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.
Ms. Adeline “Aucha” Kameroff is a resident of the Northwest Arctic Borough since 2002, and was appointed as Public Safety Director of the Northwest Arctic Borough in March of 2019.
Aucha was born and raised in Emmonak, Alaska and graduated from St. Mary’s Catholic high school in 1980. She received her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boise State University in 1998. Most of her work experience has been in the Division of Juvenile Justice, Department of Corrections, and in law enforcement.
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 one great grandchild. Aucha and her family enjoy spending time subsistence fishing, hunting and gathering.
Not Pictured: Elsie Sampson and Tracy Hatch
Other Community Collaborators:
Tessa Baldwin LMSW, CDC-1 Uvanga Unaliin. My name is Teressa (Tessa) Unaliin Baldwin. My parents are Sarah Randall of Ambler, AK and Clyde Baldwin Jr. of Kiana. My grandparents are Regina and Ron Randall of Ambler and the Late Eva and Clyde Baldwin from Noorvik and Kiana. I grew up in Kotzebue, AK. I graduated from Columbia University in 2019 with my Masters in Advanced Clinical Social Work. Since then, I have been home working in the mental health field. I enjoy berry picking, fishing with my family and collecting plants for traditional use.
Not Pictured: Linda Joule
