AASB’s 71st Annual Conference 2024
November 7-10, 2024 • Hilton Anchorage
Conference resources and slides are available on the conference app and on AASB Connect.
For assistance, please call our office at (907) 463-1660 or email aasb@aasb.org.
We invite you to be a part of the Association of Alaska School Board’s 71st Annual Conference, November 7-10, 2024, at the Hilton Anchorage!
This year’s conference theme is Investing in Students, Strengthening Public Schools, and will feature two general sessions, 15 breakout sessions, Roundtable Discussions, Snapshot Sessions, networking opportunities, the June Nelson Scholarship Fundraiser, Delegate Assembly, an Exhibitor Hall, and more!
And, don’t forget about AASB’s Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) – an integral part of Annual Conference! YLI brings high school students together to hone their leadership skills and use their voices to be change makers in their schools and communities.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Youth Leadership Institute
Thursday, November 7 – Sunday, November 10, 2024
Hosted at the Hilton Anchorage in Anchorage, students will spend 4 days with peers and guest speakers from across Alaska. This year’s theme, “Investing in Students, Strengthening Public Schools,” will empower youth to use their voices to be change-makers in their schools and communities. Engaging breakout sessions with speakers and school board members enables conversations at a level unique to Youth Leadership Institute.
Alaska Pacific University Tour – Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Explore your Future! Come join us for a campus tour of Alaska Pacific University on the Saturday evening of YLI from 5:30-7:30 pm. Meet campus representatives who will talk about student life, programs, and activities. Have dinner at the University dining hall before returning to the Hilton for our exciting Saturday night activities! (Chaperone required for student attendance.)
Important Information:
- Students and Chaperones: Please download and sign this photo release form to have ready to submit during the registration process. The signed form can also be emailed to cplesa@aasb.org.
- Each district is required to register a chaperone for their participants. This may be a participant at the coinciding AASB Annual Conference (i.e., board member, superintendent).
- One-site school districts may register up to 2 students and 1 chaperone.
- Multi-site school districts may register up to 6 students (no more than 2 from one school) and 1 chaperone.
Pre-Conference Session Add-On’s: Thursday, November 7, 2024
Experienced Board Member Academy:
Elevating Family, Community, and Youth Voice!
School board members will learn ways to effectively engage youth, families, and community members in their decision-making processes. Participants will walk away with some guiding principles for engaging these stakeholder groups, as well as some specific strategies such as Youth on Boards, Community Dialogues, Family Post-secondary conversations, and family listening sessions.
Ready, Set, Govern!
Part 1: Thursday, November 7
Part 2: Friday, November 8 (morning breakout session)
Ready, Set, Govern! is designed for new school board members or those wanting to brush up on their boardsmanship skills. Members will dig into what it means to be a school board member while connecting and learning alongside school board members from around the state.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
FRIDAY KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Aleesha Towns-Bain
Executive Director, Bristol Bay Foundation
Biography
Aleesha Towns-Bain serves as the Executive Director of the Bristol Bay Foundation, which provides support for Bristol Bay Native Corporation shareholders and descendants to pursue educational opportunities and to promote and preserve cultural heritage of the Bristol Bay region of Alaska. Born in Seattle, she is of Suqpiaq descent and traces her family roots to Pilot Point, Alaska.
Prior to her current role, Aleesha served as vice president and chief operating officer at Rasmuson Foundation, where she oversaw external affairs, communications, and events. Before working in philanthropy, Aleesha was a newspaper journalist and editor in Crested Butte, Colorado.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in journalism and Native American studies from The Evergreen State College and a Master of Arts in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Leadership & Change from Antioch University.
SATURDAY KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Tami Pyfer
Chief of Staff & VP External, UNITE
Biography
Tami Pyfer is the Chief of Staff and VP External for UNITE – a national organization seeking to ease division across political and cultural differences. Tami is also the co-creator of the Dignity Index, an eight-point scale for measuring the dignity or contempt in the language we use with each other when we disagree.
Before her work with UNITE Tami served for 7 years as the Education Policy Advisor to former Utah Governor Gary Herbert, where she was involved in state level policy development, coalition building, and stakeholder engagement. She held local and state elected offices for 12 years: 8 years on the Logan City Council and 4 years on the Utah State Board of Education. Tami’s professional training is in Special Education and before her appointment to serve on the Governor’s executive team she taught at Utah State University, preparing teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Tami and her husband Aaron are the parents of 5 children, grandparents of 15. They live in South Jordan, Utah.
Youth Leadership Institute Speaker
Nick Hanson
The Eskimo Ninja
Biography
The Eskimo Ninja has made it his goal in life to reach as many youth as possible with the message, “Know Who You Are.” As a World Eskimo Indian Olympics athlete, competing domestically and internationally, and an 8x competitor on the TV Show American Ninja Warrior, Nick Hanson, aka The Eskimo Ninja, has become a household name.