Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award

2025: Joelle Hall

Joelle is the President of the Alaska AFL-CIO elected in 2020. She is the first woman to hold the role. Prior to her election, she served as the Alaska AFL-CIO Political Director for 11 years. Joelle has worked in Alaska politics for nearly 30 years and has built and managed large campaigns and community coalitions. Joelle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Language from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and in a previous life, she was an interrogator/paratrooper in the US Army and an AFS exchange student to Honduras. She and her husband Mallie have two grown children and live in Peters Creek.

Joelle has served as an LA Mentor three times. Her most recent mentee Michael Thomas (LA28) said:

“Joelle was instrumental in guiding me through Leadership Anchorage and my transition from the military, offering clarity, support, and invaluable perspective.”

Read more about Joelle's LA mentoring here.

2024: Amana Mbise

Amana Mbise is the winner of the inaugural Mentor Award in 2024 for his mentorship of Ahmed Hassan (LA 26). Amana is an Assistant Professor of the School for Social Work at University of Alaska Anchorage. He brings vast experiences in global health (HIV/AIDs and Malaria), refugee integration, and community development in Tanzania, Denmark, and the U.S. His scholarship centers around migration, human trafficking, and health equity. His ongoing and most recent works include an NIJ study on labor exploitation in Alaska and a Department of State grant to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking and domestic servitude in Tanzania. In collaboration with the Alaska Black Caucus, he led the first health needs assessment of Black Alaskans. The assessment—funded through the Anchorage Health Department—provides the first look at the overarching health status, needs, and strengths of the Black Community of Alaska.

Read about his experience as a mentor here.