Staff Members
Biographies for Alaska Conservation Voters' staff members.
For all media inquiries please contact Caitlin Higgins at (907) 258-6175. For all other inquiries, please contact the appropriate staff person listed below. If you are unsure about who to contact, please call (907) 258-6171 to reach our main line.
Caitlin Higgins, Executive Director
Susanna Orr, Political Director
Betty Jo Pritchett, Communications Director
Alora Preuss, Development Director
Caitlin Higgins, Executive Director
Caitlin moved to Alaska in January 2005 to join ACA. She is a Green Corps graduate and has worked on environmental campaigns across the country, ranging from cruise ship pollution to mercury contamination and nuclear waste storage in Yucca Mountain . Prior to joining ACA/ACV, Caitlin worked on the November 2004 elections with MoveOn PAC in Iowa. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2003 with a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies. Caitlin recently finished her Masters in Public Administration at the University of Alaska, Anchorage — a feat which she accomplished while working as a full-time student AND full time ACA employee!
Email: caitlin@akvoice.org
Susanna Orr, Political Director
Susanna has lived in Alaska for nearly twenty years and is a 2005 graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage where she studied English, U.S. History, and Women’s Studies. Since 2002 she has been actively involved in elective and legislative politics across the state including municipal, legislative, gubernatorial, and initiative campaigns and a stint at a legislative aide. Susanna is currently enrolled in the Masters of Public Administration program through the University of Alaska Southeast. She is a runner and currently in training for her first full marathon, a fair weather scooter commuter, and lives in Anchorage with her four year old daughter.
Email: susanna@akvoice.org
Betty Jo Pritchett, Communications Director
Betty Jo came to Alaska in the summer of 2009 with her husband and two boys. Betty Jo's husband is active duty army and that was the impetus behind their move. Though this is her first non-profit position, Betty Jo has years of office management/administration and volunteer management experience. Before coming to the Alliance, Betty Jo had been in the financial services industry for 6 years and was looking for a career change. "I'm excited about this job and having the opportunity to be part of such a positive organization." Betty Jo lives in Eagle River with her family.
Alora Preuss, Development Director
Alora has a great love of nature and is passionate about protecting the environment. She moved to Alaska in the summer 2009 and joined the Alaska Conservation Alliance (ACA) in August 2009. Prior to joining ACA, Alora worked for various community causes in the Bay Area of California, including fund-raising for St. Jude’s Hospital, and the American Cancer Society. She also worked the California State Department of Rehabilitation and served as Development Director for NAVH, the National Association for the Visually Handicapped. Alora attended the College of Marin and the University of California at Berkeley.
Email: alora@akvoice.org
Dwayne Lee, Finance Director
Dwayne moved to Alaska from Wisconsin in 2001,
he has a Bachelor of Accounting Degree from the University of Minnesota
, and passed the CPA examination in 1990. Prior to working for ACA,
Dwayne worked full time in a CPA office, taught accounting and business
courses and completed a 28-year career in managing retail stores for a
national chain. In addition to working for ACA Dwayne continues to work
as the Finance Director for the Alaska Center for the Environment and
as an adjunct professor of accounting at the University of Alaska.
Dwayne, his spouse Gwen, and their daughter Melissa live in Eagle
River, AK.
Email: dwayne@akvoice.org
