UAA College of Business and Public Policy

The College of Business and Public Policy's Leadership Fellows Program pairs high-performing CBPP students with a mentor in the Anchorage business community, giving students the opportunity to learn about real-world leadership from local business leaders. This year’s cohort includes 21 CBPP students, called protégés, and their mentors. To begin the program, each protégé interviewed their new mentor, and every week, we will feature one of these interviews with the mentors, who share their thoughts on leadership. This week’s featured protégé/mentor pairing is Byron Lowe, and his mentor, Ken Miller.

1 Where are you from? How did you decide to pursue a career in Alaska?  “I am from Middleton, New York and as a youth I moved to Alaska with my family. I left Alaska in 1988 but decided to return in 2009 to marry my high school sweetheart and to get a job in Alaska’s booming economy.”

2 Where did you go to college? What did you study in college?  “I graduated from Dartmouth College in 1984 with a degree in History and a minor in English. I was a proud member of the Bones Gate fraternity.”

3 Did you have anyone you relied on for mentorship/solid career advice? If yes, what is the most important leadership advice they shared with you?  “I have three mentors and each of them have been able to give me life changing advice. My mentors are Jim Posey, Bernie Washington and Mike Felix. The leadership advice I've received was: Put yourself in your staff’s shoes and see things from their view, allow people to make mistakes and to always encourage lifelong learning”

4 It is important and beneficial for CBPP and Anchorage’s business community to collaborate and invest in the next generation of leaders. What do you think should be conveyed to our next generation of leaders?  “You are the next generation of future leaders. In the end the answers have to come from your generation not ours. Stay curious, you need to create a society that will be inclusive and diverse. And you must learn to embrace soft skills; personal relationships need to have value. And always remember that collaboration a key to success.”

5 CBPP will be highlighting each mentor and protégé pairing on the front of it’s website during the academic year. Do I have your permission to have this interview and our mentor/protégé pairing highlighted on the website? Is there anything else you would like to add? “Yes you have my permission to have this interview and our mentor/protégé pairing highlighted on the website. And as a mentor I look forward to learning and growing by participating in this program.”