Welcoming new folks, celebrating new roles

The “hunker down” that started in March didn’t lighten our workload, but it did slow down our efforts to bring new folks onto the Trustees team. Let’s introduce the new folks and new roles now.

We’re happy and honored to welcome them now, and to celebrate a few Trustees folks taking on new roles.

Welcome Fannie, Lang and Aaron!

We’re so honored to work alongside three people who joined us within the last month.

Fannie Dock started in May 2020 as office assistant, and has already helped us catch up by organizing our office and online documents, and tracking the array of internal systems necessary to do our work. She previously worked with the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, and says she likes spending time with her granddaughter, gathering edible greens, subsistence fishing, camping, berry picking and crocheting.  

Lang Van Dommelen came on as legal assistant in June 2020. He grew up in a dry cabin in Bird Creek where he fished and explored Chugach State Park. He has been involved in programs as diverse as renewable energy, housing, and education. He’s currently working on a Master’s in Public Administration with a focus in rural development and natural resource management, and he loves going outside, rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking. 

This year we brought on a summer intern remotely. Aaron Troncoso started in May and is now working out of New York City, though he hopes to come up to Alaska soon. He’s a second-year joint degree student at Yale Law School and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He loves getting outside and hiked the Appalachian Trail from West Virginia to Maine as part of a thesis project.

Brian and Rachel take on new roles

Also this month, two folks on our legal team moved into new positions. You’ll hear more from them in the months to come.  

Brian Litmans moved into the legal director position this month. He started with Trustees in 2007 as a staff attorney and has worked on an array of issues, including mining, infrastructure projects, public lands management, wildlife law, endangered species protection, and Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act enforcement. He spends a lot of time on his bike, on the trails, and volunteering in the community.

Rachel Briggs, who joined Trustees as a legal fellow in 2019, moved into a staff attorney position in June. She’s currently work on wildlife law and mining issues. She likes hiking, reading and hanging out with her adorable cats.