With a new year comes new faculty. Many of our professors come from all around the country, from the depths of Florida to Pennsylvania around Montana and even our back yard here in Mountain View to help students see the world through a host of perspectives.
Michael Briseño (Outdoor Studies)—Mike will be serving in a part-time faculty position while Eeva Latosuo is on sabbatical. Experienced in outdoor education, he works with the Voyage School of the Chugach School District and as a lead instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). He has been an adjunct instructor at APU for five years, teaching the Expedition Leadership course, Winter Wilderness Skills, and Climbing Systems. Mike earned both his bachelor’s degree (OS) and master’s degree (MSOEE) from APU.
Farrah Greene-Palmer (Counseling Psychology)— Farrah brings a wealth of clinical and academic experience to the Counseling Psychology program. She has served as an instructor at diverse institutions of higher education, including the University of Virginia, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Western Washington University, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She was an Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Sciences Department at the Medical University of the Americas. Most recently, she has worked in public health for the State of Alaska. She is a specialist in suicide prevention and has done extensive scholarship and educational outreach in this area. Farrah earned a BA from Johns Hopkins and a master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She also completed a Post-doctoral fellowship with the Uniformed Services University.
Erin Larson (Environmental Studies)— Erin earned her bachelor’s degree at Dartmouth and completed her Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Biology from Cornell. She was a visiting scholar at UAA’s Alaska Center for Conservation Science last year and has worked previously for the Idaho Fish and Game Department. She has several publications in journals such as Freshwater Biology, the Journal of Fish and Wildlife Biology, and Ecohydrology, and she co-hosts a podcast for the Society of Freshwater Science. She has received over $200,000 in fellowships and grant funding, including a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Erin has a particular interest in mentoring students in the sciences and science teaching.
Janice Littlebear (Education/CO-OP director)— An APU alumna, Jan has spent almost 30 years in education as a teacher (over 16 years in Mountain View), mentor, and educational consultant. She helped develop the indicators for culturally responsive teaching using Alaska Cultural Standards for Teachers (Culture in the Classroom project) and most recently served as program manager and principal investigator for the Alaska Statewide Mentor Program. She has served as an adjunct faculty member in the CO-OP program and worked closely with the instructional team last year to align course objectives, assignments, and assessment/accreditation criteria. She has also taught courses at UAA, UAF, and Chief Dull Knife College in Montana. Jan earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Cross-Cultural Studies & Education) at UAF.
Meredith Marchioni (Cultural Studies)— Meredith holds an MA and Ph.D. in comparative sociology from Florida Atlantic University. She has extensive work experience in Alaska, including community-based research with Alaska Native organizations, as well as international research experience. Prior to coming to Alaska and while here, she has served as a faculty member at Framingham State University and Clarkson University and as adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska and other schools. She will teach a variety of humanities and social science courses and is jumping right in by helping lead the ExpAK trip during the Fall block.
Joe Sarcone (Environmental Public Health/EPH director)— Joe was most recently an environmental health scientist with the US Department of Health and Human Services here in Anchorage. He has worked extensively with villages in Rural Alaska on environmental public health concerns; he has experience with international programs and Federal policy administration as well. He has served as adjunct faculty at UAA, teaching the Introduction to Environmental Health course in Spring 2016. Joe has a BS in Environmental Resource Management from Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
Lincoln Garrick (Institute of Business & Public Policy)— Lincoln has over 15 years in the professional communications field. He holds an MBA from Alaska Pacific University and headed up one of Alaska’s top ad agencies, taking that shop from a small design firm to the most award-winning full-service agency in the state. He has been recognized nationally by “O’Dwyer’s PR rankings” as among the best of the best for Multicultural PR, is a AJOC “top 40 under 40” recipient, is Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) APR Accredited and received the state’s only Silver Anvil awarded to an ad agency along with just shy of 100 regional awards. Lincoln has represented more American Indian and Alaska Native organizations than any other agency president in the country worked alongside fortune 500 companies and many of Alaska’s largest businesses and government agencies. At APU, his focus is on the areas of Leadership, Marketing/Advertising/PR and Valuation/Acquisitions.
Shasta Stephens (Nursing)—Shasta will be joining the Nursing faculty in January. Shasta began her nursing career at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, and she has served as a certified Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner at hospitals across the country. Her areas of expertise will contribute to advanced curriculum development and clinical supervision in the nursing program. She has taught as an adjunct faculty member online for George Washington University, Dublin City University, and Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University. Shasta earned her undergraduate degree from Troy University and her MSN and DNP from George Washington University. She also completed a post-master’s certificate to become an Adult/Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania. Shasta is licensed to practice in Alaska.
