VIRGINIA VIRTUAL ACADEMY - Key Persons
Ashley joined the VAVA team in January 2021. She began at VAVA as a 4th grade teacher and is extremely excited to be serving as assistant principal. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Ferrum College and began teaching 5th grade directly upon graduation. During Ashley's time teaching 4th and 5th grade in her local brick and mortar school district, she earned a Master's of Science degree in Educational Leadership from Radford University. She resides in southwest Virginia with her husband, daughter, and their family dog. Ashley has a passion for relationship building amongst teachers, students, and families and is excited to be a part of the VAVA family.
Job Titles:
- High School Assistant Principal
Mr. Kitts joined the Virginia Virtual team in August 2020 to assist with academic assessment and state testing. Mr. Kitts earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Virginia Tech. He completed his graduate work at Radford University, earning a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Mr. Kitts has fifteen years of administrative experience serving as an elementary teacher, elementary principal. high school assistant principal, and high school principal. Mr. Kitts serves the high school team assisting with special projects, teacher licensure, assessment, and compliance. He also serves as the liaison for our Region VII Virtual Academy in Southwest Virginia.
As a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, Brittany earned a Master of Science Degree in Elementary Education. Brittany holds Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia teaching licenses and is certified to teach kindergarten through sixth grade. This is her eleventh year as a virtual teacher with K12, and her virtual experience has been in RTI, kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. Prior to joining the VAVA team, she taught at Tennessee Virtual Academy and Florida Cyber Charter Academy. In addition to her virtual experience, Brittany worked as a reading and math specialist for grades kindergarten through fourth grade in the traditional setting. Brittany is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is her favorite NFL team! She loves to run, sing at church, and spend time with her wonderful family. Brittany is married to her husband with two children and two dogs.
Caitlin joined VAVA as the K-5 Assistant Principal in 2019 and served as the 3-5 Assistant Principal the following year. Caitlin earned her Bachelor's degree from Radford University and began teaching 3rd grade upon graduation. She continued to teach while completing her master's program with Liberty University. After receiving her Master's degree in Administration and Supervision, Caitlin worked as the assistant principal for the same PreK-7 school in which she taught. Caitlin lives in southwest Virginia with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. She has a passion for instructional leadership and enjoys working with teachers, students, and families to help all students be successful.
Job Titles:
- Special Programs Administrator
Christine joined the VAVA team in August 2014. Before joining VAVA, Christine spent many years as a Fairfax County Public School teacher. She mainly taught English and reading, but also gained experience in science and all elementary content. Christine earned a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and holds a master's degree in special education from George Mason University. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, children, and dogs. In her time away from work, Christine enjoys traveling, completing home projects, and gardening. Christine looks forward to assisting families with any special needs and is happy to answer questions about special programs.
Job Titles:
- Academic Data and Assessment Administrator
Deanna Swortzel joined the VAVA team in July 2014 as a K-1 teacher and is excited to oversee the data and assessment team this school year after serving as the elementary principal for several years. She comes with a variety of background experience including teaching 1st and 4th grades, community organizing and working as a gifted specialist teaching students in kindergarten through 12th grade. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Radford University. She also holds a gifted endorsement and has a passion for working with high-ability students. Deanna lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband Brian and four sons. She enjoys being outside and watching her boys play sports.
Kenny joined VAVA's team in August 2017 as the academic administrator for our high school. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. He completed his graduate work at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, earning both a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in educational leadership. Kenny has 15 years of administrative experience encompassing all programmatic levels of K-12 education. Those experiences involve service in Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, including work at the West Virginia Department of Education. He was a high school social studies teacher prior to entering administration. Kenny is married to Sara Moles, a kindergarten teacher for VAVA. Together they have three children, Madilyn, Kent, and Josiah. Their weekends are spent enjoying the events their kids are passionate about and spending quality time together as a family.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Assistant Principal
Elizabeth Clark began working with the Virginia Virtual Academy as a math teacher in 2010. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where she majored in mathematics. She also holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Since beginning her math teaching career Elizabeth has enjoyed working with students in grades four through twelve. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida with her husband and their three boys McLean, Grey and Blair. In her free time Elizabeth spends as much time outdoors as she can. She loves to hike, kayak, paddle-board, bike and spend time at the beach with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Middle School Team
- Middle School Lead Teacher
Jamie joined the VAVA team in October 2017 teaching Algebra I and Geometry to our Middle School students. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, returning to Mary Washington to earn her Secondary teacher licensure. Jamie finds a student's "aha moment" to be the reason she was drawn to and stays in teaching. Her passion lies in connecting a student's real world to the content their studying. Additionally, Jamie seeks to incorporate problem-based learning and data driven solutions in her teaching. Jamie, along with her husband and two daughters, lives in Loudoun County. They enjoy reading, dance parties in the kitchen, and any type of sing along.
