Chris was born and raised in Alaska, having spent most of his time on his family’s homestead near the Head of Kachemak Bay. Chris has extensive knowledge of the area’s natural resources, and has been involved in ranching, raising hay, gold mining, and construction work. Chris is an active member of the Kenai Peninsula Farm Bureau and currently is serving as the president of the Alaska Association of Conservation Districts.

Otto lives on the family homestead on East End Road. He ranches and operates a boat transportation service. The Kilcher family has a long and colorful history around the Homer area. Otto raises hay and cattle on the homestead and sits on the Kenai Peninsula Cooperative Weed Management Area Council and is an active member of the Kenai Peninsula Farm Bureau.

Janette (“Jan”) Keiser, PE, is a registered professional civil engineer and lawyer who has worked in the field of public works infrastructure for her entire 45+ year professional career. Most of the public works projects Jan has helped guide, as project manager or construction counsel, have been projects that help the environment, such as transit mega-projects that get cars off the roads as well as wastewater and storm water treatment facilities that protect water quality. Jan uses her engineering background to understand technical issues and her legal background to develop defensible and collaborative solutions to those issues. Her most recent work as the Director of Public Works and City Engineer for the City of Homer is representative of Jan’s passion for protecting the natural environment from adverse effects of the built environment. Jan lives in Homer with her husband Kim Zook. She enjoys fishing, kayaking and other ways of experiencing the great outdoors and is a 40+ year gardener. Jan enjoys salmon – catching, cooking, and eating salmon as well as planting salmon carcasses in her raised beds for fertilizer.

Charlie has been all around the state, but worked for years for Fish & Game in Prince William Sound. He is now retired but keeps busy with music, gardening, friends and a myriad of hobbies. He joined the board in 2022.

Jim Engebretsen has been in and around Anchor Point since 1974, and had the first high tunnel contract with the NRCS’s EQIP program. A local grower of a myriad of things, his specialties include particularly tasty French fingerling potatoes and gooseberries. When he’s not farming, he’s commercial salmon fishing on a driftboat. Jim is attuned to the community and after filling in on the board, has decided to take a seat with us.