Anchorage, Alaska – October 31, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Sean Parnell today announced appointments to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation Board of Directors, Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers, Alaska Community and Public Transportation Advisory Board, Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission, and the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission.
Alaska Aerospace Corporation Board of Directors
Governor Parnell appointed Bruce Abel and reappointed Ronald Sega to the Alaska Aerospace Corporation Board of Directors. The corporation allows Alaska to play a leading role in the exploration and development of space, in enhancing human and economic development, and in providing direction for space-related education and research.
Abel, of Juneau, has been the owner and operator of Don Abel Building Supply since 2006. He is the chairman of the Western Building Material Dealers Association Investment Committee, a member of World Presidents’ Organization, and the past president of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce. Abel received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a master’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga University. He is appointed to a public seat.
Sega, of Fort Collins, is the Woodward Professor and Director of the Systems Engineering Programs, and special assistant to the Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives at Colorado State University. He was formerly Under Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, serving as the U.S. Department of Defense’s executive agent for space. Sega also served as the director of defense research and engineering; and initiated the National Defense Education Program. He served in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserves, retiring as a major general. Previously, Sega was also a NASA astronaut who flew two missions on the space shuttle. He is reappointed to a seat representing the aerospace industry.
Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers
Governor Parnell appointed Renee Piszczek to the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers. The board establishes the examination specifications for certification as a general and residential real estate appraiser and adopts rules of professional conduct and regulations for the industry.
Piszczek, of Fairbanks, has worked at Mt. McKinley Bank since 1985. She is currently the senior vice president of mortgage lending. Piszczek has been underwriting mortgage lending appraisals for twenty years and currently trains new underwriters for the bank. She is a former member of the Fairbanks Neighborhood Housing Loan Committee and training assistant for AHFC Home Choice Seminars. Piszczek is appointed to a seat reserved for a mortgage banking executive.
Alaska Community and Public Transportation Advisory Board
Governor Parnell appointed Julianne Baltar and reappointed Glenn Miller and Heidi Frost to the Alaska Community and Public Transportation Advisory Board. The board, in cooperation with the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, prepares and submits a strategic plan that includes the mission, objectives, initiatives, and performance goals for coordinated community and public transportation in the state.
Baltar, of Dillingham, is the director for Bristol Bay Native Association’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Development. She previously was the chief executive officer for All Nations Tribal Transportation Consortium. Baltar is president of the Alaska Tribal Transportation Workgroup, and member of the Transportation Research Board, Alaska Tribal State Federal Transportation Task Force, and National Congress of American Indians Transportation Task Force. She received a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Bemidji State University. Baltar is appointed to a tribal seat.
Miller, of Fairbanks, is the transportation director for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and served previously as the borough’s transportation administrative manager. He has 25 years of experience in the public transportation field, and has certification as a community transit manager through the Community Transportation Association of America. Miller is reappointed to a seat reserved for a representative of a municipality.
Frost, of Anchorage, is the executive director for the Alaska Statewide Independent Living Council. She has worked as a student services coordinator and a coordinator for the Alaska Alliance for Direct Service Careers, as a well as a coordinator for the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, and in several other social services roles. An Air Force veteran, Frost received her bachelor’s degree in management studies from the University of Maryland and an associate degree in medical logistics from the Community College of the Air Force. She is reappointed to a seat reserved for an individual with expertise in the transportation needs of Alaskans with disabilities.
Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission
Governor Parnell appointed Howard Marsh, Jr. and Lisa Hart; and reappointed David Gardner to the Alaska Public Broadcasting Commission. The nine-member commission encourages and supervises development of an integrated state public broadcasting system, primarily by recommending state grants to fund operations and capital needs for locally controlled public radio stations in Alaska.
Marsh, of Anchorage, is the principal consultant with Northern Exposure Consulting. He previously worked as a chief information officer for Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility and ATU Telecommunications. Prior to that, Marsh worked at IBM Global Services and was a manager at Fairchild Space and Defense Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for Infraguard Alaska. Marsh received a master’s degree in business administration from Mount Saint Mary’s College and a doctorate from Kennedy-Western University. He is appointed to a public seat.
Hart, of Palmer, is a research analyst for the Alaska Department of Transportation. She received a bachelor’s degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree in public administration from Bowie State University, and a juris doctorate from William Howard Taft University. Hart is appointed to a public seat.
Gardner, of North Pole, has recently retired from Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) where he was the vice president of marketing and member services. He previously worked for GVEA as vice president of employee services from 2002-08, and safety and training director from 1994-2002. Prior to that, Gardner worked for 16 years as a training and safety director for an electrical utility in Washington State. He serves on the Fairbanks North Star Borough’s Rural Services Commission, the University of Alaska Community Technical College Advisory Council and the local Breast Cancer Detection Center board of directors. Gardner has also served on the board of directors for the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium. He received a bachelor’s degree in technical education from the Oregon Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of LaVerne in California. Gardner is reappointed to a public seat.
Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission
Governor Parnell reappointed Laura Kelly, Bud Cassidy, and Gary Carver to the Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission. The commission recommends seismic hazard mitigation research, mapping, and plans to the Governor and the Legislature. The commission also works closely with federal and local government agencies and entities to limit damage and speed recovery from future seismic events.
Kelly, of Kodiak, has worked as a civil design engineer for the U.S. Coast Guard Facilities Engineering Division since 2000. In 2009, she was U.S. Coast Guard Engineer of the Year, an honor given to only one member of the Coast Guard annually. Prior to her work with the Coast Guard, Kelly was a staff civil engineer with Aqua Terra Consultants for four years. She has been an assistant researcher at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Kelly received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Utah and a second bachelor’s degree in American studies from Smith College. She is reappointed to a seat reserved for a federal agency representative.
Cassidy, of Kodiak, is currently the borough manager for Kodiak Island Borough. Previously, he served as his hometown’s logistics and planning chief at Kodiak Incident Command and worked as the operations manager for North Pacific Fuel. An active member of the community, Cassidy is past president of the Kodiak Lions Club, has been a member of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Federal Areas in Alaska, directed the Kodiak girls’ basketball league, served as secretary of the Kodiak Scholarship Foundation, and was the president of an organization focused on recycling. He received a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Montana and a master’s degree in regional planning from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Cassidy is reappointed to a seat reserved for a representative of local government.
Carver, of Kodiak, has worked as a research consultant at Carver Geological Inc., a business he started after a long career in academia, since 1998. After completing a Ph.D. in geology at the University of Washington, Carver went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of New York at Binghamton, where he subsequently served as an assistant professor of geology from 1972-1973. From 1973 until his retirement in 1998, he worked as a professor of geology at Humboldt State University. Carver has published extensively on geology and worked on numerous consulting projects throughout Alaska. He is reappointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.
