|Press Release|

At the national AFT Public Employees Conference in Nevada today, APEA member Jim Pomplun was honored as one of three ‘Everyday Heroes’ from across the United States. Hailing from our Ketchikan Gateway Borough Local, Jim was nominated because “he takes a tough stand for integrity in the face of adversity and unfairness” in the workplace. The cartographer for the borough’s planning department is a little more modest about his workplace disposition. “I make an effort to understand an issue from all sides,” he says, pointing out that there are challenges and differences in every workplace. “I’m not afraid to speak my mind. I just always try to be civil.”

Jim doesn’t just give voice to his co-workers; he’s civic-minded in general. The adventurous transplant, who moved from the Midwest to Ketchikan in 2005, quickly became active in his new community. He’s on the board of directors of the local public radio station, and he serves on the Alaska State Parks Advisory Board. Jim also is a member of the Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad, a nonprofit organization that aids in search and rescue operations when people—mostly hikers—get lost. The rescue squad conducts six to 12 rescue operations a year. (Ketchikan is located in the 17 million-acre Tongass National Forest.) Volunteerism, says Jim, is part of the character of Ketchikan, a town of about 15,000 that relies on volunteers for a host of services. “I enjoy helping shape my community because, in the end, the community does more to shape me than I can ever imagine.”