Callan is an Olympic Snowboarder and former member of the United States Snowboard Team from 2005-2014. She grew up in Aleknagik, Alaska and began snowboarding on the surrounding mountains of the Wood-Tikchik State Park. After retirement from competition, Callan was a snowboard coach from 2016-2021 for the Park City Snowboard Team and later the US Paralympic Team, assisting elite athletes that’ve … Read More

Tim Troll came to Alaska in 1978 to serve as a VISTA volunteer lawyer in Bethel.  Since then, he has been a city manager for two rural villages, CEO for an ANCSA village corporation; a practicing lawyer in Anchorage; a state Rural Business Advisor; and a conservation program director for The Nature Conservancy.  He is currently the Executive Director for the Bristol Bay Heritage Land Trust, a … Read More

Jackie started her career in 1984 at a small radio station in Chickasha, Okla., but decided to move "home" in 1985, working her way through radio and television until becoming the full-time weatherperson for Channel 2 News in December 1990. "It's a gratifying experience to work in a job you love, in a town you love, surrounded by people and scenery you love. Wow!" Jackie says. Although she's … Read More

Senator Kelly Merrick is a lifelong Alaskan serving her third term in the Legislature. She sits on the Senate Finance, Labor & Commerce, and State Affairs Committees, along with the Joint Armed Services Committee. Her interests lie in natural resource development, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and government transparency. Some of Kelly’s goals in the capitol have been to heal … Read More

Jovell Rennie is an Anchorage-based photographer. Rennie’s early photographic work focused on sharing his experiences of Alaska with a global audience through social media, web, and print-based outlets. He has continued to use photography as a means of expression and connection within his community. In 2018, Rennie co-founded Akela Space, a gallery showcasing contemporary Alaska art and developing … Read More

Zack Fields and his wife Khalial live in South Addition with their daughters, Zara and Simone. Zack attended the University of Virginia where he studied economics and history. Zack and his family enjoy skiing, hiking, reading, and gardening. Prior to working in the legislature, Zack was the Workforce Development Coordinator for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, an outdoors … Read More

Anita Laulainen is an artist and designer based in the Mat-Su Valley. She is the winner of the inaugural 2017 Artistic License Plate Competition, with her illustration featuring the northern lights dancing above an Alaskan landscape. With nearly ten years of experience as a professional artist, she currently works as an art director at an Anchorage-based ad agency as well as the artist behind … Read More