Alaska Sea Grant education specialist finalist presentations

May 17, 2021

Three finalists for the position of education specialist with Alaska Sea Grant will give public presentations May 20 and 26. The UAF community is invited to attend the presentations and provide feedback.

Keane Richards, Thursday, May 20, 11:30 a.m.

Krysta Williams, Wednesday, May 26, noon

Leigh Lubin, Wednesday, May 26, 2 p.m.

The Alaska Sea Grant education specialist leads statewide formal and informal education engagement efforts focused on Alaska's marine ecosystems and coastlines. These candidates have experience teaching science in classrooms and outdoor settings across the state, including rural Alaska.

Learn more about each candidate and how to register for their talks below. For additional questions, email Davin Holen at dlholen@alaska.edu.

Keane Richards

Keane Richards was raised on a homestead on the banks of the Kandik River in eastern Alaska, where he lived a subsistence lifestyle until moving to Fairbanks to pursue a degree at the University of Alaska in 2007. Keane holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in geosciences. After graduating from UAF, he went on to earn a Master of Science in experiential education from Minnesota State University and a Master of Arts in teaching from the University of Alaska Southeast.

Richards has worked in a variety of educational programs for the past 10 years, including five years in diverse communities in rural Alaska as a K-12 science teacher. During that time, he designed his own curriculum, focusing on experiential teaching while integrating authentic research opportunities. Richards organized districtwide science fairs as well as science events for community residents. His academic interests in education include project-based learning, experiential teaching models of education in K-12 schools, and designing and teaching curriculum through outdoor education.

Richards lives in Nome with his wife, two daughters, 13 sled dogs and two goats. He currently works as the village program development specialist for the UAF Northwest Campus. He enjoys adventuring in the outdoors and taking advantage of the many subsistence opportunities in western Alaska.

Register for Keane Richards’ talk

Krysta Williams

William's professional life has oscillated between education and biology. She is currently teaching sixth grade in Cordova, Alaska, where she lives by the motto "the fun is in the figuring" with two daughters, two Boykin spaniels and one husband.

Because she believes it's easier to think outside the box when you're not in one, she strives to include as many opportunities for place-based learning and outdoor experiences for her students as she can. Along with outdoor experiences, William focuses on incorporating community partners into her classroom program. Educators at the Prince William Sound Science Center and the Copper River Watershed Project, the editor of the Cordova Times, a local astrophotographer, the owner of the local yarn shop, and the CEO of Cordova Electric Cooperative provide instrumental expertise for her students. She is part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Teacher Innovator Institute where she has collaborated with STEM teachers from across the nation.

When she's not scheming to get her students out into the world for authentic learning opportunities, she's dreaming of travel opportunities and very much hoping to make it back to Iceland one day.

Register for Krysta Williams’ talk

Leigh Lubin

Leigh Lubin is an educator and seasoned guide with over two decades of experience instructing in classrooms, universities, outdoors, online, and in studios in the United States, rural Alaska, China, and Ecuador. Lubin has a Master of Arts in teaching, a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies with an emphasis in natural history, is an Alaska certified science teacher, and is a certified and experienced registered yoga teacher. She has a special gift for connecting students to material and for creating experience-based learning regardless of location or subject matter. Lubin draws on familiarity with an abundance of educational environments, cultures, age groups, teaching formats, program goals, evaluation methods and teaching styles to facilitate authentic interest, learning and integration. Her successes stem from her deep appreciation and awe for the natural world, marine environments, inquiry, and the learning process. Lubin’s teaching style and ability to connect with students inspires deep learning and a desire to understand more fully.

Lubin has been in Alaska year-round since 2003 when she came to guide sea kayaking in Prince William Sound. The wildness of Alaska and the authenticity of its people are what keep her motivated and thriving. She believes that there is always something to learn and is thankful for all that her students and nature have taught her.

Register for Leigh Lubin’s talk