Meet the Board
Board Members
Jed Cox
Name: Jed Cox
Position: Public Member
Board member since: 2019
City: Anchorage
Education: University of Montana (BS) Business Administration, Ashford University (MBA) Finance
Firm or Agency: State of Alaska
- Lecturer, professor, and teacher in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Republic of Korea, and the People’s Republic of China for eight years.
- Candidate for Montana House District 99 in 2008.
- I keep busy hiking, hunting, fishing, fossil hunting, and exploring Alaska.
- Volunteer arranging the shipment of fictional children’s books to rural Alaska schools and libraries.
- Employed by the State of Alaska Department of Commerce in the Division of Community and Regional Affairs.
Rachel Espejo
Name: Rachel Espejo
Position: Attorney Member
Board member since: 2021
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: 2013
Law School: Thomas Jefferson School of Law (San Diego)
Firm or Agency: Public Defender Agency
5 things you might not know about me:
- I grew up as a military brat and spent the majority of my life in Japan and Hawai’i.
- One Valentine’s Day I was walking on the beach and I found a diamond wedding ring.
- In college (in Hawai’i) I minored in theatre and was classically trained in Jingju head dressing and makeup. Jingju is a type of stylized Chinese opera that dates to the Qing Dynasty. I also took an entire semester of haberdashery (hat-making). Both of these skills have obviously been extremely helpful in my work as a lawyer.
- I enjoy baking and making jams and jellies in my free time.
- During the lockdown in 2020 I got very interested in houseplants and now have close to 75 scattered around my house.
Bill Granger
Name: Bill Granger
Position: Treasurer
Board member since: 2001-2009 | 2011-Present
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: 1964
Firm or Agency: Wells Fargo
Education: Gonzaga University (Undergraduate), University of Washington (Graduate Pacific Coast Banking School), Notre Dame University (Graduate Catholic Charity Management, Mendoza College of Business)
- I have been a pilot most of my life, flying a J-3 while attending Romig junior high school, and today owning a Cessna 185 and a Super Cub. Hunting/fishing and spending time at my cabin consumes most of my non-working time. My wife and I love to travel. Last year we visited Egypt, Israel, and Turkey.
- I have always had a fascination with the law. In high school while working at Matanuska Valley Bank I would spend my spare time in the law library, studying cases and writing briefs, finding this to be fun and very interesting, but I was the only guy who wore a white shirt and tie to school every day also. Maybe by today’s standards I would be considered a nerd. The middle of my junior year at Dimond High School I was accepted into Gonzaga University. After attending Gonzaga I returned to Alaska and my work in banking. If my love of banking had not been stronger I surely would have attended law school.
- Married 31 years (Diane Otto), and three children; Suzie, Andrew, and Christopher.
- Employed by Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Senior Vice President. Every bank I have worked for has been acquired by Wells Fargo. 40 years banking in Alaska. Currently supervise the Credit Management Groups in Alaska, Washington and Oregon.
Donald Handeland
Name: Donald Handeland
Position: Public Member
Board member since: 2024
City: Eagle River
Alaska resident since: Lifelong Alaskan
Firm or Agency: CRW Engineering Group
Education: Oregon State University – Civil Engineering (B.S.), Finance (B.S.), University of Alaska Fairbanks – Master of Business Administration
- I am a lifelong Alaskan, born and raised in Nome. I wouldn’t call anywhere else home.
- I went to boarding school in Sitka when I attended Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
- I love summer in Alaska. I spend as much time fishing, kayaking, and hiking as I can when the weather is nice.
- I am a professional civil engineer. Although I have mostly worked on transportation design, I have also worked on a variety of projects across the state. Most of my work now is focused on rural Alaska.
- I am not a lawyer, but I did do youth court in Sitka and Nome.
