New View of Alaska

A couple of months ago I received an intriguing invitation. It was from the Institute of the North, a forward thinking group founded by former Governor Wally Hickel. The invitation was to attend the 2009 Dialogue to discuss issues of importance to our state and our citizens. I accepted the invitation and attended the dialogue in Talkeetna this weekend. It was a powerful experience. There were presentations by an array of speakers from a communications multinational corporation, to someone who works with a small village in Africa, to current and former legislators and public policymakers. The Dialogue began on Thursday night and ended today at noon. My mind is filled with ideas and plans on how we can work to impact the future of Alaska. I'm so happy I attended. It was a great opportunity to share vision and become more aware of the plans and activities of other groups. Of great interest was my extended conversation with the director of the Cold Climate Housing Research group. We have excellent plans to discuss rural teacher housing.