Jennifer joined the VAVA team in August 2011 as a K-4 teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Science in interdisciplinary studies and a Master of Science in reading from Radford University. Jennifer is also a national board certified teacher in early childhood education (preK-3). She has 13 years of teaching experience in a variety of elementary grade levels and has taught as an adjunct professor in the education department at Radford University. She lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband and two children. She thoroughly enjoys working with VAVA students and families to help them along their education journey.
Job Titles:
- High School Assistant Academic Administrator
Jessica Carter joined the Virginia Virtual team in 2018 as a special education teacher, and currently serves the students and staff at VAVA as an assistant administrator at the high school. She has served students in K-12 over her 20 years in education in special education and as an instructional technology resources teacher. Jessica earned a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, K-12 from Radford University. Her graduate work consists of a Master of Arts for instructional technology from George Mason University and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Radford University. Jessica lives in Fredericksburg, VA with her husband and 4 children, two of which are students at VAVA. Her children are busy with many sports and theater and she enjoys spending her time supporting them do what they love. Jessica's family enjoys supporting the community by fostering dogs that have been rescued and looking for their "furever" home. They have been known to have up to 9 dogs at one time, along with their 4 cats. Supporting the school community at Virginia Virtual Academy brings a lot of joy to Jessica and she loves being part of the VAVA family!
Job Titles:
- 12th Grade School Counselor and Lead Counselor
- High School Lead Counselor
Katina Bookard serves as the 12th grade school counselor and Lead Counselor for VAVA. Katina is originally from South Carolina and resides in Northern Virginia. She has served as a Stride K-12 School counselor for 6 years and has over 18 years as a public school counselor in the brick and mortar setting. She received her bachelors and masters degree from South Carolina State University and taught English Language Arts for 6 years. Katina has a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Liberty University and is a National Board Certified School Counselor (NBPTS). Katina has been married for 20 years to her husband and has 3 beautiful children.
Laura joined VAVA in 2016 as a 7th grade ELA teacher. In 2018, Laura returned to the high school grades where she spent the majority of her years in brick-and-mortar school. She also served as VAVA's first-ever 11th grade English teacher. Laura graduated from Roanoke College with a BA in English and later obtained a Master of Science in curriculum and instruction. She resides in her hometown of Floyd, Virginia, with her husband and three children. Laura enjoys all things sports-related, cooking, and spoiling her pets, Leo the cat and Emmett the cockapoo.
Lindsey has been teaching for ten years. For her, there is no higher privilege than to educate the next generation. She aims to be a teacher that inspires students to dream big dreams and reach their goals. Lindsey graduated from Liberty University with her bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and is currently working towards a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision at Old Dominion University. She has a passion for all students to receive access to the academic platform that best fits their schooling needs. Having experience teaching second through fifth grade, Lindsey has a broad knowledge in content for elementary-aged students and the sequential skill growth throughout the grade levels. Lindsey is married to Ryan and has a sweet daughter names Lily. In her spare time, she loves to create music and relax at the beach.
