KTNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Maureen McLaughlin

Board Co-Chair

I moved to the Upper Susitna Valley in May 1996, in search of that elusive ‘sense of community’ that was in such short supply in my previous urban environments. I was also looking for a town with a rich and informed worldview. During my very first week in Talkeetna, I discovered KTNA, a rare and wonderful thing: a truly local public radio station that keeps its community connected, while offering invaluable, fun, and broad-ranging programs. It took me a couple months to gather nerve to volunteer as a newsreader; that same year I became a music show host of Exile on Second Street. I joined KTNA’s Board of Directors in 2005, and while I’ve learned that it’s amazingly difficult to serve all the needs of a diverse listenership, I will continue to volunteer towards that goal as long as I live in this beautiful place.

Molly Wood

Board Co-Chair

Tony Crocetto

Vice-President

I first came to Alaska in 1991 to work seasonally at Denali National Park. Four years later I realized that finding places to stash my summer gear for the winter was getting very old and I needed to make Alaska my base of operations, so in 1995 I came to reside in the gem that is Talkeetna. I soon discovered KTNA which had just gotten off the ground, and I loved being part of such a vital and grass-roots endeavor – broadcasting from a tiny log cabin and keeping people informed about pot-luck weddings, lost dogs, local meetings and upcoming birthdays. Over the years I’ve seen the technology change and the sophistication of our broadcasting ability improve. We’ve won a number of public radio broadcasting awards, and through it all we have maintained our connection to the people we serve. I’m proud to be a part of KTNA and look forward to being involved for many years to come.

Fernando Salvador

Treasurer

I started my Alaska experience in Denali National Park in 1997 and moved to the quaint little town of Talkeetna in 2000. Little did I know that this charming town of Talkeetna would become my permanent home. The amazing mix of people I have met here make this town so unique and colorful. In 2002, I volunteered as a music DJ and “the mixing hour” was born. I was instantly hooked. After all these years it is still one of the things I look forward to each week. I fully believe in KTNA’s core mission of keeping the community connected through public radio and am amazed at what a small dedicated staff and a large pool of volunteers can accomplish. I am proud to be a member, volunteer, and listener of KTNA and hope to be for many years to come.

Cary Birdsall

Secretary

I am a long-time KTNA supporter and volunteer. I grew up near Syracuse, NY, and moved to Alaska in 1971. I have been a full-time Talkeetna resident since 1994 when I moved here to teach at Talkeetna Elementary. I retired from teaching in 2007 after 28 years of teaching here and in Anchorage. My children grew up here, and graduated from Susitna Valley Jr./Sr. High School.

Bruce Hamler

Director

I moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1985 where I worked sixteen years for REI. I also found time to start a family and a paragliding business. In 2001, I moved to Talkeetna to begin a career as a high school science and math teacher. As a teacher at Su Valley High School, I provide our board with a connection to the school and our younger listeners. I have always listened to public radio and appreciate the critical role that KTNA plays in our incredible community. Like many Alaskans, I also enjoy biking, canoeing, fishing, paragliding, photography, sea kayaking, skiing and most of all, spending time with my family.

Todd Basilone

Director

I came to Talkeetna in June, 1999, and loved the town as much as you. I got my first radio show in 2000 and worked for K2 Aviation for several years. I opened Mountain High Pizza Pie in May, 2005. Life on main street Talkeetna has been a thrill to say the least.

KTNA STAFF

Charlie Loeb

Acting General Manager

I came to the Denali area in 1988, just after finishing college. After working summer seasonal positions for five years, I left the state for good, or so I thought. Alaska reached out and pulled me back in 1996. I settled outside of the entrance to Denali National Park and ran the Alaska Natural History Association branch at Denali, which involved periodic travel to look after our small bookstore outlet at the Talkeetna Ranger Station. I went to work for the National Park Service at Denali in 2001 and continued working for NPS through 2007. During that time I had the good fortune to move to Talkeetna, where I joined the KTNA Board of Directors in 2004. In 2007 I started doing on-air volunteer work, and I have been particularly proud of my involvement in Nuggets. Nuggets represents the best of what community radio can be – local people telling their stories to each other. In August, 2009, I stepped down from the KTNA Board of Directors to act as interim General Manager.

Deborah Brocke

Program Director & Volunteer Coordinator

I landed in Talkeetna soon after college in 1980, when Talkeetna was less noticed by the rest of the world. There have been a lot of changes since then, and one of the positive additions to this little town has been the community radio station, which has been a significant part of my life since I first joined the staff in 1994. KTNA’s whole operation was in a small log cabin back then, and over the years, staff has adapted to five different “offices”, within a stone’s throw of each other on Second Street. The years have seen many changes in technology and equipment, which volunteers and staff all strive to bend to our collective will. I’ve enjoyed working with hundreds of dedicated volunteers, some of whom have been committed to community radio since the day KTNA went on the air. A nature lover to the core, I enjoy all things outdoors, as well as our quiet home at the edge of Alaskan wilderness.

Sue Deyoe

News Reporter

I moved to Denali Park in 1991 to work seasonally in the Park. Although my degree was in journalism, I had strayed away from anything having to do with news or reporting. In brief visits to Talkeetna over the years, I heard about KTNA. Then in a housesitting stint in December of 1996 (maybe it was 98?) in Talkeetna, Al Gallo talked me into doing a radio show one night. I had no idea what I was doing, but it was fun! In the winter of 2006-07, I was caretaking in Talkeetna for a friend and KTNA was looking for temporary help in the news department. It was then that I made the decision to make the big move and come to the warmer and sunnier south for good! After years lived in a small community without any radio or news reporting, I am happy to have such an invaluable service here, for both the news and music it provides. I’ll continue to strive to bring accurate and relevant news to all listeners in the Susitna Valley.

Diana Haecker

News Reporter

I was born and raised near Frankfurt, Germany, and after high school apprenticed for a number of years at one of Germany’s biggest newspapers while attending Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. In 1996, I graduated with a Masters’ degree in Japanology, American Studies and Politics. I left Frankfurt and moved to Maui to work as the foreign correspondent for several German newspapers and magazines, mostly for a magazine called Surfers. My journalistic freelance work included producing film documentaries and coordinating fashion photo shoots. And then came the big change – a visit to Alaska one summer led me to move first to Talkeetna, then to Nome, Alaska in 2002. In Nome, I worked as the main reporter for The Nome Nugget, Alaska’s oldest newspaper. In 2008, I moved to Talkeetna with my family and was lucky to join the KTNA crew as a news reporter in 2009. I am married to Nils Hahn, we have a daughter Lizzy and our family includes a kennel of racing sled dogs and our horse Snowman.