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The team at ASE is an energetic and committed group of creative and talented individuals with more than 250 years of combined experience. These individuals go above and beyond standard expectations, share common values, and have a passion for serving ASE’s clients. Collectively they have a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge of the complex social, economic, environmental, geographic, and health and development issues facing community organizations. Their skills span rural and urban environments in both Alaska and the lower 48 states. Despite harsh environmental conditions, geographic isolation, and cultural barriers unique to Alaska, the ASE team repeatedly demonstrates their ability to deliver high-quality service in a challenging environment.
PJ Bell
PJ Wilkins-Bell (Overholtzer) is CEO / President of Alaska Summit Enterprise, Inc.
Ms. Bell has over 30 years of experience providing rural and itinerant health care in Alaska and assisting at the national level with technical assistance, program evaluation, and review of health and social service methodologies. In the early years as a single mom of two boys, Ms. Bell established a small business and secured additional work with major oil companies and their sub contractors during Alaska’s early pipeline days to partner with their safety departments to teach industrial first aid and CPR classes to laborers.
Ms. Bell, along with many others, helped create the Statewide Emergency Medical System that is still in place today. She reflects on her accomplishments not as a pioneer, but as establishing projects that needed to be done. She also help start the first infant car seat loan program in Alaska and worked on passage of Alaska seat belt and child car seat restraint laws. This was the beginning of many firsts, such as providing an Advanced Trauma and Life Support Course funded by Alaska’s Indian Health Services area office to emergency room physicians. PJ is highly respected as a team player. She has developed cross-cultural curriculum for health and grant writing topics for a variety of learning styles and educational levels. Ms. Bell was also involved in program analysis/performance measures for Indian Health Services Headquarters and Emergency Medical Services in the mid 1980s and was asked to assist with the continuation of the National Community Health Representative Program.
During her eight years as the Health and Social Services Director with a local non profit, Ms. Bell initiated the development of the region’s Environmental Protection Consortium, established two Head Start schools, and managed as many as 52 employees and a budget of $21 million. She provided assistance to Cook Inlet regional non-profit organizations for 12 years and was one of a three-member team to launch Southcentral Foundation in the early 1980s. Ms. Bell took Southcentral Foundation from a paper agency to a fully operational agency with a dental, optometry, and women’s clinic that is viewed today, 25 years later, as the largest native nonprofit health care delivery service system in the Anchorage area.
In addition, Ms. Bell works diligently in partnership with tribal governments to implement the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a commitment to tribal self-governance to establish tribal courts and child support enforcement programs utilizing state and tribal regulations.
As the Family Services Director on Anchorage’s two military installations, Ft Richardson and Elmendorf AFB, Ms. Bell assisted with the evacuation of Mount Pinatubo, the coordination of support groups (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome for military personnel and their families), and conducted deployment and reentry briefings for military personnel and their families.
Ms. Bell partnered with Arnold Worldwide as a facilitator on national health survey campaigns that were implemented throughout the United States. The Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Dr. Wade Horne called upon Ms. Bell during the 2005 Katrina disaster to conduct a summation of shelters in four states.
Ms. Bell’s extensive years of administrative, fiscal, and grants management experience coupled with her ability to manage multiple projects and programs have established a solid foundation for ASE to build upon. ASE is proud to be partnered with talented staff and consultants committed to making a positive change in changing times.
Ms. Bell has held senior leadership positions with various Boards of Directors; including the Alaska Red Cross Chapter, Southern Region Emergency Medical Services, and Akeela Residential Treatment Center. Ms Bell has four grown children and five grandchildren. Ms. Bell holds degrees in Organizational Management, Human Resource Development, and Behavioral Health from the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University.
Email: pjbell@aksummit.com
Cynthia Callivroussi
Cynthia Callivroussi has more that 35 years experience as an educator and entrepreneur. She has worked with ASE for more than three years, assisting the CEO with project development, contract management, as well as working directly with clients and communities to facilitate social and economic development, and provide capacity building training and technical assistance. Ms. Callivroussi's career focus has been to work with indigenous peoples in many parts of the world in culturally appropriate ways to foster positive grassroots change. Her leadership skills include serving on non-profit boards and on the boards of two businesses she co-founded, as well as managing projects and businesses with annual budgets up to $1,500,000. For that last five years she has served as a Federal and States of Alaska project evaluator where she has evaluated 34 diverse projects for the Departments of Justice, Treasure, Education, Health and Human Services, and the Administration of Native Americans, taking her all over Alaska, the lower 48 states and the Pacific Basin, including Hawaii, Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa. She has a BA in Business Administration from the University of South Florida and a BA in Education from Seattle University.
Email: cynthia@aksummit.org
Diane Payne
Ms. Payne joined ASE as Project Director for the Justice for Native Children Project in January 2010. Ms. Payne has extensive experience as a trainer, community organizer, and advocate for Native children and families and has served as the Children’s Justice Specialist and Alaska Office Director for the national Tribal Law and Policy Institute. She is responsible for providing training and technical assistance that addresses system and community responses to child sexual abuse as well as aspects of other criminal and civil child abuse issues in Alaska and in partnership with lower 48 tribes and communities. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in helping Tribal communities develop coordinated and multi-disciplinary responses to reduce trauma to child sexual abuse victims and to reduce violence against Native women.
Ms. Payne serves as a member of the National Native American Children’s Alliance Board and currently chairs the Alaska State Court Improvement Project’s ICWA Subcommittee. She is also a member of the Alaska Children’s Justice Act Task Force and the Alaska State Child and Infant Mortality Review Team. Diane has authored and contributed to numerous tribal training and skills development resources including an Indian Child Welfare Act Basic Manual; Child Abuse Protocol Guide; child-specific units of the National American Indian/Alaska Native Victim Assistance Training curriculum; and Tribal Legal Studies curricula and was instrumental in developing the Pathway to Hope: Healing Child Sexual Abuse video and Community Facilitator Guidebook.
Email: dpayne@aksummit.com
Connie Pavloff
Ms. Pavloff joined ASE as Program Director of HHS/Administration for Native American’s Region III Alaska Training and Technical Assistance Center in October 2009. Ms. Pavloff has a Masters in Education and has spent her professional career of 28 years in the social services arena, with the past sixteen years in rural Alaska, working for and with Alaska Native communities and tribal governments. She comes ready to team with our tribal partners to create jobs at the local level with the hope to create healthier environments for children and families.
Ms. Pavloff brings a wealth of experience and management skills to meet multiple projects and program demands. She brings support to ASE’s senior management team and provides oversight and direction to her team of employees and consultants. Ms. Pavloff has many years of hands-on experience in classroom surroundings for the adult learner. She understands issues in cross cultural settings and has a proven record of success. Ms. Pavloff has experience in problem solving and has the ability to analyze current situations and then develop corrective action delivery and coordination of services.
Email: connie@aksummit.com
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