Ms. Adeline “Aucha” Kameroff has lived in the Northwest Arctic Borough since 2002. She managed the Division of Juvenile Justice Probation Office until her retirement in 2019. She also worked as the Northwest Arctic Borough’s public safety director for two years. She now does contract work with the State of Alaska Office of Public Office as a guardian ad litem, overseeing cases of Children in Need of aid.
Aucha, a proud Yup’ik of Emmonak, Alaska, and a graduate of St. Mary’s Catholic High School in 1980, has a solid academic background. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boise State University in 1998. Her thirst for knowledge led her to recently complete her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Alaska, Southeast. She is pursuing a second master’s in Legal Studies—Indigenous Peoples Law through the University of Oklahoma.
Aucha is the daughter of the late Frank & Theresa Kameroff from Emmonak, Alaska. She has twelve siblings and is a grandmother to ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Aucha and her family enjoy spending time subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering.
Hi, my name is Susan Tessier. My Inupiaq name is Qunasiq. I am named after my great Grandmother Susie. My grandparents are John and Annie Schaeffer and Floyd and Martha Wheeler. My parents are John and Mary Schaeffer. I was born in Kotzebue, Alaska where I currently reside. My family is well over 500, so I am never lonely 🙂 I’m married to my husband Tim from Minnesota and together we have 6 children, 1 deceased. We also have 8 grandchildren.
I am a Registered nurse, currently working as the Social Medicine Case Manager at Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue. I also have my Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration.
Growing up here in Northwest Alaska I’ve seen a lot of suicide. I’m happy to participate on this committee and to be part of the solution. I hope that someday suicide won’t be so prevalent in our region and that our people will have hope for the future.
Many thanks to our previous Community Steering Committee members Tessa Baldwin, Arlo Davis, Tracy Hatch, Melanie James, Linda Joule, Elsie Sampson, and Margaret Smith.