Valley Academy Board of Directors

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.

Looking back on my life, I realized most of my years have been filled with more wonderfully artistic, educational, and creative experiences than I can list. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, I was born with a passion for creativity and raised with a strong appreciation for community service, the arts and education. My mother worked as an artist and electromechanical designer, my father was a writer and teacher. Therefor, I was encouraged to be curious about the world around me and was always told that a good education could lead a person anywhere they chose. Having family in Europe and all across the US, travel was an understood part of life and learning along the way was a given. In 1994, while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Ceramics and Sculpture from San Francisco State University, I decided to explore the southwest for a month in summer. This magical experience changed the course of my life. I met my husband in Zion and, upon graduation, moved to the red sandstone cliffs which I had become enchanted with. Since moving to Zion, I have worked tirelessly to promote education, music and the arts for the children of Southern Utah. I have been a preschool teacher, substitute teacher, art teacher, and arts coordinator for numerous schools and youth programs in the area. My two daughters are students at Valley Academy and I have been quite impressed with the education and loving environment we have experienced here. I am honored to be on the Valley Academy School Board and look forward to being a positive force in the community on an even greater level.  .

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.  

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.