Beth Kerttula: former AK House Minority Leader

East Anchorage Book Club with Andrew Gray

Daughter of Alaska Legend Jalmar "Jay" Kerttula -- the only person to ever serve as both speaker of the house and president of the senate -- Beth Kerttula is the former Director of the National Ocean Council, where she led the implementation of the United States National Ocean Policy, including the creation of the first two U.S. regional marine plans. Previous to that, she was a Visiting Fellow at Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions, working with policymakers from multiple disciplines on the impacts of climate change on the ocean and the Arctic.

Beth has extensive experience in both elected and appointed office. She is a dedicated public servant who was elected eight times and is a 15-year veteran of the Alaska House of Representatives, where she served as Minority Leader from 2006 to 2013. An attorney, Beth served as the Alaska State Bar Board of Governors President. She also held positions in the State of Alaska Attorney General’s Office, and the Public Defender Agency.

Beth was the original sponsor of landmark cruise ship pollution legislation as well as other important environmental bills. She led efforts to defend and improve the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program and research efforts by the University of Alaska on ocean acidification and community sustainability. Beth was also a member of the State of Alaska’s first Arctic Policy Commission, which created Alaska’s first Arctic policy recommendations for the state legislature.