Job Titles:
- Middle School Assistant Principal
Maddie Lamb has been with VAVA since 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech in 2003, where she majored in Accounting and Information Systems. She then continued on to earn a Master's Degree in Special Education from Old Dominion University. She recently earned a second master's degree majoring in Educational Leadership from Radford University.In 2004 she began her teaching career focusing on helping students with disabilities succeed. She started her time with VAVA working in Special Education at the middle school and then transitioned to 504-RTI Coordinator. She strives to ensure every student receives the supports and accommodations they need in order to have equal access to the education they deserve. Maddie resides in Madison County, VA with her husband and three children on a dairy farm. In her spare time, she can be found outside playing with her children, pigs and dogs. She is so excited to continue with the VAVA family and to create positive relationships with her students and learning coaches.
Megan joined the VAVA team in 2017. She began her career at VAVA as a Kindergarten teacher and currently serves at the K-1 Lead Teacher. She earned her bachelor's degree from Radford University and began teaching Kindergarten in her local brick and mortar upon graduating. She resides in southwest Virginia with her husband and daughter. Megan has a passion for creating learning environments that are engaging for all learners. This quote says it best! "Love what you teach, and they will too.!" She has a love for supporting students, learning coaches, and teachers with the goal of helping all families be successful at VAVA.
Penni joined the VAVA team in September 2009-its inaugural year! She earned a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education from the University of Virginia and a Master of Education in educational technology from City University. Over the course of her teaching career, Penni had the opportunity to teach in several states and in the Department of Defense Schools in Germany. Penni comes to VAVA with more than 18 years of classroom experience and four years as a member of K12's assessment and research team. Currently, Penni serves as the lead K-5 counselor. She is pleased to be part of the VAVA family and looks forward to helping each child have a successful and enjoyable learning experience.
Suhad Garcia-Batiz joined the VAVA team in 2019. She earned her Undergraduate Degree in Psychology at George Mason University in 2004. She continued her education at GMU to earn a Master's Degree in Special Education in 2007. In 2012, she earned a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Her teaching career began in Prince William County in 2004 where she taught students with Specific Learning Disabilities, Emotional Disabilities and Middle School Math until 2016. At that time, she joined K12 as an Instructional Coach where she worked closely with K12 educators across the country to improve their teaching practices. Suhad joined the VAVA family in 2019 and is currently the Middle School Principal. She has a passion for supporting the growth and learning of not only her students, but her staff. She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, spending time with her family and finding fun outdoor adventures. She looks forward to continuing to work with all of our students, families and staff at VAVA.
Suzanne has worked for K12 since 2001 in product development, evaluation and research, academic services, enrollment/placement and school management. Suzanne opened VAVA in its inaugural year, 2009. She was an award-winning Virginia public school teacher and has been involved in education in the state for more than 25 years. Suzanne has met with governors, members of the state board of education, legislators, and other leaders along with her students and families to encourage expanding online learning opportunities for all children who wish to have school choice. Suzanne is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and holds a master's degree in education from the University of Virginia. Suzanne was elected to the Fauquier County School Board in 2016. She is married to the head of school for Friendship Public Charter School Online in Washington, D.C. She has two sons in Fauquier County high school and a German shepherd named Blue.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Middle School Team
- Middle School Lead Counselor
Theresa joined the VAVA team in 2019. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University at Albany in 2003 and continued her education at Oswego State University where she earned her master's degree in Psychological Services and School Counseling in 2006. Theresa is originally from Syracuse, NY where she was a High School Counselor and Varsity Lacrosse Coach for 10 years. She moved to VA in 2013 for her husband's career and spent 4 years home with her daughters and became a registered yoga teacher during that time. The highlight of her yoga career thus far, was being chosen to teach at Fredericksburg's Yoga in the Park event to support Mental Health Awareness in 2019. Theresa believes that mindfulness has the power to transform lives and she brings this passion and knowledge into her work with VAVA students. In her free time, she loves to run, spend time with her husband and three daughters, cook nutritious food, and coach youth lacrosse.
Vanessa Mullins joined the VAVA team in August 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia Tech in 2006. After working in the corporate child care field, she attended graduate school at The College of William and Mary, earning a Master of Arts in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction. She taught for six years in a brick and mortar school in Virginia before joining VAVA. Vanessa resides in Southwest Virginia with her husband and three children. Vanessa is passionate about education and meeting the needs of all students.