Meet the Alma Fuerte Team with Director Laurilie Keay at the Helm.
Laurilie Keay, Executive Director
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.
Ms. Keay managed mental health and special education services for 22 Head Start Centers for the Western Arizona Council of Governments.
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
Gabryelle Harlan
Teacher
Lance Gabelman
TK/ Kinder
Sandra Robles
3rd Grade
Robert Young
K/1st Grade
Kaitlyn Khalaf
4th Grade
Breanna Pallett
1st Grade
Steve Sotelo
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.
Josue Guillen
Teacher
Katie Lopez
Associate Teacher
Rodolfo Basurto
Teacher
Salvador Veloz
Associate Teacher
Alexander Frenkel
Teacher
Maria Muñoz
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
Anissa Rico
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
Laura Maldonado
Custodial
Kamerin Harrell
Office and Community
Ricardo Soto
Custodial
Eren Hernandez
Nutrition and Community Resources
Matthew Fast
Nutrition
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.
Emely Gutierrez
Associate Teacher
Thami Johnson
Associate Teacher
Jack Chen
Associate Teacher
Eva Tawfiek
Associate Teacher
Evan Witherspoon
Associate Teacher
Jacqueline Arqueta
Associate Teacher
Monica Rosales
Associate Teacher
Brenton Andrews
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
Dr. Jonathan White
Speech Pathology
Russell Gustafson
Teacher
Leslie Ortiz
Counselor
Ladonna Cohen
Occupational Therapist