ALASKA IMPACT ALLIANCE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Family Resource Center Network Director
Amanda Metivier (BSW 2008, MSW 2012) is the Director of the Alaska Child Welfare Academy. Amanda an alumni of Alaska's foster care system, has dedicated her career and personal life to child welfare reform. She co-founded the foster youth led non-profit Facing Foster Care in Alaska in 2003 and launched the Office of Youth Empowerment a partnership of the Child Welfare Academy and Facing Foster Care Alaska in 2018 to offer a continuous spectrum of life skills training and youth-led advocacy statewide. She was a foster & adoptive parent to teens for more than a decade. Amanda's career in child welfare spans 20 years including extensive direct service work with adolescence, program development, child welfare education and training and policy reform. Amanda has been recognized for her work to amplify youth voice and sharing her own experience. She received the Casey Excellence for Children Award, was named one of Alaska's Top 40 Under 40, was recognized by Alaska Children's Trust as a Champion for Kids, was honored by the YWCA as a Woman of Achievement, was named one of Treehouse Foundation's Champions for Re-Envisioning Foster Care in in America in 2020, and was recognized by the University of Alaska Anchorage as an Alumni of Distinction in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Supervisor of the Anchorage Child Advocacy
Anita Alves has lived in Alaska since 1986. She graduated from college and law school in California. Anita received a teaching credential from Sacramento State University and taught in a variety of settings, including a migrant preschool in the Salinas Valley, at an elementary school in a combined 1 st through 3 rd grade classroom, and at a community college infant/toddler lab school as an Early Childhood instructor. She graduated from law school in 1985 with the expressed goal of advocating for children and youth caught up in the legal system.
In 1986 Anita arrived in Alaska to clerk for Judge Russel Holland in Federal District Court. Once her clerkship ended, she moved on to private practice doing corporate and municipality law while volunteering as a Court Appointed Special advocate in the Anchorage CASA program. Anita was hired in November 1990 as an attorney/GAL at the Office of Public Advocacy. Over the years, she has had the privilege of advocating for many children and youth.
Anita has been the supervisor of the Anchorage Child Advocacy section for approximately 15 years. During this time, she has been fortunate to be involved in statewide child welfare issues as a member of statewide committees and other groups impacting child welfare in Alaska.
Anita is married and the mother of three "bonus" sons as well as our youngest son, currently in college. She has one adorable grandson.
Job Titles:
- Parent & Kinship Support Network Director
Charity Carmody is a fourth generation Alaskan. She and her husband, Kris, have four grown children and three grandchildren. They first became foster parents at the age of 21.
Charity is a Champion for Children Awardee from the Alaska Children's Trust, a Top 40 Under 40 recipient, an Athena Society Inductee, a member of Anchorage 100+ Women who Care, and an Anchorage Rotary member.
Charity has been in finance and insurance since starting her career in 1994. She started her own company, Carmody Insurance Agency in 2007. Her agency is in Anchorage, Alaska.
She is the acting Executive Director of the Alaska Impact Alliance under her business and strategic consulting company, Beautiful Step Consulting. Charity is also contracted with the Childrens Bureau as a grant reviewer.
Charity co-founded Beacon Hill in 2009. Beacon Hill has a foster care prevention program called Safe Families for Children Alaska that operates in six cities. It operates Family Support Centers in Anchorage and Wasilla that host supervised visits and mentorship for children in foster care with their biological families. Beacon Hill also manages the Heart Gallery of Alaska which recruits adoptive homes for children in foster care that are legally free for adoption and are waiting for a forever family. The Heart Gallery of Alaska operates state-wide. In 2017 Beacon Hill opened a thrift store and café whose profits fund the operating expenses of the organization. Charity acted as the volunteer Executive Director until 2018.
