ST GEORGE ACADEMY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Board Member, Audit and Finance Committee Chair
Al is an Executive Consultant and sole owner of The Canea Group and isa well-known technology veteran with many years of experience in the fields of information technology (IT), development engineering, marketing and business management. Al is an active Advisory Board memberand mentorfor several early stage technology based businesses. As the CIO for VMware, Al led the IT organization during their periodof hyper-growth. Al held CIO positions forHotwire, Portal Software, VeriFone andAdobe Systems. Prior to his CIO positions, Al was a VP of Engineering at Adobe Systems, a Test Engineering manager at Apple Computer, a Business Unit Director& VP of Engineering forSchlumberger Technologies, a Director of Software at MSI Data and held various technology and marketing positions with the Xerox Corporation, RCA Communications and theNCR Computer Division.
Amanda Gerry has been teaching in the field of Mathematics for 13 years. She loves working with
students and developing a curriculum to meet their needs. She received her Bachelor's of Dance/Mathematics Education from Southern Utah University in 2006 and her Masters of Mathematics Education from Western Governors in 2017.
Ms.Flores has wanted to teach since she was a high school student herself. She is originally from Chicago and came to Utah by way of Seattle. Ms. Flore s has two children and two cats. Her favorite subject in school is mathematics and has also enjoyed taking all the ASL classes that Dixie State University had to offer. She enjoys finding ways that each student learns best, to make sure they understand and are enjoying what they are learning!
Ms. Olsen has always been passionate about reading and writing. She maintained that passion in college where she maj ored in literature studies. She has attended literature and popular culture conferences as an undergraduate and that made her love each topic even more. She loves sharing her passion for literature with her students at St. George Academy. Ms. Olsen has a legendary addiction to coffee and is the proud mother of the world's poutiest (and grumpiest) cat. Her hobbies include performing improv comedy and playing the trombone.
Carol was born and raised in Utah and began living in Saint George in 1983. She has a Master's of Social Work from the University of Nevada Reno. She is a licensed clinical social work therapist at S & S Counseling. Prior to getting her Master's Degree, she worked as a paralegal for 18 years and has extensive legal and bookkeeping experience. Carol is a passionate advocate for special education programs and first started working with the SPED program as a volunteer in high school. She has two beautiful children, the youngest of which graduated from SGA in 2021.
Carrie is a physician and has been practicing locally since 2014, including as the medical director of heart failure management for St. George Regional Hospital. She earned her Bachelor's of Science Degree in psychology at the University of California, Davis and her Doctorate of Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed her internal medicine training in Philadelphia, her cardiology fellowship at Marshall University in West Virginia and her advanced heart Failure and transplant fellowship at the University of Utah.
She started the Southwest Cardiology heart failure multidisciplinary clinic in 2014 and has grown the clinic to serve patients of Washington County as well as those of regions as far east as Page, AZ and as far west as Las Vegas. Her building of the heart failure clinic has required both her clinical knowledge, and her health care administration and finance knowledge. She created and continues to serve on the hospital's Heart Failure Guidance Council. Carrie provides education to fellow physicians as well as local nurse practitioners, nurses, home health providers and skilled nursing facility staff. She provides community education formally through community lectures. Carrie has always had a passion for education, believing education is the foundation of a successful society. She has 2 children, both of whom are attending charter schools in St. George, including St. George Academy.
Christy Hall has been in the field of education for over two decades and was part of the founding movement of charter schools in the State of Utah. She received her Masters of Education from Southern Utah University in curriculum development in 2003. Though she has moved into administration, she teaches both mathematics and literature on the side. In 2007 she was named Teacher of the Year at Tuacahn High School and in 2011 she received the Charter School Teacher of the Year award for the State of Utah.
Cutler Cowdin earned his undergraduate degree from Utah Tech University. There he graduated
Magna Cum Laude with his degree in Biology and an emphasis in Biomedical Sciences. Mr. Cutler
also graduated with a minor in Chemistry and Spanish. Mr. Cutler enjoys teaching and currently
Daniel Cartmill is new to the field of education but has several educators in his family history. He graduated high school with an associate degree by going through concurrent enrollment classes. He enjoys cooperative problem solving with applied statistics, both in person and online, which is how he wants to say D&D and other games. Daniel thinks math isn't as bad as some people may think it is and hopes to show students that when working with them.
Job Titles:
- Board Member, PR Chair & PTO
Dee has worked on other charter school boards and has two children currently attending St George Academy. She is a USAF Veteran and was active duty during the first Gulf War.
Dee is a local businesswoman and received her degree at Dixie State University (now called Utah Tech University). She and her husband have lived in Southern Utah since 1995. She loves mountain biking, yoga, photography, painting, traveling, and attending concerts.
