Prof. Fortson among attorneys recognized at event for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

Alaska Bar Board of Governors, volunteer attorneys, and committee members join
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on stage after the program.
Front row seated l to r: Alaska Supreme Court Justice Walter Carpeneti, Alaska Bar Board of Governors
President Hanna Sebold, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.),
Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe, and
member of the 1955-1956 Alaska Constitutional Convention Vic Fisher.
See below for full photo caption.

Prof. Ryan Forston, J.D., Justice faculty, was among the members of the Alaska Bar Association Law Related Education (LRE) Committee who were recognized for their ongoing work during a special event with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (Ret.) on September 5 at the Dena 'ina Center. The Law Related Education Committee is responsible for presenting programs and producing publications to aid the public in understanding the law and the legal system.

Justice O'Connor was in Anchorage at the invitation of the Alaska Court System to talk about, "Revitalizing Civic Education in America." In 2009, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor founded iCivics - a project to reverse Americans’ declining civic knowledge and participation, and to teach the next generation to understand and respect our system of governance.  While in Anchorage she was also scheduled to meet with students and teachers.

The audience listens as Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe
introduces Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

iCivics has a national leadership team of state supreme court justices, secretaries of state, and educational leaders and a network of committed volunteers in all 50 states. Alaska Supreme Court Justice Walter Carpeneti is the chair of the Alaska iCivics Committee.  Barbara Hood, Communications Counsel for the Alaska Court System, serves Alaska’s iCivics Coordinator. The  iCivics free website has 16 educational video games for students and adults and teaching materials for educators.

Full photo caption:
Front row seated l to r: Alaska Supreme Court Justice Walter Carpeneti, Alaska Bar Board of Governors President Hanna Sebold, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (Ret.), Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Dana Fabe, member of the 1955 -1956 Alaska Constitutional Convention Vic Fisher.
Back row seated l to r: LRE Committee Member Leslie Hiebert, volunteer attorney Kathy Keck, Anchorage School District Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator Pam Orme, LRE Committee Member Stephanie Galbraith-Moore.
Standing l to r: Alaska Bar Executive Director Deborah O’Regan, Board of Governors member Mike Moberly, former Board of Governors member and Alaska Supreme Court Justice Peter Maassen, Board of Governors member Alaska Supreme Court Justice Alex Bryner (Ret.), LRE Committee member Brooks Chandler, LRE Committee member Bryan Schroder, LRE Committee member Prof. Ryan Fortson, Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski (Ret.), LRE Committe Chair Barbara Jones, volunteer attorney Laura Fox, Board of Governors New Lawyer Liaison Leslie Need, Board of Governors member Blake Chupka, Alaska Court System Communications Counsel and Alaska iCivics Coordinator Barbara Hood. (Not pictured: LRE Committee members Prof. Deb Periman and Prof. Jason Brandeis of the UAA Justice Center.)