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Meet Our Board
Our work is currently fueled by the passion of our qualified, dedicated board of directors, including:
Shirley J. Holloway, Chair
Dr. Shirley Holloway has been an Alaska educator since 1971. During that time, she has lived and worked in urban and rural Alaska as a speech pathologist, teacher of the deaf, classroom teacher, principal, superintendent, educational consultant, university professor and college president. Holloway was also the first female Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, and traveled throughout Alaska during her two terms.
During her career in Alaska, Holloway led the Alaska Quality Schools Initiative, a statewide results-based school reform movement, and was named Alaska Superintendent of the Year, and a top 100 educator in America by The Executive Educator magazine. Holloway was also one of four finalists for National Superintendent of the Year.
Holloway, who holds bachelor degrees in special education and speech pathology, a master’s in education, and a doctorate in educational leadership, founded Avant-Garde Learning Foundation in early 2005.
Steve Bettis, AIA, Vice-Chair
Steve Bettis is a founder of the Anchorage-based architecture firm, KPBarchitects. Among many Alaska projects, Bettis is recognized for his 30-year career working with Alaska Native communities to plan, design and build rural schools. Bettis, a graduate of the University of Tennessee, has high regard for rural and Native cultures, and has built strong relationships there, as well as in urban and military communities.
Cheryl McKay, Secretary
Cheryl McKay is a partner in the Pacific Northwest law firm of Landye Bennett Blumstein, and is general counsel to Alaska’s only tribal community college. During her legal career, McKay has represented rural school districts, Alaska Native regional and village corporations, and a wide range of businesses. She is considered one of Alaska’s top lawyers in private practice in the area of commercial real estate, business transactions and corporate governance.
McKay’s Inupiat family is from the village of Unalakleet in the Bering Straits region. She was raised in New England, received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and public communication from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and her juris doctorate from the University of Colorado.
Kenneth Johnson, Treasurer
Ken Johnson has been an infantry platoon leader and executive officer, an adult education residential supervisor, a school safety officer, a middle school science teacher, technology coordinator, and coach. He is currently a field systems engineer for Apple, Inc., where he provides technical services to schools throughout Alaska.
Johnson is a graduate of Barrow High School, and received a bachelor of science in military history from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a master’s in teaching secondary science from the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Greg Anelon
Greg Anelon is a life-long Bristol Bay fisherman who was raised in Newhalen. He graduated from Newhalen High School and is one of many who stayed home for high school following the famous “Molly Hootch case.”
Anelon went on to graduate from college in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in rural development and then received his K-12 teaching certificate in 1992. He was employed as the clinic manager at Nilavena Subregional Clinic from its start in 2003 until 2008.
Currently, Anelon is preparing to re-enter the educational field to work with children. Anelon said he enjoys coaching Pee Wee Basketball for kids ages 3 – 12. Last year, he had 22 “basketball buffs” in his program.
Laura Barron
Laura Barron was born and raised in Alaska. She has lived in Barrow and Delta Junction, and currently resides in Anchorage. Barron comes from a family of educators and knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. She earned a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies degree from Southwest Texas State University (now called Texas State University), and a master of arts in teaching degree from Grand Canyon University.
Barron has been an elementary school teacher in Anchorage since 2002. She likes being involved in her school and has served on various committees in order to collaborate with others and make her school a better place. Barron enjoys working with children and looks forward to each day in her classroom. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, keeping up with current events, and watching home decorating and real estate TV shows.
Jeffrey Elbie, Jr.
Jeffrey Elbie, Jr., a 28-year-old Alaska Native Aleut, was raised in South Naknek, Alaska. At the age of 4, Elbie began commercial fishing for sockeye salmon with his family. He graduated from Bristol Bay High in Naknek and later ventured to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he obtained a bachelor of arts in justice. In 2005, Elbie started a career as a police officer with the Anchorage Police Department and truly enjoys helping the citizens of Anchorage.
Susan Garton
Susan Garton is an associate professor of educational leadership at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA). She is a former teacher, principal, director of schools and superintendent. She has 12 years experience in higher education devoted exclusively to the training of principals and superintendents for public school districts. She is now concluding her fifth year at UAA, where she continues to be motivated and inspired by the people of Alaska.
Garton, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, currently focuses on the needs of rural Alaska school districts through her coordination of the Rural Alaskan Principal Preparation & Support (RAPPS) program, which is a federally funded program to train, retain and support school principals for rural districts.
Garton serves as president of the Alaska Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (Alaska ASCD), the state affiliate of the international ASCD. For the past two years, she has participated in the international ASCD leadership council, the representative governing body for the organization. She is an active member of the Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA), and she serves on the review board for publications for the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).
Paulette Schuerch
Paulette Schuerch was born in Kotzebue and raised in Noorvik, Alaska. She graduated from Kotzebue High School and went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Alaska Pacific University. She is currently working on her master’s degree in health services administration.
Schuerch has served as a special assistant to the mayor of the Northwest Arctic Borough; personnel officer for Cominco Alaska (Red Dog Mine); executive director of Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Alaska; and as the tribal government services administrator for Maniilaq Association. She currently is president/CEO of the Copper River Native Association.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appointed Schuerch to represent Alaska Native corporations on the Alaska Workforce Investment Board and as a public representative to the Board of Social Work Examiners. Schuerch also sits on the board of the Northern Industrial Training Foundation. Schuerch has also served on the Kotzebue City Council and the NANA Regional board of directors.
Don Shackelford
Don Shackelford has been an educator in Alaska for more than 30 years. His career highlights include teaching high school English, serving as a principal, and being an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Shackelford also served as the director of the Alaska Partnership for Teacher Enhancement, where he produced the documentary film, “Dancing the Song,” about the Chevak Summer Institute. The film is available at no cost by emailing sara@stonesoupgroup.org.
Currently, Shackelford works as an educational consultant and is writing a novel based in Alaska.
