Our 2020 SWAMC Economic Summit and Membership Meeting was held on March 5th & 6th at the Hotel Captain Cook in Anchorage. Thank you so much to all who joined us, and thank you to our exhibitors and sponsors who help make our conference possible every year!
Presentations are available for speakers whose names are highlighted in the agenda below. Click on a speaker’s name to view a PDF version of their presentation.
Thursday, March 5th – First Day of Conference
8:00 Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:30 Opening and Welcome – Board President Swain & Executive Director Marquardt
8:35 Mayor Ethan Berkowitz
8:50 Critical Coastal Connections: Intrastate Marine Transportation in Southwest Alaska
- Gary Hennigh – City Administrator, City of King Cove
- Mary Siroky – Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Department of Transportation
- Shawn Richardson – Samson Tug & Barge
- Susan Bell – Principal, McDowell Group
~~~Break ~~~
10:10 Exhibitor Announcements
10:30 Kodiak to Adak and All Points in Between: Air Transportation in Southwest Alaska
- Scott Habberstad – Director of Sales & Community Marketing, Alaska Airlines
- John Binder – Deputy Commissioner, Alaska Dept. of Transportation
- Derek Shanks – Chief Commercial Officer, Ravn Air Group
- Chris Barnes – Grant Aviation
11:40 Platinum Sponsor Announcement – Alaska Airlines
11:50 Platinum Sponsor Announcement – GCI
12:00 Networking Lunch, Plated
- Video Address by Senator Lisa Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan
- Legislative Update from Nils Andreassen, Executive Director at Alaska Municipal League
1:00 Platinum Sponsor Announcement – Ravn Air Group
1:10 New Opportunities to Address Familiar Challenges
- Erik Obrien – Program Manager, Denali Commission – Platinum Sponsor
- Nuyakuk Hydro: Robert Himschoot – CEO/General Manager, Nushagak Cooperative
- Tribal 5G Spectrum: Harold Johnston – President, Alaska Tribal Broadband, LLC
- AMHS Reshaping/Reform: Robert Venables – Executive Director, Southeast Conference
~~~Break ~~~
2:30 Brave New World: Broadband Internet Connectivity for Southwest Alaska
Moderated by Doug Griffin, former SWAMC Executive Director
- Jenifer Nelson – Sr. Manager Corp. Communications & Community Engagement, GCI
- Chuck Schumann – CEO, Pacific Dataport
- Emmett Fitch – CEO, OptimERA
- Roger Meeks – Sales Manager, TelAlaska
~~~Break ~~~
3:45 First Responders in the Last Frontier: Public Safety in Southwest Alaska
- Katherine TePas – Program Coordinator II, Department of Public Safety
- John Skidmore – Deputy Attorney General, State of Alaska
- Nikole Nelson – Executive Director, Alaska Legal Services
- Captain Andrew Merrill – C Detachment Commander, Alaska State Troopers
5:30 President’s Reception & Silent Auction – Quarter Deck
Friday, March 6th – Second Day of Conference
8:00 Registration & Networking Breakfast
8:30 Opening and Welcome
8:35 Commissioner Julie Anderson, DCCED, on behalf of Governor Mike Dunleavy
9:00 Sponsor’s Appreciation
9:15 SWAMC’s 2020 Membership Meeting
- Sub-regional Caucuses & Board Elections
- FY19 Financial Report
- Resolutions
~~~Break ~~~
11:00 Science-Driven Fisheries Dynamics: What’s in Our Future?
- Glenn Merrill – Assistant Regional Administrator, NOAA Alaska Regional Office
- Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang – Alaska Department of Fish & Game
- Jeff Hetrick – Director, Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery
- Bradley Harris – FAST Lab Director & Assoc. Professor, Alaska Pacific University
12:00 Networking Lunch Buffet, featuring Alaska Symphony of Seafood Winning Products
- Representative Louise Stutes
- Ashley Heimbigner, Communications Director at Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute – Platinum Sponsor
1:00 Salmon, Cod, and Rockfish, Oh My! Fish Management Policy in Southwest Alaska
- Nicole Kimball – Council Member, North Pacific Fishery Management Council
- Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang – Alaska Department of Fish & Game
- Gerad Godfrey – Member, Alaska Board of Fish
~~~Break ~~~
2:30 Farming the Gulf and the Bering Sea: Mariculture Opportunities in Southwest Alaska
Moderated by Erik Obrien, Denali Commission
- Craig Fleener – Founder & CEO, Alaska Ocean Cluster
- Julie Decker – Executive Director, Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation
- Charlotte Levy – Natural Resources Assistant Director, Aleutians East Borough
- Matthew Fagnani – Senior Development Executive, Alaska Development Team
~~~Break ~~~
3:45 Legislative Update and Dialogue
- Senator Gary Stevens
- Senator Lyman Hoffman
- Representative Bryce Edgmon
5:00 Conference Wrap-up
