"Make it Monday" forum - Growth in Alaska Apprenticeships

PANELISTS:
Patty Linduska, Alaska Primary Care Association
Amanda Lofgren, Pioneer Homes
Brenda Pacarro, Calista Corporation

MODERATED BY:
Bruce Bustamante, Alaska Workforce Investment Board/ Anchorage Chamber of Commerce

Hear from Alaska businesses that are using Registered Apprenticeship for workforce development, and learn more about the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Roundtable that will take place on December 14th and 15th at ANTHC.

Community Health Worker, Air Frame and Power Plant Mechanic, and Biller Coder Specialist are just some of the new apprenticeships Alaska employers have started over the last year. Whether your business is in the health care, construction, transportation, resource development, financial, insurance, maritime, or hospitality sector, there are Registered Apprenticeships that will help develop your workforce.

Patricia (Patty) Carol Linduska, R.N., NCQA PCMH CCE, PF
Patty is a registered nurse with over 40 years of experience in rural health care, and over 17 years in the Community Health Center (CHC) world. Patty is currently the Senior Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA).  Patty manages many of the diverse programs and services APCA provides to CHCs across Alaska.  As a NCQA Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Certified Content Expert, she leads APCA’s team of improvement advisors that assist CHCs in achieving PCMH recognition, certification, and/or accreditation.  She has expertise in quality improvement and trains individual CHCs on methods, tools and techniques to improve patient care.  Patty possesses in-depth knowledge of the HRSA 19 Program Requirements, and leads APCA’s Technical Assistance Team in assisting CHCs with understanding and meeting those requirements.  Her role at APCA includes providing training and technical assistance to CHC Boards of Directors on governance, and providing leadership training and support to CHC leaders.  Patty leads APCA’s Health Center Controlled Network staff who assist the participating CHCs with data driven quality improvement.  She provides leadership to APCAs new Apprenticeship program for Community Health Workers, Clinical Medical Assistants, Medical Administrative Assistants and Billing and Coding Specialists and is the instructor for the CMA and MAA courses.

Amanda Lofgren, Director of Alaska Pioneer Homes
Prior to being appointed the director, she worked for Alaska Mental Trust Authority as a Program Officer, with an emphasis on Housing and Long Term Services and Supports, Beneficiary Employment and Engagement and Medicaid Expansion and Redesign. Prior to her time at the Trust, she was with the Division of Senior and Disabilities Services as the Rural Long Term Care Coordinator to ensure home and community based services were available in rural Alaska and then with Alzheimer’s Resource of AK directly providing services and supports to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementia and their caregivers. She holds both a graduate and undergraduate degree in Gerontology and has a strong passion for working with seniors and their families.

Brenda Pacarro
As the Workforce and Shareholder Development Supervisor at Calista Corporation, Brenda Pacarro is committed to helping Shareholders and Descendants grow professionally through their successful internship and apprenticeship programs. Calista is the 2nd largest Regional Corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act with 13,000 Shareholders and encompasses 56 villages. Calista currently has 30+ subsidiaries.

Brenda is a 2015 graduate of the Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program at Alaska Pacific University and an alumni of Leadership Anchorage. She currently serves on the Alaska Workforce Investment Board, AVTEC Advisory Board and The Kuskokwim Corporation.
 

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