Edward P. Clapp, Principal Investigator at Project Zero
Edward P. Clapp is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero interested in exploring creativity and innovation, design and maker-centered learning, contemporary approaches to arts teaching and learning, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. Edward and his colleagues explore these issues with their teacher partners through a variety of different collaborative inquiries: Creating Communities of Innovation (Dubai, United Arab Emirates); Creando Communidades de Indigación (Lima, Peru); Agency by Design: Early Childhood in the Making (Hong Kong), and; Agency by Design: Making Across the Curriculum (Washington, DC). In addition to his work as a researcher, Edward is also a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Edward’s most recent books include Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom (Routledge, 2017) and Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape their Worlds (with Jessica Ross, Jennifer Oxman Ryan, and Shari Tishman, Jossey-Bass, 2017). @edwardpclapp
John Walsh, Chief Scientist of the International Arctic Research Center
John Walsh is the Chief Scientist of the International Artic Research Center and President’s Professor of Global Change at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He is also the Co-Director of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. Over the past 40 years, his research has addressed arctic climate and weather variability, both as observed historically and predicted for the future. Walsh was a lead author for the 2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment and for the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He currently chairs the Climate Expert Group of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. Prior to moving to Alaska in 2003, he spent 30 years on the faculty of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois. He has co-authored a textbook, Severe and Hazardous Weather.
Mysty Rusk, Director at The Brink SBDC at University of San Diego
Mysty Rusk is the Director of the USD’s Innovation Center, The Brink SBDC. Rusk is an expert in innovation commercialization and angel investing. She has been involved from idea to IPO on numerous startups. Rusk has seen new materials and products that revolutionize industries and disrupt the world’s problems. She has evidence that with automation and purposeful invention, we can do things, faster, better and cheaper at the same time. Before coming to USD, Rusk served as the Associate State Director for Innovation and Tech Commercialization with the Central Cal SBDC.
Benton Moore, CEO of Sea Dragon Capital
Benton Moore is a cleantech entrepreneur turned angel investor, climate ambassador, and startup raconteur. He currently serves as Fund Manager of the San Diego Angel Conference, Strategy Consultant to the Brink Innovation Center at University of San Diego, and CEO of Sea Dragon Capital, a fund for early-stage, scalable technologies. Benton embraces the chaos of startups and the rebels and renegades who innovate to forge positive change. Benton’s most recent cleantech startup was acquired by private equity firm Oaktree Capital.
Benton earned his JD and MBA (New Venture Management) from University of San Diego as well as specialties in International Law from Trinity College, Dublin and Strategic Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Benton is active in the startup ecosystem via San Diego Venture Group (Connect), Tech Coast Angels, United Nations Global Compact, San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, Angel Capital Association, TiE Global, Association of Corporate Counsel, MIT Enterprise Forum, and Southern California Energy Innovation Network.
In an adventurous change-making career of over $100M in deals, Benton’s proudest accomplishment is coaching his daughter’s undefeated soccer team. Outside the office, Benton is usually hiking, mountain biking, or downhill skiing.
Sarah Trainor, Co-Director of the Alaska Center for CLimate Assessment and Policy & Director of the Alaska Fire Science Consortium
Sarah Trainor is Co-Director of the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, Director of the Alaska Fire Science Consortium, and Associate Professor of Socio-Ecological Sustainability at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She is author of numerous academic publications and has been lead and contributing author for the U.S. National Climate Assessment and several Arctic Council Reports. She is especially interested in climate impacts and adaptation on all sectors of the Alaskan economy and innovations for the future sustainability on our state as well as in building capacity in rural communities for climate adaptation. Her Masters and PhD degrees are from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. She grew up in central New York State and has lived in Fairbanks for 15 years.
Steve Atwater, Executive Dean of the Alaska College of Education, University of Alaska Southeast
Steve Atwater joined UA in Nov. 2014 after five years as superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, where he was named Alaska’s 2013 Superintendent of the Year. Prior to his work for KPBSD, Atwater taught secondary education and served consecutively as head teacher, curriculum coordinator and superintendent for the Lake & Peninsula School District in King Salmon, AK. Atwater’s experience with the Alaska education system extends to his own professional training, as he earned both his master’s in education and his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Beth Weldon, Mayor of City and Borough of Juneau
Beth Weldon began her tenure as Mayor of Juneau in October of 2018. Previously, she served two years as a member of the City and Borough Juneau assembly. Beth is a lifelong Juneau resident and has an extensive history of work and service. She was the first female officer in the department at Capital City Fire/Rescue and retired as Division Chief. She also spent seven years as owner and operator of the gillnetter F/V Seven Seas. Currently Beth co-owns and operates Capitol Motor Supply/Glacier Auto Parts with her husband. Beth holds a B.S. in Fisheries from the University of Washington.
Daniel White, Chancellor of University of Alaska Fairbanks
Daniel M. White has served as University of Alaska Fairbanks chancellor since July 2017. He previously served as University of Alaska vice president for academic affairs and research. He joined the faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1995 as a professor of civil and environmental engineering. White has served in several positions at UAF, including director of the Institute of Northern Engineering, UAF associate vice chancellor for research and head of the Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization and interim vice chancellor for research. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Colorado College, a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Washington University and a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
Rick Caulfield, Chancellor of University of Alaska Southeast
Dr. Rick Caulfield serves as Chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast. His previous academic positions included UAS Provost (5 years) and 25 years as a University of Alaska Fairbanks faculty member and administrator. He also worked as research specialist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Subsistence. His academic interests are in political science, natural resources management, and the political economy of resource use in the Arctic. He earned his doctorate in the UK, with dissertation research focused on aboriginal subsistence whaling in Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat. He has lived and worked in rural Alaskan communities, including Dillingham where he worked as a commercial fisherman. Dr. Caulfield serves as Vice-Chair of JEDC and is on the board of the Alaska Development Corporation and Juneau World Affairs Council.
Alec Mesdag, Vice President of Alaska Electric Light & Power
Alec Mesdag grew up in Juneau and holds a degree in environmental science from Oregon State University. Prior to returning to Juneau in 2012, he worked as a project manager for a large electrical contractor in Portland, OR, managing healthcare, high tech, and solar construction projects, as well as developing non-regulated energy projects for tax equity investors. As vice president and director of energy services at AEL&P, Alec works to influence how customers consume energy in order to maximize the value of electric infrastructure. Alec serves as the Co-Chair of JEDC’s Renewable Energy Cluster Working Group, focused on finding applications of renewable energy in our region’s economy.
