Statewide Youth Leadership Board 2019-2021

Facing Foster Care in Alaska is led by a Statewide Youth Leadership Board (YLB) of foster youth and alumni, elected every two years by FFCA Members aged 15-24. The YLB plans and facilitates statewide youth leadership retreats and conferences, training for child welfare staff and caregivers, and offers support and mentorship to members across the state.

Anna Redmon
Statewide Representative

Anna joined FFCA as a member in 2010 at the age of 15. She spent time bouncing in and out of foster care in Anchorage. Anna was inspired by the idea that youth could have influence in improving foster care and lean on one another for support. As Statewide Representative, Anna brings a wealth of lived expertise as well as, advocacy and facilitation skills. She has facilitated training for hundreds of child welfare staff, caregivers, mentors, and legal parties. Anna has shared her experience with policymakers and advocated for the passage of a number of legislative items to improve the system for children and families across Alaska. She regularly offers support to members across the state.
​

Angel Montgomery
​​Southeast Representative

Angel attended her first FFCA event eager to connect with other foster youth and alumni.  Angel spent 7 years in foster care before being adopted, and knows all too well the need for children and youth to be connected to a family. Shortly after she joined, Angel ran for Southeast Representative on the statewide Youth Leadership Board. As Southeast Representative, she has been able to facilitate trainings, conferences, and events for youth across the state and share her personal experience with the community. Angel is the promotions director for the Juneau radio center and an on air personality on 2 radio stations. She is extremely passionate about giving back the community and when she’s not helping with FFCA she’s fulfilling her role as a board member for Juneau rotaract.

Eva Denison
Northern Representative

Eva spent 4 years in foster care in Fairbanks before aging out. She has been involved with FFCA since 2012. Eva is passionate about teaching foster youth skills to be advocates on behalf of themselves and others. She has been working for 5 years at Wells Fargo as a Business Associate and she is a member of the Air National Guard. Eva stepped up to be a Representative on the FFCA Youth Leadership Board to help grow efforts and outreach to foster youth in the northern-most communities of Alaska.​

Abigail Redmon
Anchorage Representative

Abbey was eager to join FFCA as a member as soon as she turned 15. She was inspired by watching her older siblings spend years improving outcomes for foster youth as members of FFCA. Abbey’s experience of being placed in foster care 5 separate times all while moving through 22 foster care placements has driven her to want to improve the system for those who come after her. Abbey is one of the youngest of 12 siblings, she is a sophomore at West High School, she’s in dance and yoga, and she enjoys volunteering with her Big from Big Brothers Big Sisters.
​

Tristan Thompson Anchorage Representative

Tristan joined FFCA as a member in 2016 at the age of 19. Tristan has a strong desire to advocate for youth across the state as he knows all too well the challenges of aging out of foster care. He spent 7 years in foster care in the Matsu Valley before aging out of the foster care system himself. Tristan graduated from Job Corps with a certification in Building Construction Technology, and currently
 works for South Central Foundation. Tristan is serving his second term on the FFCA Youth Leadership Board as an Anchorage Representative.
​
​

Skye McCaa
​ Northern
​Representative 

Skye spent 5 years in foster care before being adopted. She joined FFCA as a member passionate about connecting with those who have similar experiences and helping others in worse situations than she was. Skye cares deeply about animals, and making the foster care system better for all youth. She is interested in becoming a Social Worker. Skye finds joy in helping others and making other people happy.
​

Mateo Jaime
​Community Relations Liaison

Mateo Jaime has been in foster care for 3 1/2 years, and has moved through 9 foster care placements. Mateo is an active member of FFCA, and was appointed by the Youth Board in 2020 as the Community Relations Specialist. He serves as the Youth Liaison on the FFCA legal committee focusing on legislation and ways to further shape child welfare policy through the lens of his lived-expertise. Mateo starts college at the University of Alaska Anchorage this fall.
​

Vacant
South Central/Western Representatives

The Statewide Youth Leadership Board is currently recruiting for current or former foster youth between the ages of 15-24, residing in Western and Southcentral Alaska to join our team.

Board of Directors & Staff

The FFCA Board of Directors and Staff oversee non-profit operations and follow the direction of the Youth Leadership Board and FFCA Membership. FFCA Youth Leadership Board and Members often move on to roles with the Board of Directors.

