Contact Us

I am an advocate for 21st Century Education! The students of this generation are natives of the digital age and old guys like me are immigrants! As immigrants, we have to work harder to understand and keep up with the technology and we need to listen to the kids to find what really works for them. I am a big believer in collaboration and sharing of information. I think the greatest progress in the 21st Century will be made by companies and individuals who embrace the concept of WIKINOMICS (mass collaboration). By sharing discoveries and developments in technology, we can accelerate the advancement of knowledge and greatly enhance the quality of life for everyone. One of the golden caveats of this process is the leveling or flattening of the economic world. 21st Century thinking and collaboration has the side effect of empowering individuals to become direct contributors to the knowledge base without the need for huge initial investment. This makes it possible for regular people to participate in the arena of international economics. Tapping the energy and creativity of large numbers of talented, motivated individuals worldwide, presents the greatest potential for innovation the world has ever seen and I am glad to be a part of that movement!

It is my job to handle the business and operational finance section of Christa McAuliffe Academy.I received my B.A. in Business Administration and MBA from Washington State University with emphasis in accounting and computer science. Upon moving to Yakima, Washington in 1976, I worked for a public accounting firm and received my CPA. In 1979 I left public accounting and went to work as a CFO in the fruit industry. I have had the good fortune over the years to be involved in numerous community service projects through a variety of organizations. My goal for the Academy is to make it the best online education system in the world.

I love working with kids and seeing them succeed. I spent 28 years operating my own daycare business, experiencing the joy of watching those youngsters discover new things and develop new skills. I was born in Flagstaff, AZ and grew up in a family of fifteen children. I did not speak a word of English before I went to school, so Spanish is still my native language. I try to add the personal touch to our business and give students, parents, mentors, staff, and potential clients the individual attention they deserve. I also try to stay in touch with our graduates to see how they progress in life and make sure they know we are here to cheer them on! I also assist with filing, reception, and scheduling appointments.

I was born in Idaho and raised right here in the Yakima Valley. I find the Pacific Northwest to be the perfect place to live. I have a deep curiosity about life and in particular about the way the world works. I enjoy the knowledge that science brings to us and find it intriguing to learn how mathematics is present in our everyday lives. I have been active in my church and its auxiliary organizations, especially Cub and Boy Scouts. I coached soccer for 7 years and Little League for 2 years. I have been happily married for 31 years and have raised three wonderful children. These children have grown to be productive and successful members of society and have also blessed me with 4 beautiful grandchildren. I have several hobbies which include woodworking, gardening, playing with my grandchildren, and taking my wife to the beach to hunt for sand dollars. I have taught in public school for 21 years, mostly in the elementary grades. I have also taught driver's education for 14 years and truly enjoy teaching young people how to drive and be safe in an automobile. I enjoy working with student and seeing the joy that success brings to them. I look forward to meeting new students and their parents; welcoming them to the world of online education. I like to have fun with my students in the classroom, as the the students seem to learn much faster if I can tie their learning to something fun or enjoyable.

I grew up here in the Northwest, both in the Yakima Valley area and outside Coeur d'Alene Idaho. I graduated high school, got married, and started a family all within a year. My husband is in the military (Army) and therefore our life of travels began. We have been stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA, Ft. Campbell, KY, Germany, Ft. Polk, LA, Schofield Barracks, HI, and lastly Ft. Carson, CO. Amazingly we remained in Colorado Springs for 8 years. We have 2 beautiful children, a 17 year-old daughter and a 2 year-old son. Because I chose to start a family and move away from the Northwest, I gave up my 4-year full ride scholarship to Boise State and put my education on hold. I went back to school when my daughter was 6 years old and we were stationed in Hawaii. I worked and went to school full time, finally graduating in 2001 with a BS in Business Administration. I worked in commercial real estate in Hawaii and moved to Colorado, again pursuing real estate until I was recruited into sales. My marketing and sales background began 8 years ago. Being military, I was never able to keep my feet on the ground when it came to a career and got very good at being versatile in the job market. Somehow, someway life came full circle and I am back home with my family to establish new roots. I now have my chance for a career in the field I enjoy (marketing and business development) and in the industry I truly believe in and love (education).

Hello. As Director of Administrative Services/Admissions for Christa McAuliffe Academy, I am the person who helps parents enroll their child in our school. I am always happy to answer your inquiries as well as send additional information when needed. I have worked in several school districts for a total of 23 years, so I have a good understanding of administrative procedures in the public schools. I look forward to serving you in the near future.

As Registrar I am responsible for student records at CMA. I have been a member of the CMA staff for many years and have enjoyed watching our students gain a life-long confidence through their education. I enjoy speaking to prospective families wanting to learn more about the CMA advantage. Our school is more like extended family, and we strive to keep that personal touch through our staff, mentor and student contact. Please feel free to contact me any time if you have questions.

In addition to mentoring a large group of students from my home in Hawaii, I am the Master Trainer/Evaluator for the new Certified Mentor Training course that I developed. I really enjoy sharing the things I have learned during the 7 years I have been an Online Mentor for CMA. I received my BA Ed from BYU-Hawaii and have done many special projects for CMA over the years. I developed much of our Elementary Ed curriculum and serve as El Ed Coordinator for CMA.

As Internet-Application Programmer, I am responsible for website design / development / maintenance, server system design/operation/maintenance, network administration, tech support, software/hardware security, and anything else related to technology at CMA. I am responsible for first-line student and mentor technical support issues. It is my job to help you through the more frustrating parts of online education. It is my goal to do this in such a way that you will stay with CMA for a long time and have a very pleasant experience while you are with us. I also help with website development/ maintenance, software development and anything else related to technology that my supervisor assigns me. I have been working with computers seriously since high school and am proficient in many of the programming languages commonly used in my field. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from BYU and served a Spanish-speaking mission for my Church. I look forward to helping CMA advance into the future and pledge to do my best to make CMA technology as reliable and functional as possible.

I graduated from West Valley High School in June of 2006 and came to work for Christa McAuliffe to earn money for college and to enhance my skills in the areas of photography and online design. My job requires creating identification badges for all students, designing and generating an online yearbook and in general helping relieve our Principal of the day to day busy work that comes with her job. I have especially enjoyed getting to know and working with the CMA staff and have developed a warm bond with them. I feel we have a common desire to serve our students and make sure quality educational opportunities are offered to them.

I have 10+ years of experience in designing and maintaining databases. In my free time I teach MS Access, FileMaker Pro, and Intermediate DB Design classes. I have spent the last five years teaching High School Science. As Internet-Application Programmer,  I am responsible for database administration, assisting with website design / development / maintenance, and tech support. I bring extensive Macintosh knowledge to the first-line student and mentor technical support. It is my job to make on-line Education at  CMA the richest and most powerful education possible. I have deep experience in most applications from Apple, Microsoft, and Adobe-Macromedia as well as programming in MySQL, ColdFusion, and PHP. I earned a M.Ed. in Technology in Education from Lesley University in 2005 and a BA in Chemistry from Gonzaga University in 2000.