Anchorage Women's Commission Meeting

The Anchorage Women's Commission convened on September 14, 2026, at 4:30 PM with Chair Kristin Traver presiding. Present were Vice Chair Ariana, members Celeste (virtual), Kayla, and Melissa Scarback (virtual), a social worker and small business owner in Anchorage. Leslie was absent. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. The commission discussed onboarding infrastructure, data access, maternal health program milestones, survey findings, commissioner vacancies, and outreach planning.

Consent Calendar

• Unanimously amended the agenda to move the Mayor's presentation from new business to after minutes approval, allowing her to speak when available.
• Approved the amended agenda unanimously.
• Approved minutes from the June and August meetings. (The transcript renders "approve" as "appreciate"; the minutes documents themselves were not attached.)

Discussion Items

• Mayor's Remarks: Following minutes approval, a speaker — identified by context as the Mayor, whose presentation had been moved up per the agenda amendment — addressed the commission, emphasizing the importance of its mission to the administration and to every Anchorage resident.
• Onboarding and Infrastructure: Chair Traver noted she and Ariana are now the longest-serving members at 1.5 years and that the commission has lacked structured onboarding. The commission has been building onboarding infrastructure, led by Ariana; staff located historical records that had previously been missing.
• Data Access: Members discussed what data the commission can access, including health department and employment data. Staff agreed to compile a list of available data for the commission. Members agreed broad data is useful but does not replace one-on-one conversations.
• Maternal and Post-Partum Care: The commission noted Alaska is the first in the state to have a behavioral health provider embedded for maternal and post-partum care in a WIC setting, and only the second in the nation (the other program is not completely WIC-related).
• Survey Findings: The commission reviewed survey responses (the transcript is unclear whether the count is 16 or 29): 14% were concerned about missing housing, and 22% had anticipated numbers and were worried about not having [a term garbled in the transcript] in the coming months. Members described the data as heartbreaking but incredible and noted an uptick in these issues.
• Commissioner Vacancies: Two seats are open; no applications have been received. Staff member Maria said she could benefit from outreach to recruit applicants.
• State Legislation: Members discussed whether the commission should take positions on state legislation, referencing prior work on domestic violence protective orders, including a period when APD had two dedicated officers tracking respondents after orders were filed and visiting spouses despite existing restraining orders.
• Outreach and Communications: Leslie and Kayla are the current outreach committee members. They were asked to meet in the interim to review prior outreach work with Sharon and return with recommendations. Members discussed sending materials to the public information officer (an acting PIO will be in place) and reviewing health department communications guidelines. Members also discussed creating a new Facebook page, ensuring staff retain password information for continuity through staff changes, and using Bitly link shorteners. One member cautioned against posting on social media simply for the sake of posting.
• Survey Distribution: Members debated in-person versus electronic distribution and agreed the electronic version via QR codes would be the primary push, with paper surveys available as a backup.
• Leadership Opportunities: A member recommended the Alaska Center Education Fund's Boards and Commissions leadership cohort (applications close September 17th) and mentioned the League of Women Voters' democracy fair in October and Leadership Anchorage community projects.

Key Outcomes

• Agenda amendment, amended agenda, and June/August minutes approved unanimously.
• Melissa, Leslie, and Kayla were chosen to advance the survey work; Leslie and Kayla will meet in the interim on outreach continuity.
• Staff will compile a list of available data for the commission.
• The next meeting is scheduled for October 1, 2026, at 4:30 PM.