Management and Evaluation

Alaska EPSCoR project operations are overseen by a Leadership Team that brings scientific expertise to the project, and a smaller Management Team that oversees day-to-day operations. Project leaders are in turn assisted by three panels of authorities and experts and two groups of evaluators. In addition to these panels, a pair of Student Ambassadors work with project leads to implement programs and activities to benefit graduate and undergraduate students involved in the program. 

 

Interface of Change Leadership Team

Name	Role
Brenda Konar	Principal Invesitgator/Project Director
Tara Borland	Associate Project Director
Davin Holen	Co-Principal Invesitgator
Frank Witmer	Co-Principal Invesitgator
Jason Fellman	Co-Principal Invesitgator
Schery Umanzor	Co-Principal Invesitgator

 

Interface of Change Management Team

Name	Role
Brenda Konar	Principal Invesitgator/Project Director
Tara Borland	Associate Project Director
Shannon Watson	Fiscal Manager
Cherissa Dukelow	Communications Manager
Naomi Hutchquist	Data Visualization Specialist
Adrienne Canino	Data Manager*

 

*Alaska EPSCoR's data is managed through an innovative public-private partnership between Alaska EPSCoR, UAF's Research Computing Systems, and Axiom Data Science, a private firm.

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Board Members

Three different panels of board members offer input and oversight to the Leadership Team.

1. State Committee for Research

The State Committee for Research (SCoR), consisting of leaders from government, agencies, academia, and the private sector, reviews Interface of Change progress and provides guidance to assure the program achieves state science and technology goals. The group oversaw the creation of the Alaska Science and Technology Plan, which prioritizes the state's S&T needs and helped shape the Interface of Change project.

2. External Advisory Council (EAC) 

The Leadership Team also draws on recommendations from an External Advisory Council (EAC) consisting of four experts in Interface of Change fields:

• Clare Robinson of Western University, Canada
• Phil Loring of the University of Guelph
• Jose Zertuche of the University of Baja California
• Anne Salomon of Simon Fraser University

3. Alaska Advisory Board

A third group, the Alaska Advisory Board, recommends ways Interface of Change researchers can make their work relevant to Alaskan community members, agenices, and businesses.

Current members of the board include:

• Mark Myers (chair), a former head of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources as well as former UAF Vice-Chancellor for Research
• Hitomi Marsh, a Ketchikan fishing captain and board member of OceansAlaska, which promotes Alaskan shellfishing, mariculture and wild stock enhancement
• Skye Steritz, Owner, Noble Ocean Farms, Cordova, AK
• Justina Starzynski Hotch, Klukwan School, Tribal Representative, Haines, AK
• Stephen Payton, Seldovia Village Tribe, Seldovia Village, AK

The Alaska Advisory Board has the mission to connect Interface of Change research with Alaskans outside of academia and to expand the overall economic impact of the project. The goals of the board are a) to establish a closer relationship between Interface of Change research with Alaskans including industry, agencies and community partners in Alaska; b) to determine methods and strategies by which Interface of Change can enter into mutually beneficial relationships with Alaskans; and c) to advise on the development of agreements to implement these methods and strategies.

The board meets at least twice a year with Interface of Change project leads to receive updates on the project and make recommendations. Where appropriate, members also work to facilitate specific collaborations between Interface of Change researchers and Alaska community partners. 

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External Evaluation

External evaluation of the project as a whole is done by Heather McInnis of The Implementation Group (TIG).