Staff

Alicia aa.eegáakushée Duncan joins the AASB team with a background in Applied Anthropology from Oregon State University, where her studies focused on medical anthropology, particularly on Indigenous birth ceremonies in the Pacific Northwest. She is Tlingit, from the T’akdeintaan tribe, a daughter of the Teikweidí clan and a granddaughter of the Kiks.ádi clan. Her family originates from Sitka and Angoon. As the Data & Evaluation Coordinator, Alicia will be focusing on using data to drive program quality and share the story of our work. With her return to Southeast Alaska, she is committed to bridging her educational experience to help better serve the communities of Alaska.

Angie is excited about supporting Alaskan educators as they implement trauma-engaged practices within schools. Before coming to AASB, Angie worked as an Infant Learning Coordinator and an Elementary School Counselor for more than 22 years. She’s seen how schools with caring adults and predictable routines provide emotional and physical safety that heals the hearts and minds of our most at-risk children.

Carissa Ottoson facilitates the organizational HR needs, manages the Business Office operations, and provides logistical coordination and specialized support for AASB staff. She joined the team in 2026 – bringing extensive experience from her previous role as vice president of operations at SuperAlert, a New York-based IT company, where she oversaw B2B account management, accounts payable inventory administration, staff accounting, financial reporting, and Human Resources operations. She was born in Miami, but has lived and worked in Miami Beach, Colorado, northeast Thailand, New York City, and has finally settled in Alaska, where her husband and his family have lived for more than forty years.

Claudia is a graduate Eastern Oregon University with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology, with a minor in Gender Studies. She also has her Master of Science Degree in Sociology from Portland State University. After receiving her Master’s, she spent a year teaching undergraduate level sociology classes at Eastern Oregon University. Although she enjoyed teaching, Claudia wanted to work in a field where she could feel that she was making a real difference. This brought her to Alaska, where she spent over 5 years working to engage youth and communities in violence prevention programming. She is enjoying working with communities and school districts to engage youth in leadership and advocacy work.

As coordinator of the Alaska Family Engagement Center, Emily brings her passion and personal experience raising three kids to her work of supporting strong school and family partnerships. Emily previously served as AASB’s transitions coordinator and worked to improve educational outcomes “from cradle to career,” including rethinking how we prepare students for life after high school. Over the course of her 20+ years in Alaska, Emily has often landed in community organizing roles where she gets to ask her favorite question: “How can we make this better, together?”

Hannah serves as the School Climate and Trauma-Engaged Schools Coordinator with AASB. As a former classroom teacher and experienced public health professional, she brings a unique blend of experience and passion to her work supporting schools and students. Throughout her career, Hannah has managed health programs and grants across several states, developed educational curricula, and trained professionals in areas such as trauma-informed facilitation, supportive learning environments, and adolescent health and well-being.

Hannah earned a bachelor’s degree in public health from Purdue University and a master’s degree in teaching from Marian University, where she focused on adolescent brain development and the impact of trauma on learning. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to helping schools become places where every student feels safe, supported, and able to thrive.

Outside of work, Hannah enjoys exploring Alaska’s beautiful landscapes and spending time with family and friends. She can often be found adventuring out on the trails or curled up with a good book.

Heather Shaw is the Communications and Marketing Coordinator and has worked at AASB since 2020. She manages communications, branding, and outreach efforts to support AASB’s work with school boards and communities across Alaska.

Heather lived in several places throughout her childhood. After graduating from Northern Arizona University in 2015 with degrees in Advertising and Public Relations, she moved to Juneau, where she has lived since. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog, Ursa.

Jenni Lefing came to AASB after working with nonprofits and NGOs in Alaska, Oregon, and Southeast Asia, with a focus on community development, program evaluation, and coordination. She joined the AASB team in 2010 as a Community Engagement Educator for the Alaska Initiative for Community Engagement (now the Conditions for Learning team), where she facilitated connections between schools and communities throughout Alaska. In 2015, she became the School Climate Coordinator and administered Alaska’s School Climate & Connectedness Survey (SCCS). In August 2022, she joined the Board Development team full-time as Membership Services Manager. In this role, she oversees AASB’s statewide events, the June Nelson Memorial Scholarship program, and facilitates in-district workshops with school boards, advisory school boards and charter schools. She also supports board development services, including Strategic Planning, Superintendent Searches, and School Board Member Recognition. Jenni holds an MA in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute and a BS from Cornell University.

