(April 22, 2019) The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (Trust) welcomes new trustees Ken McCarty and John Sturgeon, who were confirmed by the legislature on April 17, 2019. Both new trustees began service immediately.
Trustee Ken McCarty of Anchorage, currently in private practice as a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, brings over 35 years of professional experience as a psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, administrator and in special needs education to the board. He has direct experience in providing marital family therapy, adolescent treatment, residential treatment and substance abuse/prevention treatment; including helping beneficiaries with opioid and alcohol addiction through Medication Assisted Treatment. Trustee McCarty has served as the President of the Alaska Association of Marital Family Therapists, a member of the State of Alaska Marital Family Therapy Licensing Board and was an adjunct professor in the psychology department for National University in Redding, California. He has also worked as adjunct staff to the University of Alaska, Anchorage, with the Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor Training Program (RADACT) to provide counselor training across Alaska.
Trustee John Sturgeon of Anchorage has an extensive background in forestry; having worked for the U.S. Forest Service as the State Forester for the Alaska Division of Forestry and in the private forestry sector. He also formerly served as the CEO of Ouzinkie Native Corporation. Trustee Sturgeon has served as a trustee for PNW Medical University and the Nature Conservancy of Alaska, and as a director on the Board of Forestry, Alaska Forest Association, the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Resource Development Council. He was awarded the Governor’s Conservationist of the Year Award in 2017.
“Trustees McCarty and Sturgeon bring a wealth of experience to the Trust,” said Mary Jane Michael, Chair of the board of trustees. “We welcome their perspectives, and know they will be valuable voices in our efforts to improve the lives of Trust beneficiaries and best manage Trust resources.”
There are seven trustees that oversee the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority. Trustees are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the legislature to five-year terms.
