TAGSC Board and Staff


Back Row: Candace Brower, April Jensen
Fourth Row: Laura Cronk, L. Kay McKarty
Third Row: Doc Waterman, Julia Erickson, Mary Siroky
Second Row: Jim Sheufelt, Renée Woodell (NO LONGER ON THE BOARD), Margaret Pugh
First Row: Gretchen Skillings, Susan Cox
NOT PICTURED: Janell Hafner, Cathy Watson, Carolyn Noe, Cynthia Rogers

Susan Cox, Chair - Juneau
Susan Cox served on the TAGSC Board of Directors for most of the 1990s as a Board Member at Large and the Treasurer. She took a break to be a leader of her daughter's Cadette troop from 1999 to 2001, and then returned to the board in 2002 as First Vice Chair. She has served on most board committees and is presently chair of Policies and Procedures Committee. Susan works as an assistant attorney general for the State of Alaska and is also involved in the Juneau Ski Club and the AFS international student exchange program. She is married to a great Girl Scout supporter, Tom Nave, and they have two active children – Julia, 18, and Peter, 15.

Doc Waterman, Second Vice Chair - Craig
Doc has been part of a Girl Scout family for many years. Doc served on the Nominating Committee for three years and has been on the board for five years. He operates a real estate company on Prince of Wales Island and is on the Craig School Board.

Mary Siroky, Secretary - Juneau
Mary has been in Alaska since 1984 land has lived in Sitka, Fairbanks, and Juneau.  She joined the TAGSC Board of Directors in 2002. Currently, Mary is chair of the Nominating Committee. As a former Brownie and Girl Scout, Mary knows that Girl Scouting provides opportunities and experiences for girls that can not be obtained elsewhere. Mary is principal of Cedarbrook Consulting providing expertise on environmental, government and legislative affairs. Prior to starting her own company, Mary worked for 20 years with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.  Mary is on the Board of Directors of the Juneau League of Women Voters and is a member of Rotary. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, reading and listening to books as well as travel.

Gretchen Skillings, Treasurer - Ketchikan
Gretchen Skillings has been on the TAGSC Board of Directors for six years. She is the Treasurer and chair of the Finance Committee. She enjoyed being a Girl Scout as a child and is happy to be able to give back as an adult. Gretchen and her husband, Cliff, have a 4-year-old daughter and 4-year-old boy/girl twins. Gretchen was recently hired as the first woman firefighter for the Ketchikan Fire Department.

Members at Large:

Candace Brower - Juneau
Candy has been a member of the TAGSC Board of Directors since 2001 and has served as a member and chair of the Nominating Committee and on the Fund Development Committee. In her professional life, she is a Parole Board administrator for the State of Alaska. Candy and her husband, Dave, have a daughter, Emma, who has been involved in Girl Scouts since she was five years old. Candy feels that as a TAGSC board member she not only provides an important service but also sets a good example for her daughter by contributing to the community through her time and energy devoted to the Girl Scout council.

April Jensen - Sitka
April has lived in Sitka for 2 years. In addition to serving on the TAGSC Board of Directors, she is Assistant City Clerk of Sitka, on the board of the Sitka Summer Music Festival and is active in other volunteer organizations. She serves on the TAGSC Fund Development, Policies and Procedures, and Human Resources committees. She also chairs the Communications Committee. April's husband has retired from BLM and is a commercial pilot. Prior to moving to Sitka, April lived in Anchorage, where she worked for 10 years for the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, serving as president and membership director. In Anchorage, April also volunteered for many groups, among them the Susitna Girl Scout Council. She believes that it is imperative that young women have a place to go, someone to turn to, and others to look up to so they can a address the enormous challenges they face – and that Girl Scouts provides these.

