In the midst of his eighth year as principal at Homer High School, Ron Keffer, 61, announced in January his plans to retire at the end of the school year. "I feel like I've had the best job in the world," he said of his role at the school. Keffer came to Homer from Toccoa, Ga., where he served as assistant superintendent for student learning and assessment for Stephens County Schools. In March, Rayna Duenas, the HHS assistant principal, was selected as the new principal of Homer High School.

In February, Voznesenka School Principal Ray Hillman announced plans to retire at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. Hillman came to Alaska 23 years ago, teaching first at Metlakatla, followed by Wrangell and Nuiqsut. He felt most at home in small schools, where he "could totally concentrate and make things happen." Alex Trout, personnel administrator for the Lake and Peninsula School District, was named as Hillman's replacement.

South Peninsula Hospital, a borough-owned facility, announced the selection of Robert Letson as its chief executive officer and Malisa Mudgett as its new chief financial officer. Letson, of College Park, Ga., was chosen from a pool of 70 applicants to replace retiring CEO Charlie Franz. His background included 21 years experience in not-for-profit hospital management and 13 years with for-profit hospitals. Mudgett came to Homer from Lake Chelan Community Hospital in Chelan, Wash. She had 17 years of hospital financial experience.

In March, Homer Middle School Principal Dan Beck announced plans to Homer at the end of the school year to return to the Lower 48. Beck's first teaching assignment in Alaska 11 years ago was in Emmonak, near the mouth of the Yukon River. Three years later, he relocated to Seldovia, to teach at Susan B. English School. In 2004, he was selected as assistant principal at Homer High School and in 2006 accepted the principal position at HMS. "What will stand out is how great of a place this is that cares about kids, teaching kids right from wrong and teaching academics," Beck said of his time at HMS. Beck was replaced by Lisa Nissly of Ninilchik School.

Long-time city attorney Gordon Tans announced in early May that he will leave Alaska and move to Tanzania to work with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee. The city put out to bid a contract to provide legal services, and in July awarded a contract to Anchorage law firm Birch, Horton, Bittner, and Cherot.

Homer City Planner Beth McKibben left in May to take a job in Juneau. In July, the city hired Rick Abboud, a former city planner in Bethel, to replace McKibben. Abboud started work in late July.

Lt. Eric A. Helgen was sworn in as commanding officer of the USCGC Roanoke Island June 12. Helgen replaced Lt. Commander Ben Strickland. A graduate of U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., Helgen came to Homer from assignment in the Arabian Gulf, where he supported Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and defended Iraq's two offshore oil terminals, while also serving as officer-in-charge of Forward Operating Base Kuwait Naval Base and as the Coast Guard liaison officer between the Kuwaiti Navy, U.S. Embassy, U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. Strickland left Homer to attend the College of Command and Staff and Naval Operational Planners Course at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Sgt. Arthur Dunn, head of the Anchor Point Post, Alaska State Troopers, accepted a position in Anchorage as an investigator with the Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement. Dunn, born and raised in Soldotna, had been with the Anchor Point post for seven years and head of the post for three years. Blunt and to the point, he developed a reputation as a straight talker who didn't mince words when it came to speaking out about crime on the lower Kenai Peninsula, particularly drug-related crimes.