ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Selects New Assistant Executive Director
MaryAnn Ganacias, former internal organizer to take position
Anchorage – On Friday, July 23, 2021, Executive Director of ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 Jake Metcalfe announced his selection for the new Assistant Executive Director. MaryAnn Ganacias, a veteran of ASEA, will take the position as soon as possible and no later than August 1, 2021. ASEA launched a nationwide search for an Assistant Executive Director at the end of May this year. After reviewing numerous qualified candidates from across the country, Jake Metcalfe determined that MaryAnn was the best person for the job. The Assistant Executive Director will, as the name implies, assist the Executive Director and support the mission of ASEA including providing quality professional services to Alaskans working for Alaska.
MaryAnn Ganacias was born a San Francisco 49er and has made the 49th state her home after arriving in 1984 through her father’s military service in the Air Force. MaryAnn got her start as an active community member and leader at an early age. She could be found delivering newspapers, volunteering at the Red Cross, or teaching piano and art. Before finding her labor home and family at ASEA in 2003, MaryAnn gained extensive and valuable skills working in various fields and industries. At ASEA, MaryAnn has served as a Secretary, Procurement Officer, Administrative Assistant, and most recently, Internal and External Organizer, a position she’s held since 2014.
MaryAnn continues to be an active community leader, serving as the President of the Alaska Federation of Filipino Americans (AFFA), as one example.
Jake Metcalfe shared, “Community and Union organizing is in MaryAnn’s DNA. I am confident she will help Alaska public employees and ASEA members thrive and get the workplace protections they deserve during difficult times. I’m excited to work with her in this capacity.”
MaryAnn will bring her nearly ten years’ experience as an organizer into the role, continuing her dedicated work helping Alaska public employees take full advantage of union membership. “A lot of employees still think that membership is automatic, but it is not and the only way to have that voice on the job is to become a member,” MaryAnn Ganacias said.
She continued, “Unions transform workers, they transform lives, and they lift up entire communities. We want all Alaskans in public fields to be able to live the union difference. That’s our job at ASEA – we look out for the people that look out for us every day, and we do that as a collective group, as a union!”
MaryAnn shared that she is excited and honored to serve in this role. Having worked in numerous positions at ASEA over the last several years, she has a solid understanding of the organization and its needs.
When MaryAnn is not working or volunteering in the community, she enjoys performing cultural dances, playing her ukulele, and as of last year, spending time on the golf course. Her artwork can be found adorning the walls of the ASEA Headquarters office in Anchorage.
ASEA/AFSCME Local 52 is an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) which represents more than 1.4 million public service workers across the country. AFSCME Local 52 is the largest union of state and municipal public service workers in Alaska with more than 8,000 hardworking public employees. ASEA members provide essential services that Alaskans rely on every day. ASEA members care for people from all walks of life to ensure they have the services they need to live with dignity and respect. They work everywhere Alaska needs them and keep Alaska running.
###