EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Melissa Ingrid Gossman James
Melissa joined the Yakutat Community Wellness Center as a full-time employee in the fall of 2021.
She was born and raised in Escondido, CA. Attended San Pasqual Academy in Elementary & Jr. High and Escondido Academy in high school, both private schools in California. Was on the Honor Roll 4 years in a row in high school. Traveled with the Honors Choir as an Alto Alt. & Soprano.
Melissa was always big into sports. In high school she was on the Varsity Basketball team, Varsity Volleyball team, Varsity Softball team, Varsity Co-Ed Flag Football team, plus she made it on the Traveling Varsity Gymnastics Tumbling Team her freshman year and managed to stay on the team all 4 years.
Graduated from EAA with honors in 2001, received the National Service Award and received the Who’s Who Student award and became a member of the Who’s, Who Among American High School Students.
Moved to Utah in August of 2001 to attend Utah Valley University. Met her husband in November of 2001. Got married to Garrett James in 2003 in San Diego, CA. They then moved to Boston and she started her career in Interior Decorating & Event Planning. After a year in Boston they moved to North Carolina where she continued with her Interior Decorating/Event Planning Business, while also dipping into the school & child care world in 2005. They lived in North Carolina for 7 years, she opened up a 5 star daycare on their 1 year anniversary of living in North Carolina that flourished for many years until the minute she had to let it go because her mother got sick and they moved to care for her for 6 months. In 2011 she got pregnant with her first baby boy Emerson Alexander James and as soon as he was born she moved to Anchorage, AK to be with her husband who was finishing up his Masters Degree there. In 2014 they found out she was pregnant once again with their second baby boy Lincoln Sherman James.
In 2017 they moved to San Diego, CA once again to help care for her mother who was very sick, one last time. Then in 2019 her husband moved back home to Yakutat to work and she stayed back in California running her Interior Decorating/Event Planning business while also working for the state as a Behavioral Analyst/Care Giver for disabled children.
In August of 2021 she moved her boys and her self to Yakutat, AK to be together as a family unit of 4 once again. In November 2021 she was hired on as the Wellness Program Administrator and she hasn’t looked back since. SHE LOVES HER JOB! She is excited to be here in Yakutat and work for YCHC to learn, help & produce for this wonderful organization in any way that she can.
Her interests include: event planning, interior decorating, cooking, crafting, organizing, entertaining, singing, fashion & makeup, cross word puzzles, photography & camping.
Louis Go
Louis Go was born and raised in bustling and vibrant Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines. In the wonderful and delightful chaos of Manila, where he spent an insane amount of time sitting in traffic and avoiding getting pickpocketed, he embraced the urban environment by exploring markets, window shopping, and trying out new restaurants.
He graduated Cum Laude from the Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas in Manila, the oldest existing university in Asia, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Marketing Management.
After graduating college in 2017, he moved to Yakutat to open himself up to different perspectives. Shortly after, Louis found himself working for the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe as the administrative assistant, where he learned a lot about office management, and maintaining organization and efficiency.
In October of 2021, like a tiger on the prowl, Louis pounced on the chance to work in IT when an IT Support Specialist position opened up at the Yakutat Community Health Center, which was something he’s always wanted to go into. In this new role, Louis leverages his past experience in IT support and his knowledge in computer hardware and software that stemmed from tinkering with home PCs and other electronics growing up.
A creative problem-solver, Louis finds it exciting and rewarding to come up with new innovative ideas and help colleagues with technical challenges that arise in the workplace. He strives to combine technology and people know-how to create positive end-user experiences.
Louis loves being active, getting the blood pumping, and pushing himself to the limit. He believes that the human body is capable of so much more than we give it credit for. In his spare time, he enjoys weightlifting, circuit training, outdoor running, long walks on the beach while blasting music, and trying out new healthy recipes.
Looking back, Louis realized that even though moving to Alaska at 20 years old was difficult-- after living his whole life in his home country-- the culture shock that came with it had been of the very best kind; meeting people with a completely different perspective of life to finding new ways of doing the most mundane things. In the end, Louis is excited for all the new adventures, new memories, and new stories to tell.
Kyla Phillips
RN Case Manager.
Most recently worked in Sitka - RN Case Manager, Clinic Nurse, School Nurse at Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital.
Lived in Anchorage through Nursing School.
Lived in Pelican and, before nursing school, worked as a Community Health Practitioner.
Hobbies include:
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Boating
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Hiking
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Travel
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Learning new things
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Cooking
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Home DIY Projects
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Crafts
Other/Fun Facts:
Interest and degree in Rural Development - Community Health and Wellness.
Have lived remotely and time growing up living in a cabin (off grid).
Richard McCoy
Rick joined the Yakutat Community Health Center as a full-time employee in the summer of 2021.
He is available to see patients approximately eight months per year.
He and his family are long time residents of the State of Alaska. It was his boyhood dream to come to Alaska and make his home here.
After serving in the United States Army, Rick and his wife moved to Alaska and homesteaded in the Interior. Together they raised seven children and are enjoying being new grandparents and being part of their children’s lives.
Rick has been a commercial gillnetter in Southeast Alaska, and a hunting and fishing guide in the Northwest Arctic and on the Kenai Peninsula.
Rick earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a Master’s of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain College of Nursing.
He also earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. He is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
Rick has worked as a Critical Care and Emergency nurse, a Critical Care Flight Nurse Practitioner, and as a Family Nurse Practitioner throughout the State of Alaska including the Aleutian Islands, Kodiak Island, Southeast Alaska, and Interior Alaska.
His interests include family medicine, pediatrics, and emergency medicine. His practice focus is on health promotion and disease prevention.
Rick and his family reside in the city of Craig on Prince of Wales Island. They enjoy the Alaska outdoors.
Their family motto is “Faith, Family, and Friends”
Garret James
Born and raised in Yakutat, AK.
Attended school here and played all the sports that were offered at the time.
Graduated from YHS in 1997. Then moved to Utah to attend Utah Valley University.
Met his lovely wife Melissa James in 2001, got married in 2003 in San Diego, CA.
Graduated from UVU in 2006 with a bachelors in Business Management. Then moved to Boston to start my career in plastics manufacturing in Business Development.
After 1 year in Boston, was transferred to North Carolina where they lived for about 6 years, then moved to Anchorage Alaska in 2012 to pursue his master’s in Public Health Administration from UAA.
Moved to San Diego, CA to help care for a sick family member. In 2019 had the opportunity to move back home to Yakutat to work at YTT as the Grant’s Compliance Officer.
Recently transferred over to YCHC to work as the HR Administrator.
"I am excited to be here at the clinic to learn and help the organization in any way that I can. "- Garret James.