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Serve Alaska Commission Members

Current Commissioners

Brad Billings

Brad Billings img Brad Billings is currently working as the Administrator for Career and Technical Education at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. He has also worked with rural schools, school improvement, and federally funded programing such as Title I while at the department. He is still a classroom teacher at heart and is most proud of his work teaching math and science to high school students in the Nome and Juneau regions. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology/Science Education from Brigham Young University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School.

Lacey Byrd

Lacy Byrd img Lacey Byrd was born and raised in Arizona and moved up to Alaska in 2007 to teach in the Bering Straight School District. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a BS in Criminal Justice. She then completed her MA in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on STEM at the University of Cincinnati. Lacey is currently finishing her Ed.D in Educational Leadership and Technology. Since 2010 she has been a teacher in the MSBSD and is currently at Wasilla Middle School. Lacey teaches Earth Science to 6th graders and Physical Science to 8th graders. Lacey is a AmeriCorps NCCC alumnus. In her free time, she enjoys axe throwing and judging robotics competitions.

Yatibaey Evans

Yatibaey Evans img Yatibaey Evans is from Mentasta, Alaska and is part of the Ahtna culture, stewards of the Copper River region. Yatibaey has four incredible sons ranging from ages 21-9. She has a BA from University of WA and a MAT from Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Evans is the Creative Producer for the GBH award winning series on PBS, Molly of Denali. From 2011-2021, the Alaska Native Education (ANE) program was led by Yatibaey. Alaska Children's Trust is awarded Ms. Evans, the Champion For Kid's award. Additionally, she was awarded the Friend of Education, award from the Fairbanks Education Association. She is past President of the United Way of the Tanana Valley, past chair of the ANE Parent Advisory Committee. In 2017, Yatibaey was recognized as one of Alaska's Top 40 Under 40. Yatibaey has also served on the University of Alaska's Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Native Education, Governor Walker's, "Alaska's Education Challenge'', Chaired the Human Resources committee for the National Congress of American Indians, and was the first Alaska Native president of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA). Hobbies include: painting, gardening, reading, snowboarding, biking, blueberry picking, and doing puzzles.

Chris Eversman

Chris Eversman img Chris Eversman was born and raised in Salcha, AK, and currently resides in Palmer, AK with his spouse. He works with the Student Conservation Association as the Partnership Director for Alaska and the Pacific Islands, and is a head cross country running coach at Palmer High School. Chris is a lifelong Alaskan who enjoys hunting, fishing, running, and hiking. His initial forays into volunteerism were with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Fairbanks Community Food Bank in Fairbanks, AK. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Alaska Fairbanks—where he also competed on the university’s cross country team—and an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education from Alaska Pacific University.


Jeremy Hawk

Jeremy Hawk image Serve Alaska Commissioner Jeremy Hawk is a dedicated public servant with a passion for community engagement and sustainable living. His commitment to service is reflected in his love for dogs, animals, and the great outdoors. Commissioner Hawk actively pursues a self-sustainable lifestyle, embodying the principles of simplicity and environmental responsibility. His genuine enthusiasm for fostering positive change aligns seamlessly with the mission and values of Serve Alaska, making him an invaluable member of our team.

Ellen Hughes

Ellen Hughs img Ellen Hughes is from Decatur, GA and studied biology at Ohio Wesleyan University. In January of 2018, she shocked her system by moving to the winter wonderland of Fairbanks to serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer. A few years and many amazing memories later, Ellen moved to Anchorage where she currently works as a paralegal, and eats lots of salmon.




Sharon Jackson

Sharon Jackson img Sharon Jackson was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and proudly served in the United States Army which brought her to Alaska in 1983. Upon completing her active-duty tour with the Army December 1989, she enrolled in Charter College where she became a Certified Electronic Technician.

For the next 13 years she worked in this field until she was invited to join the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) a State and Federal small business lobby. She then dedicated the next 13 years working for the NFIB and National Write Your Congressman organizations where she served her congressional district managing office operations and provided education on legislation that would affect the longevity of family businesses.

Sharon’s passion is to empower the people of Alaska to use their influence in government to preserve their freedoms. In 2015 Sharon became a Constituent Liaison for Senator Dan Sullivan specializing in Military/Veterans Affairs and has found her role in assisting constituents to successfully resolving their problems to be extremely rewarding.

Seeing the major concerns on the state level Sharon felt compelled once again to serve her community at the state level and ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2018. Spending 3 months on the campaign trail with candidates Alaska really got to know and see her true love and passion for the people and her state. December 2018 her district submitted her name along with two others after a vigilant interview process and was appointed by Governor Mike Dunleavy to serve in the Alaska State House of Representative for District 13 which included Chugiak, Eagle River, and Joint Base Elmendorf/Richardson (JBER). Sharon served with loyalty and worked with both sides of the isle on policy that best represent the people of Alaska.

Sharon Jackson is currently President/CEO of Alaska Rising LLC.

Jamie Lytton

Jamie Lytton img Jamie Lytton is a full-time Physician Assistant in Anchorage. She served as an officer in the United States Air Force, completing her service requirement in 2018 as a Captain. Jamie enjoys being active in her community. She lectures at the MEDEX Northwest PA program and is a board director of the Alaska Academy of Physician Assistants (AKAPA). Jamie is an active volunteer for the American Cancer Society and has served on several of its various committees to plan local events, races, and fundraising campaigns. She chaired the Associate Board of Ambassadors young professionals group this past year. Jamie has a heart for serving Alaskans. Joining the Serve Alaska Board and Commission has been a wonderful way for her to support AmeriCorps programs in rural regions of Alaska and improve the lives of Alaskans.

Taylor McCann

Taylor McCann img Bio Coming Soon.









Raga Nadella

Raga Nadella img Raga Nadella is a Senior Portfolio Manager with the AmeriCorps West Regional Office serving Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. She has worked at AmeriCorps since 2016 and previously served as Program Officer and Acting State Program Director of the AmeriCorps Hawaii State Office. Prior to her time with AmeriCorps, Raga served 3 terms as a national service member: first as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Baylor University Interdisciplinary Poverty Initiative in Waco Texas, second as an AmeriCorps State and National member with Washington Service Corps and the Global to Local Initiative in SeaTac, Washington, and third, as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader with Hawaiian Community Assets in Honolulu, Hawaii. Raga is honored to serve as Ex Officio for the Serve Alaska State Service Commission.

Genevieve Schmidt

Genevieve Schmidt img Genevieve is a Midwest transplant, growing up and going to college in Detroit, MI, moving to Juneau in 2019. She attended Oakland University, graduating in 2018 with a B.S. in biology and a B.A. in philosophy. Unsure of her next steps, she joined a local food bank in their cooking and nutrition program, where she was an Americorps service member from October 2018-September 2019. Genevieve then made the leap to move to Juneau as an Americorps service member at SERRC, where she was offered a full-time position after her service term. Taking the skills she developed as a service member, she was able to become a grant administrator. She is currently at SEARHC, working as the Health Center Grants Program Director, while using her education award from her service terms for her master's degree in public health through UAA. In her free time, she enjoys all the natural beauty (hiking, kayaking, and skiing) Juneau has to offer with her partner and dog.

Commission Members

are you ready to make a meaningful difference in alaska? join serve alaska's commission members, individuals appointed by the governor to serve three-year terms. if you're passionate about serving your community and contributing to positive change, apply to become a commissioner at the boards & commissions page here.

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revised 12/13/2023

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