To everything there is a season, and a reason

 Dear friends and colleagues,

 I am writing to you today to tell you of my decision to step down as Commissioner of Health and Social Services. I do this after great thought about the needs of my family. It’s time for me to return to my home in Fairbanks.

 It has been an honor to work with you and on behalf of the best department in state government. I am so incredibly proud of the work that we do and the professionalism that is displayed every day as we interact with the public and provide truly basic services to Alaskans. While the new initiatives have been important, it’s the daily work of making sure people get benefits or services, the bills get paid, birth certificates get issued and deaths get autopsied that is the real accomplishment of this department. Without these things running smoothly, it would not be possible to embark on new avenues of program improvement.

 I won’t fib to you. Some days have been hard, really hard. I guess we all have them. But on the whole, these seven years have been exciting, challenging and even FUN! I have really enjoyed meeting many of you and visiting communities across the state. I am eternally grateful to Governor Knowles and Lt Governor Ulmer for their unflagging support for what we do and more than that- their desire to lead initiatives to improve the lives of the people we serve. I know both of them will continue this commitment every day they are in office.

It’s not easy to leave after 14 years of service to this Department. I have some inkling now of how it feels when I watch people retire or leave the department who have spent most of their professional career here. It’s a sense of sadness, but also of new unexplored experiences ahead. I’m moving on to new opportunities at the University of Alaska, where I hope to help the President, the chancellors, and the faculty more fully develop the health and social services mission of the University.

 I’ll be on the job until October 8^th and I would love to hear from you if you feel like sending an email, a note or giving a call. God bless.

                                                                          Karen