Alaska State Commission for Human Rights to Hold Annual Meeting at New Anchorage Office on March 18

March 8, 2024

The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights will hold its annual meeting, the first meeting of the year, at its new office location in Anchorage on March 18 starting at 1:00 pm. After spending 40 years at its prior address, the Commission started its work in 2024 at 1901 Bragaw Street, Suite 300. The Commission will be considering two resolutions related to prescription labeling and braille education for blind and visually impaired Alaskans, hearing from Rabbi Abram Goodstein about antisemitism in Alaska, and holding elections for the chair and vice-chair. The public is invited to attend this meeting either in person or via Zoom, with public comment scheduled for 1:30 pm. Signage will be set up in the hallway directing the public into the Commission’s conference room. Anyone wishing to attend via telephone or Zoom should contact the Commission at (907) 276-7474 by 4:30 pm on Monday, March 11, to make arrangements.

The Commission is an independent quasi-judicial state agency that aims to eliminate discrimination and support Alaskans when they face discrimination in the workplace, places of public accommodation, housing, credit and financing, and government practices. The Commission consists of seven volunteers who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature for rotating five-year terms. The Commission consists of Chairperson Zackary Gottshall (Anchorage), Vice Chairperson Mae Marsh (Fairbanks), William Craig (Sitka), Rebecca Carrillo (Juneau), Jessie Ruffridge (Soldotna), and Shiela Cernich (Anchorage). The Commission currently has one vacancy.

Commission staff is available for assistance directly to the business community, either through speaking engagements to organizations, reviewing non-discrimination policies and procedures, and providing copies of its guidance documents, which are also available here: Alaska Human Rights Annual Guidance Documents.

For more information about the agency, please visit the Alaska Human Rights website. To talk about discrimination experiences directly to an investigator, call (800)-478-4692 or (907)-274-4692.