Jennifer McFerran joined AASB in January 2024 as Communications Coordinator and recently transitioned into the Administrative Coordinator role, supporting the Board Development Team and Business Office. She brings more than 20 years of experience in communications, design, and project management and enjoys finding ways to use technology to work smarter and more efficiently. Jennifer proudly calls Juneau home and loves exploring Alaska with her family.

Jenny serves as the Grants Administrator with AASB. She brings many years of experience as a former Grants Administrator with the State of Alaska. And as a parent of educators, she brings a unique blend of experience and passion to her work supporting schools and students. Throughout her career, Jenny has managed funds for a wide range of statewide programs and grants. Her hope is that her work helps schools become a place where every student feels included, heard, seen, valued, and able to attain a quality education for their future.

Outside of work, Jenny enjoys exploring Mother Nature and spending quality time with family and friends. When doing things with others, she is happiest around music or while cooking and baking!

Kami Moore serves as the School Climate and Connectedness Coordinator at AASB. Kami comes to AASB with experience as classroom teacher, community educator and most recently a member of the School Health and Safety team at the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. Kami is passionate about student health and wellbeing and has spent the last 13 years working with communities across Alaska. She has a B.S. in Education and received her Master’s of Public Health from UAA.

Karin joins AASB after serving 25 years in Alaska’s schools as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, Director of Title I, assistant principal and principal in schools both in rural remote and Anchorage. She brings a passion for working with students, families and school staff to support student learning and achievement. Karin earned a BA in education from UAA, Masters in Reading from UAS, Type B (Principal’s) Certification from UAA. When she isn’t supporting education, Karin enjoys being active in the outdoors with her two dogs.

Chookán yóo xat duwasáakw, Ch’áak’ naax xát sitee. Chookaneidí áyá xát, Kiks.ádi yádi xát sitee. Sheet’káx’ yéi xat yatee.

Chookán (Lakrisha) Brady was born and raised in Sitka, where she had the opportunity to learn from some amazing teachers, elders, and mentors. Chookán has dedicated her life to preserving cultural knowledge through teaching Indigenous youth. She has spent the past 10 years working in various positions at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska. Most recently, she served as the Sitka Native Education Program Co-Director. In her current and past positions, Chookán dedicates her time and energy to students and the caring adults around them so that we can work together to grow good humans. Chookán believes this necessitates instilling a sense of values among youth.

At the Association of Alaska School Boards, Chookán supports youth leadership, community conversations, and embedding cultural heritage and Alaska Native languages during school and out-of-school time activities.

In her personal time, Chookán can be found with students in Sitka schools, in dance groups, with family, at cultural events, beading, with her partner, or doting on her beloved dog, Luna.

Lauren Havens serves as the Deputy Director for our Conditions for Learning team. She has over 15 years of experience in youth development and education, including roles as an educator, evaluator, and grant program coordinator. She received her Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2018, where she focused on program evaluation, social-emotional learning, and school-based interventions. Prior to her current role, she was AASB’s Data and Evaluation Coordinator. She currently lives in Sitka with her husband and two young sons.

Lingít x’éináx X̱’unyéil áyá ax saayí. Dleit kaa x’éináx Lisa Worl yóo xat duwasáakw, Ch’áak’ naax xát sitee. Kaagwaantaan áyá xát. Kóok hít áyá xát. Filipino yádix xat sitee, du een toot uwa.át wé T’akdeintaan. T’akdeintaan dachxán áyá xát, Xunaa Káawu áwé uháan.

Lisa X̱‘unyéil Worl is the Partnership Coordinator. Lisa supports work around Family Engagement, Cultural Integration and trauma-informed Schools practices in schools and communities. She’s worked as Alaska State legislative staffer and spent 16 years in public education including four years serving on the Juneau School Board. On the board, Lisa initially focused on student retention and graduation but then recognized how equity policies and programs inherently impact all areas from student learning to graduation. Lisa attended school in Hoonah and Juneau and graduated from Juneau Douglas Yadaa.at Kalé High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. Her two adult children also attended and graduated from Juneau School District before attending and graduating college.

