Rich Kleinleder has lived in Homer for many years, raising a family and building a home in our Cosmic Hamlet by the sea. He loves to work in his garden, catch fish, hunt moose, pick berries, and eat well. Four grandchildren bring joy and hope. He is drawn to activities that bring people together to have fun and celebrate the joys of living in this beautiful place: sports, birding, contra dancing, the arts, and recreational trails and parks. He is a wildlife biologist by training with degrees from Indiana University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks and has worked all over the state studying nature. He has had a number of different jobs since moving to Homer in 1988. A temporary job as a handyman at the Pratt Museum turned into 10 years as the Building Manager. Then he built remote controlled video transmission systems for SeeMore Wildlife, bringing sea lions, seabirds, and brown bears at McNeil to people’s living rooms. Then he worked for a multi-national corporation writing environmental impact statements for 15 years. Tired of working on the computer all day he decided to change careers again and became a Physical Therapist Assistant, going back to school at UA Anchorage. He is currently employed at South Peninsula Hospital and enjoys helping people heal and regain their functional abilities. He was on the Board of Hospice for six years, including several years as President, before taking a break for school. His new profession has given him a much deeper appreciation for how vital Hospice services are in our community.

Ivy Stuart is a Registered Nurse. After graduating from SUNY Ulster in the summer of 2005 with an associate’s degree in Nursing, Ivy moved back to her home town of Homer, Alaska. Ivy has been the Home Health Director for South Peninsula Hospital since 2014. Recently she created, implemented, and now oversees the COVID-19 vaccine administration plan for giving vaccines in the home setting to homebound community members, expanding access and allowing eligible community members to receive the vaccine that would have difficulty getting the vaccine in a community setting. She has been working as the Home Health Manager/Director since 2014. Prior to 2014 Ivy held a variety of nursing positions from emergency room, ICU, Home Health, Med Surgery, endoscopy, LTC, infection control and employee health. She has been an employee of South Peninsula Hospital since 2009. Ivy was born and raised in Homer graduating from Homer High School in 1997. Ivy has been an ELNEC (End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium) trainer since February 2018. She has also been on the board for the Alaska Association of Home Care and Hospice since the beginning of 2018.

Sara Woltjen moved from Chicago, Illinois to Homer in July 1993. She is the manager of the South Peninsula Hospital Specialty and Family Care Clinics. Sara is passionate about the mission of Hospice of Homer and hopes to contribute to the organization’s continued ability to provide support to those in need of its services.

Fred has lived with his wife Margaret in Homer since 1997. He received his Bachelor and Master of Education degrees from Western Washington University with majors in teaching, administration, and biology. He has additional post graduate courses in education administration and assisted living management from the University of Alaska and the American Association of Homes for the Aging. Fred first came to Alaska in 1966 as a high school biology teacher in Juneau. From 1971 to 1994 he served as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent in Teller, Shishmaref, Adak, Kotzebue, and Nenana Alaska. In 1994 he became the Director of the Alaska Vocational Technical Post-Secondary School in Seward and in 1997 the Director of Homer Senior Citizens Inc. where he served until he retired in 2011. Fred has served as a member of the Nenana City Council, Mayor of Nenana, Commissioner on the Alaska Professional Teachers Practices Commission, a Board member of the Alaska Older Persons Action Group and South Peninsula Hospital Service Area, and as a member and President of the South Peninsula Hospital Operating Board. During his retirement he has primarily been involved in fishing, traveling, restoring classic cars, and enjoying watching his two grandsons grow up. Fred has a great appreciation for work done by Hospice organizations in relation to his mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Born and raised in the Carolinas, Rachael Kincaid visited Homer during college. While she fell in love with the town and hoped to return someday, her boyfriend told her there was no way he'd ever move. Her boyfriend became her husband, though, and fifteen years plus a handful of kids later, they moved to Homer. A nurse practitioner by trade, Rachael Kincaid is the Chief Nursing Officer at South Peninsula Hospital. She holds a doctorate in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina. Her background ranges from psychiatric nursing to medical-surgical, but the bulk of her career has been in hospice and geriatrics. Rachael's husband, Christopher, is the worship pastor at Church on the Rock. They share six kids, two of whom are grown and four of whom are growing up in Homer. In addition to evidence-based and holistic healthcare, Rachael loves talking about marriage and motherhood, skincare, the practice of tenacious gratitude, slow fashion, books, politics, pro basketball, and houseplants. She's 5'2". She drinks iced coffee every morning. She's honored to serve on the board at Hospice of Homer.

