Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9437
CTE Contact Information
YKSD CTE Staff
Tom Hall
CTE Director
Patty Woody
CTE Assistant Director
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9435
Patty Woody is the Yukon-Koyukuk School District (YKSD) Career & Technical Education (CTE) Assistant Director. She has worked at YKSD for 12 years as CTE Assistant Director, CTE Coordinator, and an Itinerant Counselor. Patty has worked in education for the past 19 years, in a variety of positions ranging from Graduation Success Coach, to Career Guidance Specialist, to After-School Program Instructor, to School Counselor, to Accreditation Evaluator, to Education Administrator, and CTE Coordinator. Each position helped prepare her for her next job. Patty is an experienced and skilled educator, and her dedication to student success and professional development has been an inspiration to colleagues, students, and the community. She is a valued member of the YKSD team and an integral part of our success.
Prior to pursuing education, she started her professional career as a chemist. After working in an environmental testing laboratory for nine years, she volunteered in a group home for teenage boys. Patty's experience as a Teaching Parent cultivated her passion for helping young people reach their full potential and led her to pursue a degree in education.
George Merritt
CTE Coordinator
Brain Powell
CTE Student Support and Training Coordinator
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9463
The CTE Student Support and Training Coordinator at YKSD, Brian Powell, has been teaching in the educational field for 28 years, 25 of them in Alaska. Before moving to Alaska, he earned an undergraduate degree in science education from Black Hills State University and taught high school science for three years in Wyoming. In 1997, he moved to Alaska and taught high school science and math for the Lower Yukon School District and Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District. In 2009, he earned his Masters in Education Leadership and served as the principal of Nordale Elementary in Fairbanks until its closure in 2022.
Before his retirement from the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District, Brian worked as an assistant principal at West Valley High School and as Assistant Director of Human Resources. One of Brian's most proud accomplishments is his work with colleagues to establish Star of the North Secondary School, an alternative charter school in North Pole Alaska. Brian looks forward to using his years of teaching experience, education leadership, aviation background, and construction/woodworking skills to enhance the District’s CTE program.
Arne Erickson
Teacher Retention Coordinator
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9473
Arne is from Tok, Alaska. He graduated from UAF in 1987 and then worked as a teacher and basketball coach for 25 years in the rural Alaska communities of Shishmaref, Hoonah, and Galena. Arne’s wife Susan (Solomon) is originally from Kaltag. They have been married since 1986 and they have 4 children and 3 grandkids. Arne retired from full time teaching in 2013 and worked as a commercial vehicle inspector for the Alaska Department of Transportation.
He returned to the education field in January of 2024 and now works as the Teacher Retention Coordinator for the Yukon Koyukuk School District in the State and Federal programs department. He works to help YKSD recruit, develop, and retain local talent for employment in our river site schools under the ASTAR grant.
Kate Voigt
CTE Itinerant Instructor
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9470
Kate Voigt serves as the CTE Welding Instructor at Yukon Koyukuk School District, where she brings her decade of industry experience to inspire the next generation of welders. Her passion for welding began at age 15 and has taken her across Alaska's diverse industrial landscape. With extensive field experience throughout the state, Kate combines practical industry knowledge with hands-on teaching methods to prepare students for successful careers in welding.
When not in the classroom, Kate's enthusiasm for welding extends into her time, where she continues to practice her trade. She also embraces Alaska's outdoor lifestyle through hiking and camping adventures with her family.
Carla Saunders
CTE Residence Facilitator
Jocelyn Patsy
CTE Facilities/Special Projects
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9471
Jocelyn Patsy is the YKSD CTE Facilities/Special Projects specialist. Jocelyn brings with her skills in Behavior Health, Special Education, maintenance and groundskeeping. She has a background in hospitality and works with staff to ensure that the CTE Facilities are safe and up-to-date. She also assists with special projects and is a valuable member of the YKSD team.
A native of Nulato, Alaska, Joycelyn moved to Fairbanks to pursue a certificate in Process Technology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, a course that had to be postponed due to COVID. Her long-term goals are to complete school and move back to her hometown where she can enjoy life to the fullest.
When Joycelyn is not working, she loves spending time with her dog, reading, and beading. She also enjoys traveling to rural villages all over Alaska to learn more about local culture. She enjoys seeing the sights and sounds of more rural villages. She loves learning about the traditional way of life and meeting the people who live in these villages. She believes that it is important to preserve the culture and traditions of these communities for future generations.
YKSD Service Providers
Larry Ehnert
STEM Instructor
Jeff Walters
Career Counselor
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9479
Jeff is YKSD's CTE career counselor. Originally from upstate New York, Jeff moved to Alaska after graduating from college and hasn't looked back. As a secondary math and science teacher, he taught for seven years in the 1980s in Deering and Noorvik (Northwest Arctic Borough School District), before teaching for one year in a logging camp in Southeast Island School District. In 1992, he moved to Fairbanks where he taught math and science at Howard Luke Alternative High School (now Effie Kokrine) and West Valley High School. He also earned his master's degree in guidance & counseling from UAF and was a counselor at West Valley High School for nine years before retiring. Jeff is now excited to be working part-time for YKSD, traveling to various communities and meeting new people!
Jeff enjoys being outdoors. As an avid birder, he volunteers for the Alaska Songbird Institute and leads field trips. He has also volunteered on bird surveys for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Park Service in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and Wrangell-St Elias National Park. He spent five summers assisting at the visitor center in Coldfoot.