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Shirley Mae Springer Staten has called Anchorage, Alaska, home for over 45 years, dedicating her life to building bridges across race, class, culture, and generations. As an artist, educator, speaker, and cultural connector, she is known for her exuberance, compassion, and commitment to community and global understanding through the arts. In 2015, she founded Keys to Life, a nonprofit focused on cross-cultural connection through storytelling, artistic expression, and community gatherings. As executive director, she has led initiatives such as the Anchorage Cross-Cultural Summit, Camp Kaleidoscope for youth, Winter Voices, and the What Is the Meaning of Homea project designed for unhoused community members. Her work also includes projects with incarcerated parents and underserved youth, including the Hidden Roots documentary and the Eyes Closed exhibit. Shirley Mae has coordinated statewide cultural and educational efforts, including the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Alaska Native Heritage Center conferences, and the Alaska Humanities Forums educator immersion programs. She has also contributed to museum and Smithsonian exhibits, led international youth travel programs, and created arts-based educational performances.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wfcgkjq90mtzwvleek876/ShirleyMaeSpringerStatenSlides.pdf?rlkey=nq4letmwp5pmw5v3q6ru3940m&dl=0

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Cathleen McLaughlin is the CEO of Restorative and Reentry Services (“RSS”). She has worked in law and advocacy for over 35 years. In 2014, Cathleen became the Director of the Partners Reentry Center, which provided pre- and post-release reentry services to vulnerable individuals who would otherwise be released from incarceration to homelessness. This experience inspired her to open RRS in 2016 to provide guidance to communities around the United States seeking to create their own community-based reentry programs. In April of 2020, RRS was hired to manage the emergency homeless shelter at the Sullivan Arena. During the height of the pandemic, it was the largest congregate shelter in the US. RSS currently works with the Mayor’s office, doing oversight for all homeless shelters in Anchorage, coordinates with the Anchorage Safety Patrol, serves as site manager for the In Our Backyard program, which operates the tiny home shelters at Central Lutheran, and is otherwise deeply involved in addressing many aspects of homelessness in our community. Cathleen received both her law degree and her MBA from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in History/Political Science from the University of Montana.

Emily Robinson is the Chief Operating Officer of RRS. She has worked with high-needs individuals and vulnerable families with young children since 2011 through platforms such as Head Start/Early Head Start and the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School. In 2021, Emily built a completely new program for the Anchorage School District, called Play to Learn Playgroups, targeting families with high needs, helping caregivers build tools and strategies to prevent or lessen the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Emily shifted to RRS in July of 2024 to work specifically with unhoused individuals and families. She specializes in trauma-informed practices, generational trauma, and the effects of childhood trauma on the brain into adulthood. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages and International Affairs from the University of Puget Sound, a Post-Baccalaureate in Early Childhood Education from the University of Alaska Anchorage, and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University.

Restorative and Reentry Services website - http://restorativereentryservices.com

Slides to come.

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Felix Rivera came to Alaska for college and never left. He earned his BA in Liberal Studies at Alaska Pacific University. While studying journalism there, he covered local events and also wrote for an international wire service. His work as Constituent Relations and Special Assistant for the Mayor's Office helped to prepare him for his role as an Anchorage Assembly Member and Chair. During his time on the Assembly, Felix has chaired the Assembly as well as its Municipal Audit Committee and Quality Municipal Services Committee, served on the Housing & Homelessness and the Public Health & Safety Committees, among a number of others, and was the Assembly’s liaison to the Alaska Municipal League. He has made an effort to make a difference in the lives of people in his community, not only through his Assembly service, but also by serving on the boards of directors for nonprofits such as the Alaska Institute for Justice, the Public Transit Advisory Board, and the Alaska Youth Court. He is particularly proud of having helped fight for and eventually obtain protections for LGBTQ Anchorage residents in employment, housing, and public accommodations.