About Alaska Conservation Solutions
Alaska Conservation Solutions is a program of Alaska Center for the Environment. Alaska Conservation Solutions was founded in 2005 to draw attention to the pervasive consequences of climate change in Alaska, and also to pursue solutions to the problem. The work of Alaska Conservation Solutions is supported by grants from the Education Foundation of America, Endurance Fund, and the America Conservation Association through National Environmental Trust; and grants from the Hewlett Foundation, the Norcross Foundation, the Ametek Foundation, and individuals such as Ben and Ruth Hammett through The Ocean Foundation; as well as contributions from numerous concerned individuals. If you wish to volunteer or contribute to the work of Alaska Conservation Solutions, please contact Penny Bauder for more information.
Finally, Alaska Conservation Solutions benefits from the outstanding work of Heather Benz, Anna Davidson, Barbara Dey, Margaret Manousoff, Mary Walker, Nancy Wallace, Terri Pauls, and Ari Zandman-Zeman.
Penny Bauder, Project Director
Penny has been working on environmental issues for over 10 years. She received her B.A. in Conservation and Environmental Management from Western Michigan University, after which she worked as a Wilderness Specialist at national parks and forests in Idaho, Alaska, Utah, and Oregon. Finally settling in Anchorage in 2002, Penny received her M.S. in Environmental Science from Alaska Pacific University with an emphasis in outdoor recreation conflict.
Penny has worked as an Invasive Plant Biologist with the National Park Service and Planner with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. She has worked on campus sustainability and alternative fuel issues at Alaska Pacific University and served on the boards of the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges and the Alaska Women's Environmental Network.
As Alaska Conservation Solution's Project Director, Penny works to draw attention to the pervasive consequences of climate change in Alaska and pursues solutions to the problem by promoting conservation and renewable energy.
Deborah L. Williams, Founder
Ms. Williams has been actively involved in conservation and sustainable community issues in Alaska for over 25 years, and is now focusing on global warming. She received her B.A. from Pomona College, summa cum laude, with a concentration in Biology and Economics. Subsequently she was graduated from Harvard Law School, with honors, and was the principal founder of and co-editor-in-chief of the Harvard Environmental Law Review.
After serving in the Department of Interior’s Solicitors Honors Program in Washington D.C., Ms. Williams represented the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska. Between 1981 and 1994, Ms. Williams was the Executive Director of the Alaska Consumer Advocacy Program and of the Alaska Lung Association, while serving on many boards and commissions, including Trustees for Alaska (president of the board) and the Municipal Health Commission (chair of the Environmental Health Committee). In 1994, Ms. Williams received a Presidential appointment, and became the Special Assistant to the Secretary of Interior for Alaska, in which position she advised the Secretary about managing over 220 million acres of national lands in Alaska and working with Alaska tribes and others associated with the Department’s broad natural and cultural resource jurisdiction. She also was a Trustee on the Exxon Valdez Trustee Council and other boards. For over six years, Ms. Williams served as the Executive Director of the Alaska Conservation Foundation, winning many awards in that role.
Deborah Williams is currently the Executive Director of the Alaska Democratic Party. Ms. Williams has published numerous law review and other articles, has been featured repeatedly in the media (including 60 Minutes, the New York Times and BBC), and has taught graduate level courses at both the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University. She greatly enjoys backpacking, skiing, gardening, building, and traveling with her family.