Our Team
The Alaska Health Project South Sudan is made up of a dedicated group volunteers who are committed to helping the people of South Sudan and supporting the work Dr. Jill Seaman. This is a grass roots effort that is growing daily. Our team members include people from all walks of life and all over the country, but with one thing in common: A strong Alaskan can-do attitude to overcome diverse challenges to help our friends across the world.
Board of Directors
Staff
Volunteers
Jack Hickel
President
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Jack was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska. He has an MD degree and he is board certified with the American Board of Family Medicine. Jack has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the Republic of South Africa. Jack worked in Eswatini, Africa, for the most part of 16 years, 1982 to 1997. While there he was the Chief Medical Officer of a large urban hospital and a small rural hospital and, at various times, was also the medical director of 16 rural clinics. Dr. Hickel worked with Alaska Native population from 2000 to 2024. In 2008 he co-founded and he is board president of the Alaska Health Project South Sudan (originally the Alaska Sudan Medical Project).
Why I believe in the AHPSS Mission:
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"The village of Old Fangak has been suffering and nearly forgotten by the rest of the world. But a group of Alaskans have not forgotten them. The lives of these impoverished and suffering people can at times seem bleak, even hopeless... but it isn't. AHPSS is delivering hope and health to Old Fangak and other desperate villages along the Nile River. We are helping to save countless lives by building a new health center, a tuberculosis clinic, providing clean water, and establishing small farms. People up and down the river say that "the Alaska Team really cares for us." The work we are doing will benefit thousands of lives for decades to come.
The Lord has given me countless blessings, and to share those blessings... and God's love... with those less fortunate is an exciting privilege and challenge. The Lord, through AHPSS, is bringing hope, health and love to this otherwise forgotten corner of the world."
Todd Hardesty
Executive Director
Todd became Executive Director of AHPSS in September 2018. He was a former board member and volunteer. Todd is also the owner of Alaska Video Postcards, Inc, an Anchorage based video production company. Formerly a news reporter and News Director at KTUU, Todd spent the past 33 years producing Alaska subject documentaries and industrial films, and his work has won him an Emmy award. Todd traveled with the group to Old Fangak in 2009 and a documentary about the Alaska Sudan Medical Project entitled “The Village, Life in South Sudan,” which was featured on National Geographic’s website.
Why I believe in the AHPSS Mission:
"I volunteered with AHPSS, at first, to help Jack Hickel and Jill Seaman. The stories they told of the great need in Old Fangak and Southern Sudan struck a chord in my heart. Having visited Old Fangak many times, I now am connected to the people. I see them as my neighbors, just as if they lived around the corner. They have reached out to us, not begging, but in thankfulness for what is being done for them by strangers from a place called Alaska. It is a great gift to be able to extend a helping hand and to know that lives are being saved. And I know that all the loving gifts of time and money are bringing the bright light of hope to a place where darkness has ruled for too long."
David Fenn
Vice President
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David is an Improvement Advisor for Southcentral Foundation, where he works with senior leadership and management to develop and redesign systems and processes to improve the overall effectiveness of the organization.
David has been with AHPSS since the beginning, and he was instrumental in the start-up of the organization, strategic direction and implementation, and support for administration, logsitics, fundraising and operations.
Denny Weber
Volunteer Project Manager
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Denny grew up in the Midwest and migrated to Alaska many years ago. He has vast experience with construction and maintenance, and normally spends the summer working at remote lodges doing this type of work. He has volunteered with AHPSS since 2010 and has taken the lead in the construction of our medical clinics, including the planning and design phases of the projects. His skills, leadership and commitment have been vital to the success of AHPSS's projects.
Ann Evans
Director
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Ann Evans is a nurse practitioner with a doctorate in public health, fellowship in health policy and certificate in international health consultancy. She has been doing projects in South Sudan since 2009 including three consultancies with the Ministry of Health. Ann served on faculty at several universities, is an active Rotarian with grant writing experience and projects in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Ann is an Advisor on Health to The Rotary Foundation for Major Grant Initiatives and participates in Rotary Action Groups on WASH, malaria, and polio. She is leading a multi-group focus on the growing problem of cataract blindness in low-income countries.
Elana Habib
Director
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Elana Habib is Alaska's State Opioid Treatment Authority and SUD Treatment Program Manager with 14 years of experience in program planning, implementation, and evaluation across domestic and international settings, who employs a multidisciplinary and inclusive approach to public health. Her work combines academic analysis, field practicality, and a relentless passion for human rights. She has specific expertise in the prevention, treatment, and recovery of opioid misuse and addiction, as well as related diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C. With a Master of Public Health from University of Michigan, and a Bachelor in International Health Administration with certificates in African Studies and Nonprofit Management from Indian University, she has led initiatives at various organizations, including the Alaska Department of Health, Southcentral Foundation, and Agnew Beck Consulting Inc., consistently driving impactful health outcomes through strategic project management and collaboration.
