Kuskokwim Campus director candidate presentations

The College of Rural and Community Development invites the public to presentations by finalists for the

Kuskokwim Campus director position. Faculty, staff, students and community members are strongly encouraged to attend. Presentations will occur at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 13, and Tuesday, Dec. 14.

Finalist candidates Carolyn Goolsby and DeShan Foret will give a public presentation as part of the selection process. Each session will be a 30-minute presentation focused on their vision for the campus, followed by a 15-minute question and answer session.

Presentation by Carolyn Goolsby

Monday, Dec. 13, at 9 a.m.
Registration closed for this event
Call in: +1 669 900 6833 US
Meeting ID: 868 5768 3619

Presentation by DeShan Foret

Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 9 a.m.
Registration closed for this event
Call in: +1 669 900 6833 US
Meeting ID: 826 5076 6574

Audience members are asked to complete an online feedback form for each candidate. The forms will be available until Dec. 21. The link to the form will also be posted in the Zoom chat and on the Kuskokwim Campus website and Facebook page.

About the candidates:

Carolyn Goolsby — Carolyn Goolsby was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, on the traditional lands of the Yamasee. After completing her undergraduate degree in voice performance, she earned a Master of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland in 1993. Goolsby has worked at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, the National Library of Medicine, and several major university libraries. She was a member of the graduate faculty at the Florida State University, teaching master’s-level courses in cataloging and information organization in the College of Information.

As a director, Goolsby has headed libraries in Canada, Indiana and Alaska. She currently works as director of the Haines Borough Public Library (Ax'Shtudultoowu Daaka Hidi) and works closely with the Chilkoot Indian Association as director of Haines’ tribal library.

Goolsby is very active in her community. She serves as board president of the American Bald Eagle Foundation and a board member for KHNS Public Radio. She is a member of the Lynn Canal Community Players, has volunteered as a voice coach at Haines School, sings with the Haines Acapella Women’s Chorus, and heads up a committee focused on researching agriculture in the Chilkat Valley. She may be heard on KHNS most Friday mornings during Library Talk, a short radio program outlining programs and materials at the library.

Goolsby is an avid gardener, hydroponic grower, baker and needleworker.

DeShan Foret — DeShan Foret, is currently a wellness counselor and assistant professor of social sciences at the UAF Kuskokwim Campus in Bethel. She received a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans in 1996 with a focus on international public health and mental health services. She most recently completed a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage in May 2020. Her MSW final project focused on using conversation and present-moment awareness to engage individuals in matters of antiracism, implicit bias and self-reflection. Prior to her position at KuC, Foret worked at the University of Vermont from 2015-2020 as a wellness coach and program developer within the Center for Children, Youth and Families.

Foret has worked in public health for over 25 years, which has led her to Alaska and American Samoa, as well as the completion of a public health leadership fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the last several years, her focus in public health has increasingly turned to wellness modalities such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and health coaching.

Foret enjoys living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where the importance of community, respect for nature, and the value of a good sense of humor have contributed to her own growth as a human being.

For more information, contact Lisa Yancey at llyancey@alaska.edu or 907-474-5459.