Alaska State Fair Board of Directors Candidate Profile
Danny Consenstein
Anchorage, Alaska
- State why you wish to serve on the Board of Directors.
My family loves the fair. The fair is an important part of my community and my state. I would like to bring my passion for the Fair, and my experience with nonprofit management, to the Board of Directors. For the past 30 years, I have worked in leadership positions in government agencies, nonprofits and private sector consulting firms. I am skilled at financial management, human resources issues, personnel management, communications, public relations, and strategic planning. I hope to help the organization chart a sustainable path to the future, so that it can continue to provide a high quality, truly Alaskan experience, for my kids and future generations.
- Summarize employment experience; include work with budgets and supervisory duties.
In the seventies, when I first came to Alaska, I worked on construction jobs, road projects, on the North Slope, on the Alaska Pipeline, and on a variety of jobs across the state. I was also a commercial fisherman, trolling in Southeast Alaska, and gillnetting in Bristol Bay. I also built cabins, and lived on a small homestead outside of Fairbanks. I later went to work as a legislative staff in Juneau for a State Senator representing the Fairbanks area. Throughout the 1980’s, I continued to work as a committee staff on the Senate Resources Committee, on issues relating to agriculture, oil and gas, mining, timber, fishing and land use. In the 1990’s, after completing a Masters of Public Administration at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, I worked in Washington, D.C. on Alaska issues at the US Department of the Interior. As the Deputy Director for Congressional and Legislative Affairs, I managed a staff of about 15, and worked with Congress on a wide range of budget and appropriation issues. I returned to Alaska in 2003 as the Executive Director of an Anchorage nonprofit, Trustees for Alaska. As the Executive Director, I was responsible for all of the organization’s operations, including supervising a staff of 12, fundraising, and managed all direct reporting to the Board of Directors. I am currently the State Executive Director of the USDA Alaska Farm Service Agency (FSA). Our state office is in Palmer, and we have one field office in Delta. I am responsible for managing 8 FSA staff in Alaska, as well as relationships with two County Committees and a State Committee, all composed of Alaska farmers and ranchers. I have responsibility for our state budget, as well as civil rights compliance, public relations, and relationships with elected officials around the state and in Congress.
- List any volunteer activities, including board experience.
As a nonprofit Executive Director of Trustees for Alaska, I worked closely with a volunteer Board of Directors. Because this non profit is a 501(c) (3), I am very familiar with the operations, tax, and financial requirements of nonprofit organizations. My view of the role of boards of directors is to set policy direction, be sure that the resources are there to accomplish the goals, and assure accountability. As Executive Director, I sent monthly reports to the board, including financial statements and cash flow projections. I also organized board meetings and board development training. I was also recently on staff with the Renewable Resources Coalition, which is also a nonprofit organization. In that capacity, I also worked closely with two volunteer boards of directors. From 2007-2009, I also served as a Commissioner on the Anchorage Port Commission. Throughout my life, I have been actively involved as a volunteer for nonprofit organizations and political campaigns.
- How have you participated in the Fair in the past?
I have participated in the Fair in many ways. Since the mid-seventies, I have regularly visited the fair to enjoy all of the activities the fair has to offer. As an avid Anchorage back yard gardener, former amateur homesteader on Ester Dome, and the leader of the Alaska USDA Farm Service Agency, I love the agricultural exhibits. From the livestock to the giant cabbages, I love to see the smiles on the faces of kids, parents and grandparents as they watch baby chicks pecking out of their shells, put their hands on the udders of a real cow, and gaze in awe at the enormous giant vegetables. As a musician, I have performed at the fair with bluegrass and country bands, and enjoyed watching the great variety of local talent and professional acts from outside. I have also been an exhibitor with the Renewable Resources Coalition and enjoy the interaction with fairgoers about ideas and issues that Alaskans care about.
- Summarize what you value most about the Fair. State your specific areas of interest.
The fair celebrates Alaska’s diversity. It attracts people from every different age group, interest, gender, race, income level and geographic area. The exhibits, vendors, and events also provide visitors with a diverse picture of the Alaska community.
My particular area of interest is agricultural education. Alaska has incredible opportunities to create jobs, improve our health, and provide food for Alaskans through expanded agricultural production. The average age of the American farmer is 57. The fair can play an important role in educating Alaskans, particularly young people, about the rewarding opportunities available for producing food, flowers, trees, livestock, and other agricultural products.
- What is your vision for the Fair, and do you have specific goals?
Alaska has changed quite a bit since I first arrived in the Fairbanks area in the late sixties. The Matanuska Valley has changed even more from the early Colony days and the first fair in 1936. I believe it is important that the fair maintain the true spirit of Alaska. The Fair has an important role to play in the local community. What makes Alaska unique is our quality of life, our people, and our culture. The fair provides an important venue to celebrate and honor our history, and help shape a path to the future that sustains our values. Through sound financial management, and a focus on the values of the original colonists, we can assure that future generations of fairgoers will also share a high quality experience.
Does the Fair have a strategic plan? Every strong organization should have a strategic plan to guide its operations for a 3-5 year period. Strategic plans should be dynamic, and flexible enough to change when conditions change. But it is the job of the Board of Directors to set the direction of the organization. A strategic planning process helps the Board come to common vision about the future, set goals, and provide the staff with clear direction about priorities. I don’t bring any specific personal goals, but I am very interested in having a good conversation with other members of the Board of Directors about the future of the Fair. I would like to work with the Board to jointly develop a set of specific goals for the organization that can guide us to the future. |
