
Meet the Alma Fuerte Team with Director Laurilie Keay at the Helm.
Laurilie Keay, Executive Director
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Laurilie Keay has decades of experience in school leadership and teaching roles at pre-K-12 public, charter, and private schools in Arizona and Canada. Special areas of expertise for Ms. Keay include instructional coaching, building school-wide culture and climate, student data and assessment, and leading special education programs.
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Ms. Keay managed mental health and special education services for 22 Head Start Centers for the Western Arizona Council of Governments.
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Ms. Keay began her career at St. Andrews School in Alberta, Canada, where she served for two decades as a classroom teacher in various grades. She holds two Master’s Degrees – an M.Ed. in Special Education and an M.A. in Psychology and is completing her Education Specialist Degree in Educational Administration.
Meet Our Exceptional Elementary School Teachers
Our teachers create a fun, engaging, environment where students can thrive and feel supported by their peers.

Adriane Vivirito
TK/ Kinder

Evelyn Gonzalez
2nd Grade

Lance Gabelman
TK/ Kinder

Sandra Robles
3rd Grade

Robert Young
K/1st Grade

Kaitlyn Khalaf
4th Grade

Breanna Pallett
1st Grade
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Kye Kim
5th Grade
Meet Our Mighty Middle School Team
Alma Fuerte's Middle school, though small, packs a punch!
The Middle School team aims to create a culture of excellence in all aspects of student life.

Roger Yee
Teacher

Rodolfo Basurto
Teacher

Josue Guillen
Teacher

Katie Lopez
Associate Teacher
Meet Our Excellent Enrichment Team
Our enrichment team provides programming during and after school, ensuring that it is available and engaging to all ages!

Matthew Padilla
Athletics

Sage Johnson
Maker Space

Laura Acuña
Spanish
Meet Our Outstanding Operations Team
These are the faces that will greet you at the front desk and all over school!
Our Operations Team ensures that our school runs smooth from ordering supplies to communicating with parents.

Adriani Leon
Operations Director

Eren Hernandez
Nutrition and Community Resources

Andres Gudiño
Operations Manager

Matthew Fast
Nutrition

Kamerin Harrell
Office and Community

Laura Maldonado
Custodial

Estela Ortiz
Office and Community
Meet Our Amazing Associate Teachers
Alma Fuerte's Associate teachers provide support to students and teachers in the classroom.
They also provide supervision and programming during recess and after school.
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Emely Gutierrez
Associate Teacher

Anissa Rico
Associate Teacher

Jack Chen
Associate Teacher

Eva Tawfiek
Associate Teacher

Evan Witherspoon
Associate Teacher

Steve Sotelo
Associate Teacher

Monica Rosales
Associate Teacher
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Brenton Andrews
Associate Teacher

Jacqueline Arqueta
Associate Teacher

Kameron Williams
Associate Teacher

Justin Clay
Associate Teacher
Meet Our Spectacular Special Education (SPED) Team
The goal of our SPED team is to support our students, teachers, and parents in reaching their goals while creating a culture of inclusion and excellence.

Shannon Sweet
Teacher

Ladonna Cohen
Occupational Therapist

Russell Gustafson
Teacher

Dr. Jonathan White
Speech Pathology

Leslie Ortiz
Interventionist and SEL Support
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Dianna Rivera
Counselor

Brittany de Anda
Interventionist

Vanouhi Hagverdi
OT assistant