Please welcome Sean Patrick Rice, who started as the new Employment and Training Coordinator on March 24, 2025. Sean was born in Kotzebue, Alaska. His mother is Isabel M. Field, who later became Isabel M. Rice after marrying Sean’s stepdad, Jerry Rice. Sean’s Inupiaq name is Ipiiliq, and his aanaa (grandmother) is Iren Schene, while his taata (grandfather) is James M. Schene.
Before joining the team, Sean worked as a laborer with the Laborers Local 942. He also owned a janitorial business called New Life Hard Surface Cleaning and Restoration, which cleaned Fred Meyer stores in Fairbanks and took care of homes for the Fairbanks Resource Agency. In addition, Sean owned S&T, LLC, a construction company that paved driveways, fixed sewers and drainage pipes, and worked on landscaping. He worked with companies like Exclusive Paving, NANA Management, and realtors in Fairbanks area.
Sean is also involved in helping his community. He volunteers with nonprofits, which include the NAACP, Juneteenth, the Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee, Festival Fairbanks, and the Midnight Sun Intertribal Powwow.
Sean is excited to join the Workforce Development Team in Employment and Training. He works on the 5th floor of the Chief Peter John Tribal Building in the Family Services & Support Division, west wing. You can contact him by email at sean.rice@tananachiefs.org or by phone at extension 5907.