Ben Hofmeister
Name: Ben Hofmeister
Position: Vice President
Board member since: 2018
City: Juneau
Law School: University of Notre Dame
Firm or Agency: Attorney Generals Office
I was born in Spokane, Washington. I attended the University of Portland for college and graduated from law school at the University of Notre Dame in 2001. I clerked for the Honorable John Reese after law school and then went on to the District Attorney’s Office in Anchorage. Since then I have worked as a prosecutor in Dillingham, as an Assistant Attorney General in Anchorage and Juneau (as of August 2018), and I have been the District Attorney in Ketchikan. I have litigated cases from Ketchikan to Nome and taken jury verdicts in eight different courthouses….I think…
FIVE FUN (MAYBE) FACTS ABOUT ME:
- I am not very good at it, but I love to downhill ski.
- My favorite condiment is sriracha mayonnaise.
- The thing that people like the most about me is my wife.
- I am a founding member of two separate book clubs in two different cities in Alaska.
- My favorite album in college was Sweet Oblivion by the Screaming Trees.
Grace Lee
Name: Grace Lee
Position: Attorney Member
Board member since: 2023
City: Juneau
Alaska resident since: 1990
Education: Seattle University School of Law
Firm or Agency: Attorney General’s Office
- I hate cucumbers but love pickles.
- The first concert I attended was on accident. It was The Velvet Underground.
- I’m on several boards but am especially proud of the work of Juneau Ghost Light Theare, a non-profit community theater group.
- The theme of my wedding reception was ‘outshine the bride’. My dog won.
- I dislike hiking, hunting, fishing and anything else that involves being outside when it’s rainy, snowy or buggy.
Aimee Oravec
Name: Aimee Oravec
Position: Secretary
Board Member since: 2020, 2021
City: Fairbanks
Alaska Resident since: 1999
Law School: Washington University in St. Louis
Firm or Agency: Doyon Utilities, LLC
Five Things You May Not Know About Me:
- I grew up in Salt Lake City and have lifelong friends from the Pep Club, which won “best drill team” in the hometown parade, year undisclosed.
- I was a member of the inaugural All-American Debate Team of the Cross Examination Debate Association.
- My favorite non-legal job has been building nachos to support youth hockey; I am the Nacho Lady. My second favorite non-legal job was working in a medical implement factory where I glued neonatal catheters together for mandatory 6/10s at $5.00/hour. I had the best time working on that crew, we got ice cream sandwiches after long days, and I was eligible for rehire.
- I have worked in many different legal environments including non-profit, small firm, own firm, and in-house. I have served on the CLE and Fee Arbitration Committees of the Alaska Bar Association, as an officer and then President of the Tanana Valley Bar Association, and on the Alaska Judicial Council.
- I have successfully evaded the “four truths and a lie” requirement of the TVBA since 1999; all of the foregoing claims about me are true, as is this one.
Nick Ostrovsky
Name: Nick Ostrovsky
Position: Attorney Member
Board member since: 2022
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: Lifelong Alaskan
Law School: Seattle University School of Law
Firm or Agency: Ahtna, Inc.
- I love to go on long mountain runs with my wife.
- I have hiked across the entire country of Switzerland
- I have the world’s laziest border collie.
- I have one long-skinny thumb and one short-fat thumb.
- I am addicted to true crime podcasts.
Rebecca Patterson
Name: Rebecca Patterson
Position: President-Elect
Board member since: 2022
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: 2011
Law School: Harvard Law School
Firm or Agency: Sonosky Chambers Sachse Miller & Monkman LLP
- I told a story at Arctic Entries in an owl-patterned onesie when I was 9 months pregnant.
- When I first moved to Alaska, I lived in Juneau, in one of the last houses on the road to Perseverance hiking trail. I encountered both tourists taking pictures of me and black bears out my front door.
- I came fairly close to having three kids all with the same birthday. Instead, the birthdays of my four-year-old and two-year-old twins are exactly one week apart.
- The town I grew up in is often recognized either because of their Supreme Court cases or for being mentioned in the movie the Usual Suspects.
- When I first arrived in Alaska, I was a snowboarder. After starting to venture into the backcountry, I got tired of lugging my board up the mountain and learned how to ski. My husband and I then became big skiers. Before kids, we used to backcountry ski every weekend there was snow and now we regularly ski (in-bounds) with our kids.