Amanda Metivier

Co-Founder/Board Member

Amanda  is an alumni of  Alaska's foster care system. Amanda along with group of foster youth/alumni, co-founded Facing Foster Care in Alaska in 2003. Through her advocacy with FFCA She has led efforts to expand services and supports for foster youth across Alaska. Amanda is the Associate Director of the Office of Youth Empowerment (OYE), a partnership of the Child Welfare Academy and FFCA. She manages the college fund for foster youth, provides training for child welfare staff & allies, and offers countless opportunities for foster youth/alumni to engage as leaders. Amanda has been recognized for her work to amplify youth voice. 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, and was named one of Treehouse Foundation's Champions for Re-Envisioning Foster Care in in America in 2020. ​

Angel Gonzales

Board President/Laptop Coordinator
​

Angel, an alumnus of Alaska's foster care system, has been involved with FFCA for more than a decade, beginning her tenure as a youth member before being elected as an Anchorage Representative on the Statewide Youth Leadership Board. She joined the Board of Director and was elected as Deputy-President before moving in to her current role as President of the Board of Directors. Angel is passionate about improving child welfare systems through educating youth about their rights, resources, and raising community awareness. Angel has shared her own lived-expertise at the Local, state and national level with a focus on improved Permanency, Racial Equity, sibling contact, and the need for mentors. Angel has promoted advocacy through her work as an artist, being featured several times on the cover of National CASA, and the Anchorage Press.  Angel worked as a trainer for the Sync mentoring program to match foster youth with mentors, she served on the Western Pacific Implementation Center, and she is a certified trainer for Fostering Futures
​ with National CASA. 

Sarah Redmon

Project Coordinator/Deputy Treasurer

Sarah spent five years in foster care and  joined FFCA at age 16 as a member. She was elected as an Anchorage Representative on the Youth Leadership Board and served as the Youth Liaison on the Board of Directors. Sarah is the Project Coordinator at the Office of Youth Empowerment (OYE), a partnership of the Child Welfare Academy and FFCA. Sarah brings a wealth of lived-expertise and advocacy to FFCA. She successfully advocated for foster care re-entry and re-entered foster care herself after aging out to homelessness. She led efforts to restrict the use of Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA) the goal foster youth get when they age out.  Sarah has planned, coordinated hundreds of training, retreats, and youth empowerment events for foster youth/alumni statewide. She offers support and professional mentorship to FFCA members across the state. Sarah served as a FosterClub Allstar, and has been a foster parent to her own siblings in care.

Barb Malchick

Board Member

​Barb worked as a child advocate attorney for more than 25 years, with a particular interest in advocating for older foster youth. She currently works for the court system training judges, lawyers, child advocates, social workers, and tribal representatives involved in the child protection system. Barb has been involved with FFCA since its beginning, and credits the FFCA youth with educating her and making her a better advocate. She is constantly inspired by the youth’s stories, their courage, their resiliency, and their desire to make the child protection system better for the children and youth that follow them.  She is proud to be part of an organization that is truly youth-led.  In addition to her passion for FFCA, Barb loves biking, playing her ukulele, and snorkeling.  She lives in Anchorage with her wonderful husband and two adorable cats.

Janine Reep

Board Member

Janine is an attorney who chose to study law so that she could use that knowledge to work for positive change and provide access to justice for those in need. Janine began her legal career at Alaska Legal Services in Juneau, and then went on to work  in the child protection field in varying capacities. Janine has been employed as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alaska, guardian ad litem and CASA supervisor through the Office of Public Advocacy, and as a Mediator for the court system. Janine currently handles adoptions and guardianships for youth exiting OCS custody.   She is also actively involved in the SE Chapter of FFCA.

Janine is passionate about opening doors for foster youth and helping them achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives. She is inspired by the strength and determination of FFCA youth to better not only their own lives, but also those of their peers--with the result of making the  world a little bit better place for all of us.

Sharity Sommer

Deputy Secretary

​Sharity Sommer became a program officer at the Rasmuson Foundation in November of 2017. She has held a variety of positions at the Foundation beginning as an intern in 2009 through the First Alaskans Institute Leadership Program.
Sharity works on a variety of grant requests and programs, including co-managing the Individual Artist Awards program, helping implement the Premera Rural Health Care Fund and overseeing the Foundation’s partnership with Museums Alaska. She previously coordinated the Tier 1 program.
Sharity earned a Bachelor of Arts in international studies with a minor in psychology from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Sharity serves on the board of Facing Foster Care in Alaska and steering committee of R.O.C.K. – Raising our Children with Kindness – Mat-Su. She hopes to inspire her nieces and nephews through positive involvement in the community, and loves learning her traditional language, Denaakk’e, and traveling.

