Online Academy

Andrea Ellis

Andrea has a medical background with over ten years as a medical assistant. She is a mom of two Leading Edge Academy students and she loves her job at LEAO.

Keli Palmer

Keli Palmer came to Leading Edge Academy after working for the State of Arizona for over 30 years. The majority of her time was spent working in higher education. Her background includes education administration, academic advising, and financial aid. After leaving state service, Keli was looking for a new adventure and found that at Leading Edge East Mesa! She enjoys spending her free time with her husband and house full of dogs.

Areece Pollard

Areece Pollard was born and raised in Pasadena, California. Areece moved to Arizona in 2005. She has four children all boys, an angel baby and 3 Goddaughters. Areece bakes cupcakes for Kynnidy’s Krem-re, where she is the proud owner. In her spare time she enjoys watching movies with her children and reading devotionals. Areece, received her B.A. in Child Development and a minor in Child Care Administration at Cal State University Northridge, M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Northcentral University. She has over 14 years of teaching experience as an early early childhood professional in preschool to high school.

Vanessa Creamer

Vanessa graduated from Higley High School in 2007. She attended East Valley Institute of Technology for Early Childhood Education in 2008 and has spent time as a classroom aide for 4th and 5th grade.  She is proud to be a part of the Leading Edge Online Academy team

Tricia Willhite

Laura Gulbrandson

Ms. Laura Gulbranson is a native Arizonan who has just joined the Leading Edge Academy family. She graduated from Arizona State University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. She specializes in English as a Second Language for 6th through 12th grade but has found her home in sharing her love for literature and writing with her junior high and high school students. When not teaching, you can find Ms. Gulbranson dreaming to travel again or reading until the wee hours of weekend mornings with a cup of hot chocolate or tea. She is currently working on her first novel and is overjoyed to be your child’s English teacher!

Kimberly Wiltberger

Kim has a BS and MA from the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!) and she in her 13th year of teaching. In her spare time she loves to drink coffee, run, and hang out with her family.

Miriam Barth

Ms. Barth is an experienced teacher. She has taught Math, business, and Spanish classes since 2002 at all levels in traditional and online settings. Ms. Barth was born in Managua, Nicaragua but was raised in Miami, Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She earned her master’s degree in Business from the University of Upper Iowa. Ms. Barth is the mother of three grown sons and grandmother to two young girls. She enjoys reading, travelling, playing board games, and spending time with her family in her spare time.

Chris Mylott

Mr. Mylott graduated from Bradley University in 1995 with a BS in Biology.  Mr. Mylott is a forensic scientist specializing in trace chemical analysis.  He has managed a food and environmental laboratory and directed the special pathogens unit for the Arizona Department of Health laboratory.  He is a  father to five amazing children and he been blessed to teach middle school and high school Science for the past 13 years.  He is highly qualified  in Middle Grades Mathematic, HS Biology, HS Chemistry, and HS Physics. Mr. Mylott also conducts the Leading Edge Academy Jamaica Field Expedition annually giving students the opportunity to learn in a living marine laboratory while giving back to the local communities.

Jennifer Martin

Mrs. Jennifer Martin started at Leading Edge Academy Online in 2018. She graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and M.Ed. in Secondary Education from Arizona State University. Before coming to Leading Edge Academy Online, Mrs. Martin spent time working in education research and blended learning environments. Since 2016 she has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in the foster care system. She believes that life’s greatest blessings come from service to others and enjoys igniting this passion in her students.

Suzanne Young

Mrs. Suzanne Young is the New York Times bestselling author of the Program series. Originally from New York, Suzanne moved to Arizona to pursue her dream of not freezing to death. She is a novelist and an English teacher, but not in that order. Suzanne is the author of The Program series, Girls with Sharp Sticks series, Poet Anderson series, A Need so Beautiful series, All in Pieces, Just like Fate, and Hotel for the Lost. She has taught creative writing and language arts courses for over ten years.

Josiah Lee

Mr. Lee was born in North Carolina, but moved to Arizona when he graduated high school! He is married and has three wonderful (most of the time) kids. He spent the last ten years as a youth pastor at various churches around the East Valley! He took his passion for students and decided to channel that into becoming a teacher. He loves the AZ Cardinals almost as much as his family. When he isn’t teaching or watching football you can find him playing video games or golfing. He loves being part of the LEAO team and looks forward to partnering with you to best help your student be successful in the online environment!

Maria Mendoza

Mrs. Maria Mendoza grew up in Southwest Florida but moved to Arizona with her family right before the start of college. Ms. Phillips graduated with a B.A degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, both from Arizona State University. She started teaching first grade at Leading Edge Academy East Mesa in 2009. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her lab/husky mix named Hurley. She also enjoys hiking, reading, going to the gym, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.

Daniel Trageser

Kurt Fauske