A big thanks to all our recent fundraisers!
About Me
Growing up in alaska
I was born in Tanana, Alaska in 1964 to Doug and Virginia McCotter, the youngest of eight children. During World War II, my father flew numerous reconnaissance missions in a P-51 mustang, first with the RAF and later the Army Air Corps. His love of aviation and outdoor adventure was the main reason he accepted a position with the Federal Administration Agency in Anchorage as a flight service operator in 1958. Once he was established, our family relocated from Washington DC to Alaska in 1959. Soon after, Dad requested a transfer from Anchorage to Tanana, where we lived until 1965 when Dad again transferred to the Fairbanks flight center.
education and family
Growing up in Fairbanks, I attended school from kindergarten through high school, graduating from West Valley in 1983. Later, I studied accounting at Maui Community College and Elementary Education and Business at Colorado University and Colorado Technical College.
I am married with two grown children. My husband Michael was also born and raised in Alaska. He has been employed with Lynden Transport, Inc. for 24 years and is currently a driver trainer. My son Brandon served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Nimitz and later graduated from Asbury University. He is married with three children and lives in Colorado Springs. He has a Political Science degree and is employed as a probation officer. My youngest is Ashley who just graduated last year with her master’s degree from the University of Maryland and now works for the United States Sentencing Commission in DC.
Like many Alaskans, we love to get outdoors in our camper and white-water raft, or go fishing. We recently purchased a Polaris RZR and we love being able to get out into the wild to places most people have never seen. This is Alaska and the reason we love living here.
experiences
My professional life has been a diverse mix, as I have worked at various jobs such as sales clerk, administrative assistant for a small commuter airline in Alaska and bookkeeper for a family member's concrete company in Colorado. I spent ten years in health care as registrar in a Colorado hospital emergency room and later accepted a position as executive assistant for the CEO of a large commuter airline here in Alaska. Currently, I am the Human Resources assistant for Alaska Behavioral Health.
My mother was active in the Alaska Republican party for as long as I can remember. Early on, when I was not more than four years old, I walked with her in the Golden Days parade in Fairbanks, pulling a little red wagon handing out buttons for Senator Ted Stevens. Mom instilled in me a strong sense of duty to be involved in community affairs and local politics. Leading by example, she juggled her large family of eight children, her job and her volunteer services making phone calls, organizing and hosting fund raisers, and distributing fliers. In my adult life I have been involved with the Fairbanks Republican Women's organization and helped host the Lincoln Day dinners and many silent auctions. After relocating to Anchorage, I have helped support several candidates in their election bids. In both Fairbanks and Anchorage, I have volunteered with the Go Red for Women luncheons and the Heart Walk.
Three years ago, I became secretary for my District 15, helping to organize and support Republican candidates to send to Juneau. In December 2019, our district chair moved out of state and I stepped up to replace that position. Recently, when all efforts were exhausted to find a candidate to run for Senate seat H, my husband and I discussed it and decided “why not me.”
