Tim Toll has served for the past twenty years as Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, an organization he helped start in Dillingham in 2000. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the land trust owns or holds conservation easements on 58,412 acres in Bristol Bay and helped broker protection for 21,320 acres in the Wood Tikchik State Park. Tim came to Alaska in 1978 as a VISTA volunteer lawyer for Alaska Legal Services in Bethel. From 1980 to 1985, he was the city manager of St. Mary's, where he helped the Lower Yukon region revitalize Yup'ik Dancing. The Alaska Federation of Natives honored Tim with its Denali Award in 2019.

Tim's slides can be found here - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7dtqooc40zbsvajpmbzum/Sitka-SJ-Presentation-AUUF2.pdf?rlkey=jyljnsb121gs507mjf3aw5oz6&dl=0

Slide #7 is a video. To start the video, "click" on the speaker on the slide.

There is another video that Tim mentioned. It can be found here - https://aifg.arizona.edu/film/dancing-people-yupiit-yuraryarait

Mel Langdon Stewardship video - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/l7cihifkirlwafcsnsd5m/04_February16_MelLangdon.mp4?rlkey=ipnxa7jz16tsqjztglneu2s4t&dl=0

Note that Mel's Stewardship video starts about 1'15" into the podcast and has been replaced (in the podcast) by 3 seconds of static.

Erin Jackson-Hill is Executive Director of Stand Up Alaska, one of the state’s only BIPOC women-led social justice organizations. Her advocacy is mainly focused on issues that disproportionately affect minority communities. She’s a proud alumna of Wonder Park Elementary, Wendler Jr. High School, and Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School. Her rich and diverse experience in nonprofit management and event production began at Anchorage Fur Rendezvous, where she became Events Manager. She has also worked at the State of Alaska-Child Support Division, Doyon Limited, and JJ Powers Public Relations. Erin's foray into organizing was serving as the statewide coordinator for the Recall Dunleavy campaign. She founded the Alaska Civics Academy, a program promoting civic participation and understanding. She actively contributes to the Alaska Coalition for Justice, explicitly focusing on police reforms and the school-to-prison pipeline. Erin is also a board member of Alaskans for Fair Courts and serves on the steering committee of Alaska Women's Ascend and the planning committee of Juneteenth Anchorage.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/lxirurtkskflmhznupi2l/Alaskans-Take-A-Stand-Stand-UP-Alaska-Action-Team-2.8.pdf?rlkey=7ak92ddm0o8hm6gj6nrk0dk15&dl=0

Stan Up Alaska - https://standupalaska.org

AUUF Stewardship video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FzZBJ5D1qM6ufXa_zRVHXLcNVyyLzxut/view

Ben Robinson is the General Director of Anchorage Opera, the Artistic Director of Raylynmor Opera (New Hampshire), and the Managing Director of Lyric Fest (Philadelphia). He works as a director, librettist, educator, and arts administrator. As a stage director, he is best known for his inspired and engaging storytelling in diverse works ranging from Baroque to modern. He directed the internationally acclaimed film Gianni Schicchi for Opera Ithaca in 2020, which Opera Magazine heralded as the "deftest use... of Covid-era technology as part of modern operatic reality." He was announced as a 2021 recipient of the Ewing Arts Award, which celebrates the diversity and excellence of artists in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. In February 2023, his 2022 "moving, visually daring" (Opera News) Julia Child-inspired Hansel and Gretel film joined the Opera Philadelphia Channel and was subsequently streamed at a series of outdoor events for the company in September 2023.

Dennis AraShiro is a current member of the Fellowship and Executive Board President of the Japanese American Citizens League. His father served in the US Army during the American Occupation of Japan after World War II, where he met Dennis's mother. Because that time and place are the setting for the new Anchorage Opera production of Madama Butterfly, he advises the production.

