At a Glance
That’s Not How We Do It Here! by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber.
What movie do you recommend to everyone you know?
The Blind Side.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
You know I saw this question and thought long and hard about telling the truth [she laughs]. But no, usually I come home and change clothes and sit and listen to music with my husband… with a glass of wine.
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, what’s your dream locale?
I don’t know if you’d call it a dream locale, but if I couldn’t live in Alaska I would probably live in Nashville with my kids.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A porcupine. It’s kind of a joke but I get teased that I’m a lot like a porcupine… I’m a lawyer by trade and have to remember not to go into lawyer mode and be prickly.
At a Glance
That’s Not How We Do It Here! by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber.
What movie do you recommend to everyone you know?
The Blind Side.
What’s the first thing you do when you get home after a long day at work?
You know I saw this question and thought long and hard about telling the truth [she laughs]. But no, usually I come home and change clothes and sit and listen to music with my husband… with a glass of wine.
If you couldn’t live in Alaska, what’s your dream locale?
I don’t know if you’d call it a dream locale, but if I couldn’t live in Alaska I would probably live in Nashville with my kids.
If you could domesticate a wild animal, what animal would it be?
A porcupine. It’s kind of a joke but I get teased that I’m a lot like a porcupine… I’m a lawyer by trade and have to remember not to go into lawyer mode and be prickly.
Off the Cuff
helley Ebenal’s path to becoming the CEO for Foundation Health Partners, and the Executive Director and General Counsel for the Greater Fairbanks Community Hospital Foundation, wasn’t exactly conventional. Ebenal spent the majority of her career practicing law, but, following a random phone call from a past employer, she started mulling over a change of scenery: “Dan Winfrey called me out of the blue one day and said, ‘I’m up for the Alaska Supreme Court; if I get it, would you be interested in this job?’”
Luckily for residents of the Interior—she was.
Having joined the organization during a pivotal time following its decision to leave Banner Health, Ebenal feels a deep commitment to serving Foundation Health Partners and the city that raised her.
Shelley Ebenal: My husband and I do a lot of remodeling. I don’t think I’ve ever lived in a house with my husband that we haven’t destroyed.
AB: Is there a skill you’re currently developing or have always wanted to learn?
Ebenal: I’ve always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but I just don’t have the talent… probably the piano.
AB: What’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done?
Ebenal: Get my master’s degree at fifty years old.
AB: What’s your go-to comfort food?
Ebenal: Cheeseburger.
AB: What’s your favorite way to exercise?
Ebenal: Aerobics. Not that I do a lot of it, but that is my favorite exercise.
AB: Dead or alive, who would you like to see perform live in concert?
Ebenal: I know this sounds really bizarre but Beethoven performing “Für Elise”.
AB: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Ebenal: A few years ago my husband and kids, we took a trip to Italy and we did it completely right. It was an extreme extravagance. My husband is actually Italian and his family is from Sicily, and it was a very cool experience.
Ebenal: Karma—what comes around goes around. Treat people how you would want to be treated. Remember what you do is gonna come back at ya.
AB: What is your best and worst attribute?
Ebenal: My worst attribute is being prickly. My best attribute I think is my compassion for my community. I wasn’t born in Fairbanks, but I was raised here and I was very compassionate about making my community the best possible place I could make it to be. One of the founding fathers of the foundation once said, ‘It’s your duty to leave the place that you work and live better than you found it,’ and I truly believe that. 