Molly Galloway
Director
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Molly was born and raised in Colorado, attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, and graduated in the spring of 2022. She have since spent almost two years working in San Francisco, California in finance at PayPal/Venmo, and recently moved to Bentonville, Arkansas for a strategy position at Walmart. Molly’s older sister tragically passed away in May of 2022 as a result of dehydration/heat stroke, and that plays a huge contributor in my "why" for being a part of AHPSS - access to clean water is a human right.
Robb Kulin
Director
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Still calling Alaska home, Robb is a Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineer by trade, and has varied experience as a commercial fisherman, a SpaceX Engineer design and launch engineer, and even as a NASA Astronaut Candidate, Robb joined AHPSS in 2019 after meeting board member Rob Crotty, and immediately traveled to South Sudan to help drill the organization’s first borehole outside of Old Fangak. Robb has a strong interest in AHPSS’s mission to improve the health and opportunity throughout the rural regions surrounding Old Fangak, and improving the organizations ability to enable our local teams to grow and pass their water, agriculture, and health knowledge throughout the region.
Why I believe in the AHPSS Mission:
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“AHPSS was exactly the team I had always been looking for - a group of people with varied backgrounds, who just want to help people for the sake of doing so, and nothing more. I was excited to join a team whose focus was not on the work they personally did, but on the skillsets and capabilities they trained locally so that their mission could continue long after they were gone. I really value the amazing attitude, vision, and work ethic demonstrated by our local team in South Sudan, and feel lucky to be part of the AHPSS mission.”
Rob Crotty
Director
Mr. Crotty has 29 years of environmental, geosciences, horizontal construction, and remediation experience. His work includes remedial investigations, feasibility studies, technical analysis, project management, program management, and a variety of construction managerial assignments. His work is characterized by strong technical involvement in projects, strong client relationships, and an excellent safety record. Mr. Crotty, however, is most proud of his safety record. Not once has a first aid kit been opened or a bandage busted out for projects he has managed or been a team member. This has led to several awards from federal and industrial clients.
Rob has volunteered with AHPSS since 2009 and has been instrumental in all aspects of the clean water program in Old Fangak.
Mark Melchert
Director/Treasurer
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Mark Melchert is a lawyer and managing partner with Jermain, Dunnagan & Owens, P.C. in Anchorage, Alaska. Mark's practice is focused in the areas of corporate and business law, business transactions, and real estate. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mark studied at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, worked with the Uganda Human Rights Activists in Kampala and lived for two years in Burkina Faso.
Why I believe in the AHPSS Mission:
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"I believe in the AHPSS Mission because AHPSS's people are dedicated to building basic infrastructure and creating local capacity in a critically underserved area of the world and to doing so with minimal administrative cost."
Jason D. Hahn
Director
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A lifelong Alaskan who graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage, Jason worked for over ten years at a youth homeless shelter in Anchorage, Alaska. After volunteering in South Sudan with ASMP and becoming inspired by the mission. Jason served as ASMP's Program Director from 2012-2014. During that time he oversaw all facets of the non profit's operations. He is now a Board Member.
Why I believe in the AHPSS Mission:
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"I have travelled to over 40 countries, but never have I seen the conditions that were present in Old Fangak. When presented with something like this, I believe that we all have a moral obligation to help those who are vastly more unfortunate than ourselves. But what impacted me even more than the need in South Sudan was the genuine friendliness and gratitude of the people. Despite having very little, they are always quick to welcome, to smile, and to share. It is always an unforgettable experience to return to Old Fangak."
David Kapla
Volunteer Project Manager
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David Kapla grew up in Michigan before migrating to Pennsylvania and graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 1993. After an early professional career in Philadelphia, David’s life shifted to Alaska in 2005. Moving from the city to the bush, David spent the first four years in Alaska building remote log cabins. Five years ago David joined family members in starting EagleSong Family Peony Farm near Sleeping Lady mountain.
He began going to South Sudan in the fall of 2009, and has volunteered every year since. With many years of on-the-ground experience in Old Fangak, David’s agriculture, remote construction and leadership skills have been vital to the success of AHPSS’s programs.
Josie Hickel
Volunteer
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Josie has over 25 years of experience in business administration and human resources. She is a certified Senior Professional Human Resources and Global Professional of Human Resources through the Society of Human Resource Management.
Josie is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management, Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, Anchorage Downtown Rotary, and the Alaska Miners Association. Among the many organizations she has served is the Alaska Health Project South Sudan where she has been a volunteer, past board member, and advisor since 2007. Josie was inducted into the Athena Society in 2011 in recognition of her leadership in business and community. Josie is a lifelong Alaskan originally from Seward, Alaska. She is of Aleut descent and is a shareholder and past President of Chugach Alaska Corporation. She is married to Dr. Jack Hickel of Anchorage.
Lee Huskey
Director
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Lee Huskey is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Alaska Anchorage. His research has focused on the economic and demographic development of remote regions, primarily in the northern parts of North America and Europe. He has served on many professional and social boards with community, statewide, national and international reach. This includes responsibility for finances on the governing board of an Anchorage Presbyterian church.