Slideshow - https://www.dropbox.com/s/y0hv4nosct5tx40/February%202%20UU%20Presentation.m4v?dl=0

Steve Lindbeck has enjoyed a 45-year career in Alaska journalism, public affairs, and non-profit management. He served as CEO & General Manager for Alaska Public Media, Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of Alaska Anchorage, Associate Editor of the Anchorage Daily News, and Executive Director of the Alaska Humanities Forum, among other roles. In 2016, he spent an exciting year running for Congress. He has volunteered with many boards and committees, including Progress Alaska, the Rogers Park Community Council, the Anchorage Museum Association, the Alaska World Affairs Council, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and United Way. An Anchorage resident since 1968, he graduated from West Anchorage High School and Stanford University. In early 2018, he completed a Master of Science in Organization Development at Pepperdine University. He is married to Patty Ginsburg, a former journalist and consultant now retired. He and Patty were recipients of the 2015 Shining Lights Award for service to Alaska.

Dr. Brad Cruz, originally from California and Nevada, came to Alaska in 1992 after completing his Air Force service to join a Radiology group in Anchorage. He was accompanied by his California-born wife and two young daughters. Over the years, he has been active in competitive running, skiing, and biking. He has volunteered at various sports events in Anchorage, including the Run For Women, Lost Lake Race, and the Gold Nugget Triathlon. Brad worked as a Radiologist at Alaska Regional Hospital and Mat-Su Regional Hospital. He served a few terms as the Chairman of the Radiology/Pathology Department and on various committees, and for 11 years as an officer and board member of Anchorage Project Access. He retired from his radiology practice in 2017 to have more time to teach anatomy at the UAA campus of the WWAMI Medical School program and work with Skiku. This non-profit travels to rural Alaskan villages to teach cross-country skiing. Brad has also served on the Board of Skiku in various officer positions while continuing to coach in Gambell and Savoonga, where he began his coaching career in 2015.

Link to Team Breath America fundraising page - https://teambreatheamerica.funraise.org/fundraiser/steve-lindbeck

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/s/yakubp1y2lm818p/RAAM2.pdf?dl=0

Note that slides 4, 12, 17, 20, and 21 are linked to short videos. You will need to "click" on the slides to download and start the videos.

Steve and Brad's presentation ended with a 20-minute training ride video. That video's sound was deleted from the audio podcast because it interfered with the presenter's audio. It was replaced with 2 seconds of static. However, you can get the video here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/74xe5g194u0s23h/RAAM%2020%20minute%20ride_4C260C4F-C106-4D61-A8D7-095C41CB280E.mp4?dl=0

Justin Ruffridgge was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2022 to serve the Kenai/Soldotna area and was re-elected in November 2024. He expects to serve on the Health and Social Services Committee in the coming session. His parents, both educators, moved their family to Alaska in 1994, where they taught at a small Christian school. Justin graduated from high school in 2001 and Washington State University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2008. He married his wife Jessie in 2004, and after graduation, they moved back to the Kenai Peninsula to help care for Jessies terminally ill mother. Justin began his pharmacy career at Soldotna Professional Pharmacy. In the years since, he and a business partner acquired the Soldotna Pharmacy, the Juneau Drug Company in downtown Juneau, and the Alpine Apothecary Pharmacy in Girdwood. Justin was briefly on the Soldotna Planning and Zoning Commission before serving on the Soldotna City Council. He has advocated for those struggling to find housing and worked diligently on COVID-19 prevention, mitigation, and treatment efforts during the pandemic. He enjoys coaching Little League.

Andrew Gray was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives in 2022 to represent the UMED District in Anchorage and was re-elected in November 2024. He is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee and the Joint Armed Services Committee and to serve as Vice Chair of the Health and Social Services Committee in the new Legislature. During his first term in the Legislature, he brought forward legislation related to housing and homelessness. He carried Senate Bill 119 in the House, which requires the Department of Corrections to provide valid photo ID to all incarcerated people upon their release; the bill passed both chambers unanimously. He also served as co-chair of the Freshmen Caucus with Rep. Justin Ruffridge of Soldotna. That Caucus is not currently active, but the relationships established there remain intact. Outside the Capitol he is a physician assistant at Alaska Urgent Care. He hosts a podcast: the East Anchorage Book Club, which features interviews with Alaskans of political interest. He and his husband Jay and their 11-year-old son Waylon have been members of AUUF since 2017.

