We cannot begin to list the ways in which Thomasina has strengthened our team!
Thomasina’s background is mostly in administrative work and office management, in the private, public as well as NGO sectors. She is a lifelong Alaskan, born and raised in Cordova but currently residing in Juneau. She spends her free time hiking, running, cooking, drawing, reading, writing, and doing handicrafts (she was playing the piano but taking a break from that to go back to school for Graphic Design).
Thomasina’s favorite parts about her work for the Alaska SBDC are when she helps with the database and seeing records of what the Alaska SBDC does to help individual clients, and knowing they’re her friends and neighbors. She also enjoys helping the Communications & Client Coordinator with the newsletter, rounding up news from around the state of the many creative ways to pivot that our clients have found to keep their businesses going in this difficult time.
One thing you might not guess by looking at Thomasina is that she spent several years in high school and college working at the local fish processing plants to save money for education. She says it was hard work with a lot of overtime shifts when the fishing openers went long, but everyone kept each other entertained with stories, jokes, and (usually harmless) pranks.
When asked what her favorite job ever was she had a hard time choosing but decided it was a toss-up between any job where she got to put on events or fundraisers, or her brief time working as a short-order cook. She says she loves being in the middle of a good time and loves feeding people good food.
As to how Alaska’s small business community impacts her personally, she says she feels Alaskans imprint everything they do with a spirit of sharing and mutual support. She has seen entrepreneurs in our communities work hard to sustain each other through thick times and thin with the idea that a rising tide lifts all boats. Whether it’s hydroponic farms serving fresh food in small towns, or local artisans making value-added goods to share with visitors, it gives her hope for our future to see all those pieces working together to build an economy that will keep us going for generations yet to come.