gov. Jay Hammond’s second Administration, with overall responsibility for rural and remote energy planning, energy R&D, and conservation and renewab...

 Douglas Eby, MD, MPH, has worked as a physician executive in support of Alaska Native people for over 30 years.  He has been the VP of Medical Services for the Baldrige Award-winning Southcentral Foundation for over 25 years, and helps jointly oversee the Alaska Native Medical Center.  While based in Anchorage, SCF manages and supports clinics across a huge swath of southern Alaska and partners with the Alaska Native Tribal Health...

Judith Anderegg and David Pelto have more than 100 years of life in Alaska between them.  Judith came to Anchorage with her family in 1957; David's family arrived in Juneau in 1966.  Both attended colleges in the lower forty-eight before returning to Alaska to live. Judith worked in the Hammond administration for the Coastal Zone Management program.  In 1980, Judith received her teaching certificate and began a teaching career...

Sophia is a coach, athlete, bodyworker, and lifelong learner. She is passionate about human resilience, building teams, and uplifting passionate people. After several years of rowing competitively in flat water, Sophia set her eyes on the ocean, and in 2022, she and her team, Latitude 35, set the world record for the fastest women's team to row from California to Hawaii. A seasonal resident of Palmer, along with her commercial...

Rose O'Hara-Jolley is state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, working to protect and promote reproductive and LGBTQ2+ health, rights, and justice. They oversee statewide advocacy programs, policy and legislative efforts, and Planned Parenthood’s local and state electoral programs, including ballot initiatives. Rose began as the Fairbanks organizer and then became Field Manager for Planned Parenthood before bec...

Daniel Gwynn was sentenced to death in Philadelphia in 1994 after being convicted of first-degree murder, arson, and aggravated assault in the death of Marsha Smith. Thirty years later, in February 2024, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office dismissed all charges in the case, acknowledging that Gwynn was wrongfully convicted and unjustly imprisoned for nearly three decades. According to the DA-s Office statements at the ...

Laura Norton-Cruz is a licensed master social worker (LMSW), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), lifelong advocate for children and families, former teacher and victim advocate, artist, and a mother of two wonderful elementary-aged children. She grew up in Anchorage, and attended Mount Holyoke College for undergrad and University of Michigan for graduate school. Laura has lived in Oaxaca, Mxico, and Bogot, Colombia, and taught 3rd...

Kay Brown is a former state official, political strategist and media specialist who moved to Alaska in 1976.  Kay has broad experience in political, non-profit and public arenas, including 10 years of service as an Alaska State Representative.  After leaving the legislature, she helped assemble and lead a large coalition of Alaska environmental groups, the Alaska Conservation Alliance and Voters. She also served as Director of Oil ...

Heba El-Hendi is the Senior Director at CSS’s Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, bringing over a decade of experience in international development, refugee rights advocacy, and program management. She has worked with UNHCR and USAID, focusing on service delivery, community relations, and partnerships—including work in Western Sahara and Algiers. A Fletcher School graduate from Tufts University, she holds a master’s in hum...

Nina Kempell is currently owner of the consulting company, Altius, Fortius where she is working with the Alaska Cultural Trust to develop a fundraising campaign to enable the Trust to provide grants directly to arts and culture organizations. Previously, Kemppel was CEO at the Alaska Community Foundation where she oversaw many successful programs such as Pick.Click.Give and the Social Justice Fund, and partnered with the State to d...

Tim Bradneris publisher of the Alaska Economic Report and Alaska Legislative Digest, and has written extensively on Alaska natural resource and economic issues.  He has lived and worked in Alaska since 1962, attending the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and then working as a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Tundra Times, an Alaska Native weekly newspaper. As a journalist Bradner covered the Alaska Native lands ...

Aubrey Wieber is Executive Director of the 907 Initiative, a public policy watchdog organization based in Anchorage. The 907 Initiative uses mass communications to deliver information on elected officials and issues to Alaskans through a variety of paid advertising platforms. Recent programs include long-term campaigns focusing on former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, increasing the base student allocation for public education, and ...

Löki Gale Tobin was elected in 2022 to represent District I (downtown Anchorage and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) in the Alaska Senate.  Born and raised in Nome, she is a University of Alaska Anchorage graduate and holds a master’s degree in rural development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Peace Corps Master’s International Program, having served as a Youth Development Volunteer in Azerbaijan from 2008-2011. Currently, ...

Dr. Jennifer Schmidt works at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska, as an associate professor of Natural Resource Management and Policy. She has been at ISER since 2015, and before that was in Norway for a few years and Fairbanks since 2002.  Jens research revolves around humans and the environment, which means her interests are broad.  Currently she works on wildfire risk and resilience,...

Ken Blaylock has lived in Alaska for over 50 years. He served over 20 years in the military, earned a Bronze Star Medal from service in Iraq, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Ken has been a whistleblower on drugs, sexual assaults, and illegal expenditures of money that led to the removal of multiple senior personnel from the Alaska Army National Guard. He is a small business owner, running his own martial arts school, where he ...

Jenny McNulty came to Alaska in 2021 to serve as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at University of Alaska Anchorage. Before that, she spent 25 years in big sky country, as a professor and administrator at University of Montana. She majored in both chemistry and mathematics at Providence College, graduating in 1985, then earned her master's degree in mathematics at Stony Brook University, and her Ph.D. in Mathematic...

Harlow Robinson is Founding Member of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame. He has been involved with Healthy Futures since 2006, initially serving as an advisory board member, and since 2012 serving as its Executive Director. Prior to his current position, Harlow worked with at-risk youth for 15 years as a direct care staff, supervisor and manager. He has served on numerous boards and commissions and is on the Municipality of Anchorage ...