Peg Tileston has been active in Alaska public policy and conservation issues since arriving in the state 51 years ago. She is on the board of Alaska Common Ground, a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to build coalitions and consensus on matters of importance to Alaskans. She is also on the board of Trustees for Alaska, a non-profit legal organization. Peg spent many years with the Alaska Center for the Environment, co-founded the Alaska Conservation Foundation, and served on the Chugach Electric Association board from 1983 to 1993 and several state and local advisory commissions. Since 1999, Peg has distributed What’s Up, a weekly newsletter listing natural resource and conservation information via email to over 2600 Alaskan addresses. Over the years, she mentored many young women leaders. Peg is married to Jules and has three children and two grandchildren.

Alaska Common Ground website - https://akcommonground.org/

Alaska Humanities Forum sponsored community conversations - https://www.akhf.org/programs/kindling-conversation

NYT "The Interview" - Robert Putnam Knows Why You’re Lonely - https://youtu.be/sqZ4Po4vMAQ?feature=shared

Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam - book website http://bowlingalone.com

One Small Step - StoryCorps - https://storycorps.org/discover/onesmallstep/one-small-step-connect/

Rev. Lise Adams Sherry is the settled minister for the Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. She grew up in Oregon as part of a blended family. Her main interests growing up were dancing and theatre--she performed a lot! Another highlight was learning French and spending her junior year in France. Lise is married to Nelson, and together, they have two boys (Kennen and Derek) and a daughter-in-law, Maria. They’ve lived in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Illinois and Massachusetts. Lise received her M.Div. from Meadville Lombard in Chicago. Nature, Buddhism, and the Judeo-Christian tradition inform her religious life. Her favorite parts of ministry are social justice, multi-generational worship services, and pastoral care. Lise also enjoys hiking, bicycling, reading, gardening, watching movies, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

Dr. Stephen Haycox is a distinguished professor of history emeritus, a respected author of numerous books and essays, and a columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. In 2003, he was named the Alaska Historical Society's Historian of the Year and received the Alaska Governor's Humanities Award. Before his retirement, Prof. Haycox taught history for over 40 years at the University of Alaska, where he was named a distinguished professor and was awarded the Edith R. Bullock Prize for Excellence. Steve earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1970. His books include Frigid Embrace: Politics, Economics, and Environment in Alaska, Battleground Alaska: Fighting Federal Power in America's Last Wilderness, and the recently revised Alaska: An American Colony, which has been called “the finest history of Alaska yet produced.” He was born in the Upper Midwest and attended high school in a suburb of New York. He was a musician in the Navy and served in the Pacific.

Norm Eisen, co-founder of State Democracy Defenders Action - from his speech at the Anti-Autocracy Conference in July 2024

1. Democracy rests on the rule of law. Someone who denies the sanctity of the Constitution and serially violates our laws cannot be president.
2. Democracy cannot survive without truth, facts, science, and evidence.
3. Free and fair elections are the essence of democracy, where power resides in the people.
4. Civil discourse must resolve differences. Compromise is essential to governance.
5. A democratic government cannot operate without an independent, nonpartisan civil service; subject matter expertise is essential to good government.
6. An ethical government free from corruption and self-interest is vital to democracy.
7. The United States is indispensable for international stability, economic prosperity, and democracy. Our military takes an oath to the Constitution, not to a single leader.
8. Democracies require and ensure widespread prosperity. Technologies that deliver economic benefits for citizens require domestic calm, commitment to the rule of law, and opposition to cronyism.
9. A vibrant, independent press is essential to democracy.
10. Equality and civil rights are foundational to the American creed. Men and women are created equal.