About Us
Through community investment and strong partnerships, Sitka Recreation Foundation expands access to both outdoor recreation and indoor recreational facilities, supporting youth programs, active lifestyles, and lifelong participation. By prioritizing equity in recreation and lowering financial barriers through scholarships and program funding, we help ensure that everyone—regardless of age or income—can experience the benefits of a healthy, connected community.
Our work brings together philanthropy, grant funding, and local support to create accessible recreation opportunities that strengthen community connection and enhance quality of life in Sitka, Alaska.
A thriving and sustainable community recreation program, developing a model that is affordable, accessible, and equitable to all Sitka residents and our guests through community partnerships. Connecting our community in the outdoor and indoor environments to provide a vibrant, healthy, and enriching opportunity for youth and adults.
Our Vision
Our Team
Anna Schumacher
BOARD MEMBERAnna came to Sitka in 2022 as a Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest volunteer. From 2022–2024, they led after-school programs with the Sitka Conservation Society and Sitka 4-H Club, connecting youth with their community and the natural environment. They currently work in wellness promotion and child advocacy at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska.
Joining the SRF Board in September 2025, Anna brings a passion for collective wellbeing and community connection. They are excited to support SRF's mission through community engagement. Outside of work, Anna has been involved in recreation as a ski instructor, contra dance caller, and Zumba instructor.
Barb Morse
VICE PRESIDENTBorn in Fairbanks, Barbara has called Sitka home since moving here in 1990 to work for Community Schools. Over the years she has worked to promote recreational opportunities in a variety of settings, including corporate wellness, nonprofit and public programs. Most recently, she worked for the City and Borough of Sitka to start up Sitka's new Parks and Recreation division. However, Barb is probably best known for jogging on Halibut Point Road and the Sitka cross trail every morning.
Barb has a BA in Parks and Recreation and a Masters in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Tourism. An avid supporter of recreation and opportunities for people of all ages in Sitka, she brings with her a wealth of experience successfully managing recreation programs in a variety of settings, including corporate, nonprofit, and public recreation.
She is a passionate advocate for improving the quality of life in Sitka by making our outdoor spaces and facilities top-notch and accessible. She enjoys traveling and is always on the lookout for innovative recreation models and ideas to bring home to Sitka.
Amy McLaughlin
SECRETARYBio goes here!
Randy Hitchcock
board memberRandy Hitchcock was born in Fairbanks and moved to Sitka from Anchorage in 1989 to attend Sheldon Jackson College. He quickly fell in love with Sitka's outdoor lifestyle and has proudly called it home ever since.
Randy and his wife raised their family in Sitka, where he has spent years coaching, volunteering, and supporting youth basketball, soccer, running, and many other recreational activities. He joined the Sitka Recreation Foundation because he believes recreation is essential to a healthy community. The Foundation's mission of creating opportunities for people of all ages to be active, connected, and engaged aligns closely with the values he hopes will continue to make Sitka a special place to live.
Kevin Knox
City of Sitka staff liaisonKevin Knox's soul has always been rooted in Sitka, calling this beautiful stretch of Southeast Alaska home since 1973. After 17 years exploring the Pacific Northwest, he returned to Sitka in 2010 with his sights set on community building. After working on the Sitka Assembly for 6 years and coaching the Baranof Barracudas Swim Club for 10 years, Kevin certainly knows the impact positive connections can create. In 2023, he landed back in public servitude as the City of Sitka Parks & Recreation Manager. In his free time, he loves to enjoy the great outdoors with his wife Maggie and 12 year old son. A survivor with a deep reverence for the land, Kevin is someone who truly puts community first, one friendly chat at a time.
Andrew Friske
Board PresidentBorn and raised in Haines, Alaska, Andrew moved to Sitka 25 years ago, where he lives with his wife and two children. He holds a Biology degree with a minor in Chemistry from Carroll College in Helena, Montana. For 25 years, he has worked as a commercial fisherman, focusing on trolling and crabbing, and before recently retiring, Andrew served as the Residential and Activities Principal at Mt. Edgecumbe High School for the past 20 years.
Andrew involved himself with Community Schools early on in his time in Sitka, helping with City League Basketball and youth activities. After Community Schools dissolved, he helped conceive the City and Borough of Sitka Parks and Recreation Division through the Sitka Wellness Summit. Once Parks & Rec was established, he then helped create the Sitka Recreation Foundation.
Andrew has always been a huge proponent of healthy activities and getting both youth and adults engaged in the community. He feels that being part of SRF, an organization whose purpose aligns with those values, is a perfect fit for what he believes makes our community healthy and inviting to live in. He wants to continue building and providing opportunities for all Sitkans and hopes to help build a community that his kids and grandkids will want to live in as well.
Amanda Roberts
BOARD MEMBERA born and raised Sitkan, Amanda has worked for the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) for over 22 years, fifteen of which have been serving in community wellness. Her area of expertise and passion is tobacco prevention, education, policies, and cessation support, though she wears many hats in the community in relation to health and wellness.
