Heritage Academy Schools Leadership Team

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Jared TaylorChairman / CEO
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John FarnsworthChief Financial Officer
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Kim EllsworthEducation Director
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Brandon BernardSpecial Education Director
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David BearI.T. Director
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Dawn RhodesSr. Executive Assistant & Compliance Manager
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Lindsey LundeenSr Marketing & Communications Manager
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Kathleen LopezAssist. Education Director - Curriculum
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Amanda SmithAssist. Education Director - Data
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Bryon DeselmsContracts & Facilities Manager
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Karen HuntAccounting Manager
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Ilene SongStaff Accountant
Jared Taylor
Jared's Bio
Jared Taylor is the Charter Representative and Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Academy schools. He joined Heritage Academy in 2009. Prior to joining Heritage, he worked for 10 years in various corporate human resources roles with Motorola and Honeywell. He earned a BS in Management and an MBA at Arizona State University.
John Farnsworth
Kim Ellsworth
Kim's Bio
Kim loves serving, teaching, exceeding expectations, and helping others become their best. As a Master of Educational Leadership and Bachelor of Science in Education, she has been part of the Heritage Team for over 15 years. She was the inaugural principal for both Laveen and Maricopa Campuses, building them from zero to thriving in enrollment.
She has a varied background, having lived and traveled to many places—from Washington, Idaho, Ohio, New Hampshire and Tonga to Europe and California. She has been a managing partner of La Musique Academy, executive director-assistant for Actor’s Youth Theatre, assistant principal and mother of 4 children. She also volunteers for church, Red Cross, Special Olympics, and Cardon’s Children’s Hospital.
She may be most remembered for making the welcome announcements as principal, where every day she told the scholars that she loved them. Her philosophy: everyone deserves to know every day that they are loved!
Brandon Bernard
Brandon's Bio
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David Bear
David's Bio
David is the IT Director for Heritage Academy as well as a classroom teacher. Mr. Bear has been a lifelong Arizonan except for briefly living in Japan and Utah. He earned a BS in History at BYU and also completed the core classes for a Computer Science Teaching minor degree. During that time he worked in the BYU media department repairing computers. After graduation, he opened his own computer consulting business, taught professional development courses for the ASU Computer Institute, and decided to go back to school to earn a Master’s Degree. David spent 23 years as a full-time staff member at ASU in the College of Public Programs with various titles.
Email: dbear@heritageacademyaz.com
Dawn Rhodes
Dawn's Bio
Dawn M. Rhodes serves as Senior Executive Assistant to the Chairman & CEO and Compliance Manager for Heritage Academy. With more than 23 years of experience in higher education, Dawn brings extensive experience in compliance, community partnerships, records management, reporting, grants, and organizational leadership.
Dawn holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor of Science from Arizona State University. A lifelong learner, she believes that “you’re always a student in the classroom of life” and is passionate about helping others discover the joy of learning.
An Arizona native, Dawn is also an avid traveler with a goal of visiting all 50 states and all seven continents. Her travels have deepened her appreciation for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. Service has always been central to Dawn’s life, and her personal motto is simple: “Who can I bless today?”
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Lindsey Lundeen
Lindsey's Bio
Lindsey Lundeen has been with Heritage Academy for over 10 years. She earned her BA in Anthropology from ASU’s School of Human Evolution and Social Change. Previously she earned her Associates from BYU-Idaho and was fortunate to study at BYU-Jerusalem. She continues to take classes and further her education whenever she can. She has furthered her love for people and places by traveling the world and working nationally and globally in different areas of business.
Lindsey has worked in fields ranging from Healthcare, Logistics, Military Programs, Design and Architecture/Education and has enjoyed working in the nonprofit field for the past 12 years.
Traveling the world has given her a deep appreciation for the United States of America and our rights, freedoms, and privileges that we enjoy here and she loves the U.S. and its Constitution.
Ms Lundeen manages all marketing and communications for Heritage Academy Schools as well as helping with school grants. Outside of work she enjoys being a mom, reading, yoga, scuba diving, traveling and volunteering in her church and community.
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Kathleen Lopez
Kathleen's Bio
Kathleen Lopez brings 27 years of dedicated educational experience to her role as Assistant Director of Education over Curriculum and Instruction. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Arizona State University and a Master’s degree in Counseling from Northern Arizona University, alongside Arizona K–12 Math and Special Education certifications. Over her career, Kathleen has taught special education, psychology, and math ranging from Pre-Algebra to Foundational Algebra II. Since helping open the Heritage Academy Gateway Campus in 2013—serving as a teacher, Assistant Principal, and Principal—she has remained deeply committed to supporting scholars, families, and staff as a proud Heritage Hero.
Amanda Smith
Amanda's Bio
Bryon Deselms
Bryon's Bio

