Ed Weber, Head of School, started with WYVA in April 2009. Prior to that he was the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Assessment in the Campbell County School District. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD, and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Wyoming. Ed taught junior high mathematics in Webster, SD for five years and in Gillette for fourteen years. He was also an administrator in Gillette for nineteen years. Before retiring from Campbell County, Ed was involved in opening the Campbell County Virtual School which currently serves K-6 students and uses the K¹² curriculum.

Nicole Tiley, Secondary Director, attended Pennsylvania State University for her undergraduate degree in special education. After graduation, she moved to Arizona and worked as a special education teacher. She taught at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels in resource room, self-contained, and inclusion settings. She earned a master’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Special Education and Educational Leadership and Supervision. Nicole worked as a support specialist for special education in the brick-and-mortar setting and as a mentor teacher at the Arizona Virtual Academy. She was the Westside Impact of Teacher of the Year and also a Rodel Finalist Award recipient. Nicole is excited to be working with the families, students, and teachers as the secondary director with WYVA.

Kristen Stauffer, High School Advisor/Project Assistant, graduated from the University of South Dakota with a major in Speech and a minor in English. Since then she has been an assistant manager at a bank, assistant manager of a western store, and public relations director for Paleo Park.

Laura Lyons, K-12 Special Education Teacher and RtI Coordinator, earned her Bachelor’s degrees in both Elementary Education and Special Education from Black Hills State University. While teaching, she earned a Masters Degree in Reading from Black Hills State. For the past 7 years she has worked as a K- 6 Special Education Teacher in Gillette, Wyoming. This summer, Ms. Lyons and her family moved to Lusk, Wyoming where she took the job as the Special Education Teacher for the Wyoming Virtual Academy. Ms. Lyons and her husband are both educators and enjoy spending their summers camping with their daughter and spending time with their families.

Amy Nelson-Johnston, Seventh and Eighth grade Advisor and Mathematics Teacher, graduated from the University of Wyoming in May of 2009 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Math Education. While this is her first professional teaching experience, she has had several opportunities to work with middle and high school students. Ms. Nelson-Johnston is very energetic about teaching and excited to be part of the Wyoming Virtual Academy. She resides in Riverton, Wyoming with her wonderful husband and baby. In her free time she enjoys spending  time with her family hunting, ranching, hiking in the mountains, playing sports, shopping, or just relaxing together.