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Thea Agnew Bemben
Thea Agnew Bemben is a principal and founding partner of Agnew::Beck Consulting. Since 1996, Thea has guided and facilitated effective community scoping and decision-making processes in a wide diversity of places from Anchorage neighborhoods to villages along the Kuskokwim. Thea has worked with many statewide entities in the health, human services and education fields and has a deep understanding of funding mechanisms and strategies for program development. Her work at Agnew::Beck focuses on facility planning, business planning, community & village planning, policy development and facilitating public involvement in planning projects. Thea has worked extensively with rural and Native communities across Alaska to plan and implement a variety of community development projects including health clinics, recreation centers, family resource centers, domestic violence shelters and cultural centers. Thea has successfully worked with many communities to raise millions of dollars for program development, facility design and construction. Thea holds a Master’s Degree in History, focusing on the cultural history of western Alaska. She is a lifelong Alaskan who grew up in Anchorage. In 1991, she moved to the rural community of McCarthy, where she lived and worked over the following decade, serving three terms as president of the local area council. Chris Beck
Ellen Campfield Nelson Beth McLaughlin Tomas Jensen Melissa Rodriguez
Heather Stewart
Tanya Iden
Like her grandparents who sought adventure by coming to Alaska from Illinois in 1958, Tanya has pursued adventures of her own and loves to travel. She has explored Europe, North Africa, and Southeast Asia in addition to many Alaskan and US communities. She holds a master's degree in Urban Development Planning from the University of London, England and a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Washington. Spending time with her family is her favorite pastime. Lacy Edwards
Shelly Wade
Kelly DuFort
Greg Schwab
Michael T. Howard
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Chris Beck has over twenty years of experience in land use planning, community development and urban design. He first came to Alaska in 1979, where he worked with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and helped set up DNR's regional land planning process. In 1993, Chris established Christopher Beck & Associates, focusing on community tourism issues, working in communities such as Girdwood, Cordova, Homer, McCarthy, Talkeetna and Dillingham. In 2002, Chris joined with Thea Agnew to form Agnew::Beck Consulting, LLC. Chris holds Masters Degrees in City Planning and in Landscape Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley. 
Ellen came to Agnew::Beck in 2004 with several years of project management, graphic design work, teaching experience, and history and language study. She utilizes these diverse skills frequently in her planning work – facilitating discussions, designing informational materials, encouraging public involvement, and researching and writing. Working with communities to find common ground and determine their own future are the elements of her job she most enjoys. She has won minor writing, teaching and graphics awards, including a national design award for work on a product development campaign. Ellen is an ardent reader, decent telemark skier, and dabbling artist. She is a proud resident of Spenard, a frequent visitor to Alaska’s wilderness, and has lived in Anchorage through ten winters. 
Beth has been involved with education and arts organizations in Alaska for the past eight years. Originally from Southeast Alaska, she has worked for the University system, the Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council, and the Anchorage School District. Her internship as a grant writer with the Foraker Group led her to her current position with Agnew::Beck Consulting. Beth’s work focuses on funding strategies, facility development projects, community planning and technical assistance and outreach. She has worked with communities such as Seward, Togiak, Bethel and Kalskag and organizations such as the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority and the Alaska Small Hospital Performance Improvement Network (ASHPIN) plan and find funding for projects that serve rural Alaskan communities. She is an active community volunteer and enjoys snowboarding, cross country skiing and all-season mountain biking. 
Tomas joined Agnew::Beck in 2006, driving up to Alaska from Madison, Wisconsin where he finished his Master’s degree in Agricultural & Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin. With Agnew::Beck he enjoys working on the wide array of community development projects available through the firm. His work interests are in community economic development and rural viability, sparked by a year in rural Washington with AmeriCorps. When not at work, Tomas tries to mesh his Midwest sensibilities with his new Alaska lifestyle. In addition to that lofty goal Tomas enjoys being an avid reader, skier and biker, as well as trying his hand at many of the other activities that Alaska has to offer. 
Melissa joined Agnew::Beck Consulting as a Program Associate in 2006. She was born and raised in Alaska and has worked in various capacities at the state and local level in Anchorage for the past seven years. She graduated from Brandeis University with a B.A. in sociology and is currently completing her master's in public administration. She has worked in the affordable housing, transitional housing, advocacy, and substance abuse fields in Anchorage. Melissa has extensive experience providing proposal development and grants management services for state and local organizations. She has worked with organizations to secure more than $15.3 million dollars for program development and capacity-building efforts. Melissa has also provided research, planning, and program evaluation for behavioral health programs. Melissa enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors. She is also a boxing enthusiast and enjoys putting the gloves on. Melissa and her husband Neil have two beautiful daughters, Mariella and Marcelina.
Heather came to Agnew::Beck in October of 2006, after completing a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Prior to that, she lived primarily in New England, with interludes in places around the world, including Russia, China, Europe and the Middle East. Heather enjoys exploring new places and the fascinating people who inhabit them, and is excited to experience all of the professional and personal adventures that Alaska has to offer. 
A lifelong Alaskan, Tanya joined Agnew::Beck in 2006 after spending a few years living and working as a community planner in Honolulu, Hawaii and in San Diego, California. Tanya is excited to return to the state that she knows and loves with more planning experience and a fresh perspective. In addition to her Planning work, Tanya has a broad range of experience providing technical assistance and strategic planning support to nonprofit associations and government agencies. She is excels working with community groups and coordinating public meetings and most enjoys listening to Alaskans and developing planning strategies that reflect the values and strengths of their communities. 
Lacy joined Agnew::Beck in February of 2007 as an Administrative Assistant, after spending three years as a Commodities Specialist at Intel Corporation in Oregon. She was born and raised in southern Oregon, receiving a Bachelors Degree in Psychology at the University of Oregon. While not at work, Lacy is fulfilling her passion for art as a bookbinder and graphic designer. Lacy is a new resident to Alaska and enjoys exploring its many outdoor activities.
A life-long Alaskan, Shelly joined Agnew::Beck in October of 2007. Over ten years ago, Shelly left the state to explore other parts of the world and eventually applied to the Peace Corps and served two years as a Teacher of English as a Foreign Language in Panzhihua, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China. Since returning to the state in 2001, Shelly has worked on a wide variety of community development, local government and planning projects and has completed community and economic development plans for rural municipalities and tribal entities throughout the state. She enjoys traveling to and working with rural communities. 
Kelly returned to Alaska and Agnew::Beck in 2007 after a year of cross-cultural immersion, freelancing, public relations work and volunteering in Central America. Before that, she served for five years as assistant editor, writer and photographer to a small Alaska newspaper where she was able to travel throughout the state and internationally.
Greg first came to Alaska from Kentucky in 2002 and was quickly drawn to the vast beauty of the state. He spent the next four summers working in the tourism industry in Cooper Landing. Joining Agnew::Beck in January of 2008, Greg brings a well-rounded range of skills to our team. He received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of Dayton in Ohio, where he studied visual communication design. Working as a freelance graphic artist for several years, he's also been involved with the progression of tourism in Alaska and is eager to contribute more to the community. Greg is an enthusiastic hiker, a moderate musician and can often be found out on the soccer pitch.