Ms Munguia started at SGA as a para in 2023 and is a wonderful para-educator. She has lived in
many places throughout the world and enjoys all she learns in those places. She has started
Jason Gough grew up in a large family with 8 kids in St. George, Utah. He attended Snow Canyon High School, Dixie State, and Southern Utah University where he studied History Education and was top of his class. He has been teaching for 6 years. He married his wife, Kylie, in 2010 and has 2 wonderful children, McKay 7, and Samantha 3. His hobbies include all sports, camping, hiking, and anything outdoors. He also enjoys movies, which he quotes often, and listens to a variety of music. History is his passio n and he hopes to share his love of learning with his students.
Jeff Harrah grew up in Gilbert, Arizona and graduated from Northern Arizona University in December of 1992. He met his wife, Susan, at NAU and they both married in 1993. Jeff went on to earn a M.Ed. in secondary education with an emphasis in mathematics in 1995. Jeff and his family, Susan, Hannah, Zak,and Payden moved to Oakley, Idaho where he was the volleyball assistant coach, football assistant coach, head boys basketball coach, golf coach, Athletic Director and the only High School math teacher. He earned an Educational Leadership endorsement in 2000 and became the vice principal at Burley High School in 2001. He later became the principal at Burley High School from 2003-2006. Along with his wife and three children, they moved to St. George in 2007 to be closer to family. He taught at Dixie Middle School teaching math and coaching and in 2013 accepted a vice principal position at Snow Canyon Middle School. He has been teaching the state endorsement classes to elementary teachers for UVU since 2010. He is also an adjunct instructor at Utah Tech teaching education majors mathematics.
He loves to spend his free time with his wife, golfing, and visiting his three grown children and new granddaughter, Emery.
Mrs. Racker graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Education. She spent many years working as a legal assistant in a law office and even more years being a stay-at-home mom. Combining her two loves, her children, and working in an office, Mrs. Racker's dream job has always been to be an Administrative Assistant at one of her children's schools. When she isn't working, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, read, and make crafts.
Ms. Reid works as the Software Development teacher for grades 8-12. She teaches students C#, Java, Python, HTML, CSS, & JS as well as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere.
Before coming to SGA, Ms. Reid worked for over 10 years in Online Marketing and Web Design and Development. She is Google Certified in AdWords and Analytics, apprenticed for two years with graphic artist Ric Estrada, and is certified in Digital Animation. She's also had the privilege to work with a diverse range of businesses in Southern Utah on their marketing and website needs.
Prior to SGA, Ms. Cartmill was involved in education for over 20 years. She is one of the founding faculty members of St. George Academy, te aches a variety of social science courses, and serves as the 2021-22 Assessment Director and Concurrent Enrollment liaison. Ms. Cartmill takes students on an 8 day civic education trip with CloseUp DC/NYC. The next trip will be June 2022. In 2020, Ms. Cartmill was awarded the 2019-20 Utah Smart/Maher National VFW Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year Award at the Middle Sch ool Level.
Jodi Jensen earned her undergraduate degree at Dixie State University in Psychology and continued her graduate studies at Cleveland State University where she received her master degree in Counselor Education. While living in Cleveland Ms. Jensen taught strengths-based parenting classes and worked in school administration. She is a licensed school counselor and a QPR Suicide Prevention Certified Gatekeeper Instructor. As a first-generation college student, Ms. Jensen understands the importance of educating the whole student. She believes that schools, families, and communities play a vital and integral role in each student's life.
Mr. Saraiva was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His degrees in Engineering (Electronics and Mechanical Manufacturing), and Marketing Administration, were obtained in Brazil. Mr. Saraiv a also has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from BYU. After working for 40 years as Engineer, Business Manager, and Business Development Director for companies in Brazil and US, Mr. Saraiva decided to start teaching and help students to find thei r future careers. Mr. Saraiva started as a full-time teacher at the Academy from day one. Teaching Physics, Astronomy, and CTE classes like Electronics, Engineering, and Robotics at the Academy has been a delight for him. Mr. Saraiva has been a longtime ed ucator, beginning at Tech High School in Brazil, teaching Mathematics, Physics, and Accounting. He also had the opportunity to teach graduate courses in the Latin America Business classes at BYU during his MBA program. Since moving to Southern Utah he has been a mathematics and science teacher at the middle and high school level. When not in the classroom, he enjoys photography, astronomy, and running. Mr. Saraiva is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English
Kristen Blaha is from southeastern Wisconsin where she was born, raised and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After working at Google in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois, she earned her Master of Elementary Education and taught 6th, 7th, & 8th grade French and Spanish. After 29 years of cold and icy winters, she left the Midwest for the warmer weather, sunshine, and outdoor lifestyle. She has since taught 3rd grade, 5th grade and 6th grade language arts in St. George and is thrilled to join St. George Academy as the Title 1 Coordinator.
