Six men from Kenai and Soldotna were recently confirmed by the legislature to their appointments to various state boards.
Soldotna’s Robert Ruffner was confirmed this time to a seat on the statewide Board of Fisheries. In 2015 he was denied a seat on the board because critics regarded Johnstone as the sportsfishing representatives on the Board and didn’t want the conservationist taking his seat.
Ruffner works with Kenai Peninsula governments, user groups, businesses, and other stakeholders to promote economic and ecological health of the region’s rivers and streams. He is a member of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Planning Commission, and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission Advisory Panel.
Among the other appointments, Soldotna Police Chief Peter Mlynarik was confirmed to his Public Safety seat on the Marijuana Control Board. Mlynarik has been a part of the process to create regulations for Alaska’s new recreational marijuana industry but was not confirmed until this legislative session. During his over 20 year career with the Alaska State Troopers and Alaska Wildlife Troopers, he served the communities of Soldotna, Yakutat, Iliamna, Anchorage, King Salmon, and Bethel.
Retired correctional and probation officer Steve Meyer was confirmed to his appointment on the State Board of Parole after serving 22 years with the Alaska Department of Corrections. He also served on the Alaska State Troopers South Central Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) from 1993 to 2007.
Phil Sanders of Soldotna was confirmed to the state Board of Pharmacy. Currently he is the Pharmacy Director of the Central Peninsula Hospital who has worked as a pharmacist throughout Alaska for over 20 year.
Founding President of the Alaska Christian College, Kieth Hamilton, was confirmed to the state Personnel Board. In addition to his work with Alaska Christian College, he has served as a volunteer firefighter in Soldotna, and is a member of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce.
And Soldotna’s orthopedic spine surgeon Steven Craig Humphreys was confirmed to the State Medical Board. He practiced for more than 15 years at the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before returning to Alaska and starting Kenai Spine in Soldotna.