Prior to joining AASB, Maressa worked as Trauma-Engaged Schools Specialist for the Juneau School District. She holds a BA in Social Science from University of Alaska Southeast, with concentration areas in Sociology, Psychology and Anthropology; and a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston University. To her role as coordinator of Trauma Engaged Schools and Social Emotional Learning with AASB she brings enthusiasm for evidence-based approaches to improve wellbeing for students, staff, families and communities, and provides training on topics including ACES, resilience, trauma engaged approaches, restorative practices, and Circle of Security. When not at work, Maressa enjoys spending time with her family, reading, or being active outdoors; hiking, skiing, paddle boarding and trail running.

Matthew Potter joined the AASB team with a broad background in education and leadership developed through years of working in Alaska schools and communities. His experience spans teaching, counseling, special education, and administration, giving him a well-rounded perspective on supporting students, staff, and school systems. He has served in leadership roles at Mt. Edgecumbe High School and other settings across the state, where he is known for building strong relationships, supporting staff growth, and creating positive school cultures. When not at work, he can be found outside chasing his two sons around in the great outdoors.

Mindy is the Executive Administrative Assistant at AASB, serving the Board of Directors. She has two kids in Juneau Public Schools. After spending time off to raise her young kids, she’s excited to be a part of AASB. When not working, you’ll find her enjoying family and all that beautiful Southeast Alaska has to offer.

Molissa has worked in education for over 10 years, including as a naturalist, museum educator, and cross-cultural youth program manager. She is drawn to this work because she believes positive educational experiences can be transformational for students. Molissa brings her experience in nonprofit program management, youth development, culturally responsive teaching, community building, and facilitation to AASB. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Molissa lives in her hometown of Anchorage and can be found hiking and cross-country skiing its many trails.

Pete joined the AASB team in December 2024 while continuing his long-standing service on the Cordova School Board. He’s been a dedicated school board member for 20 years, starting in 2005, and has served as president for five of those years. His leadership extends beyond the local level—he spent 15 years on the AASB Board of Directors, including two terms as president. In 2019, he also served as president of the Pacific Region of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and served five years on the NSBA Board of Directors. At local, state, and national levels, Pete has gained extensive experience in educational governance, making him a valuable addition to AASB’s Board Development team.

Prior to joining AASB’s Board Development team, Pete spent 35 years as a commercial fisherman. You could find him long-lining the Bering Sea in the winter and long-lining the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian chain in the summers before transitioning to fishing for the famed “Copper River Reds” out of Cordova. Some may also remember “Pete’s Treats,” his chocolate truffle-making business that featured locally harvested berries!

Pete brings his passion for Alaska’s public K-12 education and expertise in governance and policy development to the AASB team. He focuses on strengthening student achievement through effective strategies and initiatives, ensuring schools across the state are set up for success.

Rebecca brings a background in higher education, elementary education, and community arts, focused on helping people feel supported through clear communication, strong systems, and welcoming environments. Most recently, she served as the Incoming Exchange Coordinator at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, supporting domestic and international students throughout their exchange experience in Alaska. Rebecca holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from UAF, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from UAS, and has taught across the Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Fairbanks school districts.

Stephanie joined AASB in the fall of 2019. As a grant coordinator, she works closely with the Conditions for Learning team, the AASB Business office and our grant partners. Stephanie moved to Alaska from Oregon where she previously worked with the Oregon Teacher Standards & Practices Commission (TSPC) as an educator license evaluator. While at TSPC, she enjoyed working with PK-12 Educators, Oregon School Districts, Oregon college and university educator preparation programs and partner organizations.

For over 30 years Steve Nelson has provided communications, public relations, and project management services to nonprofit organizations, private industry, broadcasters, advertising agencies, the Alaska Legislature, and five Alaska governors. He joined the Association of Alaska School Boards in 2004 and has assumed lead roles as AASB Public Information Coordinator and Project Coordinator.