I graduated from San Juan (Wash.) High School in 1976 and went right into the Air Force as a Weapons Mechanic. I spent many years in various positions in the military-–traveling around the world–-until finally retiring from the Air Force in 1994 and returning to Alaska. Upon my return I started working as a security officer for the Cordova Center which is a halfway house. After a holding a few similar positions, including work in Bethel as a Case Manager, I moved back to Anchorage for a job as an Assistant Director. Shortly after that, I began my career with the Dept. of Corrections as a correctional officer. After nine months, I switched to work as a probation/parole officer--a job I've held for the past 19 years.

In 2004, I was asked to attend the ASEA Biennial convention. This event is what started my involvement with our Union. Over the years, I have been a steward (2005 to present), Anchorage Chapter Treasurer (2008 to 2012), Anchorage Chapter President (2013 to 2017), ASEA State Executive Board Class One Representative/Class One Committee Chair (2010 to 2016 and 2019 to present), Probation Officer Committee Chair (2010 to present), PAC Treasurer (2015 to 2017) Class One contract committee representative (2013 to present),Political Action Committee Chair (2017 to present), as well as many other committees.

You might ask why I devote so much time to our Union. It’s because of all of us that we have a Union. And it’s up to all of us to make sure we keep it. I want to make sure that we are treated with respect and treated fairly in the workplace. I want to make sure we earn respectable wages, and that our health care meets the needs of our families. When I became involved with our union, I was always told “Our Union is only as strong as our members make it” and I always wanted a strong inion. A strong union means a good contract--which means respect toward employees, a good job, and fair wages. Please keep ASEA STRONG and join us to keep it strong by getting involved.

I joined ASEA in 2011 and became an activist in 2013 after joining the Anchorage Chapter Next Wave Committee. I was later appointed as a shop steward, and then Strategic Coordinator for the ASEA Communications Team (ACT).

In April of 2019, I was elected to the State Executive Board as the Professional Representative, and became Anchorage Chapter President in December of 2019. I enjoy connecting our Union with charitable causes, and increasing member engagement and activism.

I have worked more than 12 years for the state. I first worked as an Eligibility Technician II at the Division of Public Assistance office providing Food Stamps, Medicaid, temporary service, and senior benefits to the needy. In March of 2019 I moved over to Office of Children Services as an Eligibility Technician ensuring our children in state custody are covered under Medicaid as well as Foster Care payments. I value the work I do to help those in need and to ensure our children under state custody have functioning support.

I grew up in a very prideful union family. My father started out as a union employee, then became a shop steward, and then a business manager for a local union. His beliefs transferred over to me because unions provide stability and so many more benefits than the private sector will ever do for you. The more union members you have, the stronger your union will be.

Public servants across the state ensure that Alaska continues to be a great place to live. For years I have provided services to those in need by placing food on the table, cash in their hands, as well as delivering medical care that they could never afford, and ensuring foster care families have the resources they require to meet the needs of children. I am very proud of what I do.

Being a Rural Representative, President of the Mat-Su Chapter, and steward allows me to connect with union members to kown their needs, wants, and concerns. I strive to be the best member in the union and represent our rural members in the best possible way. I love to fish, hunt, snow machine (Arctic Man is right around the corner!) and offroad with my husband and our children. I also love to quilt and make wall hangings depicting Alaskan scenes as well as Western scenes. I also grew up on a small hobby farm riding horses, raising chickens, steers, and pigs, and would love to get back into that again someday. I encourage everyone to contact me with any questions or concerns.

In solidarity,
Jody Morris

I was raised in Anchorage and now live in Fairbanks, where I have worked for the Division of Public Assistance since September 2007.

In addition to legal attacks and the state's ongoing fiscal crisis, I believe one of the biggest challenges facing our union is the public perception about who we are and what we do. As a member of the State Executive Board, I will work to ensure more public outreach--to show our fellow Alaskans the ways in which our members give back to our communities.

We are a diverse union, made up of people from every political, socio-economic and cultural stripe. I believe we can use this diversity to bring our union forward, using the best ideas from many different perspectives. I am dedicated to open communication and transparency, fiscal responsibility, member activism and involvement. I will work to ensure that members get information that helps them to actively participate in decision making at all levels of the union.

We are stronger together and our best ideas come from our membership, so I welcome your involvement as we move our union forward. As a fellow union member, William DeVore said, "Belonging to a union means you have to participate and join together to win the battles being fought. Otherwise, it's like joining the army and expecting only the officers to engage in combat. You don't win many battles that way."