Valley Academy Board of Directors
Miranda Kloos - Chair
Miranda has worked for Wells Fargo Bank since 2003 and has held many positions including teller, banker, service manager, and branch manager. She is currently the Regional Services Consultant for the St. George area and assists the local branches with operations, policies, loss prevention and customer service. She has her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources. Miranda is originally from North Dakota, but has called Utah her home since 2003. She and her husband have one daughter that has attended Valley Academy since it opened in 2012. They chose Valley Academy because of the emphasis on the arts and the alternative choices that it offered. During her free time she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors enjoying the wonderful Southern Utah weather and scenery.
miranda@valleyacademycharter.com
2nd term ends May 2021
Michael Palfreyman - Vice Chair
Michael is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, but has lived in Southern Utah for several years. He is married to his wife of 23 years, Liberty, and they are the parents of 4 children. Michael has an appreciation for both music and art. His two oldest children are music majors in college and his wife is an artist. He appreciates the emphasis that Valley Academy places on music, dance and art. This was one of the factors that led to his interest in becoming a board member. Michael received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Health Promotion from Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. He has experience working in several different industries both in Northern California and Utah. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his family as well as playing a variety of sports, including basketball and golf. Michael works as a licensed Real Estate Agent here in Southern Utah.
palfreyman.m@valleyacademycharter.com
First term ends May 2020
Alisha Terry-Martin - Secretary
Alisha is enthusiastic about helping Valley Academy grow and succeed long-term. She is a lover of the arts and strongly believes in the charter of Valley Academy that calls for integration of the arts and SEI into the daily educational experience. She is the mom of a high school student and she wants for all kids the same thing she wants for her child: the opportunity to gain a lifelong love of learning in an engaging and interesting school environment. As a founder of Valley Academy, Alisha believes strongly in school choice and parent involvement in schools. As our children grow up in this ever-changing environment, she hopes the foundations taught at Valley Academy will help them become confident and well rounded for their future. She was fortunate enough to attend arts classes throughout her elementary and high school years, attending BYU and UVU as a Music, Dance, Theater major. She has been involved in work as a Firefighter and Paramedic for over 20 years, starting in Washington DC and settling here in Hurricane 16 years ago. She currently serves on a specialty pediatric disaster team and hazmat team, as well as teaching new paramedic and EMT students. She loves where she lives and loves being involved in the community. Alisha and her husband own several small businesses based in Hurricane.
alisha@valleyacademycharter.com
1st term ends May 2020
Elaina Westegaard - Treasurer
Elaina Westegaard is an educator and published writer living in southwest Utah with her husband, three sons, and various pets. As a first-generation college graduate, Elaina values education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in English from Dixie State University and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Chatham University. However, her charter school roots began in high school. As an alumna of the second graduating class of Utah’s first charter school, Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, she has a long history of charter school involvement. Additionally, Elaina has been a teacher in some capacity for about sixteen years. She has taught preschool, ballet, and, for the last decade, English composition and creative writing for two universities. To her, education is just as much about becoming a more aware person as it is earning a degree. The more knowledge and understanding students gain about the people and the world around them the more effective they will be in society, in academia, and in their future careers. She has taught face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. Elaina has served on several academic boards and is excited to support Valley Academy Charter by serving as Board Treasurer and PTO President. Elaina’s passion for the arts started as a child and has continued throughout her life. For over two decades, she’s busied herself with community arts, teaching and performing with local dance studios and participating in productions with St. George Musical Theater and Kayenta Center for the Arts. She also served as the line producer for the documentary Return to Little Hollywood. She’s published in The Southern Quill, The Hawk and Handsaw: Journal of Creative Sustainability, and The Spectrum. One of her published essays, The Great TP Debate is available to read on the Unity College website, which begins on digital page 17. Aside from education and arts, Elaina loves second-hand stores, nature, and food—especially pie.
elaina@valleyacademycharter.com
First term ends May 2021
Kevin Castro - Board Member
Kevin is originally a native of California and was raised in Napa Valley. He is married to Margarita, his wife of 35 years. They have 5 children, ranging in age from 34 to 17. Kevin is a Gemologist and Master Goldsmith by profession. He owns and operates Castro & Co. Jewelers in Cedar City. Creating beautiful works of “wearable art” is his passion, right behind his family. He is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America and the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco.
castro.k@valleyacademycharter.com
2nd term ends May 2022
Weston White - Board Member
Weston graduated from BYU as a civil engineer and later from the U of U as an attorney. He has practiced in both fields, in the construction industry and then at BYU-Hawaii for ten years directing their physical facilities and their physical growth. During this time they constructed their library, administration building, basketball arena and many other academic and housing buildings.
He practiced law in St. George for 20 years in local and Federal Courts.
He comes from a line of educators. His grandfather was on the faculty at Brigham Young Academy in the 1890’; his mother was an elementary school teacher. His wife taught in California schools as well as at Hurricane High and Dixie State. While at BYU-Hawaii Wes taught Business Law and religion classes. He recently spent 3 years in China teaching American Law in the Law School at Nanjing University. With his wife he served 4 years teaching English to foreigners in Washington County. He has 8 children, 2 of which are also in the teaching profession. Five of them were in college at the same time! Wes is looking forward to some new challenges as Valley Academy seeks to grow educationally and physically.
With his varied abilities and experiences he hopes to be a vital contributor to this growth.
Weston@valleyacademycharter.com
First term ends May 2021
Susan Petersen
Susan was born in Northern Utah, grew up in Las Vegas, NV, but has lived in Southern Utah since 2006. She and her husband Mark have been married 27 years, have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. She attended UNLV and SUU, has worked in 2 different school districts in SPED and technology for a total of 14 years, and is currently employed with the State of Utah, Department of Workforce Services. She believes in being a lifelong learner and her favorite saying is “Education is the profession that creates all others.” She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, crafting, working in her yard, home improvement projects, and sports, but mostly just playing with her grand babies.
susan@valleyacademycharter.com
First term ends May 2022