 DEC, Revenue, H&SS, Corrections, Labor Ballard of Ketchikan Appointed Commissioner DEC; Fisher of Ketchikan Appointed Deputy Commissioner DOL December 09, 2002
"I am gratified that these new commissioners have agreed to become part of the working core of this administration," Murkowski said. "We will have a cabinet of many long-time Alaskans, representing regional diversity. I am confident that the people of Alaska will soon share my appreciation for each of these individuals, and for the education, experience and leadership qualities they bring to the departments they will head up." Department of Environmental Conservation Ernesta Ballard has broad and varied experience in management. Her career has included senior management positions in both the public and private sectors. She has served as Budget Director for the University of Washington, and subsequently as Senior Vice President for Retail Banking at Seattle Trust and Savings Bank. She was Regional Administrator of Region 10 of the United States Environmental Protection Agency from 1983-86. Ballard moved to Alaska in 1989 to become CEO of the Cape Fox Corporation. She holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, attended Oxford University on a Thouron Scholarship, and received an MBA from Harvard University. She was appointed to the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service in 1997. Ballard is Board Chair of LifeCenter and a board member of the Ketchikan General Hospital and the Resource Development Council. She is the former Board Chair of the University of Washington Hospital. She has been an environmental consultant since leaving Cape Fox and is widely respected in that capacity around the state. "For DEC, we were looking for an environmental professional, who is committed to doing it right," Murkowski said. "Ernesta brings a strong background in implementing environmental policy at EPA Region 10, where she gained the respect of her colleagues. She is thus uniquely positioned to foster a new co-operation between the state and EPA, and to remove the unnecessary roadblocks between the agencies." Department of Revenue Bill Corbus is the retired president of Alaska Electric Light and Power, the electric company that serves the Juneau area, where he has lived since 1970. Corbus holds a BS in industrial engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck Graduate School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. He served as a Lt. J.G. in the U.S. Naval Reserve, including one year as an advisor to the Vietnamese Navy in 1962-63. From 1965-69, Corbus worked for Stone & Webster in New York City providing public utility security analysis, financial planning, and accounting. In 1970, he joined AEL&P as assistant manager, becoming general manager and president in 1978. He has been president of the company since 1988. He has been involved in a wide array of public services, including the B.M. Behrends Bank, Key Bank of Alaska, First National Bank of Anchorage, and the Alaska State Pension, Investment Board (1993-99). Civic organizations he has served include the CBJ Charter Commission in 1972, Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, Bartlett Memorial Hospital, Juneau Boy Scout Council, Catholic Community Service, and Juneau Hospice and Home Care, among others. "Bill Corbus has a solid, stable background in the management of financial resources, which, in these difficult times on Wall Street, will be good protection for Alaska's assets," Murkowski said. "At the department of revenue, we need a person who, in addition to managing the department well, will be able to husband our financial resources in the turbulent investment atmosphere back East. We have to protect our bond rating. Plus, I think it's about time that those outside Alaska, who have benefited over the years by managing and investing our financial resources, be called upon to bring some of it back to Alaska. I think this can be done in the form of participation in infrastructure development, and I think Bill Corbus is just the man to make it happen." Department of Health and Social Services Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Joel Gilbertson has worked in a variety of positions related to health care and welfare systems, focusing on the efficient delivery of services and expanding access to underserved communities. Gilbertson has worked for the Center for Health Services Research and Policy, and for National Association of Social Workers. There, he assisted in the research and publication of a nationwide study of Medicaid managed care contracts. Most recently, he has served as legislative director and counsel on Murkowski's U.S. Senate staff, managing policy on a variety of issues including Medicaid, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP, also known in Alaska as "Denali KidCare), Medicare, Social Security, and welfare reform. He is a graduate of George Washington University Law School and GWU School of Public Health and Health Services in Washington, D.C., holding Juris Doctor and Master of Public Health degrees. "Joel Gilbertson is young, energetic and innovative," Murkowski said. "Yet he is also experienced and knowledgeable in health and welfare issues. He is well-acquainted with the Medicaid funding problems facing Alaska and every other state. I have worked with him for the past four years and I know his talents and abilities. The issues and opportunities we have at the department of health and social services are numerous, they are big, and they hit people at the personal level. I think Joel is the right person to tackle those problems." Department of Corrections Marc Antrim is a 32-year resident of Alaska, a graduate of Juneau-Douglas High School and UAF, where he earned a BA in criminal justice in 1983. A 19-year employee of the Department of Corrections, Antrim has served as a correctional officer, shift supervisor, and now as Lieutenant, supervising all administrative sergeants. "I
will charge Marc Antrim to make changes at his department from
the top to the bottom, with the protection of the public at the
forefront of this effort," Murkowski said. "He is an
experienced, dedicated leader who has extensive line experience
and who has the confidence and respect of the correctional officers
who will serve under him. There is a new day at Corrections,
and a new management team to make the changes. This team will
include Don Stolworthy as deputy commissioner, Portia Parker
in a policy development and analysis role, and Mike Addington
as director of institutions. Clearly, managing the department
of corrections can be a difficult task, but I believe this is
the team that Stolworthy has worked for the department of corrections as a parole officer since March, 1999, and as a supervisor since July of this year. Prior to his service at corrections, he worked at the Legislature, and for Governor Walter J. Hickel as a special assistant and as director of the division of charitable gaming. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming. Parker has worked in the past as a legislative assistant for Senators Lyda Green and Loren Leman, among others. She has also worked as public affairs director for the American Heart Association and the Alaska Travel Industry Association. Most recently, she served as Southcentral director for the Murkowski for Governor campaign. Parker has a BA in government from Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Addington is currently commander of the department of corrections academy in Anchorage. He is a 14-year veteran of the department, having served as a line officer, prisoner transportation officer, and training sergeant prior to holding the position at the academy. Department of Labor and Workforce Development Greg O'Claray is director of legislative and governmental affairs for District 1 of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, an AFL-CIO affiliate representing marine engineers on the Alaska ferries, Alaska trade oil tankers, and other commercial vessels. O'Claray has worked as a professional mariner, beginning in 1960, and in a variety of labor union positions since 1968, including the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, Seafarers International Union of North America, as well as MEBA. He has served on a number of civic organizations, including CBJ Economic Development Council, Citizens for Management of Alaska Lands, Alaska Committee, Juneau Port Development Council, Juneau Chamber of Commerce, Alaska State AFL-CIO, Juneau Central Labor Council. He has also served as a trustee on two benefit trusts for 6,000 maritime workers in Alaska and the West Coast. "I have asked Greg O'Claray to go into the department of labor and clean out what has become a moribund, highly politicized agency, and make it work for Alaskans," Murkowski said. "The clients - Alaskan workers - are not being served if the agency does not respond to their needs. Mr. O'Claray understands what is needed to convert this agency into a vibrant and responsive asset serving Alaskan workers. Mr. O'Claray and I absolutely agree on what it will take to fix the department of labor. He is committed to doing what needs to be done to restore the department of labor as an asset for the working people of the state." Murkowski also announced that Ed Fisher, a long-time Ketchikan business manager and consultant, would serve as deputy commissioner under O'Claray. Murkowski added that he expects to continue the process of selecting qualified candidates for the remaining cabinet posts over the coming weeks. "Together with the earlier appointment of Gregg Renkes at the department of law, we now have nearly half of the cabinet in place," Murkowski said. "I am looking forward to completing this process as soon as we can." Source of News Release:
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