Board of Directors

A 15-member Board of Directors, consisting of 11 directors and four officers, governs AASB for the benefit of all member districts. The Board, elected by membership at the Annual Conference, represents all regions of the state. The membership, as a whole, passes the resolutions, which establish the positions taken by the Association before the legislature and other agencies throughout the year.

The 2025-2026 AASB Board of Directors

Back row, left to right:

Paul Robbins, Jr., Ketchikan; Penny Vadla, Kenai; Clarence Daniel, Lower Kuskokwim; Tim Doran, Fairbanks; Amber Frommherz, Juneau.

Middle Row, left to right:

Dana Mock, Delta/Greely; Annie Weyiouanna, Bering Strait; Darlene Trigg, Nome; Julia Phelan, Delta/Greely; Melanie Kasayulie, Yupiit; Frieda Nageak, North Slope. 

Front row, left to right:

Kasaŋnaaluk, Marie Greene, Northwest Arctic; Margo Bellamy, Anchorage.

Not pictured: Melissa Burnett, Fairbanks; Michael Swain, Bristol Bay

Upcoming Meetings

2025

March 29 Spring Board of Directors Meeting – Virtual

Previous Meetings

Previous AASB and partner meetings listed by date, with links to meeting minutes.

2025

Board Goals

Board Goals (2022-2025)

Goal 1: Empower our boards to prioritize equity and transform educational systems to increase the academic achievement and graduation rates of students who are grounded in their cultural identity so they have the ability to successfully pursue their goals.

Goal 2: Support local school boards and districts in engaging families, youth, and their communities in shaping and enriching the education of all Alaska’s children.

Goal 3: Offer a variety of board development opportunities to prepare board members for effective governance.f all Alaska’s children.

Goal 4: AASB will create and sustain partnerships that support and enable Alaskan students to successfully progress from birth to career.

AASB Pathways (Long Range Plan 2022 – 2025)

Board Committees
Policy

Marie Greene – Chair

Michael Swain

Robyn Burke

(open)

(open)

Lon Garrison – AASB Support

JNMS Scholarship

Pete Hoepfner – Chair

Michael Swain

Tim Doran

Penny Vadla

Chrya Sanderson

Wally Gust

Jenni Lefing – AASB Support

Ad Hoc Advocacy

Pete Hoepfner – Chair

Margo Bellamy

Tim Doran

Robyn Burke

(open)

Norm Wooten – AASB Support

Lon Garrison – AASB Support

Constitution & Bylaws

Robyn Burke – Chair

1st Judicial District (TBD)

2nd Judicial District (TBD)

3rd Judicial District (TBD)

4th Judicial District (TBD)

Lon Garrison – AASB Support

Membership

Clarence Daniel – Chair

Dana Mock

Robyn Burke

Annie Weyiouanna

Chrya Sanderson

Tiffany Jackson – AASB Support

Sustainability

Tim Doran – Chair

Margo Bellamy

Annie Weyiouanna

Robyn Burke

(open)

Lori Grassgreen – AASB Support

Alaska School Activities Association

Dana Mock

Suggested Reading and Resources for New School Board Members

Here is a list, developed by AASB’s Board of Directors, for new board members to better familiarize themselves with Alaska Native cultures and education in Alaska.

Becoming a Better Board Member
By National School Boards Association

Alaska School Board Handbook

Yuuyaraq: The Way of the Human Being
By Harold Napoleon

Journey to Wholeness
By Stan DeKoven

Raising Ourselves and Two Old Women
By Velma Wallace

Habits of Mind
By Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick

Blonde Indian
By Ernestine Hayes

Two in the Far North
By Margaret E. Murie

50 Miles from Tomorrow
By William L. Iggiagruk Hensley

Another Culture/Another World
By Father Michael Oleksa

Blessings Bead and My Name is Not Easy
By Debby Dahl Edwardson

The Alaska Pen (An Illustrated History of Unga)
By Thor Lauritzen, Peggy Arness, and Edward Melseth

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By Carol Dweck

Board Basics: A Primer For Non-Profit Board Members
By Jerry Covey

Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 (Teaching Kids to Succeed)
By Debbie Silver

Mary’s Wild Winter Feast
By Hannah Lindoff

Attu Boy
By Nick Golodoff

Conflicting Visions in Alaska Education
By Richard Dauenhauer

Chagudax
A Small Window into the Life of An Aleut Bentwood Hat Carver
By Andrew Gronholdt

Reign of Error
By Diane Ravitch

People of the Noatak
By Claire Fejes

Nick Jans books

History of the Iñupiat: Nipaa I!itqusipta/The Voice of Our Spirit
Directed by Rachel Naninaaq Edwardson

Bully (documentary) (watch on veoh)
Directed by Lee Hirsch