Governor Palin Announces Board Appointments

July 10, 2008, Anchorage, Alaska – Governor Sarah Palin today announced appointments to the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council, the Alaska Pioneers’ Homes Advisory Council, and the Alaska Safety Advisory Council.

Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council

Governor Palin appointed Ben Kirkpatrick to the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Advisory Council.

The 12-member council helps the Department of Natural Resources develop and monitor a management plan for the Haines-area eagle reserve. It includes representatives of state and local government officials, Native organizations and communities, visitor industries and conservationists.

Kirkpatrick, of Haines, is a retired habitat biologist with Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He is a volunteer providing technical support to Takshanuk Watershed Council, and a consultant with Rivers Without Borders, which promotes protection of the Alaska-British Columbia trans-boundary region. Kirkpatrick fills a seat reserved for a Haines conservation organization.

Alaska Pioneers’ Homes Advisory Council

Governor Palin appointed Lee Cromwell, and reappointed Banarsi Lal and Martha Penrose, to the Alaska Pioneers’ Homes Advisory Council.

The eight-member council conducts annual inspections of the facilities and procedures of the Alaska Pioneers' Homes, and recommends changes and improvements to the governor. Its members represent citizens and veterans, the Alaska Commission on Aging and the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council.

Lal, a 33-year Fairbanksan, spent 24 years with the Fairbanks Native Association before retiring in 2000 as behavioral services director. He has been a public member of the Alaska Commission on Aging since 2000 and is the current chair. By virtue of his membership on the aging commission, Lal has concurrently served on the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education since 2005, and as a member of the Pioneers’ Home Advisory Council since 2007. Lal earned a master’s degree in social work from Lucknow University in 1956, and a master’s degree in psychology from Agra University in 1961; both universities are in India. He was appointed to a public seat on the Alaska Pioneers’ Homes Advisory Council.

Penrose, of Juneau, is a customer-service advisor for Alaska Electric Light & Power and a 28-year Juneau resident. She volunteers as chair of a local church preschool board, teaches adult Sunday school and volunteers for local borough elections. A strong advocate for senior citizens, Penrose is a great-grandmother who cared for her elderly mother in her own home, before her mother moved into the Juneau Pioneers’ Home. She has served on the Pioneers’ Homes Advisory Council since 2004. She was reappointed to a public seat.

Cromwell, of Anchorage, is a building manager for NANA Management Services. A retired U.S. Army paratrooper and 20-year Alaskan, he serves on the board of the Armed Forces YMCA, the Municipality of Anchorage’s Military and Veterans Affairs Commission, and is a member of the Vietnam Vets Motorcycle Club. Cromwell earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Central Texas College in 1997. He was appointed to a seat reserved for a veteran.

Alaska Safety Advisory Council

Governor Palin appointed Scott Ketcham and Skip Boomershine, and re-appointed Herbert “Safety Herb” Everett, Michael Schowen, Daniel Monteleone and Zebulon Woodman, to the Alaska Safety Advisory Council.

The 14-member council seeks to reduce the risks of accidental death and injury in Alaska, working with private and public organizations to direct resources to improve safety. It makes recommendations to the governor and legislature on state safety policy, and plans the annual Governor’s Safety Conference held in March. Members represent industry, labor and federal, state, and local government.

Ketcham, of Eagle River, has been area director for the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational and Safety Health Administration in Anchorage since 2007. He has held various positions with OSHA in Texas, Idaho, and Alaska since 1999. Ketcham served in the Army’s 6th Infantry Division at Fort Wainwright. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Alaska Southeast. He was appointed to a seat representing the federal government.

Boomershine, of Anchorage, has been the safety coordinator and field manager for Dimond Electric since 1991. He has been an active member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1547 Safety Committee since 2000, and chairman since 2006. He is a licensed journeyman electrician, and boiler operator. Boomershine has more than 15 years’ safety training. He was appointed to a seat representing labor.

Everett, of Anchorage, became director of safety and workers compensation for Westmark Hotels, Inc., in 1991. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1962 and served as an aircraft maintenance specialist. By 1975, he cross-trained into safety and has served various safety posts such as chief of ground safety for the Alaskan Air Command, safety engineer on Task Group 4 during the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and safety coordinator for the Anchorage Telephone Utility. He was reappointed to a seat representing industry.

Schowen, of Anchorage, is a senior safety advisor with BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc., and an adjunct professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Schowen holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Marylhurst College in Oregon, and a master’s degree in business organizational management from the University of La Verne, in California. He is a certified Safety Professional, and certified Utility Safety Administrator. He was reappointed to a seat representing industry.

Monteleone, of Anchorage, is the safety director for the Municipality of Anchorage and the current chairman of the Safety Advisory Council. He had previously served as the statewide safety officer for the state Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Alaska Pacific University. Monteleone served in the Navy from 1975 to 1992. He was reappointed to a seat representing local government.

Woodman, of Fairbanks, has been the organizer for Laborers Local 942 since 2005. He is a third-generation construction laborer and has more than 15 years’ Alaska construction experience. Since 1997, he has taken classes at the Alaska Laborers Training School, including First Aid/CPR, North Slope Training, and Pipeline Construction. He is a lifelong Alaskan. He was reappointed to a seat representing labor.

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