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Mike Shaffer has been a practicing Alaska attorney for more than 25 years and was a law clerk for the Honorable Morgan Christen at the Anchorage Superior Court from 2002-2003. After a short time working in general civil practice, he was a prosecutor for over 15 years, during which time he handled several thousand cases as the primary assigned prosecutor, including trying more than 100 cases to jury verdict.  He also worked for three years at the Alaska Native Justice Center, where he represented indigent victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through grant funding provided through the federal Violence Against Women Act.  Most recently, since coming to the Alaska Office of Victims Rights (OVR) in 2022, Mr. Shaffer has represented hundreds of crime victims across the State in numerous felony case matters, and has also presented on OVR's role in Alaska crime victims' rights advocacy to a variety of law enforcement, victim services, and other criminal justice-related agencies.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6ldq6jskmnyrow28pv5sl/OVR_8-30-26_Unitarian_Fellowship.pdf?rlkey=fiuh786vu93qbu1bb5gegl2jc&dl=0

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Gene White is a 50-year-plus Alaska resident. He served in the Coast Guard in the 1960s and 70s, and upon release from Active Duty, he went on to Eastern Oregon State College (now Eastern Oregon University. After graduating in 1975, he came to Alaska and has been here ever since.  After a relatively brief three-year stint as Community School Coordinator, he entered an apprenticeship in the IBEW.  He retired from Alaska IBEW as an electrician, and then served as a Legislative Aide in the Alaska Legislature for 4 years. One of his many hobbies during retirement has been Coast Guard history, and especially Alaska Coast Guard history.  2017 was the sesquicentennial of the Coast Guard's presence in Alaska, coinciding with the Alaska Purchase. After not seeing any celebrations of this Coast Guard event, Gene developed a slide show to showcase the Coast Guard's long presence in Alaska.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/c4edi7t1atrg0git52lhm/UU_2026_CG_slideshow.pdf?rlkey=c2dp1ygj029ex7gxufs2cn36l&dl=0

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Pat McGee and Adam Linkenhelt are award-winning documentary filmmakers and Co-Directors of the Anchorage International Film Festival. Based in Los Angeles, they have collaborated for more than a decade, creating documentary films and series for HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery, Vice TV, Peacock, A&E, Discovery, and YouTube Originals. Together, they directed the award-winning feature documentary American Relapse, which the Los Angeles Times praised, writing that "in the measured hands of directors Pat McGee and Adam Linkenhelt, its emotional and humanistic qualities transcend ...." Their three-part documentary series The Prisoner of the Prophet was told through the lens of the 65th wife of Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs. Bernie Blackout chronicled behind-the-scenes politics and media manipulation during the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign, and their feature documentary From the Hood to the Holler, about a rising star of the progressive movement in Kentucky, was a recipient of eight Best Documentary awards. Their work also includes a ten-part series about the opioid epidemic in Florida, Dopesick Nation, as well as Violent Minds: Killers on Tape, and 24 to Life. They recently completed a new three-part documentary series for HBO Max, premiering this October. Pat also directed the documentary feature The Deported, which received the Flickers' International Humanitarian Award. As co- directors of the Anchorage International Film Festival, Pat and Adam are committed to elevating independent cinema by bringing exceptional films to Alaska while creating a place where filmmakers, artists, and audiences from around the world come together to share stories, spark meaningful conversations, and leave inspired. They believe great film festivals do more than screen movies. They build community, spark conversation, and create unforgettable experiences for filmmakers and audiences alike.

slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/77b4shs8syif7ul9t5ibr/08-16-2026-AUUF-AIFF-Weekly-Forum.pdf?rlkey=zbee32luccx8vpsjbsy0c86zg&dl=0

website - https://anchoragefilmfestival.org

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Angela (Annie) Ferry is a blazing beacon of unyielding hope and fierce resilience! As the fearless Executive Director of NAMI Anchorage, she storms the battleground for mental health and disability equity with an unstoppable passion that ignites hearts and sparks revolutions! In her 40s, Annie, a warrior in every sense, set fire to the life she'd built25 years of marriage and a thriving careerbecause true transformation demands burning everything down to rise anew! Through that inferno came revelations more powerful than words: two life-altering diagnoses, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder, that shattered her world open and ignited her soul! Today, she pours her being into smashing stigmas, educating communities with fiery conviction, and forging safe, inclusive sanctuaries for those long pushed to the shadows. Annie isn't just fighting; she's igniting a revolution of love, understanding, and unstoppable courage! 

website - https://namianchorage.org

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Laile Fairbairn is a West High grad who came back to Anchorage in 1995 after ten years out of state for college and work in advertising.  Upon her return, she opened up Snow City Cafe, which celebrated its 28th anniversary this year.  The cafe has the title of "Best Breakfast" by Anchorage locals every year since 2003. Since then, she has founded two other popular restaurants, Spenard Roadhouse, South Restaurant + Coffeehouse, and is the managing partner for Crush Bistro, and also for the restaurant's administrative services business, Locally Grown Restaurants.  These companies employ more than 32 people. Laile was twice named a James Beard semi-finalist for Outstanding Restaurateur. She has also received the ATHENA Society Leadership Award, the UAA Culinary Arts Celebrity Chef Invitational Award for Extraordinary Commitment; the Association of Fundraising Professionals Alaska Outstanding Business in Philanthropy; Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneurial Excellence Gold Pan Award, Visit Anchorage's All Alaskan Award; and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Under 40. She has served as a board member of the Anchorage Museum, Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Anchorage International Film Festival, and the UAA Culinary School Advisory Board. She is also very involved with Planned Parenthood of Alaska and the Anchorage ATHENA Society. 

