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Julie Green-Graham is a retired teacher who served in the Anchorage School District for 34 years. Married to a lifelong Alaskan, she is the mother of four daughters and Mema to four grandchildren. She is a member of Central Lutheran Church and part of their Local Organizing Ministry team. In 2022, she served on the Anchorage Municipal Emergency Cold Weather Task Force. Her role was to listen to people with lived experiences, hear their stories, learn about their struggles and dreams, and share their insights with the task force. That experience opened her eyes to the needs of our unhoused neighbors. She was honored with the 2023 Anchored Home Community Volunteer Award from the Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness. In 2024, Julie founded the nonprofit In Our Backyard to address the need for interim supportive housing for our unhoused senior neighbors.

Thea Agnew Bemben is a Special Assistant to Mayor LaFrance, working to address the interrelated issues of health, homelessness, and public safety. Thea is a lifelong Alaskan who joined the Mayor's Office from her role as Principal and co-owner of Agnew::Beck Consulting, a local firm she co-founded in 2002. Thea brings expertise in health, housing, and human services planning, along with strong experience working with Alaska Native communities, Tribal organizations, and many diverse communities in Anchorage and across Alaska. She has worked on significant projects, including the implementation of Crisis Now, Medicaid Redesign with the State of Alaska, development of the Anchored Home plan, and plans to address youth homelessness in Anchorage, as well as housing initiatives, including Pay for Success. Additionally, she convened the Municipality's Complex Behavioral Health Task Force.

Susanne Fleek-Green is the Chief of Staff for Anchorage Mayor Susanne LaFrance. She has twenty-five years of experience in management, policy, and politics, focusing on public and private land conservation, environmental protection, Native American rights, and community building. She served as Superintendent of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve until recently. Before joining the Park Service, she served as Mayor Ethan Berkowitz’s Chief of Staff and as State Director for U.S. Senator Mark Begich. She also worked for Anchorage’s Office of Economic and Community Development, for the United States Senate in Washington, DC, and as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of the Interior. Born and raised in Alaska, Susanne has lived in Yakutat, King Salmon, and Anchorage. She is a Sealaska shareholder and a member of the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Susanne has a B.A. and a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley.

In our backyard_Alaska Website - https://inourbackyard-ak.org
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InOurBackyardAK

Julie's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/2ngjy50q8pz5ppolxgeof/JulieUnitarianPresentation-pdf.pdf?rlkey=on0e0gg0qmny7v25krz16cacg&dl=0

Thea's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p4y5kp9ojvnu0wkbl7bie/TheaCommunitySafetyPriorities2026.pdf?rlkey=l5e8g8b9lrfvtp5o1o1bv8uuu&dl=0

Sussanna's slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/d9avf4socj5rucvbdsiii/SusannaSalesTax

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Monica Lee is a Director of Operations for Southcentral Foundation. In her role, she supports SCF’s Specialty Care Services division, assisting with the smooth operation of services for customer-owners. She is responsible for the daily operations and growth of 20 different departments at SCF, providing both local and statewide health care for Alaska Native families. Prior to her current role, Monica worked as a Senior Improvement Advisor for SCF’s Medical Services Division, a Business Advisor for SCF’s Learning Institute, and in SCF’s Human Resources department. Monica holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, as well as a Graduate Certification in Alaska Native Executive Leadership and a SHRM-CP Certification from the Society of Human Resource Management. Monica is an SCF customer-owner with a background of Inupiaq and Korean descent.

Dawson Hoover is an Administrator for Southcentral Foundation, working directly with the Complementary Medicine, Laboratory, Radiology, Traditional Healing, and Pharmacy departments. Dawson was born in Bethel, grew up in Kasigluk, and is of Yup’ik descent. He graduated from high school at Akula Elitnaurvik and earned a BA in Rural Development from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He completed the Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program (2022-2023 cohort) at the Alaska Pacific University. Dawson comes from a family of educators—both parents are retired K-12 educators. His better half, Seralee, grew up in Kwigillingok and is a Yup’ik teacher at the Alaska Native Culture Charter School here in Anchorage. They have four children, all of whom were born here on the Alaska Native Health Campus – Dejahn, Drake, Ravenna, and Serai. His family enjoys fishing and camping with friends throughout Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xavub0ndg4eozlmy9k1nc/Typhoon_Halong_2025_Presentation.pdf?rlkey=5838w3zqcu6isbia18f77sraw&dl=0

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Shirley Mae Springer Staten has called Anchorage, Alaska, home for over 45 years, dedicating her life to building bridges across race, class, culture, and generations. As an artist, educator, speaker, and cultural connector, she is known for her exuberance, compassion, and commitment to community and global understanding through the arts. In 2015, she founded Keys to Life, a nonprofit focused on cross-cultural connection through storytelling, artistic expression, and community gatherings. As executive director, she has led initiatives such as the Anchorage Cross-Cultural Summit, Camp Kaleidoscope for youth, Winter Voices, and the What Is the Meaning of Homea project designed for unhoused community members. Her work also includes projects with incarcerated parents and underserved youth, including the Hidden Roots documentary and the Eyes Closed exhibit. Shirley Mae has coordinated statewide cultural and educational efforts, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Alaska Native Heritage Center conferences, and the Alaska Humanities Forums educator immersion programs. She has also contributed to museum and Smithsonian exhibits, led international youth travel programs, and created arts-based educational performances.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wfcgkjq90mtzwvleek876/ShirleyMaeSpringerStatenSlides.pdf?rlkey=nq4letmwp5pmw5v3q6ru3940m&dl=0