About ARCUS | ARCUS Staff

Office of the Executive Director Wendy K. Warnick \| Helen Wiggins
Administration and Finance Deb Maynes \| Charlotte Rill \| Julie Griswold
Project Management Alysa Loring \| Birte Horn-Hanssen \| Reija Shnoro Alison York \| Kristina Creek \| Judy Fahnestock Kennan Jeannet
Education Programs Kristin Timm \| Janet Warburton
Information Technology Ben Wade \| Ronnie Owens \| Joel Martin Zeb Polly \| Joed Polly \| Phil Jenkins


Project Management

Alysa Loring Project Coordinator	alysa@arcus.org
Alysa joined ARCUS in September 2007 as a project manager and became the Project Coordinator in January 2008. In addition to project management, she assists in the coordination of various ARCUS programmatic activities. Alysa grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills of northern California, completed her undergraduate in Oregon, taught high school English and French at her alma mater in California, studied in Angers, France, taught English as a second language in Thailand, and finally made her way to Fairbanks, where she earned her M.A. in anthropology from UAF. She is passionate about the outdoors and understanding how people relate to their environment. She enjoys exploring the wonders of interior Alaska with her husband, Phil, and their two dogs and cats.

Birte Horn-Hanssen Project Manager	birte@arcus.org
Birte Horn-Hanssen moved to Fairbanks in 2002 after finishing her BA in International Relations with Development Studies from the University of Sussex, England. Birte, a native of Norway, enjoys life with her Alaskan husband and daughter. As a Norwegian citizen, she is no stranger to diversity in the Arctic, and appreciates the unique beauty of the North. She joined the ARCUS team as Administrative Assistant in December 2003 and was the Executive Assistant and Office Manager from January 2004 until summer 2007. Birte became the Project Manager responsible for ARCUS' cooperative agreement with the National Park Service (NPS) in September 2007. Birte's work responsibilities include assisting the National Park Service with planning, coordinating, and facilitating various activities, including the 2008 Alaska Park Science Symposium.

Reija Shnoro Project Manager	reija@arcus.org
Reija came to Alaska for the first time as an exchange student in 1999. After returning home to Finland and receiving her Master of Laws degree from the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi she came back to Alaska to study in the Northern Studies Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). Reija graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Global Environmental Policy in August 2006 and joined ARCUS in October 2006 as Project Assistant. In October 2007, she became a Project Manager, working on a variety of ARCUS programs and activities, with a focus on the SEARCH program. Reija's interests include horseback riding, running, reading, and traveling.

Alison York Project Manager	york@arcus.org
Alison York joined the ARCUS staff in November 1997 as Project Manager. Alison edits ARCUS publications and coordinates workshops and meetings. Alison earned a PhD in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1990; her research interests are in comparative neuroanatomy and behavior. She has lived in Fairbanks since 1986 with her husband Brian Barnes and daughters Julia and Ellen.

Kristina Creek Project Assistant	creek@arcus.org
Kristina joined the ARCUS team in October of 2008, shortly after relocating to Fairbanks from South Carolina. As a project assistant she is frequently given assignments relating to many of ARCUS’ projects. She enjoys the diversity of the job, as well as the various opportunities to learn about Alaska and the arctic. Kristina’s other interests include literature, photography, motorcycles, travel, and recently (to the horror of her housemates), playing the violin.

Judy Fahnestock Project Assistant	judy@arcus.org
Judy began working at ARCUS in September 2008 as a Project Assistant. This is the second time she has lived in Fairbanks, previously working on tundra-nesting birds on the North Slope for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Judy holds a Masters of Science in Entomology from the University of Maryland, a B.S. in Natural Resource Studies from the University of Massachusetts, and an A.A.S. in Forestry from Paul Smith's College. Her interests lie in her 2 busy LEGO®-building boys Ethan and Jacob, varied aspects of the environment and how people affect it, travel, and living sustainably. Her past work includes sustainability work at the University of New Hampshire, avian research, environmental education, and agricultural and horticultural integrated pest management.

Kennan Jeannet Project Assistant	kennan@arcus.org
Kennan is a project assistant at ARCUS and works on a variety of programs and activities. Upon realizing that, while traveling the world is exhilarating and magnificent, it doesn’t pay very well, Kennan decided to return to her hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska and began work at ARCUS in May of 2008 (after spending a year adventuring in Southeast Asia). With two years left to complete her undergraduate degree in Biology, Kennan looks forward to pursuing a deeper understanding of arctic research through the reaches of ARCUS. When not working, Kennan can be found riding elevators, studying, or rock climbing.