Kyle Fredrick earned his undergraduate degree in the small college town of Cedar City, Utah. There he learned to appreciate the many national parks and outdoor adventures that surrounded him. While earning his degree in Mathematics Education, Mr. Fredrick tutored many of his peers and students in the community. He believes that all students can learn and reach their full potential, embodying the motto from his Alma Mater; "Learning Lives Forever."
Job Titles:
- Special Education Director
Mrs. Loosle has been teaching and working with students who qualify for special education services since early in her life. She began volunteering in classrooms in elementary school and has continued working and learning from these students. Mrs. Loosle earned her ba chelor's degree from Utah State University and her Master's of Education from the University of Utah in Special Education. Mrs. Loosle is excited to continue working in the special education department with students and parents at SGA.
Lorene Briscoe started volunteering at a school 12 years ago. She liked it so much she wanted to start a career working in schools and has been working with students as a Paraprofessional for the past 10 years throughout Washington County, Utah. She has a Behavior Specialist Certificate, and works well with students who are frustrated or having a rough day. She encourages and assists students to achieve their academic goals. Her favorite subject is Math. In her spare time she likes to go camping, hiking, and enjoy the outdoors with her husband and her 4 children
Mrs. Yunker is a St. George native who is passionate about helping all students become the best versions of themselves through discovering their potential and developing their unique self. As a lifelong learner, She finds that the world is the best classroom. Through her travels with her husband and 12 year old daughter, she takes every opportunity to not just learn of the history of the countries she visits but the social and cultural aspects that make that country and its people distinct. Mrs. Yunker is a pop culture nerd and loves everything from Lord of the Rings to Disney. She is an avid coffee drinker and in her downtime loves to create and sew cosplays with her sisters.
Mitchell (Mitch) Blake grew up in St. George where his family was involved in the concrete
construction business. He attended West Elementary, Dixie Jr. High School, and Dixie High
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Department at Utah Tech University
Nancy Ross is an associate professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Department at Utah Tech University, where she has been teaching for 16 years. Her Ph D is in art history, but her current research focuses on the history and sociology of religion.
Mrs. Condie graduated from Utah Tech University with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education. She loves working with students and helping them get excited about the natural world around them. Outside of school, Mrs. Condie enjoys baking cakes and cupcakes for her small business, as well as exploring Southern Utah with her husband.
Robert Curl has been teaching visual arts in both the secondary and collegiate levels for the past
7+ plus years. Curl holds a great level of passion and respect in regard to the ever changing and
challenging field of fine art. Curl believes that comprehensive and quality arts education is key to
both the demystification of art, particularly contemporary art. And he is dedicated to the opening
Job Titles:
- Special Education Teacher
Ms. Bytheway has been involved in professional education, primarily special education, since
Job Titles:
- President of the Board
- President of the Integration Consortium
Mr. Laroia has focused 20+ years of his career either working in, advising or selling to the Global 2000. As a curious problem solver, he focuses on creating/implementing transformative strategies and business architectures that deliver quantifiable results.
As an active, hands-on technology leader, Laroia has served as President of the Integration Consortium and co-chair of many industry advisory boards and panels. He chaired four acclaimed panels with industry leadership such as the CTO of the GSA (General Services Administration) as well as the former CIO of the Obama White House, and the CIO of Bombardier discussing the impacts of Digital Transformation and Machine Learning on the IT community. He performs pro-bono public service focused on ideating creative solutions to complex National Security and US Intelligence Community problems. Mr. Laroia is "Fully Cleared," "Green Picture Badged," TS/SCI (Poly) with access to 4 core compartments at two flagship US Intelligence Community Agencies.
Mr. Laroia holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Technology from the University of Houston and a Master of Science Degree in Economic Development & Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston Victoria.
Shauri is a St. George native and loves everything about the area except for the heat! She has worked in education since 2018 and has experience as a Paraprofessional, Wellness Center Coordinator, Functioning Skills Specialist, and a Case Manager for homeless youth. She taught for two years as a Special Education Teacher, but when she started her Master's Degree in Special Education, she decided to go part time and take on working with high school students. She originally got her Bachelor's Degree in Outdoor Recreation, but realized that teaching was her calling as her kids grew older. She enjoys hiking, camping, riding horses, kayaking, and hanging out with her goofy family.
Though sedentary in his youth (much like the beloved bivalve mollusks), Mr. Anderson is now ready to detach and explore the natural world through science! He is from the cultural hub of the southwest: LaVerkin, Utah. Taught by both the whistle of the wind and the vaulted halls of learning (degrees in psychology and biology) he is experienced and ready for anything, with the exception of super volcanoes and giant meteors. He will engage in conversations about science, soccer, Avatar the Last Airbender, and mu sic. With a passion for the history and process of science, he understands we have come a long way as a species and still have much to learn and overcome.