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May 3, 2012

Emily Blahous - Teacher at Mirror Lake Middle School - Recipient of the 2011 Mayor's Youth Arts Award

Blauhous has been a teacher in the Anchorage School District for over thirty years and has been at Mirror Lake since the school opened 15 years ago. She teaches piano keyboarding classes to music students and is the leader and mentor of a group of students who produce an present daily closed circuit news of the day within the school.

She began a collaboration with Augie Hebert, television and radio pioneer in Alaska, shortly after the school opened. This collaboration grew into a School Business partnership with Channel 11, which has provided professional training and mentoring for middle school students. Several years ago, also through the impetus of Augie Hebert, Mirror Lake Middle School became the only school in Alaska to broadcast over a low power FM station to the school's neighboring community.

April 5, 2012: Personal Photo Journalism

Richard Murphy - 2012 Atwood Chair of Journalism at UAA

Richard Murphy was the photo editor of the Anchorage Daily News from 1985 to 2011. During his time with the Daily News, he was on a team that won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He and his team of photojournalists were nominated the next year for news photography. Murphy has also been a nominating juror for the Pulitzer Prizes in 2010 and 2011. Murphy's work has been displayed in galleries such as the Decker Morris Gallery. His work is on permanent display at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, the University of Alaska Museum, the State of Alaska Museum and the National Press Photographers Association's archives.

March 1, 2012: Blazing a trail from hard news to activist journalism

Teeka A. Ballas - F Magazine - co-founder/publisher/executive content editor

Founder and publisher of F Magazine, Teeka Ballas will discuss how she went from being a news hound to becoming a staunch advocate for culture and community at the stern of an arts publication. Although the magazine has a short history, it is a dynamic one and is currently making a tremendous impact on numerous communities and cultures around Alaska. Ballas will reveal some of the secrets behind running an independent, volunteer-driven publication and share the hard knocks she's learned along the way.

Teeka Ballas first began working in journalism as a travel writer for a publication in Australia 15 years ago. Since then she has traveled extensively and worked in numerous countries and U.S. states, covering everything from hostile environments to travel and leisure for radio, print and Web. In addition to working full time on F Magazine, Ballas currently hosts a show on Alaska Public Radio, teaches writing workshops and classes to youth and is a contributing writer to numerous publications both regionally and nationally, covering travel, entertainment, medicine and engineering.

February 2, 2012: Digital Culture: The Positive and the Negative

Paola Banchero, associate professor and chair of the Department of Journalism and Public Communications at UAA, will speak at the monthly luncheon for Alaska Professional Communicators. Her focus is on young people, social media, and other aspects of digital culture. Banchero has 17 years of journalism experience -- reporting from Guadalajara, Mexico to Anchorage -- and she was a reporter and editor for the Arizona Daily Star and The Wichita Eagle before moving to Alaska. The public is invited.

January 4, 2012: The Making of "Big Miracle" (the whale movie)

Jackie Purcell, weatherperson for Channel 2 News, grew up in Anchorage. She assumed her present position in 1990, but that’s NOT what she's going to talk about. At the monthly luncheon for Alaska Professional Communicators, Jackie will share stories of her debut in the movies -- "Big Miracle" (the whale movie). As Jackie says, "I have photos from my movie experience. Little did I know that cameras were not supposed to be on set, but no one said a word to me!"

Jackie graduated from Bartlett High School in 1979. She attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., graduating in 1983 with a degree in communications and a minor in political science. She 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 lived in Alaska for much of her life, Jackie had the opportunity to travel all over the world, thanks to a mother who believed travel was one the best educations one could have -- plus the fact that she has relatives in Europe and Indonesia -- and her father worked in the Middle East for a time.

Doing the weather at Channel 2 News keeps Jackie on her toes since Alaska presents some of the most challenging weather situations in the world. It's definitely not the same old thing every day.

Jackie married Dannie Pearson, a former Channel 2 photographer, and counts as part of her family three cats ... and would have more if it were up to her.

Dec. 1. 2011: Many Genres, Many Stories

JACK DALTON, storyteller, author, and frequent artist-in-residence in classrooms, just doesn't stop: he’s at work on a holiday show (Muktukmas!), an opera, and a new play. Jack has grown up an ambassador between the two worlds of his Yup'ik and European heritages.

A professional storyteller, writer and teacher, Jack has been honored by the World Indigenous Peoples' Conference on Education as a Distinguished Dignitary, and considered by many people around the world, to be "The Storyteller." He was chosen as one of Alaska’s Top 40 Under Forty, one of the top forty business people in Alaska under the age of 40. He also received the first Expressive Arts grant from the National Museum of the American Indian to co-create the first Yup'ik opera with friend and world-famous Yup'ik music group, Pamyua co-founder, Stephen Blanchett. He's created and produced five theatrical works of storytelling, written a book, several plays and created curricula used in all levels of education. Performing throughout Alaska and the US, he has also performed in New Zealand, France, Denmark, Australia and headlined the Scottish Int'l Storytelling Festival in Scotland.
Dalton calls Anchorage home.

Diane Kaplan, President, Rasmuson Foundation

November 3, 2011: Ms. Kaplan spoke about Communicating With Alaskans The Value of Philanthropy.

