Betsy has lived in Juneau since 1977 and in Bethel, Fairbanks and Anchorage before that. She is the owner of Brenneman Communications and Consulting. Formerly a reporter, editor, producer and manager for various Alaska radio and television stations and newspapers, she also worked for Sealaska Corporation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of SE Alaska, created the B.A.M. afterschool program at Juneau’s two middle schools, and coordinated a needs assessment and strategic plan for the state’s early childhood system for the Association of Alaska School Boards. Family members’ mental health challenges, as well as her own, opened a whole new area of learning for her, a fascination with brain science and a hope for new norms and models for discussing, managing and treating mental health. Betsy is married, has a grown son and likes spending time with friends and family, hiking, doing yoga, traveling, skiing, creating, and almost anything outdoors.