Monica Garcia

Director of Education and Public Programs at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center

Monica is currently the Director of Education and Public Programs at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center in Anchorage, Alaska.  Monica more recently held the title of Manager of Museum Learning Experience in the Education Department at the American Museum of Natural History in the Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning.  Prior to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, Monica was the Manager of Teacher Professional Development & School Partnerships in the Education Department at The Field Museum, Chicago.  Before accepting the position at The Field Museum, Monica served as the Executive Director of Wonder Works, a Children’s Museum in Oak Park, Illinois.

Monica has 15 years of experience in instruction and 11 years in Museum Education and Administration.  Monica holds a BA from The Milwaukee School of Business (1988), a BFA (1994), and a M.Ed. in School Leadership and Policy Studies (2002) from The University of Illinois at Chicago. Monica successfully completed the 84-clock hour Chicago Public School Principalship Program (2003) through Small Schools Workshop at The University of Illinois at Chicago.  In addition, Monica completed the Informal Environmental Education Certificate at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois focused on Illinois biodiversity.  Monica was an Adjunct Professor in the Education Graduate College at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois for three years teaching Methods of Teaching Elementary & Middle School Social Studies.

Monica has presented internationally, nationally, and locally continuing to present and attend professional conferences sharing her knowledge and skills helping shape a more integrated and multi-culturally 21^st. century education philosophy through informal teaching and learning experiences for diverse audiences around the world.

In addition to strong leadership and administrative skills, Monica is a professional artist who works in a variety of mediums capturing her surroundings in unique installations. She continues to learn and grow as a director, teacher, student, naturalist and artist.  Monica maintains the highest level of integrity in every aspect of her life.  She is passionate about the work and acts as a change-agent promoting civic engagement and lifelong learning.

Mike Layne

Owner and Consultant, Grants Anatomy

Mike Layne has a BA in Classical Liberal Arts from St. John’s College Santa Fe, an MA in Public Administration from the University of Alaska Southeast, has a Grants Management Certificate from Management Concepts, and has produced over $7 Million in funded proposals over the past nine years. As a dynamic and effective grant writer, he currently owns and consults for Grants Anatomy, and serves as a contract Grants Administrator for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. Grants Anatomy provides grant writing services for a variety of clients ranging from Native American and Alaska Native organizations, municipal and local governments, for-profits, and non-profits. Mike lived and worked in rural Alaska from 2000 – 2006 as a Social Worker, Youth Counselor, and Grant Writer / Grants Administrator employed by the State of Alaska, North Slope Borough, and Eastern Aleutian Tribes. Mike was elected to serve on the Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance for the Northern Region from 2004 – 5, and has served on a variety of boards and school councils. He is a U.S. Navy Veteran, serving on active duty between 1987-1990. He currently resides in Redlands, California with his wife, and is a proud father of three.

 

Miranda Petruska

Community Health Aid at Southcentral Foundation

Miranda Petruska lives in Nikolai, Alaska and helps sustain her community through her work as a Community Health Aide (CHA) for Southcentral Foundation, in addition to sitting on a variety of Boards and engaging in diverse volunteer activities. As a member of the Nikolai Edzeno’ Tribal Council, Miranda has served her community through activities ranging from successfully starting an Early Head Start Program to organizing various activities for youth. As Chair of the Nikolai School Board Miranda has developed Athabascan language curriculum in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Tanana Chiefs Conference Education Council, helping coordinate their annual Education Summit. Miranda’s passion for rural America’s sustainability started early, as she was selected to represent Alaska at the National Rural Youth Assembly at the Institute of American Indian Arts; Miranda was later selected from all 50 participants and asked to present at a National Rural Assembly Gathering. She also engaged in a variety of service activities as an Assistant Team Leader for AmeriCorps. In addition to bringing her passion and knowledge to bear on critical sustainability issues in rural Alaska, Miranda is a dedicated mother to Heidi, 3, and Rowan, 2.

 

Marie Acemah

Executive Director of Media Action

Marie  is an International Educational Developer with experience in program management in the US and in sub-Saharan Africa. Marie taught, developed curriculum, and led training workshops at Kabojja Secondary School in Uganda, at Olney Friends Boarding School in Ohio, and at a Lutheran World Federation Vocational School for orphans in Uganda. She has developed primary and secondary level curricula in partnership with the Ministries of Education in Tanzania and post-conflict Liberia. Her experience includes working as an international education consultant in Washington D.C., New York City, Liberia, and Uganda for organizations including Relief International and the International Rescue Committee. Marie earned a B.A. from St. John’s College and won their Award for Academic Excellence for Four Years (2005) and an M.A. in International Educational Development from Columbia University, Teachers College. She currently resides with her two-year old son in Kodiak, Alaska.

 

Bill Webb

President of Webb’s Consulting and Management Services, Inc.

Since 1998 Bill Webb has served as President of Webb’s Consulting and Management Services, Inc., a company with a wide consulting and management portfolio that includes the operation of the Anchorage Saturday Market and a variety of other markets throughout Alaska. The company also manages the Made in Alaska Program providing promotional services to ~1,200 permit holders. Bill Webb has previously served as General Manager for Alaska’s largest commercial printer, A.T. Publishing and Printing, President of the Trading Bay Energy Corporation, Vice President of CTI Alaska, Owner of Call Earl Service Center, General Manager of Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Owner and President of a company providing remote Alaskan site camp services called Arctic Hosts, and a variety of other managerial positions. Bill also served in the US Army from 1965 until his honorable discharge in 1967. In addition to being a dynamic and hard working entrepreneur, Bill is a devoted husband, and father to his son, Michael.

 

David Wright

Photographer and Educator

David Wright is a photographer and educator based in Camden, Maine. He has always learned about the world and himself through photography and teaching. David earned his BFA in photojournalism and minor in creative writing from the Rochester Institute of Technology, graduating cum laude in 2006.

As a teacher and photographer, David has photographed and instructed workshops sponsored by Fujifilm USA in northern Uganda at A River Blue, a school providing psychosocial counseling and vocational training to vulnerable youth. His series, Uganda: A River Blue, was selected for the Conscientious Portfolio Competition Prize, exhibited at Anastasia Photo Gallery in New York, selected for the Hearst 8×10 Photography Biennial, and collected by the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art. He has worked for numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Marie Claire.

Most recently, David worked on Vinalhaven, a island off the coast of Maine, as a sternman on a commercial lobster fishing vessel making photographs to later be exhibited as a solo exhibition as Asymmetrick Arts in Rockland, Maine. David’s editorial work is represented by Redux Pictures, his Uganda work is represented by AnastasiaPhoto, and his Sky Above / Sea Below work is represented by Asymmetrick Arts.