In 2001, Diane Kaplan was named president of the Anchorage-based Rasmuson Foundation. She began administering the Foundation in 1995. From 1994-2001, Kaplan's consulting company provided management and government relations services to philanthropic and nonprofit organizations and Native corporations and tribes. She was previously president and chief executive officer of Alaska's 28-station public radio network. Kaplan earned a degree in communications and women's studies from the University of Pennsylvannia, graduating summa cum laude. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She attended executive management programs at the Wharton School, Stanford University and UC Berkeley.

50th Anniversary Celebration
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2-4 p.m.
in the Ann Stevens Room
of the Z.J. Loussac Public Library
3600 Denali St., Anchorage.

Featured guest National Federation of Press Women President, Lori Potter of Kearney, Nebraska. She is an agricultural reporter for the Kearney Hub, a daily newspaper founded in 1888 that covers south-central Nebraska. Kearney was an important stop on the Platte River Valley thoroughfare that led to the settling of much of the West.

Come hear Lori talk about our connection with NFPW and learn about APC’s founding mothers and early history.

Guests are welcome. Bring your spouse. Invite a past member. Invite a potential member. No reservations required.

Coffee, tea, and snacks will be served.
Optional: Come dressed in 1960s clothes if you would like to join in the fun of the era.

Alaska Press Women's Founding Mothers -- First Meeting

October 6, 2011
Luncheon speaker
Jocelyn Young
1% for Art Program

Marcus Tingle "Thunderbird Sunrise" East High School photo by Chris Arend

Jocelyn Young is the Curator of Public Art and works for the Department of Public Works at the Municipality of Anchorage.

As the Curator of the 1% for Art Program she oversees over 440 works of art valued at $12 million dollars, in public buildings, parks and schools throughout Anchorage.

Each year the program adds from eight to fifteen works of art to the Public Art collection. Jocelyn works with over 110 volunteers who donate over 2000 hours annually. She has a degree in communications from the University of Utah.

Prior to working at the Municipality of Anchorage, she was the Director of the Arts in Education Program for the Alaska State Council on the Arts for fifteen years where she worked extensively with artists and served on many regional and national projects and panels.

September 1, 2011
Luncheon speaker
Jerene Mortenson
tells the story of her son Greg's book,
Three Cups of Tea, and the power of one.

Photo by Pamela O'Meara/EastsideReviewNews.com, 2009
Jerene Mortenson is wearing a red dupatta to show respect and a blue trouser suit her son, Greg, had made for her on her trip to Afghanistan.

JERENE MORTENSON

Jerene Mortenson was an elementary school principal when her son Greg was trying to raise money for a school in Korphe, Pakistan. Her students collected $623.45 in pennies, and the Pennies for Peace program began. Thousands of schools and other groups around the world have contributed, raising millions in pennies.

Jerene, now living in Anchorage, speaks at book clubs, churches, other groups and schools about Greg's work.

Greg has received dozens of awards for his achievements in educating children, especially girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For more information on Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute, go to www.threecupsoftea.com.

Social Media Seminar - January 27, 2011

The Basics and Beyond (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and More...)

For months now the buzz has been social media. You’ve put off jumping into the fray, and you feel you may have missed the boat. It’s not too late, but how do you begin? Or maybe you’ve been using Facebook (and even Twitter or LinkedIn) for a few months, but where do you go from here?

Learn from an expert about using social media to promote your business, your books, or your cause.

- Find out the most efficient ways to start using social media or if you're already dabbling, how to optimize what you're doing to leverage these tools and channels for your work.

- You've heard of Digg, MySpace, Jaiku, and others, but which ones do you really need to use? Discover the best tools for whatever you're trying to do, from SlideShare to Flickr to YouTube, RedRoom and more.

- If you're looking to get the most out of social media, you'll need tools to help you manage and measure what you're doing. Learn about a few handy tools that can get you organized and help you measure your results.

Join Alaska Professional Communicators as we welcome seminar presenters Aliza Sherman and Sherrie Simmonds for an afternoon dedicated to the ins and outs of social media! You'll learn how social media gives you the tools you need to boost your communications, marketing, brand-building, and more.

Fulfill your New Year’s resolution to continue learning and expand your social media presence. Register today!

Location: Elim Café, 561 W. Dimond Blvd., Anchorage (near Arctic Blvd.)

Date and Time:

Thursday, January 27, 2011

12 – 1 p.m. Lunch and Networking,
1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Seminar

Registration Fee: Members $50; non-members $75 (prepaid by January 19)

Registrations after January 19: Members $60; non-members $85

Seating is limited. Register today.

Register online

About our presenters

Aliza Sherman

Aliza Sherman is a social media innovator and commentator. She speaks around the world about Internet and social media-related topics. In 1995, she founded the first woman-owned, full-service Internet company, Cybergirl, Inc. and the first global Internet networking organization for women, Webgrrls International. Aliza is recognized for her writing and blogging and was named by Fast Company as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Technology.”

In 2003, she started a consulting firm that would become the social media agency Conversify to provide high-level, strategic Internet and social media consulting to companies and organizations. Aliza is also the author of seven books, including The Everything Blogging Book, Streetwise, Ecommerce, and PowerTools for Women in Business. She is working on her 8^th: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Crowdsourcing, out July 2011. Her new company – Mediaegg – develops iPhone and iPad apps for women and children.

Sherrie Simmonds

Sherrie Simmonds has managed communications for Alaska Housing Finance Corp. for 15 years. She is a Distinguished Toastmasters and has won numerous state and national speaking, writing and public relations awards. She has been a frequent speaker on social media at meetings and conferences, including Oregon State Clerks Association annual conference and Yukon/Alaska Council of Toastmasters fall conference.