Board Members

John Allen, Community of Tatitlek: John Allen was born and raised in the Prince William Sound area and has spent most of his life fishing. Allen has been a board member of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council since 1997 representing the Tatitlek Corporation and the Tatitlek Village IRA Council. Allen has a strong commitment to the culture, natural environment, and citizens of Prince William Sound and has been a steward for the environmentally safe transportation of oil since 1989.

Nancy Bird, City of Cordova: Nancy Bird attended an early council formation meeting in June 1989 when she was working for Cordova’s Oil Spill Response Office. She served on Cordova’s City Council in the early 1990s and again since 2000. A former newspaper reporter/editor, Nancy joined the Prince William Sound Science Center staff shortly after its founding in 1989 and now serves as President of that organization. Nancy is also Director of the Oil Spill Recovery Institute.

Al Burch, Kodiak Island Borough: Al Burch has fished Alaskan waters for more than 40 years and serves on numerous national and international fishing boards. Al is currently the Executive Director of the Alaska Draggers Association, a non-profit group representing approximately 40 bottom-fish vessels that fish out of Kodiak. The Alaska Draggers has worked for 30 years to preserve the rights of Kodiak’s fishing fleets and to keep fishermen informed of new complex fishing regulations. Al decided to accept the PWSRCAC board seat because he believes it’s important to have an active fisherman to represent fishing interests on the board. Al doesn’t like the idea of regulating an industry to death, but feels it is appropriate to require certain reasonable measures from any industry that could have serious repercussions on other industries and people and ways of life. Al would like to ensure that fisheries are protected, but also that regulations are not unduly draconian. He prefers to focus on the "big picture" and make decisions based on good science and what’s best for the long term. He thinks it’s important to have a balance between all the varying interests groups and not lean heavily in favor of one or the other.

Sheri Buretta, Chugach Alaska Corp.: Buretta was born and raised in Anchorage, and is the Chairman of the Board for Chugach Alaska Corp. Her mother is from Tatitlek and she has family within all the communities in Prince William Sound. She states that her mother, father, and brother worked on the oil spill and her family will be forever affected by the horrendous emotional, psychological, and physical effects that this event caused. She joined PWSRCAC because of the tremendous amount of good work being done by the citizens' group. Buretta joined the board in March 2000.

Patrick Duffy, Alaska State Chamber of Commerce: Patrick Duffy has lived in Valdez since 1993 and has over 20 years experience in the marine transportation, supply, and distribution industry in Alaska. This former retail sales business owner currently works at Petro Star’s terminal in Valdez. Patrick joined the citizen’s council board in 2007, but his volunteer efforts extend beyond the council. He has also served on the board of the Alaska Chadux Corp. since 2003.

Jane Eisemann, City of Kodiak: Eisemann has been a resident of Kodiak for more than 30 years, working as a commercial fisherman for 23 of those years. She put herself through college by fishing salmon and herring, and earned a bachelor's degree in education and a master's in Maritime Education and Training. She still fishes in the summer and spends the winter months teaching Fisheries Science and Technology at Kodiak High School. Eisemann feels that as a consumer of oil products she must contribute to the safe transportation of oil, particularly being a resident of a "downstream" community. She joined the board in February 2001.

Patience Andersen Faulkner, Cordova District Fishermen United: Patience is an Alaska Native, born in Cordova. Her interests include teaching Alaska Native crafts and studying the uses of herbal plants. She worked as a legal technician/para legal with the litigation team for the Exxon Valdez oil spill lawsuit. She earned a BA in justice and sociology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. As a former military wife her travels have been extensive throughout the United States and Europe. Patience serves on several Cordova community boards and commissions. Special PWSRCAC projects have included the Peer Listener program as well as other committees. Travel to remote Alaska areas continues to be a favorite pursuit. Patience joined the council board in November 1998.

