Board Members
Sue Sherif
Co-President
2025 - 2026
Sue has served as president or co-president of both LWVTV and the state League. Voter education events and collaborations with other community groups are at the center of her LWVTV activity. She shares a legacy of League activity with her late mother and sisters. After a long career in all types of libraries, Sue retired as head of Library Development for the Alaska State Library, a position that involved extensive travel throughout Alaska.
Linda Witt
Co-President
2025 - 2026
Linda hails originally from the Seattle area and has lived in Fairbanks since 1966. With her late husband, David, she raised three children, all of whom, and their families, live here. She is a retired public school teacher and currently a regular elementary substitute teacher. She has been involved in League actively for 30 years serving on the board of LWVTV and LWVAK, including two terms as local president and two terms as Alaska statewide president. She has attended three LWV national conventions and two LWV national councils
Jessica King
Vice President
2025 - 2026
Jessica King was raised in Fairbanks, Alaska and graduated from West Valley High School. She has earned a B.S. in Mathematics from the Fort Valley State University and completed a Secondary Education Licensure program with the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She currently works as a Higher Education Counselor with the Department of Defense.
Inspired by her mother, Virgie M. King, she continues to run the African-American Student Leadership Conference; and remains involved in the Fairbanks community through the Fairbanks Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, the NAACP, and the League of Women Voters.
Diane Lyon
Secretary
2025 - 2027
I’m a 30+ year resident of Alaska. I’ve been a member of LWVTV for several years and this is my second term on the Board. When not volunteering for LWV and other organizations, I work part-time at Fairbanks Drama Association and help care for my two grandchildren. LWVTV is the best thing I’ve done for myself, giving me a chance to channel energy into issues of great importance to me.
Vicki Koehler
Treasurer
2025 - 2026
Vicki has lived in Alaska most of the last 40 years, including Tanana, Delta, Juneau, Bethel, and twice in Fairbanks..the 90’s, and now since 2019. She is a retired social worker/manager for several agencies, as well as a former Human Services professor at TVC. Vicki is familiar with grant writing, reporting, and managing budgets, although she's not previously served as treasurer.
She has two grown children and two teenage grandkids and enjoys stravel, quilting, more travel, and cross country skiing (on the flats). Although I only recently joined the League, I am a long term supporter of the purpose and goals.
Shari George
Past President
2025-2026
Shari's career was in satellite image processing, remote sensing, and geographic information systems. Ventures into the Borough IT, distance education, Cooperative Extension and project management for a software development company kept things interesting. In League, she focuses on digital democracy, website management, hot topic organization and improving participation in local elections.
Gayle Garrigues
Director - 2024-2026
Gayle Garrigues, born and raised in Alaska, has lived in Fairbanks since 1987. She has been a member of the LWVTV since 2019 and a board member since 2020. Gayle is a retired state prosecutor. She enjoys talking politics, gardening, and woodworking.
Mike Hostina
Director - 2025 - 2027
Mike, a mostly-retired attorney, currently serves as counsel to a non-profit in Fairbanks as well as a board member of the KUAC Friends Group. During his 39-year legal career in Alaska he served as General Counsel for the University of Alaska System, and Associate General Counsel & Director of Labor Relations. He also served as legal counsel to and deputy ombudsman for the State of Alaska's Ombudsman's office. He has had formal training in mediation and served on the Alaska Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Mediation. In 1985 Mike, his friend and wife, Barb Santora and their two cats left Philadelphia for an adventure in Alaska. Two children, two careers, a succession of cats and dogs, and some years later the adventure continues.
Jean W. James
Membership 2025-2026
Jean W James has been living in Alaska since 1982. She first came to Alaska with her sister in August 1964 from Ohio via the Alcan Highway in a VW Bug. Her background includes working in health care management and years in research administration preparing proposals, budgets, managing grants and field stations.
She has been a LWVTV member since the mid-80’s and the treasurer/ membership person from 2012-2023. Voter education is one of her top priorities. She has a wide variety of interests, including skiing, kayaking, walking, swimming, reading, and loves being by the water.
Helenmarie Matesi
Director - 2024 - 2026
I have been a member of the LWVTV for approximately 10 years. Born in St Louis Missouri I grew up during the civil rights era and as part of a family seeking racial equality, participating in the movement from a very young age. I moved to Alaska in 1976 and as a black American Alaskan women it is my belief that voting is the most powerful peaceful method we have for effecting change. LWV is a champion for the security of our right to vote. I have served on the board, as a vice president and chair the Diversity Committee.
I love Alaska and here I have worn many hats, but the constant thread has been teaching. My students have ranged in age from three to eighty three. I have lived in the bush, retired from U of A and currently work with the NAACP Criminal Justice Committee. My newest interest is metal smithing.
Janna Miller
Director 2025 - 2027
Janna Miller has been a member of the League of Women Voters since shortly after reading Democracy in America by Alexander de Toqueville, which caused her to appreciate even more our unique and cherished system of government. She recently retired from a long career with Alyeska Pipeline and now enjoys taking OLLI classes, walking her dogs every day, playing her harmonica, and helping to educate voters.
Deb Ryan
Director 2025 - 2027
Deb drove across country to Fairbanks in 1979 ad accepted a job in Barrow staying until the mid-1980's. Returning to Barrow, now known as Utqiagvik, in 2011 and back to Fairbanks in 2018, she became active in environmental issues and learning more about local and state government. She feels lucky to have lived, worked and traveled in many Interior and Arctic communities.
Marna Sanford
Director 2025 - 2026
Marna grew up in Tok. She enjoys cross country skiing and is an avid reader. She is a favorite auntie and happy wife to Ed. Marna works for the Tanana Chiefs Conference and is a past co-president of LWVTV.
Linda Unsicker
Director 2025 - 2026
Linda has lived in Fairbanks for the past 30 years and really enjoys this community. When friends as why I live here, my answer is always, the people. Linda has volunteered at the library, Food Bank, Visitors' Center, Green Star of Interior Alaska and the Literacy Council. With her late husband, Linda enjoyed eleven years of going back and forth to South Africa and Tanzania doing medical volunteering. On her own, she's volunteered several times in Morocco. Her son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter here make her life very special. It is very important to be politically aware and encouraged to vote. LWV helps to educate citizens through forums and providing information. Getting correct information to voters and supporting them in understanding that each votes counts is so important.
Leah
Berman Williams
Director 2024-2026
Leah is a professor of mathematics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a former Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly member.