Going-Away Party

Ramona McAfee has accepted a great offer from Columbia College, Missouri and will be leaving Statewide next week. A special going-away party for her will be held at the BOR (Butro 109) from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Sep. 26th. If you would like, bring finger food to share.

Letter of Farewell

Opportunities of a lifetime do not come around often.� When one comes around twice, it is a sure sign to sit up and take notice.

I have accepted an offer from Columbia College, in Missouri, as the Assistant Dean for Military and Federal Programs.� Columbia College offers an exciting opportunity to pursue my passion for serving military students.

The opportunity is both sad and exciting.� I have lived in Fairbanks since 1968.� My employment with the University began in 1975 and, for the last 21 years I have been involved with serving military students and the military communities around the state.� There is good work being done by the many staff members who serve the military on the installations; accomplishments for which the University can be proud. �

I am forever grateful for the time I’ve spent at the University of Alaska, both as a student and as an employee.� Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you on the SAA and the SW Staff Campaign (long live the Cookie Brigade!).�� It truly has been an experience of a lifetime.� The University is a very giving and supportive community for its employees.� May each of you learn and gain as much from your experience here as I have.

God bless!

Ramona
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Pat Pitney, vice president for planning and budget development, will be leaving Oct. 10 after 18 years of service within budget and institutional research at Statewide. She will be heading to UAF to assume the duties of vice chancellor for administrative services under Interim Chancellor Brian Rogers, filling a vacancy left by the retirement of UAF’s current vice chancellor, Ro Bailey.

“Her expertise and knowledge will be greatly missed by me and many others here at Statewide. However, her strategic thinking and management skills are exactly what Interim Chancellor Rogers is looking for,” President Hamilton wrote in a memo released to Statewide Sep. 5.

There will be a�farewell�party for Pat Pitney from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.�Thursday, Oct. 9. Additional details will be released closer to the event.
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Workforce Development Coordinator

Started July 1, 2008

Kathy Craft was recently appointed to a joint�position between the�Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, UA�Health Programs and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority as�workforce development coordinator.

Craft received her Master of Arts from UAF in community psychology and is a licensed professional counselor. She founded and was the executive director of Family Centered Services of Alaska and has worked for the�Alaska Department of Health and Social Services in various capacities, including�the children's mental health coordinator, executive director of the Alaska Mental Health Board and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, the Statewide Suicide Prevention Council coordinator and staff to the Medical Care Advisory Committee.

Craft has lived in Fairbanks since the spring of 1981. She and her�husband of 28 years, Mike,�have four children: Josh, Zach, Michaela and Matt. Mike is actively involved in renewable energy alternatives and has designed and is operating wind farms in Delta Junction and Healy. He has also developed land in Fairbanks.� All of their children attended Woodriver Elementary, Ryan Middle School and West Valley High School. Two of their children graduated from UAF, one in mechanical engineering and the other in psychology.
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Administrative Assistant
UA Land Management

Started August 20, 2008

Jean Crews provides administrative support for the�Office of Land Management in Anchorage.

Crews worked for the UAF/Alaska Satellite Facility in Fairbanks for eight years prior to moving to Wyoming.� After three years in Wyoming, Crews and her family returned home to Alaska and now live in the valley.�

She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and joined the Navy in 1981. After leaving the Navy she settled in Denver and soon after met her husband Chris, who was in the U.S. Marine Corp.� They have lived in many places during their 18 years of marriage including Yuma, Ariz.;� Adak, Alaska; Kailua, Hawaii; and Fairbanks.�They have three children: Riley, a sophomore in high school; Alex, who is in sixth grade and Logan, who is in first�grade.

Crews enjoys spending time with her family taking drives, fishing and hiking.�She also enjoys baking, sewing, gardening and riding her horse.��
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Systems Programmer
Statewide Financial Systems

Started August 4, 2008

Anne Holte is making changes to the Banner Test system that will be incorporated into Banner Production.

