Dr. Deena Paramo’s focus on student achievement and success is
backed by her experiences in teaching and educational leadership.
As superintendent of the largest school district in the state, she is
firmly committed to the ASD’s vision to have every child prepared
for the workforce or post-secondary education after high school.
Paramo began her Alaska educational career in 1991 and has
proudly served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant
superintendent and superintendent of the Mat-Su Borough School
District before being named ASD’s superintendent in July 2016.
Dr. Rashmi Prasad is Dean of the College of Business and Public
Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In leading the largest
college of professional studies in the state of Alaska, Dr. Prasad has
helped to build a dynamic group of faculty and staff to deliver the
highest quality teaching, research and service to further the well-
being and prosperity of Alaska. Prior to becoming Dean, Dr. Prasad
was a faculty member at the University of Alaska Anchorage for
eleven years and currently holds the rank of Professor of Business
Administration.
Nathan Havey is the Founder and CEO of Thrive Consulting Group.
In addition to private consulting, his major project is the Conscious
Company Magazine Workshop, where he leads the effort to help
company leaders to implement conscious business practices:
Table of Contents
2016 Was Terrible.
We’re Celebrating Anyway.
By Mary Ellen Slayter
Page 7
Conscious Capitalism
By Dr. Rashmi Prasad
and Nathan Havey
Page 8
The Art of Education
By Mike Wagner
Page 12
Making the Most of
Your Resources
By Paula Bradison
Page 15
Leah Boltz co-founded Parks for All, a grassroots initiative bring-
ing inclusive play to all Alaskans of all ages and abilities through
community engagement, partnering, fundraising and design. Leah
is Anchorage Rotary Vice President and an AEDC Live.Work.Play.
volunteer, and her business background is in integrated communi-
cations and business development. On Leah’s bookshelf: Start with
Why by Simon Sinek, Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders, and
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.
Mike Wagner is President of White Rabbit, a business consultancy
he founded in 2004. He is a skilled communicator, facilitator, and
business consultant. Mike serves leadership teams in the creation
of competitive advantage and growth strategies. His approach is a
unique combination of leadership development and organizational
culture, informed by the tools and process of “design thinking”.
Mike has been speaking professionally for over 30 years. He engages
audiences with fresh ideas and tells compelling stories to inspire
them to keep creating!
Broc Edwards is a Director of Talent Management for Baylor
University. Most of his early career was spent as a consultant or
contractor developing recruitment and selection systems and
creating and facilitating leadership development programs. He
has worked with individuals, teams, and leaders in manufacturing,
mining, banking, retail, not-for-profit, and government
organizations in North America, Europe, and Australia. While he
enjoys his job immensely, Broc’s real passion is for exploring the
world from his mountain bike.
The Twenty-First
Century is Now
By Dr. Deena Paramo
Page 16
The Case for Sole
Proprietorship
By Heather Kinzie
Page 20
2017 and the New Reality of
Digital Marketing
By Lee Leschper
Page 22
Social Entrepreneurship
By Leah Boltz
Page 24
Job Shadowing
By Broc Edwards
Page 28
January 2017
5