Board of Directors
President
Snow Machine Club Liason
Grew up in the Canadian Rockies, spent a decade exploring New Zealand, and has been in Alaska since 1998. Also, he started the Alaska Avalanche Information Center!
And wants you to know he likes rain and his happy place is on the Sound.
Pete Carter
Vice President and PWSC Liaison
Benjamin came to Valdez in 2019, as the professor for the Outdoor Leadership program at Prince William Sound College. He has a Ph.D. with an emphasis in Risk Management. Prior to moving to Valdez he was a professor at Northern Vermont University in the Outdoor Education, Leadership and Tourism Department for 4 years. While there he served on boards for The Outing Club, and the Lyndon Town Walk and Fitness Committee. Before Vermont, he was living and working in Taiwan and developing outdoor programs in different universities and colleges in Asia. He has a deep and international perspective on outdoors.
Benjamin Rush
Treasurer
Cammie is a new-comer to Valdez, with just two years of residency. She moved here with her husband and daughter. She and her family are enthusiast volunteers for trails and events. She is the Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Prince William Sound College.
Cammie Hsu
Secretary and Advisory Council Liaison
Event Chair
Robbin has lived in Valdez for 13 years, enjoys paddle boarding, fat biking, skiing, and hiking. She’s also a dedicated trailblazing volunteer and a lover of ‘type II fun.’ Robbin has an MS in behavioral ecology and loves the frequent wildlife encounters and observations she gets to make in Valdez.
Robbin Capers
Community Business
Karen has lived in Valdez more than 30 years. She owns has owned and operated the Fat Mermaid for more than 12 years. She served two terms on the Valdez City Council. 2023 starts Karen’s second term on the Board, having served a few years on the Advisory Council in between. She says: “I believe strongly in the mission of the Valdez Adventure Alliance. I am proud of the economic and many other benefits this organization brings to our community. I am always happy to support such a vital non-profit in any way I can.”
Karen Ables
Whitney Root
Whitney's love of travel and adventure first brought her to Alaska in 2001. Wandering around the state only deepened her appreciation for the far north and she would eventually spend several seasons as a park ranger with Gates of the Arctic NP&P. She now spends part of her time in Valdez and part travelling the lower 48.
Her favorite activities include hiking, travel, photography, and volunteering.
Keristyn Weber
Valdez Native Tribe Liaison
Carla Sparks
Carla has lived in Alaska for 45 years, and in Valdez for 18. She says: “As a child I spent most of I time outside, and to this day I spend as much time outside as I can. I have always been athletic, playing soccer into my 40s, and now walking almost every day on the trails near my home. VAA caught my attention, as it is visibly doing great things here in Valdez. I look forward to working with this organization for the betterment of my community.”