Leverage the Experience of Seasoned Administrators

VAVA’s administrators have extensive experience in serving public and private enterprise. Together, they provide a strong backbone for the day-to-day operations of the Virginia Virtual Academy.

Suzanne Sloane, Head of School
Suzanne Sloane, currently Head of School for the Virginia Virtual Academy has worked at K¹², Inc since 2001 in Product Development, Evaluation and Research, Academic Services, Enrollment/Placement and School Management. She is an award winning Virginia teacher and has been involved in public education in the state of Virginia for more than 20 years.  Suzanne has met with Governor Bob McDonnell, Secretary Gerard Robinson and other leaders along with her students and families to discuss the expansion of online learning opportunities across the Commonwealth.
Suzanne is a proud Penn State graduate and holds a Master’s Degree in Education and Psychology from the University of Virginia.

Nancy Brosnahan, Academic Administrator
Nancy Brosnahan attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA and graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education in 1988.  She completed her M.Ed. at George Mason University in 1994 with a specialization in Research and Language Arts. Mrs. Brosnahan worked as a teacher for grades 2-3 in the City of Manassas Public Schools from 1989-1998. After spending several years at home with her young children, Mrs. Brosnahan returned to the City of Manassas Public Schools in 2002, where she served as a specialist in gifted and talented education for grades K-3 until 2007.  She was awarded the “Gifted Teacher of the Year” for the school system in 2005.  Mrs. Brosnahan began with K¹² in 2009 and served as an online teacher for CAPCS Online, working with students in grades K-4.  She now works with teachers, students, and administrators at CAPCS Online and VAVA in her role as the Academic Administrator for both schools.

Deb Palmer, Southern Region Operations Manager
Deb Palmer joined K¹² in 2003, and has the pleasure of providing operational assistance to schools throughout the Southern Region.  Previous to joining K¹², Deb worked overseas with special needs students.  She has a background in Human Resources and Crisis Intervention Management.  Deb studied at Tidewater Community College where she acquired her Virginia EMT certification

Annie Powell, Operations Manager
Annie joined K12 Inc. in May 2006 and has served in varying capacities throughout the company.  Her most recent position as operation manager for CAPCS online, she has held since July 2011. During her time with K¹², Annie has worked in Human Resources as a department coordinator and a project coordinator. Previous to joining K12 Inc., Annie was employed by the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington as a program director, where she managed after-school, summer camp and youth sports programs. Annie holds a BS in child development with a concentration in family and consumer sciences from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.  After spending her younger years living overseas, Annie calls Northern Virginia home along with husband Kevin, daughter Emily, and twin sons Cameron and Jacob.

John Schiappa, Operations Manager
John joined K12 Inc. in February 2011 and has served in varying capacities throughout the company; first in Product Development, then Client Services, and now as an Operations Manager with the Virginia Virtual Academy. Before joining K¹², John worked in a variety of fields. He was a special education teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools, worked in sales, managed government construction projects, and was a systems engineer for a local communications company. John has a BS in Psychology from George Mason University, with concentrations in Neurobiology and Neurochemistry. He is an avid cyclist, and once rode across the State of Virginia from South to North.

Tara Richardson, Southern Region Special Programs Manager
Tara holds a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and English from Centre College.  She has worked within the field of special education for over 13 years with experiences in hospital based early intervention services, special education preschool settings, self-contained public school classrooms, outpatient therapy clinics, and virtual academies working with students of all ages and levels of need as well as their families.

In her current role as the Southern Region Special Programs Manager, Tara is responsible for providing support and management services within all special program areas including special education, 504, Response to Intervention (RtI), Title 1, English as a Second Language (ESL) and Advanced Learners Programs for each of the virtual academies in the southern region including the Virginia Virtual Academy. 

Tara currently lives in Arkansas with her husband, Brian and two young boys, Bryce and Brant.