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He taught 5th grade at Mesquite Elementary for three years and 3rd and 5th grades at Desert Willow Elementary for four years. Justin left education a few years ago and was working as an executive for Target.com in Tucson. His love for education and working with students, teachers and administrators brought him back to the education field. Justin received a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University in 1998 and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2002.

He is proud of serving as the principal of an Excelling school for five years, being selected as one of the “40 under 40” emerging leaders in the Tucson community in 2009, serving as the Arizona School Administrators (ASA) Pima County representative from 2009-2011 and serving as the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Arizona State representative from 2010-2011. Justin is married to Elizabeth, a PE teacher in the Vail School District and has two daughters, ages fourteen and sixteen.

She began her teaching career in Prescott, teaching middle school, and then came to Vail where she taught third grade for five years at Sycamore Elementary. During that time, Megan received her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership with Principal certification from Northern Arizona University. She then became the Student Achievement Teacher at Sycamore, where she led and coached teachers on how to analyze curriculum and make data-driven decisions to help ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn successfully.

Megan has been acknowledged for her contributions to education on many occasions. In 2008, she was named Teacher of the Year at Vails Sycamore Elementary School, and in 2004 she was the recipient of the Yavapai County Outstanding First Year Teacher Award. Megan was selected as one of the “40 under 40” emerging leaders in the Tucson community in 2013. It is also noteworthy that Megan was a teacher in an Excelling school for seven years as recognized by the Arizona Department of Education. In October 2010, Megan joined the Beyond Textbooks team, and is now the Assistant Director for Beyond Textbooks, where she greatly enjoys interacting with other educators who share the same passion for helping students succeed and prepare for their futures. Megan is married to Kyle, a middle school STEAM teacher and they have two sons, Collin and Dillon.

He is a proud Wildcat, with undergrad and Master’s degrees from the University of Arizona, in Educational Leadership. Even when serving as an administrator he was focused on student achievement and growth, and maintains his passion for highly effective instruction. This passion led him to be published by the National Council of Teachers of Math in 2005, to be selected as a national Raytheon “Math Hero” in 2006, and to be an invited speaker at the National Middle School Association’s national conference in 2010.

Brent is married to Jenna, a cardiac Nurse Practitioner in Tucson, and has three children: Andrew, Isaac, and Audrey.

After several years of working with various regional and touring theatre companies across the country, Jennifer settled in Tucson to work for the Arizona Theatre Company. During this time, she also began working on her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education with Northern Arizona University. Over her years as a second grade, fourth grade, and Student Achievement Teacher at Ocotillo Ridge Elementary, Jennifer continued to be drawn to curriculum, effective teaching practices, and the “backstage” aspects of education. She is especially proud of being a three time Teacher of the Year nominee at an Excelling school. Being a part of the Beyond Textbooks team is an exciting opportunity to engage and collaborate with teachers on one common goal, academic success for all students.

She began her career in California, where she was a Middle School Language Arts teacher for six years while earning her Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Here, Chelsea served on numerous curriculum based committees and helped establish common formative and benchmark assessments for the district. Upon returning to Arizona, Chelsea taught at both Desert Sky and Rincon Vista Middle Schools, while continuing to grow in the areas of developing and implementing curriculum. She then served as the Student Achievement Teacher for Vail Academy and High School, a K-12 charter school within the Vail School District. She joined the Beyond Textbooks team in July of 2011, and deeply enjoys working with both teachers and administrators toward the common goal of increased student achievement. Chelsea has two children, Lilly and Zack.

Kristin started her teaching career at La Paloma Academy, a partnered charter school, where she taught 4th grade. Later, she joined Cottonwood Elementary in the Vail Unified School District and continued to teach 4th grade. Over time, she developed an interest in leadership, coaching, and math curriculum, leading her to become the Advanced Math teacher and an instructional coach on campus. Kristin pursued her Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University, with the goal of assisting both students and teachers in achieving academic success and growth. Kristin was proud to be named Cottonwood’s teacher of the year in 2020. She then moved to Cienega High School as the Student Achievement Teacher, embracing all the opportunities and new learning that high school had to offer.

Kristin became a member of the Beyond Textbooks team in July 2023. Her friendly nature, enthusiasm for curriculum, instructional leadership skills, and desire to prioritize student needs brought her to this role. She is thrilled to collaborate with all the partners in supporting students to reach their full academic potential.

She loves being a part of the Vail community and helping others. Alexa is proud to be a part of the Beyond Textbooks team and to have the opportunity to contribute to something as important as education. Alexa has traveled to and lived in many places all over the world but now calls Vail home. Her family includes two boys and a Doberman; Apollo, Raury, and Bears.