Celeste Hodge Growden — 2023-24 Alumni Humanitarian
A.A. General Program '92, B.S.W. Social Work '96
President and CEO of Alaska Black Caucus

By focusing on the four core areas of justice, education, economics and health, Celeste Hodge Growden works toward enacting racial equity through institutional reform. Since joining the Alaska Black Caucus in 2019, Growden has convinced the Anchorage Police Department to implement mandatory body cameras for officers, get the Anchorage School District to adopt Anti-Racism and Instructional Equity Policies, launch annual Blackout Days to spotlight local Black-owned businesses, and produce Alaska’s first Black health needs assessment. Before her tenure at Alaska Black Caucus, Growden worked as a family service counselor for the Anchorage Health Department before retiring as deputy director for the mayor’s office of equal opportunity. Growden also served as past president of the NAACP Alaska chapter for nearly a decade. Read more about Celeste Hodge Growden >>

Maggie Winston — 2022 Alumni Humanitarian
A.A. General Program '13, B.A. Psychology '15
Program director at Independent Living Center

When Maggie Winston was 21, she was diagnosed with idiopathic transverse myelitis, leaving her without the use of her arms and legs. Since then, Winston has become a fierce advocate for expanding services for people with disabilities through her work on various boards, councils, nonprofits, and her current position as director for independent living programs at the Independent Living Center in Kenai. Read more about Maggie Winston >>

Amanda Metivier — 2021 Alumni Humanitarian
B.S.W. '08, M.S.W. '12
Director, Chile Welfare Academy
Co-Founder, Facing Foster Care in Alaska

Amanda Metivier has dedicated her career and personal life to child welfare reform, culminating in her appointment as director of the Child Welfare Academy. A former foster youth herself, she, along with a group of her peers, co-founded the nonprofit Facing Foster Care in Alaska in 2003. Through her advocacy with Facing Foster Care, Metivier has led efforts to expand services and support for foster youth across Alaska while paving the way for them to share lived-expertise to raise awareness and make change. In 2018, Facing Foster Care and the Child Welfare Academy partnered to launch the Office of Youth Empowerment, serving more than 300 current and former foster youth annually across the state to streamline access to higher education and training, develop critical life skills and engage in systems reform. Read Amanda Metivier's story...

Ghazal Ringler — 2020 Alumni Humanitarian
B.S. Biological Sciences '01
Chief Dental Officer, Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center

For more than 14 years, Dr. Ghazal Ringler has dedicated her career to providing dental care to children and adults who are uninsured or low-income. In addition to her position as chief dental officer at the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center, Dr. Ringler donates her time and expertise by serving on the Anchorage Project Access board of directors, where she was critical in establishing the donated dental program and pro bono oral health program. Read Ghazal Ringler's story...

Angelia Trujillo — 2019 Alumni Humanitarian
B.S. Nursing Science '97, M.S. Nursing Science ’04 
Director of strategic communications, HDR Inc.

As a leader in the field of forensic nursing in Alaska, Trujillo works tirelessly in a joint effort between health care and law enforcement that’s as much about advocating and supporting patients as it is about solving crimes. Back at UAA as a community health nurse professor, she runs the Alaska Comprehensive Forensic Training Academy, a program dedicated to enacting community-level change broadening the scope of victimization via education and hard data. Read Angelia's story...

Josie Wilson — 2018 Alumni Humanitarian
M.B.A. Business Administration ’09 
Director of strategic communications, HDR Inc.

Originally from southern California, Wilson relocated to Anchorage for a year-long work assignment managing UAA’s food and beverage program. She stayed when she fell in love with the university and the community and has been giving back ever since. Her philanthropic efforts are as wide-ranging as her interests, which include playing violin for patients at Alaska Regional Hospital, founding leadership programs for the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, and raising $11 million to expand Alaska’s only family homeless shelter, just to name a few. Read Josie's story...

Cessilye Williams - 2017 Alumni Humanitarian
M.Ed. Educational Leadership ’02
Principal of Clark Middle School, Anchorage School District

As principal of the most diverse middle school in the nation, Williams encourages and inspires nearly 1,000 students each year. Alaska’s principal of the year for 2015-2016, Williams has built unique, purposeful learning pathways—including several UAA-partnered academies—for her Mountain View students. Read Cessilye's story…

Sammye Pokryfki, 2016 Alumni Humanitarian
B.S.W. ’98, M.S.W. ’99, B.A. English ’06
Senior Vice President, Rasmuson Foundation

Pokryfki leads Rasmuson Foundation’s grant making initiatives, which invested $28 million in 53 communities just last year. She exemplifies the Foundation’s mission—”To promote a better life for Alaskans”—in her personal volunteering and outreach as well. Read Sammye's story…