SSE - Staff

As the Director of the Rose Urban Rural Exchange program and the Take Wing Alaska project, Laurie Evans-Dinneen brings several years of experience working with education, youth and Alaska Native organizations. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing/Poetry from the University of Oregon in 1999. A native of Chicago, Evans-Dinneen moved to Alaska in 1992, teaching at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Charter College, as well as being a substitute teacher in the Anchorage School District. She joined the staff at Cook Inlet Tribal Council in 1995. She spent seven years at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, where she worked her way up from running the Tribal Education Center to directing the Education Department. Similarly, while working at Alaska Pacific University, Evans-Dinneen was both an instructor in composition courses as well as the Director of the Rural Alaska Native Adult (RANA) Distance Education Program, the online degree completion program. Evans-Dinneen joined the Alaska Humanities Forum in 2007, and she believes in the humanities as a way of expanding young peoples’ understanding of themselves and their world as they progress through their journey of life.

Jonathan Samuelson spent most of his life along the Kuskokwim, living in different communities up and down the river. Both Yup’ik and Athabascan, he was fortunate enough to be exposed to both cultures.  He was raised in Bethel, Aniak, Red Devil, and McGrath. Jonathan is studying Tribal Management through the University of Alaska Fairbanks Distance Education Program. He has always had a passion to provide opportunities for youth and has experience working with students of all ages in both rural and urban settings. Having walked the bridge between “village” and “city” he knows the importance cross-cultural awareness and is happy to be a part of these amazing journeys for students and educators.  Jonathan joins the Alaska Humanities Forum as the Rose Urban Rural Exchange Program Assistant and works with Sister School Exchange, ECCI, and Take Wing Alaska.

Matthew Turner has worked closely with youth and adults in communities throughout Alaska. He helped to develop the independent living program for Alaska's foster care system, and has a lot of experience with participatory planning with diverse groups. When not on the road he is most likely found on the trail or on the water somewhere in Southeast Alaska.

Veldee Hall is an Alaska Pacific University 2009 graduate, with a bachelors in Liberal Studies with a Business Minor. She has worked for several non-profits: The CIRI Foundation, National 8(a) Association and the Alaska Humanities Forum. Her work has involved research and editing for educational books on Alaska- The Alaska Scrapbook, Na’eda: Our Friends 3rd edition and Alaska at 50; photo research for Naninaaq Productions on Project Chariot; event coordinating, membership management, and website support for National 8(a) Association. Before college, Veldee worked as a heavy equipment operator for the International Union of Operating Engineers. Veldee was raised in Southcentral, representing both her mothers’ Inupiaq heritage from White Mountain near Nome and her fathers' Alaskan heritage from Cordova.  She is an avid horse lover and rides the trails in Anchorage in her off time.