Amanda believes strongly in community wellness and loves collaborating with people, partner organizations, and coalitions to create positive change in her hometown and in Southeast Alaska, to support healthier environments and lifestyle changes that will benefit future generations to come.
Amanda would love to see our city parks and playgrounds tobacco and vape free to encourage healthier and safer recreation by promoting clean air, reduced toxic litter, and role modeling healthy choices for our youth. She is excited to be involved in projects that enhance access and enjoyment of Sitka's recreational areas and programs for all community members and visitors.
Bart Meyer
BOARD TreasurerBart, an Alaska resident since 1959, moved to Sitka in 1988 and raised his children here. He loves taking advantage of the range of local recreational opportunities, including hiking, biking, dog walking, swimming, city league sports, and boating, to name a few.
Bart has been a member of the City and Borough of Sitka Parks and Recreation Committee for 18 years, and has spent that time advocating for local recreational programs. He believes that communities with strong, broad recreation opportunities attract and maintain a healthy and diverse population.
Bart sees the Sitka Recreation Foundation as a means for community members and others to support Sitka's recreation programs. He is one of the founding members of the Sitka Recreation Foundation.
Ben Hughey
BOARD MEMBERDawn has called Sitka home since 2010. Over the years, she has become deeply embedded in the community's recreation scene, spending five years running the Hames Community Center and a year managing the Community Schools program.
With a background in business management, and the owner of two local businesses, Dawn brings a practical, hands-on perspective to the SRF Board, along with firsthand experience seeing how recreation programs are built and sustained in Sitka. She has also stayed active as a longtime participant in Sitka's adult recreation leagues.
Dawn joined SRF because she believes strong recreation programs are the backbone of a healthy, connected Sitka, and she is excited to help ensure the opportunities that shaped her own time here continue for the next generation of Sitkans.
Ben grew up in Sitka and started his career in natural resources as a crew member for Sitka Trail Works in 2006. After undergrad, Ben worked for six years in multi-jurisdictional land conservation and recreation planning in the central Cascades for the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, then spent a year in the other Washington as legislative staff for Senator Cory Booker.
In 2020, Ben returned home to Sitka and directed the Sitka Conservation Society's CARES Act funded transitional employment program, leading out-of-work Sitkans on recreation and restoration projects with lasting community benefit. He has been the executive director of Sitka Trail Works since 2021.
Emma Klein
BOARD MEMBEREmma Klein was born and raised in the midwest but found home in SouthEast Alaska shortly after college graduation. She fell in love with the grandeur of Sitka's mountains, waters and the community's love and appreciation for the great outdoors. It was instilled in her at a young age the value of parks and recreation in building and sustaining community. Emma can usually be found on a sunny afternoon in her garden surrounded by her furry and feathered companions. She joined the board at the end of 2025 as a way to continue her passion for inspiring others to participate in outdoor recreation and give back more to the community which has provided her with so much fulfillment and joy over the last decade. Sitka's future depends on the involvement and investment of the younger generations and SRF's mission and vision provide a direct way to support and encourage Sitka's prosperity for many years to come.
Dawn Johnson
BOARD MEMBER
Together, We're Building a Stronger Community
Your generosity makes our work possible. Every donation helps expand access to recreation, strengthen our community, and ensure that Sitka's parks, programs, and outdoor spaces can be enjoyed for generations to come.
A special thank you to:
Melsness Family Foundation - "Cowboy Larry"
Crossett Fund
Alaska Community Foundation
Sitka Legacy Foundation
Fisherman's Quay
Sitka Health Summit
Sitka Moose Lodge #1350
White Elephant Shop
US Coast Guard Wives and Spouses Club
Sitka Sound Slayers
ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES
Alaska Wild Coast
Allen Marine
Backdoor Cafe
Baranof Ballers
Birch Equipment
Cyndi Edwards Fitness Coaching
Harbor Mt Brewing
LFS Sitka
Old Harbor Books
Russell's
Sea Mountain Golf Course
Selkie Snorkels
Sitka Conservation Society
Sitka Rotary
Sitka Sound Science Center
Studio by Emily
The Salty Sitkan
INDIVIDUALS
Amy Ainslie
Nathan Bernhardt
Brant Brantman
Elle Campbell
Norm Campbell
Brandie Cheatham
Paul Cook
Michael Figrillo
Greg Filipek
Andrew Friske
Shannon Haugland
Kirsten Homer
Benjamin Hughey
Lance Jamison-Ewers
Hannah Kaminski
Courtney MacArthur
Roslyn Makinnon
Mo McBride
Bart Meyer
Dave Miller
Travis Miller
Mitch Mork
Barbara Morse
Ryan Morse
Steve Morse
Darlene Orr
Keith Perkins
Rebecca Poulson
Greg Powell
Amanda Roberts
Kari Sagel
Jacyn Schmidt
Danielle Snyder
Brita Speck
Erika Knox
Kevin Knox
Judi Lehmann
Lauren Kelsey
Kim Kirkness
