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Valerie Burgess is an experienced educator and communicator with a goal of seeing others like herself become first generation college students. Having graduated with a bachelor’s in communication, her career as a published author and editor spanned three states, including local newspapers, international religious magazines, and nationally published curriculum. Among other positions she worked as an assistant editor and designer for Alaska Rural Newspapers, including the Bristol Bay Times. After receiving a Master of Arts in Teaching, she spent 16 years in the field of education teaching in Anchorage and Dillingham. She currently holds an Administrative Certificate having completed principal internships at three schools, including Alaska Native Cultural Charter School (ANCCS) and the distance education program Family Partnership Charter School (FPCS). At FPCS as an intern and teacher, she held leadership roles including the Site Based Evaluation Specialist and Building Test Coordinator for multiple years. She has written online core curriculum for middle and high school students using Moodle, a learning management system like Blackboard. In addition, as an ordained minister, she directed We Care Ministries--an outreach program into prisons and long-term care facilities, as well as dealing with addictions intervention. She particularly enjoys reviving and making efficient fledgling programs. We Care grew from 80 in attendance to an average of 650 people during her five years of leadership. Currently she and her husband lead the Bristol Bay Church in Dillingham, AK. Her latest endeavor is a Certificate in Law and Higher Education from Regent University. She presently works as a Legislative Information Officer encouraging constituents in Dillingham, the Aleutians, the Priblof, and the Upper Kuskokwim to use their voice in matters that concern their communities.