Betsy Baker

Vice President/Secretary

Betsy's volunteer work with foster youth began in 2008 when she became a licensed foster care provider in rural New Hampshire. Offering respite opportunities to teenage girls giving her the privilege of meeting remarkable young women navigating their way through multiple placements and the special challenges that come with living in remote settings with limited services. FFCA was the clear choice for where to focus her volunteer time after moving to Alaska in 2014. FFCA’s unique youth-driven programs ensure that those who know the most about how the foster care system can be improved for youth that come after them are the ones leading the charge, through the Youth Leadership Board. Betsy is especially proud of FFCA’s focus on education and guidance for foster youth in college preparation, entrance, and success, vocational training opportunities, and other support needed to achieve educational and career goals. Her work as a law professor focusing on Arctic, ocean, and international law brought her to Alaska where Betsy has  been privileged to live and work on Arctic and marine science and policy ever since.

Randy Virgin

Treasurer

Randy joined the FFCA board in 2017. He manages a recycling facility in Anchorage and also co-owns a local business with his wife DeeAnn. He has worked and volunteered with non-profits for over twenty years, including GreenStar, Alaska Center for the Environment, and Alaska Conservation Voters. He has previously served as the Sustainability Director for the Municipality of Anchorage and as Executive Director of Alaska Center for the Environment. He is continually inspired by the resiliency and heart of foster youth in Alaska, and is happy to be able to support them through FFCA.

Rachel Bedsworth

Board Member

Andrea Conter

Board Member

The year 2017 completely changed Andrea‘s life. As a very ambitious career woman with a 30 year history of retail store management, Andrea decided to become a foster parent at the age of 52. Having had no bio children prior  to this, fostering teens was definitely a leap of faith. Since then she has not looked back, having fostered six different teen boys and also adopting one. Andrea‘s heart has always leaned towards the nonprofit world, as she served on the Board of Directors for the Arc Of Anchorage for seven years. Just recently she made the transition from for-profit to nonprofit by becoming the manager of human resources at the Arc Of Anchorage. As she likes to say it, “everything has come full circle.” An Alaskan since 1996, Andrea grew up in Southern California but a vacation in our great state made her determined to move here and make Alaska her “forever home”. Eventually Andrea wants to start her own nonprofit that involves independent living facilities for teenage foster youth, helping to prepare them for the realities that they will face once they turn 21. When she is not working Andrea enjoys relaxing at home with her sons and her long-haired Chihuahua‘s, Pippin and Frodo. ​

Alyssa Rodrigues

Board Member

Dr. Alyssa Rodrigues has over a decade of experience with Alaska's economy as a research economist and economic developer. In her most recent role as the Development Manager for the State of Alaska, she managed the implementation of the Statewide Comprehensive Development Strategy. Dr. Rodrigues has a BA in Forest Management and a Masters in Forest Economics from Oregon State University and a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alyssa and her wife are foster parents and have a passion for increasing the well-being of children and youth in the foster care system and beyond. ​

Tashina Duttle

Board Member

Tashina (Lord-Sullens) Duttle is Inupiaq, from the North Slope of Alaska. She is a born-and-raised Alaskan and has spent her career supporting tribal communities in the development and implementation of infrastructure and capacity building projects. Tashina is a proud bio/adoptive/foster parent and was previously in foster care as a teen. As a youth, she exited became an emancipated minor at the age of 16. Tashina has a special place in her heart for teen youth in custody and loves being able to support youth as a foster parent and through her participation on the FFCA Board of Directors. She has a background in strategic planning, project management, and grant writing and got involved with FFCA as a way to lend her talents to an organization that she believes fills an important role in empowering youth that have experienced being in foster care. ​

Monica Hinson-Wilson

Board Member

Beth Ross

Board Member

Wanda Gabriel

Board Member

Sean Gaither

Sean was born in San Francisco California and grew up mainly in the Bay Area. He moved to Alaska in 2007. Sean has worked any job you can think of from door to door sales to his role as the Associate Program Coordinator for the housing department for Covenant House Alaska.  Have supported and enjoyed volunteering for non profits in and out of the state. I am happy to be working with FFCA after seeing the passion and heart that everyone brings to support change in the foster care system in Alaska. ​

Honorary Board Members 
Rebecca Shier
Gary Lose
Gibby Hernandez
​Clare Ross-Emeritus