Heritage Academy Schools Leadership Team

Jared Taylor

Jared Taylor

Chairman / CEO
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.

Email: jtaylor@heritageacademyaz.com

John Farnsworth

John Farnsworth

Chief Financial Officer
Kim Ellsworth

Kim Ellsworth

Education Director
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 Bernard

Special Education Director
Brandon's Bio

Brandon Bernard currently serves as the Director of Special Education at Heritage Academy. He brings a wealth of experience to this role, having dedicated his career to supporting scholars with diverse learning needs.
Mr. Bernard currently holds his Principal, K-12 Certificate and a Mild/Moderate Teaching Certificate.  He has earned a Master’s Degree from Northern Arizona University as well as St. Bonaventure University along with earning his Bachelor’s Degree from SUNY at Fredonia.  Prior to his current position, Mr. Bernard served as a special education teacher in both the co-taught and resource settings.  In addition to his teaching experience, Mr. Bernard has also served as a Special Education Department Chair and a Special Education Instructional Coach supporting both teachers and scholars in a variety of class settings.
Mr. Bernard is passionate about creating inclusive and equitable learning environments where scholars can thrive.  He is committed to collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that scholars are able to reach their full potential.

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David Bear

David Bear

I.T. Director
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

Sr. Executive Assistant & Compliance Manager
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 Lundeen

Sr Marketing & Communications Manager
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 Lopez

Assist. Education Director - Curriculum
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 Smith

Assist. Education Director - Data
Amanda's Bio
Mrs. Smith attended James Madison University and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Middle School Education. She also graduated Summa Cum Laude from NAU, earning a Masters of Arts degree in Educational Technology.  Mrs. Smith has taught at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels over her 17-year career in the field of education. She is certified in English for secondary education and holds certification for dual enrollment instruction in English. Mrs. Smith served as the Assistant Principal of Heritage Academy Gateway’s campus for five years. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of Education for the Heritage Academy system.
 
Bryon Deselms

Bryon Deselms

Contracts & Facilities Manager
Bryon's Bio
Bryon Deselms, who holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix, has been a member of the Heritage Academy team for nine  years.  During that time Bryon has been a teacher, an academic adviser, student database expert, and was recently promoted to be the contract and facilities manager for the district.  His myriad of responsibilities include vendor contract and price negotiation as well as reconciling school data for the purpose of maintaining accurate data to report to the state.  Bryon also oversees maintenance and safety compliance for all three, soon to be four, campus locations ensuring the safety of all scholars and staff. His dedication to the scholars, fellow teammates and the Heritage Academy philosophy makes him a valued member of our organization..
Karen Hunt

Karen Hunt

Accounting Manager
Karen's Bio
Karen received her Bachelors of Science from Northern Arizona University.  She has 27 years experience working in accounting/finance and office management. Numbers are her thing! Karen has been with Heritage Academy since 2011. She and her husband have lived in Mesa for over 26 years and have raised four children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family as well reading good books..

Ilene Song

Staff Accountant
Ilene's Bio