Our Hearts are with Ketchikan | |
Our hearts go out to the residents of Ketchikan in the wake of the deadly landslide on Sunday afternoon. Officials are knee-deep in disaster mitigation efforts as destruction assessments as well as risk of additional landslides are made and clean up begins. At this point, Southeast Conference is moving forward with our Annual Meeting preparations in Ketchikan at the end of September and standing by to support the community. | |
Register Today for Southeast Conference's 66th Annual Meeting | |
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We are busy making arrangements for our 2024 Southeast Alaska Economic Summit and 66th Annual Meeting to be held in Ketchikan this September 24-26, 2024! Regional business and community leaders will gather to develop an action plan for our economy as we rally around the theme, "Navigating the Changing Tides." We are lining up a fantastic roster of speakers that you won't want to miss!
Southeast Conference Sponsors make our Annual Meeting possible. There is still plenty of time – and lots of opportunities – to become a sponsor of Southeast Conference’s 2024 Economic Summit and 66th Annual Meeting!
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Day Two: Speaker Highlights | | |
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CASEY SIXKILLER
Regional Administrator, Region 10, EPA
Casey Sixkiller was appointed Regional Administrator, Region 10, of the Environmental Protection Agency by President Joe Biden in May 2022. As regional administrator, Sixkiller oversees the EPA’s work to protect human health and the environment across the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska, and 271 tribal nations. Sixkiller’s ability to craft practical solutions to complex policy problems reflects more than two decades of experience working at the federal, Tribal, and local levels. He has led large, complex organizations, defended Tribal sovereignty and treaty rights, and secured millions in federal funding to meet local needs.Prior to joining EPA, Sixkiller served as Deputy Mayor of the City of Seattle. An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Sixkiller helped launch the Cherokee Nation’s Washington (DC) Office in 2001. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Sixkiller is a graduate of Seattle Public Schools and Dartmouth College and is the proud father of three children.
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RYAM ZAMARRIPA
BBB Program Manager, EDA
Ryan Zamarripa is a program manager for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge at the Economic Development Administration, where he works to help to dismantle long-standing barriers to economic prosperity faced by marginalized communities across the country. He previously worked on the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a Biden Administration political appointee in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the White House, and in various policy roles in think tanks. His experience spans local, state, and federal agencies and touches on a wide range of issue areas related to economic justice. Zamarripa is also an adjunct lecturer at the Columbia University School of Social Work. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Columbia University and bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and economics from Tulane University. A Los Angeles native, he currently resides in Washington, D.C.”
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Public Comment Period extended re: Petition to add Chinook Salmon to ESA | |
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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently issued a positive 90-day finding on a petition to list Chinook salmon from all rivers flowing into the Gulf of Alaska as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The positive finding indicates that NMFS believes the petition provides substantial information that an ESA listing for these Chinook stocks may be warranted. This finding starts a formal status review under the ESA. The result of the status review will be a decision on whether to list any or all GOA Chinook stocks as threatened or endangered under the ESA.
This ESA petition covers a massive area including Chinook that spawn in the rivers of Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, and the Alaska Peninsula and any ensuing decisions will affect many Alaskans. Electronic public comments can be submitted via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2024-0042 in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments. Comment period extended to September 6, 2024.
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We're Putting on the Ritz in Ketchikan! | | |
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Join us in Ketchikan for our Southeast Conference Annual Scholarship Banquet and Auction during our upcoming Economic Summit and 66th Annual Meeting! Come ready to celebrate the Roaring 2020s and party like its 1924! Dress in your finest Great Gatsby style and receive an extra drink ticket! It'll be the Bees Knees! We are actively recruiting for auction donations! | |
Wednesday
September 25, 2024
5:45 PM
Ted Ferry Civic Center
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Regional Award Nominations! | |
You have a few more days to submit your award Nominations for Community and Business of the Year
Are you aware of a business or community in the region that did something amazing over this last year? Tell us about it! Simply fill out the appropriate nomination form (linked below) and tells us why you think they deserve recognition. Community of the Year and Business of the Year awards will be given out during the banquet at Southeast Conference's upcoming Annual Meeting. Nominations must be received no later then September 2, 2024.
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Bus Shuttle Service
Courtesy of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough
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Travel within Ketchikan will be a breeze thanks to the generosity of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough’s Transit department. A special shuttle route will provide scheduled hotel morning pick ups and evening service every 20 min. between all hotels, airport ferry, the Ted Ferry Conference Center and downtown locations. . Additionally conference attendees will be able to travel within Ketchikan on any bus free of charge by showing your conference badge. A transit ap will provide real-time locations and ETA of all busses. Stay Tuned for more information!
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Congrats to SEC's Kaitlyn Jared! | | |
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National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) President Chris Brown appointed Kaitlyn Jared, Southeast Conference, Alaska to serve on the National RPO Council of Peers. Kaitlyn will serve in this leadership role for the 2024-2026 term.
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Alaska Mariculture Cluster News | |
Mariculture Job Opportunities! | Southeast Conference is hiring a Mariculture Project Manager and Mariculture Project Coordinator to join our team and help implement a $49 million Build Back Better grant to catalyze Alaska’s mariculture industry! To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to dan@seconference.org. More information and job descriptions found at link below. | |
Statistics about Alaska's mariculture industry are limited and often not up to date, which makes it difficult to answer seemingly basic questions such as “how much sugar kelp was planted in Prince William Sound this year?” and “are there sufficient facilities to fulfill the anticipated need for juvenile oysters in Southeast Alaska?” To address these data limitations and grow the industry, the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC) is asking industry members to | |
Kelp Development & Testing RFP | Southeast Conference is soliciting proposals for agricultural product development and/or field trials involving Alaska kelp. Funded projects will conduct research and development projects that result in publicly available reports and data that advance an understanding of the most promising agricultural uses of Alaska kelp. Deadline for RFP submission is Monday, October 7. Email questions to dan@seconference.org. | |
POW Biomass Operator Training a Success! | |
Southeast Conference with its partners at Alaska Energy Authority and Deerstone Consulting organized a cordwood boiler operator training on the Prince of Wales island from August 13-15. This was the first post-Covid biomass training, and it was a huge success. All 14 participants engaged well and reported positive feedback after the training. As a result, Southeast Island School District is in a good shape to fire their cordwood boilers this heating season. The next training will be in Tanacross from September 24-26, 2024, and registration is now open. For an application or more information, please reach out to angie@seconference.org | | |
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Southeast Conference has begun the development of a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the region, which will guide our trajectory for the next 5 years. We depend on you, our members, to weigh in on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to our region on an industry specific level. If you would like to receive invites to a committee that you are not currently on, please email your request to office@seconference.org
Upcoming Committee
CEDS Workshop:
Visitor's Industry, September 5, 2pm
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