John S. French, Ph.D., City of Seward: John has lived in Alaska for 23 years, 15 of which were in communities directly affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. John holds a Ph.D. in biological chemistry and is a retired professor from the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences. He is primarily an aquatic toxicologist, also working with biochemistry, ecosystem management, food science, and nutrition. He does consulting work involving environmental science and marine safety and continues to be active in the research community investigating responses of marine organisms to human activities and pollutants. At the time of the Exxon Valdez spill, John lived in Kodiak where he assisted with the natural resource damage assessment. He served the Oil Spill Health Task Force as a toxicological expert assessing the safety of subsistence foods, served as the science/academic representative on the EVOS-Public Advisory Group from 1991-97, and is a founding member of the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward where he assists the Rescue and Rehabilitation Department. John also represents the City of Seward on the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association Board, represents the Aquaculture Association on the Cook Inlet RCAC, and holds several positions in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. John has advocated for environmental protection and reasoned natural resource development in Alaska for the past 23 years. For the past four years he has been Chief Judge of the Seward Silver Salmon Derby. He joined the council in 2003.

Cathy Hart, Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association: Cathy Hart is an Anchorage-based freelance tourism professional. Her father brought the family to Alaska from Midland, TX, in 1966 to work for ARCO in the Cook Inlet oil fields and then Prudhoe Bay. Cathy is retired from a 32-year tenure in sales and marketing with the Alaska Marine Highway, where she focused on serving local, commercial, military, group tour, and tourism customers who pursued their lifelong dreams in Prince William Sound and Southwest Alaska ports. She served in positions of responsibility with the Alaska Wilderness Recreation & Tourism Association, Prince William Sound Tourism Coalition, Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium, and the Alaska Society of Outdoor & Nature Photographers. She is an avid sea kayaker, rafter, skier, and photographer. She lives in Anchorage with her husband Eric Downey and their two dogs Sunny & Niki. Cathy joined the board in 2008.

Marilynn Heddell, City of Whittier: Heddell and her husband, Pete, own and operate a charter boat business, Honey Charters, and gift shop in Whittier. She is a member of the Port and Harbor Commission in Whittier, treasurer and co-founder of the Whittier Chamber of Commerce and past chair of the Prince William Sound Tourism Coalition. Heddell started her business in Whittier in 1988 after leaving the State Department of Public Safety. She is originally from Ohio and moved to Alaska in 1965. In the winter months, Heddell has a small publishing business that has published two children's books on Prince William Sound. She joined the council board in 1996.

Blake Johnson, Kenai Peninsula Borough: Johnson, of Nikiski, is business agent for Laborers' Local 341. Johnson and his wife own an advertising business in Nikiski. A lifelong Alaskan, he has lived on the Peninsula about 18 years. Johnson joined the council board in 1993.

Pete Kompkoff, Community of Chenega Bay: Kompkoff is a commercial fisherman and member of the gillnetters' and piledrivers' unions. He attended high school in Valdez; L.H. Bates Vocational Technical Institute in Tacoma, Washington; and graduated from Shasta College, where he met his wife Mary. Kompkoff lived in Cordova for 20 years before moving to Chenega after the oil spill in 1989. Kompkoff has three children and six grandchildren, all boys. He joined PWSRCAC in December 2000.

George Levasseur, City of Valdez: A Valdez resident for more than 30 years, George Levasseur is a commercial fisherman and charter boat captain. He participates as part of the core fleet of SERVS fishing vessels trained to respond to an oil spill in Prince William Sound. George and his wife, Patty, both graduated from the University of Minnesota, came to Alaska on their honeymoon, and began working for the Alaska Department of Transportation. George recently retired as the district manager for maintenance and operations on highways and airports. He has been a licensed captain since 1983 and enjoys recreating and fishing in Prince William Sound. He and Patty commercial fish in the sound from April through June and then charter fish for the rest of the summer. George has served on the board of directors for Valdez Fisheries Development for 29 years as the sportfishing representative and is the current secretary/treasurer. He joined the PWSRCAC board in 2005.

Steve Lewis, City of Seldovia: Lewis holds a BS in petroleum engineering with a minor in oceanography. He has experience with offshore operations, environmental protection, scientific studies, governmental relations, and public relations. His marine experience ranges from operating the world's largest mobile offshore drilling units in extreme conditions to ocean kayaking in Prince William Sound. Lewis was seated on the board in March 1999.