Charity has a Doctorate in Law and Policy from Northeastern University, and received her bachelor's in business and MBA from Alaska Pacific University where she now teaches as an adjunct business professor.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Matthew J. Cuellar is a faculty member in the School of Social Work at University of Alaska, Anchorage. Currently in his sixth year as a professor of social work, Dr. Cuellar earned his PhD in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a Minor in Statistics from the Haslam School of Business. He earned his Master of Social Work from The University of Alabama. Dr. Cuellar has extensive experience working in various child serving systems and has served as principal investigator and lead evaluator on several externally funded projects sponsored by local, state, and federal agencies. Dr. Cuellar's current research focuses on school social work leadership and the role social workers play in keeping schools safe. Dr. Cuellar's interdisciplinary scholarship has been published in several notable journals and textbooks. Most recently, Dr. Cuellar's work has appeared in Social Worker's Desk Reference (4 th Ed.), Social Work Research, Journal of School Violence, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Psychology in the Schools. Dr. Cuellar's teaching interests include research, quantitative methods, and community-based interventions. Dr. Cuellar currently teaches Program Evaluation and Transformational Leadership in the MSW program, and Introduction to Social Work and Social Work Research in the BSW program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Elsie Boudreau (Yup'ik name: Apugen) is Master Social Worker (MSW) and a proud Yup'ik Eskimo from the village of St. Mary's, Alaska. She serves as an Alaska Project Specialist with Tribal Tech, providing training and technical assistance to OVC grantees. Prior to that, she was a trainer with the Child Welfare Academy. She currently serves on the Alaska Children's Justice Act Task Force. She has served on the Alaska Children's Trust board and a workgroup member within the Capacity Building for Tribes. She helped establish an Alaska Native Unit within Alaska CARES, a Child Advocacy Center. She provided advocacy services and therapy for families whose child(ren) have been severely physically or sexually abused and conducted forensic interviews. As a prior Children's Justice Act Project Coordinator for the Tribal Law & Policy Institute, she helped develop an educational video highlighting child sexual abuse in Alaska, grasping the wisdom of Elders, and identifying ways for healing to apply to traumatic experiences. She has also worked with law firms Manly & Stewart and Cooke Roosa Law Group as a Victims Advocate providing support to approximately 300 victims of clergy child sexual abuse in Alaska, South Dakota, Oregon, and Montana. Her advocacy work was featured in many venues including FRONTLINE (PBS) and The Huffington Post. Elsie is a 2018 recipient of the Bonnie Heavy Runner Advocate award.
Elsie has a bachelor's degree in social work from Carroll College in Helena, Montana, and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She is married, has 3 children and 2 grandchildren. She enjoys working with and for her people and strongly believes that all children have the right to grow up in a safe and loving environment. "Children are to be SEEN, HEARD and BELIEVED."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Permanency Network Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Kristal Williams was born and (mostly) raised in Anchorage, Alaska. After graduating high school in Arizona, she attended Oklahoma Baptist University and The University of Hawaii at Hilo where she received a bachelor's in business administration. She has worked in the administrative field in various positions over the past 20 years.
Kristal currently resides in sunny Las Vegas with her husband Jesse, two wonderful children, and new puppy, Maverick.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Principal of Fireweed Academy in Homer
Kyle Darbonne is the principal of Fireweed Academy in Homer. His passion is working with kids and families to build skills that increase resilience and set the path for a successful future. In current and previous roles, Kyle has engaged with diverse groups of children and families to implement trauma-informed education, social-emotional curriculum, and strength-based supports. He is an active member of the Southern Kenai Peninsula Resilience Coalition and Homer's 100 Men Who Care.
Kyle and his wife, Mary, are parents of an Alaskan toddler who channels the wild energy of Kachemak Bay.
Before moving to Alaska, Kyle worked as a science teacher and later as Dean of Students at an alternative public middle and high school in Littleton, CO. Prior to taking this role at Fireweed, Kyle was the Prevention Coordinator for South Peninsula Haven House focusing on upstream solutions to SKP community issues.