Cynthia Rogers - Sitka

Jim Sheufelt - Juneau

Laura Cronk - Ketchikan

Carolyn Noe - Juneau

Cathy Watson - Sitka

Janell Hafner - Juneau

L. Kay McCarty - Sitka
Kay grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After finishing high school, she married her childhood friend, Don. They lived in California, where Don studied for the ministry, Oregon, and Washington before coming to Sitka 22 years ago. Kay and Don own and operate an art gallery in Sitka, where Kay is the featured artist. Kay and Don have three children and five grandchildren. Kay has served on the TAGSC Board for the four years and is a member of the Nominating, Human Resources and Finance committees. In 2003, she chaired the Annual Meeting Task Group. She currently serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

Margaret Pugh - Juneau
Margaret first joined Girl Scouts as a child in Marianna, Florida. Her mother hailed from Savannah, Georgia, so, of course, Girl Scouting is a family tradition. Margaret continued the tradition when she moved to Alaska 36 years ago. When her daughter Beth turned 5 years old Margaret became a Pixie (now Daisy) leader in Anchorage, then she had a junior troop. Later, when the family moved to Juneau, Margaret joined the TAGSC Board of Directors. After service on the board, she had the first Daisy troop in Juneau. Margaret recently retired as Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Corrections and rejoined the board this year. She and her husband, John, have two grown children (Beth and John) and two granddaughters, future Girl Scouts to keep up the family tradition. Ella, who lives in Anchorage, is two, and Sophia, who lives in Naukati, was born in June 2004. Margaret is the Chair of the Alumnae Committee, the 2006 Annual Meeting as well as the Auction Task Group.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Mary Lou Elton - Juneau
Mary Lou Elton has lived in Juneau for 33 years. She was born and raised in California and as a child was a member of Brownie and Girl Scout troops. Her mother and a friend were the leaders for her younger sister's summer camp program for Girl Scouts and Mary Lou still remembers their chosen nicknames of “Hoot” and “Toot.” She feels that Girl Scouts really do know how to have more fun! Mary Lou moved to Alaska after graduating from Chico State University and has a legislative information service focusing on K-12 education issues. Her clients include school districts, education groups, and lobbyists. Mary Lou is married to Juneau's Senator Kim Elton.

Susan Stone - Ketchikan
Susan Stone has served Girl Scouts in Southeast Alaska for many years, having been a member of the Board of Directors, the council president, and a member of nearly every council committee. Susan is a long-time Ketchikan resident and is a teacher in the Ketchikan school district.

Karen Taylor - Ketchikan
Karen has been involved in Girl Scouting since the early 1970s. She was a camp counselor and a troop leader. Karen works at the Mike Smithers Pool in Ketchikan. She says that Girl Scouting has provided her with a positive outlook on life and taught her about dealing with every society.

Mary Siroky, Chair - Juneau (See above)

Candace Brower - Juneau (See above)

L. Kay McCarty - Sitka (See above)

TAGS COUNCIL STAFF

Julia Erickson
CEO
Julia Erickson has lived with her husband and 3 of her 6 children in Juneau for 2 years. She previously worked as a mental health clinician at Juneau Adult Mental Health, Inc., Southern Nevada Women's Corectional Center and Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health. She also was Emergency Service Director of S.A.F.E. House in Henderson, Nevada. Julia presents with a life long love of Girl Scouting, children, and service in her church. She sees Girl Scouts as an extremely positive influence in the lives of girls and their families.

Linda Sylvester
Program/Membership Coordinator, (bio coming soon!)
Originally from Ketchikan, Linda has lived in Juneau since 1971. Before joining the Council, Linda worked for the Dept. of Education as the statewide coordinator for the National School Lunch Program. Prior to that, she spent eight years working in and around the Legislature for a lobbyist and as staff to representatives from Nome, Eagle River and Juneau. Linda's love of scouting dates back to 1970 as a child in Ketchikan. Although she was only a Brownie for about two weeks, (the meeting location was a long walk from home.) Linda has fond memories of the Brownie circle, the really kind Brownie leader and, of course, “The Craft.” (That now snaggle-toothed "santa" shoe-like Christmas ornament thing still hangs front and center on her tree!) Linda got involved with Brownies again as a college student, leading Brownie Troop 32 at Capitol School in the 1980's. She rejoined scouting in 1991 as the leader of her daughter's Daisy troop and continued as that troop's leader through Juniors. When not working, Linda is an enthusiastic gardener and enjoys all things in the outdoors. She is married to Brian and they have a blended family of four adult children, three Golden Retrievers and a backyard full of squirrels, blue jays and chickadees.


Teresa Newton
Office Manager
Teresa Newton has been the TAGSC Office Manager, Store Manager, Cookie Administrator and Registration ordinator for five years.   She has banking background and also has worked for the Red Cross.  She is from Anchorage with her husband Marvin (also a Girl Scout), who is the Governor for Moose Lodge #700 in Juneau.  They live in West Juneau with their cat Bugsy.