The AKPIRG Advocate, June 2024
End of Sabbatical!
Reflections from Sydney and Veri
At the end of January, AKPIRG's Executive Director Veri di Suvero left for a four month sabbatical, and Sydney Scout heroically stepped in to serve as our Interim Executive Director. This week, AKPIRG is celebrating Veri's return, and expressing our immense gratitude to Sydney as she steps down as Interim ED.
This sabbatical was completely uncharted waters for AKPIRG – it was as much of an opportunity for AKPIRG to grow and reflect as it was for Veri to get some much deserved rest.
But, don't take it from me (your mystery newsletter genie) – here are Sydney's parting thoughts, and Veri's reflection on their time away:
When Veri first pitched me on serving as AKPIRG’s Interim ED, I’ll be honest that I was hesitant. The information I knew about their workload was enough to scare any sane person off. However, through conversations with trusted mentors, particularly Progress Alaska Director Ryan Schryver, I learned that Interim Directors should do more than maintain the status quo. Conversely, an effective Interim Director can analyze and improve organizational systems, and make roles like Veri’s more sustainable. It’s my hope that I’ve been able to deliver on some of this during my time in this role.
One of my favorite projects has been going through AKPIRG’s archives, where I’ve learned about our fifty year history of advocacy in almost all of the issue areas we work in today. Importantly, we’ve added language access and revitalization to our focus areas, which is a critical shift towards centering decolonization in all of our work. Similarly, the way Veri has structured our organization feels exemplary, with real trust placed in our visionary staff, each of whom are leaders and experts in their fields. It’s impossible to overstate just how much I’ve learned from each one of them, and how lucky I feel to have had their support and grace this year.
With Veri’s return, I’ll be taking my own time off to rest with at least six weeks off this summer. While I’m taking my time in determining my next steps professionally, no matter where I end up, know that I’ll be a supporter of AKPIRG’s incredible work for life.
Thanks for all of your support!
Sydney
Spending four months not working, while still being paid, was an opportunity of a lifetime. As one friend put it, my time off wasn’t spent becoming a new and improved person (sorry folks!) but instead reconnecting with who I am. I was able to travel – seeing friends in Chile, Brazil, and Colombia. I was able to spend truly special time with family (including my grandma’s 103rd birthday). I was able to rest, read, write a short story, and even start running. I was able to learn more about my limits, from surfing and scuba diving for the first time, to hiking at altitudes over 18,000 feet.
Fortunately, my biggest takeaway was how lucky I am to have the life I do – an incredible community of friends, a wonderful partner, and a job that I feel truly proud to do, with people I feel genuinely thrilled to return to.
Thank you, to all of AKPIRG’s community and particularly the staff and board, for working so hard to make meaningful rest and healing possible within our non-profit sphere.
With gratitude,
Veri
Funding for this kind of restorative work is hard to find -- your donation helps us prioritize the wellness of our dedicated staff. Give Veri a warm welcome back by making a donation today!
What's in the AKPIRG Archives? 🗃️
For the past year, our staff have been digging through dozens of boxes that document all of AKPIRG’s work since our founding in 1974, sorting out things to be digitized. While 50 years of paper trails can be a bit tedious, there are some really cool stories in there that make it all worth it.
Our favorite finds are the ones that confirm our consistency as an organization — so much of AKPIRG’s work advocating for the public’s interest in Alaska has spanned literal decades. It’s humbling to see how history does, in fact, repeat itself, and that AKPIRG has been in the public’s corner so consistently on these issues for so many years.
In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, we’ll keep sharing our favorite Archives finds with you throughout the year. To support our Archives project, you can make a donation to AKPIRG at akpirg.org/donate. To learn more about our 50th Anniversary, visit akpirg.org/50th.
AKPIRG Welcomes Three New Board of Directors!
Last month AKPIRG welcomed not one, not two, but three new members to our Board of Directors! The AKPIRG Board is the backbone of our organization, acting as trusted advisors, decision-makers, and super volunteers. By expanding our Board, we are excited to be increasing our expertise and capacity as an organization.
Each of our new Board members – Walkie Charles, June Okada, and Faith Tyson – are doing remarkable work to fortify thriving communities in Alaska. From championing Alaska Native language revitalization efforts to fighting for a statewide, community-led transition to clean energy, the impressive resumes of our newest Board members speak for themselves.
We are so grateful to have all three of them supporting AKPIRG’s work on our Board of Directors. Join us in welcoming them to Team AKPIRG!
The Telehealth Broadband Pilot Program in Alaska Needs Your Help 📡🏥
The Telehealth Broadband Pilot Program has developed the Radar Pods Program to enable Internet consumers to test the actual quality of their Internet service. A pod is a small device that plugs into your Internet connection and tests your Internet speed and outage frequency.
Whether you’re an individual or a business, you can take a Pod and plug it into your Internet connection to analyze the actual quality of the service that you get from your Internet service provider.
We aim to get 25 homes or businesses with Radar Pods in these Census Areas or Boroughs to create sufficient data points for mapping.
Aleutians West Census Area, Bristol Bay Borough, Dillingham Census Area, Nome Census Area, North Slope Borough, Northwest Arctic Borough
For more information, click on the button below to review the Program PDF:
Major energy bills have passed in the AK Legislature:
What does this mean for Alaska, and what's next?
Curious about energy bills that passed the Legislature this year? This article from the Alaska Energy Transparency Project (AETP) looks at SB 152 (Community Solar) and HB 273 (creating a Green Bank) and what they might mean for Alaska's future. Both bills currently await transmission to the Governor for his signature.