Thane Miller, Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. Thane came to Alaska in 1969 and grew up in Anchorage and Eagle River. His family acquired a boat and spent lots of time on the water in Seward and Whittier, and in the late 1970s they began commercial fishing. He started his first job as a commercial fisherman at the age of 13 and has made his living from commercial fishing since 1985. Fishing is a full time job for Thane and when he’s not busy maintaining his 30-year-old boat, he’s working on his new house. Thane and his wife, Sharry Miller, purchased their fishing vessel Sisioohl in 1995 and now live in Valdez, where they volunteer with various groups. Thane is currently Chair of the Valdez Advisory Committee, board member of the Valdez Fisheries Development Association, and board member of the Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. He joined the PWSRCAC board in 2007.

Dorothy M. Moore, City of Valdez Dorothy first came to Alaska in 1949 when her parents relocated from Bremerton, WA, to Valdez. She graduated from Alaska Methodist University and taught in Homer. After teaching as a missionary journeyman in the Dominican Republic she obtained a Master of Divinity degree from Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. She came home to Alaska and worked on the pipeline construction and operations until she returned to teaching social studies in the Valdez City School system.

As a social studies teacher, Dorothy traveled during summer vacations and collected photos for use in her geography and history classes (Russia, Europe, and West Africa). She also broadened her social studies background with certification renewal classes in circumpolar studies, Alaska Geographic Alliance summer institutes, and developing/implementing a technology model congress program in Valdez government classes. She required her government classes to attend public meetings to learn firsthand the government process. She was instrumental in getting Valdez City Schools to require an Alaska History course for graduation in the early 1990s. She designed, implemented and taught Alaska History as a course that would allow students a solid background in dealing with tourists in their summer jobs.

Dorothy has been elected to the Valdez City Council and the Valdez School Board. She has served on various local and state boards including the Valdez Heritage Board, the Valdez Regional Hospital Board, and the Alaska Historical Society Board.

As a lifelong resident of Valdez and Alaska, Dorothy lived through the 1964 earthquake, the 1989 oil spill, and other yearly sagas. She retired from the public school system but remains an adjunct instructor at Prince William Sound Community College. Dorothy joined the citizens' council board in 2007.

Kodiak Village Mayors Association:Representative to be determined

Walter Parker, Oil Spill Region Environmental Coalition: Walter Parker has been involved in oversight of oil and gas operations in Alaska and elsewhere since 1968. He has worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Field Committee for Development Planning in Alaska, and heading the team that reported to Congress on which pipeline route from Prudhoe to the United States best served national interests. After leaving federal service in 1971, he joined the University of Alaska and was an active environmentalist and the president of the Anchorage Chapter of the Alaska Conservation Society.

In 1974, Parker was appointed as environmental consultant to the state on the pipeline and served as director of the Technical Staff. Gov. Hammond asked him to join his cabinet as commissioner of highways to form a Department of Transportation, where Parker took the tanker responsibilities with him and continued to aid in pipeline oversight. He directed the formation of the Pacific Oil and Ports Group which brought the governors of the West Coast states together with Alaska to put the tanker problem before the Nixon and Ford administrations. He worked with the Alaska Legislature on legislation that created an Alaska Coastal Act in 1976, requiring shippers to pay for not meeting standards, including double hulls. Gov. Cowper asked the Legislature to form the Alaska Oil Spill Commission, and Parker was asked to chair it. By January 1, 1990, the commission had completed a report with 52 recommendations for improvements; Congress incorporated 50 of these into OPA 90.

Parker is an active board member on the Alaska Forum for Environmental Responsibility. He chairs the Bering Sea Forum, which is a joint U.S./Russian group formed to protect North Pacific Ecosystems. He chairs the Circumpolar Infrastructure Task Force for the Arctic Council and the Northern Forum, which will provide oversight on oil and gas development in the Russian North. He is a co-chair of the Russian American Pacific Partnership, which provides an opportunity to keep a close oversight of oil operations in Sakhalin. Parker is a senior fellow at the Institute of the North at Alaska Pacific University. He also serves on the boards of the Prince William Sound Science Center, the Oil Spill Recovery Institute, and the North Pacific Research Board.

John Velsko, City of Homer: John Velsko is a commercial fisherman and formerly worked at the Alyeska tanker terminal in Valdez. “I was intimately involved with many of the issues and problems that the board is currently dealing with,” Velsko said. “I felt that I had the practical knowledge necessary to comment on board matters and the time commitment required to become a valuable member.” Velsko joined the board in 2004.