FDC MEMBER BIOS (submitted so far)
Erica Dillard
I was brought to Alaska as a Coast Guard brat in 2000 and have called Fairbanks home since 2005. I attended both the University of Alaska Southeast and the University of Alaska Fairbanks, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with minors in Justice and Sociology and a Master of Arts in Justice Administration. For the past 18 years, I have worked for a local behavioral health organization serving children, youth, and families throughout Alaska, an experience that has strengthened my appreciation for the diverse backgrounds and perspectives that make our communities stronger.
Since joining the Fairbanks Diversity Council in 2025, I have enjoyed collaborating with community members and leaders to promote understanding, inclusion, and meaningful dialogue. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and three children, camping, fishing, hunting, gardening, tending my orchard, and most recently building Boreal Bound, an Alaska-inspired outdoor lifestyle brand.
Herb Butler
My name is Herb Butler. My grandparents on my father ‘s side were Harry Butler and Eva Brazil from Allakaket on the Koyukuk River. My grandparents on my mother’s side were Herbert Albert and Maggie Martin from Nenana on the Tanana River. My parents were Jacob Butler Sr. and Sarah Albert. I have four brothers and two sisters. I have three sons and a foster daughter.
I wrote my life story, Assimilation Trail, which is available on Amazon eBooks. If you would like to learn more about me, I recommend reading it.
I was born in Fairbanks in 1943. In 1947 I was sent to Seward, where I lived for ten years at Jesse Lee Home, a Methodist-run children’s home. The institution was similar to many homes for Native American children throughout the lower 48 states. I spent ten years there living a lifestyle similar to the military way of life.
I was sent to Oregon to a foster family to begin high school and joined the US Air Force after I graduated. I spent the next nine years in the lower 48 actively involved with a large number of Indian Tribes.
I was thirty-one years old when I returned to Alaska. I lived in Anchorage and Wasilla and put four of my children through high school in Wasilla. I moved back to Fairbanks in 1989.
I have finished a forty year career in the oil and energy industries here in Alaska and have been happily retired for fifteen years.
Lainey Appel
Lainey Appel was born and raised in Northern California. They moved to Fairbanks in 2020 to pursue a BBA in accounting at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, later completing an MBA in general management. During their time as a student, Lainey became an active member of both the UAF campus and the wider Fairbanks community, contributing to local events and cultural celebrations. These experiences deepened their appreciation for Fairbanks, contributing to their commitment to personal growth and connection. Some of these celebrations include participation in International Friendship Day at Pioneer Park and helping with UAF抯 Chinese New Year celebration.
Lainey now works as an accountant at a small local tax firm, where they hope to continue growing professionally while continuing to connect with others. Outside of work, Lainey enjoys expressing themself creatively through their hobbies, such as writing and crocheting.
Alyssa Quintyne
Alyssa Quintyne is a Bajan-American community organizer, political researcher, multidisciplinary artist, and musician based in Fairbanks, AK. Her parents immigrated to the US from Barbados in the 1980s, Alyssa being born in the States in the 1990s. She and her partners were later stationed to Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, where she has stayed since.
Alyssa started her education and organizing in Fairbanks for over 20 years ago. She received a BA in Political Theory and Violin Performance from University of Alaska Fairbanks. Additionally, she has been involved in community theater, performing arts, and technical roles since high school. She has spent the majority of her professional career working in a myriad of campaigns, initiatives, and research, and collaborative events ranging from clean energy community initiatives, voter education and engagement in municipal elections, researching the experience of Black Alaskans in academia, politics, and recreation, to advocating for the rights of LGBTQ and Disabled community members– locally to internationally.
Within her work as a community organizer, she focuses on community engagement and advocacy, art activism, and anti-discrimination. She regularly collaborates with local organizations and creatives to coalesce exhibitions and resources in order to make creative spaces and opportunities in the Interior more equitable and accessible for Black, Brown and Indigenous communities, disabled and chronically ill communities, and LGBTQ communities.
As an artist, she is a watercolor portraitist, centering the Black femme experience through grief and spirit. Alyssa is the co-founder and current curator of Black Alaskan Art Matters (BAAM) – a community initiative that highlights and supports Black creatives in Alaska. She has almost 2 decades of exhibition and collaborative events with various galleries and museums, and has been featured across the state. She strives to cultivate a space of reciprocity and sincerity – whether that be through a piece or an event she hosts.