Kyle received his B.S. in Biology with a Psychology minor and a Master's in Teaching from Whitworth University in Spokane, WA. He received his Principal Certification from Lamar University and holds an administrative license in the State of Alaska.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director of the Resource Center for Parents & Children
Leigh Bolin, LCSW - Leigh is currently the Executive Director of the Resource Center for Parents & Children in Fairbanks. Prior to her current position she served as the Forensic Services Department Manager for Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation in Dillingham, which was her first experience working in the Child Advocacy Center field and where she grew passionate about that line of work. Leigh also currently serves as the President of the board for the Alaska Children's Alliance, as well as the Treasurer for the Alaska Impact Alliance. Before moving to Alaska in 2015 she began her social work career in St. Louis, MO working primarily with individuals living with chronic and persistent mental illness. Leigh is a licensed clinical social worker in Alaska and Missouri. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Missouri - St. Louis, and her Master of Social Work with a concentration in non-profit management from Saint Louis University. Leigh lives in Alaska with her spouse and two cats, Evie and Florence. In her free time she likes to read, cross stitch, and drink tea.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social
Mr. Clinton Lasley is Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Health and Social Services. Mr. Lasley has been with the Department since 2013, serving in the Division of Public Health and Division of Alaska Pioneer Homes, before becoming Deputy Commissioner for the department in January 2020. Deputy Commissioner Lasley oversees the four divisions that make up the departments Family, Community & Integrated Services. These divisions include the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, Division of Juvenile Justice, Alaska Pioneer Homes, and the Office of Children Services.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- VP of Public Health & Prevention at VOA Alaska
Sara Clark is the VP of Public Health & Prevention at VOA Alaska. She received her BA in Psychology and MPH from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Her commitment to building environments that nurture the health of youth and families is what brings her to the Alaska Impact Alliance. VOA Alaska provides mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being services and support to youth and their families at low or no cost. At VOA Alaska's Kinship Program, relatives raising children can receive support services, respite, educational workshops, support groups, financial assistance, and many other services that support family health. In addition to directly serving families, our agency understands the importance of working with partners and stakeholders to improve the systems and networks that support Alaskans. When not at work, Sara enjoys spending time with family and friends, going for walks outside and knitting warm things for the people she loves.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator for the Office of Youth Empowerment
Sarah Redmon is the Project Coordinator for the Office of Youth Empowerment, a partnership of the Child Welfare Academy and Facing Foster Care in Alaska. Sarah is a former foster youth and is currently a foster parent to her two younger sisters. Sarah joined Facing Foster Care in Alaska as a youth advocate and member and was elected to the Youth Leadership Board, before joining the Board of Directors as the Deputy Treasurer. She also served as an "All Star," with the national non-profit Fosterclub, training child welfare staff and allies across the country and giving input into federal legislation. In her current role, Sarah works with foster youth across the state to draw on their own lived-expertise to participate in advocacy, training, and peer support activities.
Tami Jo is a wife and mother of four. She attended the University of Alaska Anchorage and graduated with her bachelor's degree in Human Services in 2007 and then went on to Southern New Hampshire University and graduated with her Master in Community Mental Health Counseling in 2011. She worked in the mental health field for four and a half years at a local children's mental health agency before going to Catholic Social Services in 2011 to work in their Pregnancy Support and Adoption Services. She was the director of the program for 9 years before starting her work with Alaska Adoption Services in 2019. She has a passion for adoption and working with birth parents and adoptive parents through their adoption journey. She is an adoptive mom of two through the foster care system and is an advocate for older youth finding permanency and their forever family. She is a strong believer every child deserves a home regardless of age.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Alaska Child Welfare Academy
Tammy Sandoval currently serves as the Director of the Alaska Child Welfare Academy, where she leads efforts in planning, designing, training and coaching of state child welfare staff and other professionals in the child welfare arena. Ms. Sandoval has over 35 years of experience in public child welfare holding positions in Wisconsin, New Mexico and Alaska, including previously serving as the Alaska Child Welfare Director. Her experience also includes Senior Associate for ACTION for Child Protection and the National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment. In that role she provided consultation, technical assistance and training with state child welfare agencies across the United States. She has a Master of Social Work and is currently working on her ICF accreditation in Executive Coaching.
Tom McRoberts is the Director of the new Family Service Training Center (FSTC) at the UAA Center for Human Development. He's worked as a Trainer, Training Coordinator, and Program Manager for many types of workforce development and training projects. He served as a Social Worker and Supervisor with the Office of Children's Services in Alaska. A life-long Alaskan, Tom has worked across the state in both urban and rural settings. Tom's focus is on behavioral health interventions with vulnerable populations in Alaska, and he is especially interested in helping families and communities heal from the impact of trauma. Tom taught social work courses at the University of Alaska, where he received his Master of Social Work degree in 2005. He has over 20 years of experience working in the fields of behavioral health and child welfare.