Meet our Board of Directors
I have been a resident of Alaska for more than 50 years. Like all Alaskans, I value and appreciate the opportunities, freedoms, and personal autonomy we enjoy in many facets of our lives in this state. I have been a hospice volunteer for many years and have been with many hospice patients, friends, and family members in the final weeks or days of their lives. While some people have fairly peaceful, pain-free deaths, others do not. Mentally competent, terminally ill adults in more than a dozen U.S. states have been granted the legal right to determine for themselves when their end-of-life suffering has become unbearable and opt to painlessly hasten their impending death with prescribed life-ending medication. Sadly, our state government has not yet granted that right to its citizens. I believe Alaskans deserve the best possible medical, palliative, and hospice care, and also the comfort and peace of mind that can come with having the option to access medical aid in dying (MAiD) at the end of our lives.
Mary McDowell, President
Joyanne Bloom, Vice President
When my dear friend Diane was near death, she traveled with extreme difficulty to Washington State, where she waited for months to qualify for medical aid in dying to end her suffering. (See more about Diane under “Stories”). I want the personal freedom she was denied. I want Alaska to allow me to stay in my home community among my loved ones when I am terminally ill and don’t want to go on. I am committed to working hard to make medical aid in dying an option available to terminally ill Alaskans.
Sally Bibb, Secretary
I am a lifelong Alaskan who is retired from a career with the National Marine Fisheries Service. My sister lives in Oregon, so I have long been familiar with Oregon’s authorization for MAiD. I have helped family and friends in their end-of-life care, and experienced friends leaving Alaska to move closer to their families for their end-of-life care. My interest in helping get MAiD authorized in Alaska is motivated by my desire to have all options for end-of-life care available in Alaska, so that I and others who may face painful or debilitating terminal illnesses do not have to leave home if we wish to use MAiD, or suffer needless pain and distress if we cannot leave Alaska.
Amy Lujan, Treasurer
I moved to Alaska in 1993 and lived in three northern rural communities before settling in Juneau. My understanding of death was shaped by the passing of seven close relatives over a 6-year period. I believe that independent-minded Alaskans should have the autonomy that MAiD access provides.
Growing up in Atlanta, I remember hearing my mother say over and over that she would relocate to Oregon to have the right to MAiD. Ironically I ended up in Oregon for 14 years before moving to Alaska in 2012.
In 2016, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. I helped her be at home still in Atlanta with hospice. She was terrified of hospitals. I do not know if she would have used MAiD if it had been accessible in Georgia but she did tell me she was very much ready to die.
MAiD is a personal choice that takes much consideration and conversation. Due to my father dying suddenly when I was 18 and my mother dying when I myself was a new mother, I do not shy away from death and what it brings to a family. I am now trained as an end-of-life doula. Let’s have an open conversation about death and learn from each other.
Wendy Turner, Assistant Treasurer
Brehan Corveau, Website Committee
I am an End-of-Life Doula, deathcare educator, and volunteer at Providence with the No One Dies Alone Program and with Hospice of Anchorage. I assist others in reflecting on and carrying out their end-of-life wishes by promoting open conversations and documenting their preferences about living, dying, death and other life transitions. I have practiced in the field of public health for over 20 years and weave my yogic background into the sacredness of this tender time.
Julie Raymond-Yakobian, Finance Committee
I am an end-of-life doula, home funeral guide, and social scientist living in Girdwood, Alaska. I am committed to ensuring that Alaskans have access to the broadest possible amount of information about, and options for, end-of-life care and services, including MAiD. I am passionate about providing compassionate care at end-of-life.