Alaska Wildlife Alliance Welcomes New Board Members in 2020
We were honored to receive so many applications for our Board of Directors applications in winter 2019, and are pleased to welcome four new Board members to our team in 2020. We will launch a “Meet your Board Member” series this spring, but in the mean time, catch a glimpse of your new Board!
AWA Board and staff at January 2020 meeting. Left to right: Mandy Migura, John Morton, Sarah Stokey, Ed Schmitt, Nicole Schmitt, Brittany Retherford. Not featured: Peter Ehrhardt and Kneeland Taylor
JOHN MORTON- 2020 VICE PRESIDENT
John recently retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after 32 years as a wildlife biologist in Alaska, California, Guam, Maryland and Wisconsin. He first came to Alaska in 1984 to work on the 1002 studies on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. As an itinerant field biologist, John flew whale surveys out of Utqiaġvik and Deadhorse, observed marine mammal and foreign fisheries harvests on Japanese fleets in the Bering and North Pacific, and surveyed geese on Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge before completing his M.S. research on American black ducks. After earning his Ph.D. studying sanderlings on Assategue Island, John spent the 1990s researching endangered fauna in the Mariana Islands. John returned to Alaska in 2002 as the supervisory biologist at Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, where he has focused on novel approaches to monitoring biodiversity and adapting to a rapidly warming climate. John and his wife, Leslie, live and play on the Kenai Peninsula.
SARAH STOKEY- 2020 PRESIDENT
Sarah Stokey came to Alaska in 2010 to pursue her love of dog sledding. Sarah is a 2 time finisher of the 1,000 mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race and has traveled all over the state of Alaska with her team of huskies. Sarah holds a B.A. in sociology from Northeastern University and currently serves as the secretary for the Iditarod Official Finishers Club. In the summer, Sarah shares her passion for Alaska with visitors from around the globe as the owner of Seward Helicopter Tours and Turning Heads Kennel. She spends her winters traveling around Alaska working with her dog team enjoying the vastness of Alaska’s wilderness. Sarah’s passion for Alaska’s incredible wild places brought her to the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.
BRITTANY RETHERFORD
Brittany came to Alaska in 2006 to write about natural resources as a reporter for the Juneau Empire. She moved to Fairbanks for 7 years - learning to love living in a cabin without running water- and earned a Masters in Northern and Arctic Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She has worked for a decade in various capacities with tribal, state, and federal governments, including 5 years for Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Subsistence researching traditional uses of fish and wildlife in the Arctic, Interior, and Y-K Delta. She’s curious about humans and their interaction with wilderness, and has pursued many jobs over the years to explore that interest — from wildland firefighting in the Stanislaus National Forest to fisheries technician on Prince of Wales Island. She’s now earning her Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver, training to be an addictions counselor, and working at Alaska Psychiatric Institute. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Alaska's wild places and digging into archives about old murder cases. Her home base is wherever her dog is, currently in Anchorage.
KNEELAND TAYLOR
Kneely is a mountaineer and backpacker, who loves Alaska’s mountains, wilderness, and wildlife. He is an attorney who moved to Anchorage in 1975 and has practiced law in Alaska for more than 40 years. He joined the Alaska Wildlife Alliance in the 1990's when he first became active in advocating for Alaska's wildlife, and has been a strong voice for wildlife ever since. His primary interest has been the need for regulations to prevent the most inhumane trapping practices.
Meet our full board here
