Congratulations Joelle Hall, 2025 Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award Winner!

Mentors can have an incredible impact on our lives: they help us navigate challenges, work through big decisions, and strengthen our skills. Our Leadership Anchorage program matches participants with mentors to tap into these powerful connections and further strengthen our communities.

Last year we launched the Leadership Anchorage Mentor Award to recognize an LA Mentor - past or present - who has demonstrated a commitment to investing in the growth of one or more LA participants. I am pleased to announce this year’s recipient: Joelle Hall!

Joelle has served as an LA Mentor three times. Nominator Claire Pywell (LA19 ) said:

“Joelle taught me that setting audacious goals is worth it. She taught me that doing hard things for the greater good teaches us what we’re made of.

When I asked her to be my LA mentor over 9 years ago, I did not predict that I would seek her counsel a decade later, as I still do today. When I first told her what I wanted to achieve professionally—with no clear idea of how to get there—she blinked and responded, “Well what’s stopping you?” I had never had the courage to articulate what I wanted, let alone share a specific vision with someone I looked up to so much. She pushed me to grow into the person I am today.”

One day I hope to provide mentorship to someone the way Joelle has for me. Her sage advice and shared perspective changed the way I move through the world. Her generous dedication, big-picture thinking, and years of hard work have improved our community over the last 25 years, and I am forever grateful for her mentorship."

Joelle is the President of the Alaska AFL-CIO elected in 2020. She is the first woman to hold the role. Prior to her election, she served as the Alaska AFL-CIO Political Director for 11 years. Joelle has worked in Alaska politics for nearly 30 years and has built and managed large campaigns and community coalitions. Joelle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Language from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and in a previous life, she was an interrogator/paratrooper in the US Army and an AFS exchange student to Honduras. She and her husband Mallie have two grown children and live in Peters Creek.

Current mentee Michael Thomas says “Joelle was instrumental in guiding me through Leadership Anchorage and my transition from the military, offering clarity, support, and invaluable perspective.”

Congratulations, Joelle! You can join us to recognize Joelle's mentorship, and celebrate all of the mentors who invest in our community at Celebrating Leadership on Friday, May 9th at the Anchorage Museum! We’ll also hear an inspiring keynote by Gloria O’Neill, enjoy a delicious meal by Crush, and be uplifted by the current LA graduates.

With hope for Alaska,

Polly Carr

Vice President of Programs

LA 3 Alum, LA25 & LA28 Mentor