Prior to coming to Alaska, Holte was a senior technical aide at Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., where she utilized Banner Financial on a daily basis. She was also a systems analyst at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, where she streamlined business processes by writing VBA scripts.

Holte was born in Scotland (her father was in the Air Force) and was raised in Maryland near Washington, DC. She arrived in Alaska on July 30, a mere four days before starting her job here.

Holte has an associates and a bachelor’s degree: AA in Information Systems Management at Montgomery College in Maryland, and BA in Computer Science at the University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Maryland.

She is taking advantage of UAF’s education benefits and has just started a Database Systems Design class and is working on her Master’s in Software Engineering.

Holte is a single mother of two children (Christopher, 24 & Rebecca, 21), both residing at her home in Maryland.� Both are working and in college.� Neither of them wanted to brave the winters here!

In her spare time, she enjoys photography and works free-lance as a web designer.

Regarding the trip to Alaska, her mother drove with Holte as far as Montana.� With her mother unable to drive, she drove the entire way from Maryland to Fairbanks by herself (wow, what a trip!).
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Coordinator
SW Planning and Budget

Started September 8, 2008

Tatiana Piatanova provides Administrative support for the Planning and Budget Directors and assists in the management of their web site.
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Piatanova formerly worked for Alaska Sea Grant as the Graphics Manager.

She grew up in Russia where her family still lives. She has been in Alaska for 16 years (on and off).

Piatanova received a BA in English Literature and a BFA in Painting and Computer Art from UAF and New School University Parsons School of Design.
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Emergency Preparedness Coordinator (UAF)�
SW Risk Services

Started September 2, 2008

Assists the Director of Emergency Preparedness in the development and implementation of emergency preparedness processes and programs for UAF and associated campuses.

Pommenville served 11 years in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard at Eielson AFB, AK as a Fire Protection Specialist and Disaster Preparedness Specialist.

He was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and grew up in South Portland, Maine. He has been in Alaska and in the Fairbanks area for over 22 years.

Pommenville received formal technical training while serving in the US Air Force and Alaska Air National Guard. He attended the USAF Fire Protection School in 1986 and attended the USAF Disaster Preparedness school in 1993 as well as the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Agents Course in 1993.

He earned a degree in Municipal Fire Control through UAF (94) and a degree in Disaster Preparedness through the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) (94). He has many certificates of training that relate directly to emergency response and emergency planning

He has been married for 17 years as of� August 31st. His wife, Martine, is an Eielson High School graduate back in 1983. She is currently serving her 20th year in the Alaska Air National Guard as the comptroller. They have two children, one boy and one girl, that were both born here in the Fairbanks area. Camden is 13 years old and is an 8th grader in North Pole Middle. Jenna is 8 years old and is a 3rd grader as Anderson Elementary on Eielson AFB. As a family, they enjoy camping, hockey, and visiting with family and friends. They also enjoy traveling and seeing different places, most importantly warm places during the winter.
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Administrative Assistant
UA Land Management

Dian Siegfried is the Administrative Assistant for UA Land Management in the Fairbanks office.� The responsibilities for this position vary from general administrative duties to being the first person the public and other University personnel have contact with at the Land Management Office. Siegfried also works securing permits from various government, private agencies (including various Native organizations) and individuals on the behalf of the University of Alaska academic programs (primarily researchers).

Siegfried began working at the University in SW Risk Management as a temporary hire in Oct. 2007.� In January she worked part-time for SW Risk Management and UA Land Management until March 2008 when she began full-time at UA Land Management.

Siegfried was born and raised on a family ranch in Wyoming, moving to Colorado in her teen years where she completed her education and met her future husband.� Over the next 20 years they traveled all over the country with the military and raised their three children. Eventually, they ended up at Ft. Wainwright where John retired.� All three adult children (two girls and one boy) live in the surrounding Fairbanks area.� Both girls are students at UAF and their son is working on becoming a member of the IBEW.

