March 29, 2022, by admin

SSSC board member Michael Mausbach might not seem like the typical planned giving advocate. He is on the 20 side of 30 years old, and in the early stages of his career. “ I think a lot of people in my age class have anxiety that they don’t have assets yet, but I want to be proactive rather than reactive. I’d rather not wait until there is an emergency or closer to the end of my life to plan my estate. It’s exciting to me to think about where my hard work can help an institution like SSSC down the line “ says Mausbach.

Mausbach came to Sitka ten years ago as a VISTA volunteer at the Science Center where he helped create our field course programs with colleges and universities. He has since commercial fished, and then in workforce development at the  University of Alaska Southeast, and now most recently as the human resources manager at Sitka Salmon Shares.  Michael is quick-witted, fit and an avid outdoorsman says SSSC’s values reflect his own. ”The value of curiosity is important to me. I like how SSSC is actively trying to better understand the world around us at a time when people are increasingly separated from the natural world. I’d really like to see this important work endure beyond my lifetime.”   

Michael believes planned giving is not about leaving a certain amount of money at a certain time of life. “ I think there is this a false notion among young people that you have to know exactly how much you will leave behind. I really like the idea of putting a percentage of my assets aside for SSSC  in my estate plan because that leaves room for my assets to grow and room to dream.”  Mausbach is an active SSSC Board member and also works on other social justice issues like Sitka Pride and Sitka Health Summit, in his free time. 

If you are interested in including SSSC as a beneficiary in your estate. Please go to https://sitkascience.org/planned-giving/ and contact Lisa Busch lbusch@sitkascience.org