Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9437
CTE Contact Information
YKSD CTE Staff
Tom Hall
CTE Director
Patty Woody
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.
Dave Foshee
Career and Tech Ed Coordinator
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9468
The CTE Coordinator at YKSD, Dave Foshee, has been teaching in the educational field for 29 years, 25 of them in Alaska. Before moving to Alaska, he earned an undergraduate degree in education from the University of Oklahoma and taught junior high science for three years. In 1997, he moved to Alaska and taught elementary through high school for six years with Bering Strait School District. In 2003, he earned his Masters in Education Leadership and served as principal of James C. Isabell School and Koyuk Malemute School until 2007.
He worked for the Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District from 2007 to 2013 as the principal of Joy Elementary. Dave was a dedicated educator and was beloved by students and faculty alike. He was appointed assistant principal at West Valley High School in the Fall of 2013, where he remained until he retired in 2022.
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.
Bob Hawkins
CTE Specialist
Anthony Cavan
CTE Welding & Woods Instructor
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9465
I am a longtime Alaskan who graduated from Eielson High School. I joined the Air Force right out of High School, where I learned to weld and turn a wrench on vehicles of various shapes and sizes. While in the military, I was assigned to Washington State, the Middle East, and Eielson.
After the military, I went to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where I finished my first degree in education, followed by a degree in welding and history. Upon graduation, Kodiak Island Borough School District hired me to teach welding and automotive, and I spent 22 years there before returning home to Fairbanks.
In 2011 I was honored to receive the Alaska Association for Career and Technical Education Industrial Technology Teacher of the Year. My educational journeys have taken me to many exciting and diverse places to help students become certified welders while learning how to build boats.
I have two grown sons and a wife who also teaches with the Yukon Koyukuk School District. Travel is our pastime, and my wife accompanies me on many historically based adventures to remote battlefields and Old West Towns. We also enjoy cruising through the Caribbean.
I am excited about being a part of YKSD’s Career and Technical Education Team and working with our students.
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.
Haley Andrews
CTE Itinerant Instructor
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9482
Hey ya'll!
My name is Haley Andrews and I am a CTE Specialist Instructor for YKSD. This is my eighth year in education and my first year in Alaska.
Coming from nearly a decade in the Texas education world, I have brought with me a passion for Career and Technical Education, Cattle, Travel and Teaching.
I'm excited to work for YKSD, to prepare students for success in their future endeavors.My personal belief in life is that every student, no matter their background, should have equal access to opportunities for success. As educators, it is our responsibility to provide these opportunities for success to our students.
Carla Saunders
CTE Residence Facilitator
Courtney Agnes
CTE Student Support & Training Specialist
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9469
Hi, I’m Courtney Agnes, originally from Huslia, Alaska. I graduated from YKSD’s Jimmy Huntington School in 2017. Growing up, I spent my free time racing and caring for sprint dogs, playing basketball, and being involved in community events. After high school, I attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks for a semester before returning to Huslia.
In 2018, I began working as a SPED Aide at Jimmy Huntington School, where I worked for five years, supporting students and helping create a positive learning environment. In March 2024, my family and I moved to Fairbanks, where I now work at the YKSD CTE building as the CTE Student Support & Training Specialist.
I’m currently studying for my Bachelor’s degree in K-8 Education through Chadron University. In my free time, I love spending time outdoors with my fiancé, Chase, and our 2-year-old son, Wilson. I’m passionate about education and excited to continue growing in my role and making a positive impact on the students I work with.
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.
Alyssa Powalski
CTE Facilitator
Contact Info:
Phone: (907) 374-9480
Alyssa Powalski is a Para-Facilitator with Yukon Koyukuk School District, supporting technical education through camps in town and traveling to sites to assist with welding and woodworking instruction. As a 4-H leader and alumni, she is passionate about youth development and enjoys working with livestock during her free time.
Truly Steckel
CTE Facilitator
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.