Patrick Roach
Name: Patrick Roach
Position: Attorney Member
Board member since: 2024
City: Fairbanks
Alaska resident since: 1996
Education: University of Alaska, Fairbanks (Bachelor of Arts in English Literature); University of Alaska, Southeast (Master of Arts in Teaching); CUNY Law School (Juris Doctorate)
Firm or Agency: Alaska Public Defender Agency
- I did my Peace Corps service in Zhangye, Gansu, China, teaching at a local medical college.
- I was a cooking teacher at Thunder Mountain High School in Juneau, AK.
- I was a grill cook at two different diners in Newport, RI.
- I rode a bicycle from the Netherlands to Spain.
- I lived on a hundred-year-old sailboat for seven years.
Jeffrey Robinson
Name: Jeffrey Robinson
Position: President
Board member since: 2020
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: 2007
Law School: University of Notre Dame Law
Firm or Agency: Lane Powell
- I was raised in a small coastal town in Rhode Island and attended undergrad at Boston College.
- After I graduated from college, and before I attended law school, I lived in Peru. I love the people, food, history, and vast geography of the country, although I had the misfortune of being bitten by a bat, a wild dog, and a piranha while there. The last incident occurred when I was swimming in the Amazon River.
- I first came to Alaska after the summer of my 1L Year to research petroleum issues and to intern at the Public Defender Office in Bethel. I have lived full time in Anchorage since 2008, and have been with Ashburn & Mason for the last 6 years.
- I mostly do complex civil litigation, although I have a varied practice that includes white-collar criminal cases, government procurement, and some natural resources work. Our firm is committed to pro bono work.
- My wife, Hanley Robinson, is also a lawyer. We have two daughters, 7 and 5 years old, and live in South Anchorage. Our arctic entry consists of a mess of skates, boots, skis, Pokemon cards, and dog leashes. We have always had big dogs – the latest addition is a temperamental Old English Sheep Dog named “Dewey.” We named him after a favorite baseball player for the Boston Red Sox. My twin brother, Kevin, also named his Bernerdoodle “Dewey.”
Ambriel Sandone
Name: Ambriel Sandone
Position: New Lawyer Liaison
Board member since: 2022
City: Anchorage
Alaska resident since: Lifelong Alaskan
Law School: University of Oregon School of Law
Firm or Agency: Ahtna, Inc.
- I was born and raised in Alaska, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
- I enjoy getting outdoors whenever possible, including trail running and cross-country skiing. My favorite race that I’ve run is the Equinox Half Marathon in Fairbanks, the course is beautiful!
- I attended the University of Oregon School of Law, and I am a big Ducks football fan.
- I am one of four children in my family, and each of us has a name that begins with an “A”.
- I really enjoy baking and have a bad habit of starting complicated baking projects at 9pm.
Meghan “Sigvanna” Tapqaq
Name: Meghan “Sigvanna” Tapqaq
Position: Attorney Member
Board member since: 2020
City: Nome
Alaska resident since: 2017
Law School: University of Oregon School of Law
Firm or Agency: Kawerak, Inc.
- My father’s family has lived on this land since time immemorial, specifically around Nome and the Imuruk Basin. I spent many summers and school breaks in Ambler, Anchorage, and Fairbanks as a child visiting family and had several fellowships and internships during college and law school throughout Alaska (Anchorage, Juneau, Nome). There’s never been any question in my mind that Alaska is my home.
- My partner, Mike Hoyt (who is a high school social studies teacher), and I have four furbabies – two rambunctious dogs (Pamii & Kuvlu) and two cats (Bobby and Charlie).
- We love spending time out on the land and recently took up kayaking. Over the summer of 2020, we paddled 70 miles from the Kuzitrin Bridge to the village of Teller spending time in the places where my paternal grandfather was born and raised.
- I am an enrolled tribal citizen of the Native Village of Ambler and my passion is tribal court development and supporting tribes in exercising their sovereignty.
- In my spare time, I enjoy teaching as an adjunct for UAF Northwest Campus, including teaching college and high school level classes on Inupiaq language, the history of colonization in Alaska, and tribal governance.
