Voice

Transition News and Announcements

SW Human Resources Welcomes Four New Employees

Started Sep. 20, 2015

Cheyenne Anderson
HR Coordinator
Human Resources

Cheyenne Anderson joins human resources with the primary duty to assist in the implementation of new recruiting/talent management software: PageUp. The platform will combine recruitment, onboarding, orientation, compliance training tracking, performance evaluations and individual profile management into a single system.

Anderson is a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a previous student employee who loved it so much that she applied for a full-time position.

She was born in Newport Beach, California, and raised in Albany, Oregon. Anderson moved to Alaska in fall of 2014 and is actively pursuing a bachelor's in elementary education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Started Oct. 5, 2015

Suzan Bast
Labor Relations Coordinator
Statewide Labor Relations

Suzan Bast joined labor relations this month, filling the coordinator vacancy. The Fairbanks local, born and raised, most recently worked as an HR Consultant for Banner Health.

Bast did leave to study at Colorado State University but ultimately returned to the University of Alaska Fairbanks where she earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Human Resources Management and a Master of Business Administration.

Active in the community, Bast is a coach for Jr. High and competitive girls basketball.

Started Oct. 19, 2015

Lisa Molinar
Director of Payroll Benefits Accounting and International Compliance
Human Resources

Lisa Molinar joins the human resources team as Director of Payroll Benefits Accounting and International Compliance. Her role is both as a controller and accounting manager, ensuring compliance in national and international employment laws.

Molinar was born in Moline, Illinois, moved to Minnesota, then to Mission, Texas. She left Texas to move to Alaska, and has been here for two weeks as of Friday, Oct. 23.

Molinar earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Molinar has one son. She loves the outdoors and is looking forward to many days of exploration here in Alaska!

Started Oct. 19, 2015

Shannea Patterson
Statewide Labor Coordinator
Labor Relations

Shannea Patterson is the new Statewide Labor Coordinator for Labor Relations. As such she�represents the University of Alaska’s Board of Regents and administration in its relations with union and non-union organizations and employees. This includes labor contract negotiation and administration; resolution of disputes and grievances; responses to union campaigns; administrative training and development; and other matters of employee concern.

Patterson has previous experience as a Lead Labor Negotiator and Human Resources Director and Consult. She has participated in management coaching, training and development.

Patterson only just arrived in Alaska on Oct. 14, 2015, having come up to UA from Seattle, Washington.

Formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and business administration, Professional Human Resources (PHR) Certification, and Society of Human Resources Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) certification

Video Conferencing Services Adds Two Specialists to the Team

Started Oct. 6, 2015

Josh Watts
Lead Video Support Specialist
OIT Video Conferencing Services

Josh Watts is the new lead video support specialist for video conferencing services. He has extensive experience in video and IT including past roles as Senior Infrastructure Engineer and User Experience Lead at Intellinet, Inc.; video support specialist for OWL (Online With Libraries) in partnership with UA's video conferencing services; IT Project Manager at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital; and student help desk analyst at UAF.

Although born to a military family at Clark AFB, Luzon Island, Philippines, Watts spent much of his life in North Pole, AK. He attended university at UAF where he studied psychology and information technology

He is married to Karalee Watts, Marketing Coordinator at UAF Community and Technical College. They both really enjoy video games (super excited for Fallout 4), and practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a grappling combat sport commonly seen in MMA promotions like the UFC. They also spend a lot of time watching Netflix and hanging out with their two cats, Elephant and Rojo.

Started Oct. 18, 2015

Scott Fronzuto
Video Support Specialist
OIT/Video Conferencing Services

Video support specialist Scott Fronzuto is no stranger to the UA system. Previously he worked as an IS Net Technician 6 at Prince William Sound Community College, 2011 - 2014, and IS Ops Technician 2 at Prince William Sound Community College, 2009 – 2011. For the past year, he's been working as a student within video conferencing services, and is now moving into regular employment for the team.

Fronzuto was born in Seattle, and has lived all over the US, including Oregon, Louisiana, New York, and Massachusetts. In 2009, he moved from Washington State to Valdez, AK, and lived there until 2014, when he moved up to Fairbanks.

He is still working on his first degree, but has been working in the IT field off and on since 1998. A lot of his current knowledge about Video Conferencing support comes from seven years working in Valdez.

Fronzuto currently lives alone with his cat Ditto, and is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts with a focus on Metalsmithing. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, photography, and making chainmail and jewelry.

UA Foundation Welcomes Accounting Specialist Sarah Villalon

Started Oct. 5, 2015

Sarah Villalon
Accounting Specialist
UA Foundation – Accounting

New UA Foundation accounting specialist Sarah Villalon is now responsible for preparation of audit and tax workpapers, supervision of accounting staff, and analyzing and interpreting complex issues that arise in the accounting department.

Villalon was previously employed at Cook & Haugeberg LLC CPAs for 5+ years where she was a supervisor.

She was born in San Jose, California, but raised in Barrow, AK for most of her life. Villalon moved to Fairbanks in 2006 to study at UAF. She graduated with a BBA in Accounting from UAF in 2010 with Leadership Honors. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Villalon purchased a house in March and is enjoying all the responsibilities that come along with being a new homeowner. Hobbies include photography, DIY-ing, and playing music.

Risk Services reports additional transitions:

Chief Risk Officer Nancy Spink has resigned effective�Nov 9, 2015.

Health, Safety & Environmental Director Russ Steiger is transferring to UAF EHS/RM effective�Nov 13, 2015.

Staff in Fairbanks and Anchorage will continue to assist you with your questions. If you have a question for Risk Services, we recommend you call the main number at�(907) 450-8150, and your question will be routed to the appropriate person. You can also send an email to�UA-Risk@alaska.edu

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The Transitions section is one of the most popular aspects of the Statewide Voice, allowing everyone an opportunity to meet new employees, say good bye to parting co-workers and celebrating awards and recognition. However, we cannot publish information without your help. Please contact mmusick@alaska.edu with employee news to see it listed in this section.
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