A resident of Homer for 18+ years, Michael Haines has over 40 years experience in business, industry, economic development, consulting, and education. He has served in executive management and senior corporate positions in the USA, Canada, and Europe. These executive management positions include President/COO, Managing Director, and Senior Vice President positions for large and small technology corporations and economic development agencies. In addition, he has been an integral part of economic development programs focused on developing entrepreneurial start-ups, and how the two fit into small, rural economies like those found in Alaska. He has established innovative economic development entrepreneurial programs, which resulted in international recognition for the creative programs developed. For the past 12+ years, he has been an adjunct professor at Kenai Peninsula College/University of Alaska Anchorage where he teaches business related courses. He has served on the Boards of a number of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations in Alaska and the lower-48. He writes extensively, and has published articles on entrepreneurship, economic development, and small business development. He has developed a number of workshops related to economic development, entrepreneurship, and social entrepreneurship. His non-business interests include soccer, walking/hiking, cosmology, anthropology, and “around-the-house” construction projects. Born and educated in London, the United Kingdom, he has a Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Surrey.

A Life of Art, Teaching, and Caring for others Linda Feiler, a New York City native, grew up surrounded by museums, the art world, garment center, and public schools. While she received her teaching degree in Illinois, she returned to NYC to teach K-3 in the Bronx. Eventually, Linda left the Bronx to travel the world and ended up in Alaska, where she found a home for 46 years. She settled in Anchor Point, where she established a gift shop and studio, selling her hand-painted ceramics worldwide.

Linda has always been passionate about keeping Alaska and the planet clean and healthy, and her interests brought her together with like-minded individuals to form the "Cook Inlet Keepers" organization. Linda's kindness extends beyond environmentalism, as she has adopted two 90-year-old women and cared for them until their passing.

After 30 years, health issues forced the closure of Linda's ceramic shop. However, Hospice of Homer provided Linda with the opportunity to give back to the community that had given her so much over the years. Through this experience, Linda found a family of caring, loving, and giving people. Although it was difficult to learn how to take, Linda found that learning how to give was truly rewarding and fun!

Cassidy Carroll is a lifelong resident of Homer who enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including horseback riding, fishing, hiking, and skiing/skijoring. During the summer, she competes in rodeo events organized by the Peninsula Horseman's Association and goes dip netting with family and friends in China Poot. Cassidy is also an experienced swimmer, with six years of competitive swimming under her belt. She continues to pursue the sport both in the pool and by swimming on the Homer Spit.

With several family members in the medical field, Cassidy is drawn to healthcare as a potential career path. Her sophomore year, she participated in the Emergency Technician Class provided by the local Volunteer Fire Department which really sparked her interest in helping others medically. Cassidy has also seen firsthand the importance of emotional support and compassionate care provided by Hospice. Her grandparents received invaluable support from Hospice of Homer, from facilitating at-home care, to then offering support and companionship to those grieving. Cassidy is eager to give back to Hospice of Homer and offer her services in any way she can.

If you’ve been looking for a way to step up and help the community, we hope you’ll consider joining the Hospice of Homer Board of Directors. The commitment averages only two hours a month, but the impact can ripple out into our community for years to come. Interested in helping shape the future of Hospice of Homer? Please contact Rich Kleinleder at rkleinleder@gmail.com or Holly Dramis at director@hospiceofhomer.org, or call the office at 235-6899 to talk to Holly.