Maren Johnson

Program Coordinator/Office Manager

Maren is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in recreation programming, event planning, administration, and animal sciences.

With over a decade of experience in various roles within the Boy Scouts of America, including summer camps, council events, and managing a National Scout Shop, Maren honed her skills in project management, communication, and teamwork. Her time with the BSA laid the foundation for her passion for organizing impactful programs, leading her to pursue and obtain a  Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation Administration from Utah State University.

Maren's journey took an adventurous turn when she joined a sled dog tour company in Juneau, AK, where she lived in a tent on the Mendenhall glacier with 280 dogs and a crew of 18 people offering glacier tours to guests who visited via helicopter.  

Originally intending to spend one year with sled dogs before moving on to learn about other working dogs such as police K9s, service animals, and protection dogs, Maren found herself falling in love with sled dogs and spent the next 5.5 years dedicated to them. During this time, Maren briefly returned to school to deepen her understanding of veterinary medicine and animal husbandry to enable her to provide the best possible care of the dogs she worked with. In doing so, she obtained a certificate in Animal Sciences from Bridgerland Technical College in Logan, UT.

After working with the glacier tour company, she spent many years at a competitive racing kennel near Denali National Park, AK where she spent the summers educating guest and winters caring for and training dogs. In addition to volunteering at several smaller races, she was also heavily involved in the 1,000-mile Iditarod sled dog race for 9 years either as a musher's handler or as a hub coordinator with the Iditarod Return Dog Program and looks forward to more opportunities within the race in the future.

At the end of 2020, Maren returned to Utah and began working on a dairy farm, fully immersing herself in all aspects of animal care (including becoming a bovine artificial insemination technician) while simultaneously developing other types of farming skills: waste management, heavy-equipment operations, vehicle maintenance, training new workers, project management, and more. In addition to spending time on the farm, Maren also returned to Bridgerland Technical College as an instructor in the Animal Sciences program where she redesigned veterinary medicine labs, guided students through learning practical skills, and enhanced her instructional and administrative capabilities.

Seeking to return to Alaska, further her career in animal sciences education, and gain more experience in administration, Maren joined the University of Alaska Fairbanks Veterinary Medicine Department in November of 2023. Her favorite aspects of the job are planning and facilitating orientation week for new students, advising prospective students, and organizing information and people.

Outside of work, you can find Maren on her paddle board, learning to play hockey, reading, or hanging out with a pack of dogs.

Media Appearances
May 2020: Host of a Virtual Puppy Party - Live sled dog Q&A session with puppies
February 2021: UPR Interview - Educating the public about sled dogs
March 2022: Faces of Iditarod