Board Meetings

miranda@valleyacademycharter.com

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 Senior 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 when it opened in 2012 until 2018. 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.  

2nd term ends May 2021

palfreyman.m@valleyacademycharter.com

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.  

2nd term ends May 2023

weston@valleyacademycharter.com

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.

 First term ends May 2021

betsy@valleyacademycharter.com 

 Betsy Kimber was born in Oregon and moved with her family to Little Rock, Arkansas when she was 7 years old.  She attended  and graduated from Pulaski Academy, a private college preparatory high school.  At the time, she admits that she took many of the opportunities available to her for granted.  But now as a mom of school-aged children, she can see very clearly that all of the seemingly normal aspects of her education were certainly not the norm.  Betsy played four varsity sports, served as drum major of the marching band, and graduated with a 4.3 GPA.  These accomplishments earned her an academic scholarship to Creighton University.  After attending Creighton for two years, she met and fell in love with a boy from Utah.  Betsy decided to run away with her Prince Charming - ditching the prairies and snow of Nebraska in favor of the sunshine and mountains of Southern Utah.  Betsy finished her education at Dixie State University, graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Integrated Studies - emphases in English & Psychology.  And 15 years later, Cody and Betsy have 3 beautiful children - two of whom attend Valley Academy.  Betsy and her family love spending time outdoors together and feel that there is nowhere better to do that than in Southern Utah: Riding their RZRs, hiking, boating, swimming, camping, etc.

For the past 10 years, Betsy worked as the Assistant Athletic Director at Diamond Ranch Academy - where her duties were many and varied.  DRA is a boarding school for troubled youth in Hurricane.  It is unique in that it is sanctioned by the Utah High School Activities Association for competition in 1A high school sports in the state of Utah.  But it was not always that way.  In 2009 when Betsy first started at DRA they didn’t even have a gym, much less a football field.  And they were not sanctioned for competition in high school sports.  All of that changed two years later, when a brand new campus was built in Hurricane that included all turf football and baseball fields and a gymnasium to call home.  A highlight of her time at DRA was in 2015 when the boys’ football and basketball teams won back to back 1A State Championships.  Betsy coached all the girls’ athletic teams at while DRA: Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Softball, Lacrosse, and Track & Field - to name a few.  She organized pep rallies, off campus activities, and volunteer opportunities for students.  She communicated with parents on a daily basis with regard to both athletic events and extracurricular activities.  Betsy was also responsible for gathering, completing and submitting all of the paperwork required by the UHSAA for transfer students prior to participation in high school sports  - which meant every single student who enrolled at DRA.  Her most favorite thing about being at DRA for 10 years is the relationships she has to this day with former students, players and parents: Connecting with them, watching them grow, and seeing their accomplishments - college, children of their own, etc. 

Betsy chose Valley Academy for her daughter initially because of the all day kindergarten option.  However, the electives available to even the little kindergarteners at Valley were so exciting and such a breath of fresh air.  To say it was a great first year almost seems like an understatement.  The dance performances were wonderful.  The opportunities for parent involvement were plentiful and so much fun.  And the sense of community and belonging were second to none.

Betsy’s experience with Valley Academy has been overwhelmingly positive in such a short time, which is why she chose to apply for a position on the Board of Directors.  Both Betsy and her children have found such joy in the education and extracurricular opportunities available at Valley Academy.  Betsy is eager share the joy her family has found at Valley Academy, and support and further the goals and mission of this gem of a school.

First term ends May 2022