Senate panel advances 10 health board nominees to full Legislature

The Alaska Senate Health and Social Services Committee voted Tuesday to forward 10 gubernatorial appointees to health professional boards for confirmation by the full Legislature.

The committee recommended nominees to boards covering nursing, pharmacy, optometry, social work, professional counselors, and the State Medical Board. Several are reappointments with prior board experience, including Sarah Rasmussen to the Board of Pharmacy and Kathleen Rice to the Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Committee Chair Forrest Dunbar read the list of recommended appointees: Damian Delzer, Eliza Ellsworth, Michelle Scott-Webber, Heather Crivello, Michael Collins, Ivy Villani, Jillann Garrity, Norman Walker, Sarah Rasmussen, and Kathleen Rice.

"As a reminder, signing the committee report does not reflect individual members' approval or disapproval of the nomination," Dunbar said.

The nominees bring varied backgrounds to their boards. Delzer, an optometrist in Fairbanks for 33 years, previously served on the Board of Examiners in Optometry and worked with the Legislative Audit Division during a sunset audit. Ellsworth, a physical therapist based in Bethel for 12 years, treats patients at the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital and specializes in wound care including frostbite treatment.

Collins, seeking reappointment to the Board of Nursing, was elected secretary during his first term that began in November 2023. He manages a financial practice in the Mat-Su Valley and said his passion for quality care stems from growing up with an autistic brother and losing his mother to a brain aneurysm.

"I was previously appointed to the Alaska Board of Nursing in November of '23 and was elected as secretary during that appointment, and it has been a privilege and an honor to do so, and to be in the process of potentially being reappointed again is nothing short of an honor," Collins said.

Senator Cathy Giessel thanked Collins for serving in the public seat on the nursing board, noting such positions are difficult to fill.

"I've served two terms on that board and chaired it for six years, and I know public seats are hard to fill with people who care. So thank you very much for serving in that public seat," Giessel said.

Villani, appointed to the Board of Social Work Examiners in 2025, works as a teletherapist for Headlight Health serving clients across Alaska. She holds active licenses in Minnesota and Alaska and is pursuing licenses in Ohio and Nevada to maintain continuity of care for clients who travel between states.