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Sarah Gregory is a social justice advocate. After the murder of her grandmother, Sarah spent years navigating grief, addiction, and ultimately recovery. Her journey took a transformative turn when she chose to reach out to and build a relationship with the man responsible for her grandmother’s death. Sarah’s story was featured in The Atlantic cover story “Witness,” by Elizabeth Bruenig, and she was invited to speak at The Atlantic Festival, where she joined a national conversation on the human cost of the death penalty and the moral complexities of the criminal justice system. She is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work and completing a clinical internship in mental health, where she integrates her lived experience with a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to care. She is a passionate advocate for the abolition of the death penalty and for a justice system rooted in dignity, accountability, and transformation.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ubz5z3u5umprdf6lpmi17/LoveBeyondJudgement.pdf?rlkey=posap17vio8pd8db5x25w8kup&dl=0

Bruce Springsteen - "Letter to You" lyrics - https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/lettertoyou.html

Bruce Springsteen  - "Nebraska" lyrics - https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/brucespringsteen/nebraska.html

"What It Means to Forgive the Unforgivable" gifted article from The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/05/james-barber-alabama-death-row-forgiveness/674181/?gift=fAenurr0XYZf2521ZQSLVHmsYQM_q-XigesG3uKxs_E&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

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Morgan Lim is the Alaska State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates. Although Morgan is new to his role, he's not new to Planned Parenthood, having previously been a patient, volunteer, and staff member. He's had the privilege of working for Planned Parenthood during the most critical moments in the organization's recent history. As the Fairbanks Field Organizer when the first Trump administration tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. As the government relations manager in Juneau during the Dobbs decision, which overturned the national right to abortion care. And now again, as the organization faces existential threats, he has the privilege of leading Planned Parenthood's public affairs team in one of the most critical states in our nation for the fight for abortion care.

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Bill Walker served as the 11th governor of Alaska from 2014 to 2018. He was born in Fairbanks and raised in Delta Junction and Valdez. Bill grew up building homes with his dad and financed his education by working as a carpenter, laborer, and teamster on the Alaska oil pipeline. At age 27, he became the youngest person to serve as mayor of Valdez, and later served as city attorney there. He earned his bachelor's in business administration from Lewis and Clark College and a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound in 1983. He worked on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and co-founded a law firm with his wife, Donna, specializing in municipal, oil, and gas law. In 2020, he was a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics. He and Donna have four children and six grandchildren. As governor, he worked with both Presidents Obama and Trump, expanded Medicaid coverage, established a Tribal Advisory Council, and advocated for responsible resource development and a gas line.

Shelley Hughes served over a dozen years in the Alaska Legislature, representing Palmer and the southern part of the MatSu Borough. She served in the House from 2012 through 2016 and then in the State Senate, including two years as Majority Leader, until resigning in 2025 to focus on her gubernatorial campaign. Shelley had been married to her husband, Roger, for 48 years when he died in May of this year. During the1970s and 1980s, they lived in Hoonah, Bethel, Fort Yukon, Fairbanks, and Seward. After raising their four children, she began her second career with a move to Palmer in 1990. She completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Alaska, worked briefly as a legislative aide, and then served as a policy affairs director in the private sector. Among the issues she's focused on in the Legislature were unmanned aircraft, toughening sexual assault laws, bipartisan fiscal plan proposals, safeguarding seniors against fraud and abuse, and the Alaska Reads Act. She also led the repeal of the crime reform act, SB 91. She has 12 grandchildren.

In this election year, the Forum is providing an opportunity for numerous candidates for various statewide offices and advocates for ballot propositions to speak with us. This is a continuation of our year-round mission to help attendees become better informed about the people and issues that will affect the future of our community and our state. AUUF does not support or oppose any candidates for public office or ballot measures.

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Lars Danner is a public criminal defense lawyer who has lived in Alaska since 2000.  He is the father of three daughters, including Esme Danner, who is the fellowship's music director. Lars also has a one-year-old grandson with whom he spends as much time as he possibly can. Lars was the first person to have completed the Iditarod Trail Invitational 300-mile race to McGrath in all three winter disciplines--running, cycling, and skiing--and he is looking forward to his next adventure as he plans to retire from the law in December. 
 
Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wjjz1juomo33zk4pudbqv/Forum-July-5-2026.pdf?rlkey=0ttad2ebnt3nm0gn1b4rya19t&dl=0

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Alissa Lambert serves as Program Director of Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services at Catholic Social Services, where she leads efforts to welcome and support refugees and other newcomers as they rebuild their lives in Alaska. With a decade of experience working alongside displaced populations, Alissa brings both international and local perspectives to refugee resettlement. She spent three years living in northern Iraq, working directly in refugee camps and supporting individuals and families affected by conflict and displacement. Since returning to the United States, her work has focused on refugee resettlement, helping newcomers navigate housing, employment, education, and community integration. Alissa is passionate about fostering welcoming communities and advancing opportunities for refugees to thrive.

Slides - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3ebwqc9hudv895tnvv5z3/Unitarian-presentation_AL-6.2026.pdf?rlkey=tev6isx723xwh1m9cw34gezxv&dl=0

RAIS website URL - https://www.cssalaska.org/our-programs/refugee-assistance-immigration-services/