CBPP launches third cohort of Leadership Fellows

by Kathleen McCoy  |   

2015 CBPP Leadreship Fellows meet and greet

CBPP undergraduate and graduate proteges met their community mentors at an informal meet-and-greet session at The Den on the UAA campus Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. Fellows will spend the academic year meeting and sharing wisdom and experience. (Photos by Philip Hall/UAA)

Friday evening Sept. 11 in The Den, UAA's College of Business and Public Policy launched its newest cohort of Leadership Fellows.

The program pairs community professionals  with  graduates and undergraduates in a yearlong  opportunity for growth. The challenge between mentor and protegé is to forge a strong communication channel for sharing wisdom, ideas and energy.

Modeled after successful programs from the University of Houston and the University of Memphis and spearheaded by Assistant Professor Terry Nelson (with help finding just the right mentors from faculty and staff across campus),  this leadership program has been designed as a bridge for high-caliber students to go from college to community leadership roles. The selection process mirrors one Nelson participated in in Memphis, where 120 students participate.

One might easily assume benefits go from mentor to protégé, and that is certainly true. But keynote speakers at Friday's event highlighted the gifts mentors experience.

2015 CBPP Leadership Fellows meet and greet

2015 CBPP Leadership Fellows meet and greet at The Den on Sept. 11, 2015.

Former protegé and UAA alumna Bridgette Coleman shared the mic with her former mentor,  Patty Hickok, senior director of employee relations with NANA Development Corporation.

Patty was funny and frank, saying that when she got the call to be a mentor, she wondered to herself if she was really ready to mentor someone. It wasn't until she and Bridgette sat down together, Patty said, that she knew how to help, what stories to share, how to best assist Bridgette in preparing for her coming role in the business world.

2015 CBPP Leadership Fellows meet and greet Sept. 11, 2015.

2015 CBPP Leadership Fellows meet and greet Sept. 11, 2015.

For her part, Bridgette graduated in December and started her job search during the holidays. When she grew frustrated with the lack of callbacks, it was Patty who put the timing and slow response into perspective for her. That steady voice reassured Bridgette, who eventually found her spot, as the business and development director for the Anchorage Economic Development Center.

Such are the empowering engagements coming for 10 graduate students and 12 undergraduates and their mentors for the 2015-16 program. And with no further ado, here is this year's class:

Graduate students

  • Anna Brown, paired with Bruce Bustamante, president, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
  • Carla Burkhead, paired with Josie Wilson, Alaska communications manager, CH2M Hill
  • Iuliia Chepurko, paired with Laura Young, Alaska operations business manager, AECOM Alaska
  • Steve Czajkowski, paired with Sammye Pokryfki, vice president of the Ramuson Foundation
  • Nantia Krisintu, paired with Bruce Lamoureux, president, Providence Health Systems Alaska
  • Kaitlin Morris, paired with Susan Bell, principal, McDowell Group
  • Misty Pfeifer, paired with Patty Billingsley, director of EE relations, Carlile Transportation
  • Cameron Poindexter, paired with Katherine Jernstrom, co-founder, The Boardroom
  • Jared Shary, paired with Frank Martin of Alaska Airlines
  • Robert Stott, paired with Benjamin Craig, chief technology officer, Northrim Bank

Undergraduate students

  • Sierra Begich-Slade, paired with Sara Fisher-Goad, executive director, Alaska Energy Authority
  • Richard (Max) Bullock, paired with Dale Shaw, managing director, FedEx Alaska operations
  • Jaemin Cho, paired with Jed Ballard, senior manager at KPMG
  • Keri-Lyn Fitzgerald, paired with Ethan Tyler, development manager, Alaska Division of Economic Development
  • Arie Henry, paired with Chris Orheim, general manager, Global Spectrum/Alaska Airlines Center
  • Amy Noe, paired with Janet Younger, owner, Younger & Company, LLC
  • Matthieu Ostrander, paired with Lise Falskow, president and CEO, Alaska World Affairs Council
  • Kaitlyn Surdyk, paired with Ron Kamahele, human resources director, University of Alaska Anchorage
  • Mitchell Tacata, paired with Ryan Zins, controller, Anchorage Sand and Gravel
  • Daniel Valette, paired with Ed Hendrickson, senior vice president and CFO, Alyeska Pipeline Company
  • Adam Ward, paired with Linda Leary, transportation and telecom executive and entrepreneur
  • Alexa Wolf, paired with Leah Boltz, director of marketing and business development, Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, Inc.
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