Siegfried is very family-orientated and enjoys spending time with her husband, kids (including the 4 four footed kind) and close family friends.� She enjoys photography, any outdoor activity, making custom jewelry and reading a good book.
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Coordinator
Labor & Employee Relations

Started August 20, 2008

Responsible for advising administration in matters of union and employee relations.

Wendy Tisland has 20 years experience in Human Resources.� Most recently she worked as the Assistant Director of HR for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Prior to that she was in Kodiak working for the Kodiak Area Native Association where she held two different positions, one as the Director of Health Programs and� Director of HR.� Tisland previously worked for the University (UAF & SW) from 1984 – 1994.

Tisland was born and raised in Fairbanks, AK.�

She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from UAF School of Management : BBA – Human Resources,��MBA – General Management.� Additional national certifications she has attained are:� SPHR (Senior Professional in HR) and� GBA (Group Benefits Associate).

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Lead Analyst Programmer
Student Information System

Started September 10th

Prior to coming to statewide, Jane Vohden was the Applications Support Manager (2005-2008) and DBA (1993-2005) for the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

Vohden was born in Schnectady, N.Y., and moved to Fairbanks in 1987.

She has a BA from Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., in Information Management.

Her husband, Jim, is a hydrologist for the State of Alaska DNR. They have two teenage girls. Vohden loves dogs, horses, camping, and gardening.
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Computer Operator
OIT – Data Center Operations

Started August 5, 2008

Data Center Operations is responsible for operation of the Butrovich and Bunnell Computer Facilities and monitoring critical network, infrastructure, and services in a 7x24x365 operation. The Computer Operator is an integral part in ensuring normal operation in this exciting environment that includes the University's supercomputer operation.

Prior to working OIT Ward worked as a student Assistant for the Student Investment Fund. Responsibilities included, working under general direction in the SIF computer laboratory, performing administrative duties for financial portfolios, tutoring students in finance classes and providing technical support for software applications, peripherals, etc.

Ward was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and attended local schools. He graduated from Austin E. Lathrop high school in 1999.

He attended Utica College of Syracuse University, Utica, NY, 2001- 2003 and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 2004- 2008 where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration with focus on finance and a minor in Computer Information Systems.

Recently married on July 13, 2008, Derek Ward and his wife Tracy Ward (formerly Gillen) are expecting their first child in December.

Ward’s father Raymond Ward has worked for the University of Alaska Fairbanks for about 20+ years and currently works for Facility Services in the Laborer Dept.
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Analyst Programmer
Statewide Financial Systems

Started August 25, 2008

Joyce Young supports Financial and Accounts Receivable modules within Banner.
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Young has been ‘working the web’ as a web developer since 1994. Starting with simple markup in HTML, over the years she learned scripting languages such as Perl, JavaScript, ASP, PHP and also added database programming to her skill set. Her first experience was at the University of Colorado at Boulder where she was introduced to the web and computer systems in a UNIX environment. She has also worked as a Junior Level System Administrator in a mixed UNIX/Windows environment so she is comfortable working in most any environment with a variety of tools, creating users and groups. Young prefers to write most code by hand (without a WYSIWYG editor). Over the years she has been a webmaster, a web programmer, taught a variety of web development courses and been an all around fix it type of person for web related issues at whatever position she has been employed at. She enjoys the constantly evolving environment that is working on websites. She has worked in Education, for a Dotcom that no longer exists, State agencies and a couple of private industries.�

Joyce received her BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She double majored in Linguistics and Spanish Literature, and got more than halfway through her Master’s program in the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program at CU Boulder before she decided to take a break from school to join the workforce full time so she could better support herself and her daughter.

Joyce and her husband Michael, another new UAF employee, moved to Fairbanks just this year. Joyce’s 20 year old daughter Amber stayed behind in Florida. Joyce brought her houseful of critters with her from Florida, including two cats, two ferrets, a bearded dragon and six snakes.

When she is not cleaning up after her critters, Joyce performs and teaches American Tribal Style Belly Dance and is an avid sci-fi costumer.
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