Master Sergeant Tanna Carter served part-time in the Alaska Air National Guard for 24 years and retired from service in 2019. She is the first Alaska Native woman to serve as an aircrew member and Boom Operator on the KC-135 Air Refueling aircraft in the 168th Air Wing at Eielson Air Force Base. Carter has over 2500 flying hours, including 286 hours of combat flying time over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. She has earned many awards throughout her career, such as the Air Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and many others.

A graduate of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Carter earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. She has also earned her Associate of Science degree in Aviation Operations from the Community College of the Air Force. Currently, she is employed with Tanana Chiefs Conference as an Executive Coordinator.

Carter is from Minto, Alaska, and is the daughter of Ron Carter of Nenana and the late Hanna Titus Carter of Minto. Her grandparents are the late Annie and Charlie Titus Sr. of Minto and Betty Weedon, and the late Don Carter of Indiana.

Kirstie Ennis joined the Marine Corps at 17 years old in Pensacola, Florida. Over the six years she served, she performed duties as a helicopter door gunner and airframes mechanic on the CH-53 platforms.

On June 23, 2012, her helicopter went down during her last deployment to Afghanistan while performing combat resupplies to FOB Now Zad. As a result of the crash, she sustained several severe injuries that included an above-the-knee amputation on her left leg. She medically retired out of the Marine Corps as a Sergeant in May 2014.

Kirstie is an entrepreneur and founder of the Kirstie Ennis Foundation to provide education, opportunity, and healing in the outdoors through recreational therapy clinics. She is also an avid mountain climber and summited Denali in 2021.

Colonel Laurel “Buff” Burkel retired in December 2018 after providing over 27 years of service in the Air Force. A distinguished graduate of the University of Michigan’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program, Colonel Burkel most recently served as the Chief of Air Mobility Command’s Aviation Energy and Innovation Division at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

She has commanded at the squadron level and has served in a variety of staff positions at the group, wing, Major Command, and Headquarters Air Force levels and in the joint and international deployed and home station environments.

Colonel Burkel was the sole US military survivor of a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Her story is a powerful reminder that resiliency is not an individual sport.

Monique Andrews has served as an Alaska Army National Guard Soldier since 2006. She has experience working as a Victim Advocate, Master Resiliency Trainer, Suicide Prevention Specialist, and Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist. Currently, she works as a Resilience and Risk Reduction Program Coordinator. Monique is an active member of the Alaska's Statewide Suicide Prevention Council, the Alaska Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and the Alaska Mental Health Board.

Monique is also an adjunct instructor at Alaska Pacific University, teaching The Psychology of Adjustment and Change; and Diversity and Social Justice. Monique earned her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology degree from Alaska Pacific University. Monique Andrews is the founder of A Step Forward Counseling & Consulting, LLC. She offers a holistic approach to therapy and the various training presentations she provides to the community.

In addition, Monique works diligently to provide interactive presentations to engage the audience effectively. She combines modern research with old-age wisdom and tradition to create an environment that nurtures the mind, body, and soul. She has worked in diverse settings, including schools, counseling centers, hospitals, community centers, military installations, and corrections.