Aleesha Towns-Bain

Adam Elliott Photography

Education: Bachelor's Degree, with concentration in journalism and Native American studies from The Evergreen State College, Candidate for Master's Degree in Media Management/Strategic Communications from the University of Missouri-Columbia

Community work: Anchorage Imagination Library

Family: Husband Cameron, 11-month-old son

Hometown: Seattle

Favorite lunch spot? My desk?! Currently, the Mountain View Diner.

Best stress reliever? Skiing of any kind.

Favorite place in Alaska? The Seashell Cabin at Mossy's Farm in Homer. It's one room of perfection about 30 feet from the beach. We walk across this big green field and down the hill to the cabin and I'm instantly relaxed.

Your most memorable experience that could only have happened in Alaska. Two summers ago, I flew over Bristol Bay with my mom pointing out landmarks from her childhood in Pilot Point and Port Heiden.

What is the strangest thing you've ever seen in Alaska? Camping in a gravel quarry. I just don't understand the appeal.

Name the person you most respect and why. As a new mom, I respect every mom I know — moms who stay at home and moms who go to work. The strength, humor and joy of my mom-friends keeps me going!

Famous quote to live by: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn professional." — Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72

How did you make your first dollar? Babysitting, I think. Or in a bet with one of my sisters.

What did your pet or child teach you about business? I have a golden retriever with a perpetually sunny attitude. I think he's taught me to look for the bright side in any situation.

Favorite superhero? Wonder Woman of course. We should all have an invisible jet and golden lasso of truth for emergency situations.

What was your biggest challenge in life and how have you overcome it? I feel very blessed that I haven't had the enormous challenges in life that others have dealt with. My challenges are small and everyday — like figuring out how to pack work, being a parent, exercise, a social life, and sleep into seven days a week. I'm still trying to figure it out.

What was the least intelligent thing you've ever done or seen and what did you learn from it? As my family and friends can attest, I've backed into multiple things in my car — other cars, a light pole, most memorably a garden statue in a friend's driveway. My lesson? Use the mirrors.

Describe something you learned as a child that made a difference in your later years. Ask a ton of questions. Everyone has a story, but you never know it until you ask.