Meet our Administrators

AZVA's administrative staff is composed of professionals and specialists dedicated to making a virtual academy a very real learning experience. Here are some of the people who work behind the scenes to keep AZVA responsive to your needs.

Head of School
Julie Frein is the new head of school at AZVA. Julie has devoted the last 11 years to educating students from preschool through high school. Julie has been with the Arizona Virtual Academy since the school opened in 2003. She has served AZVA and K12 in numerous capacities since 2003. Julie was one of the original four AZVA teachers. She has served as lead teacher, local marketing manager, and director of instruction. Prior to working with AZVA, Julie worked in the Fowler School District as a second-grade teacher and was Program Director for Great Beginnings Preschool. She is completing an MBA to complement her education degree.

K-8 Principal
Nichole McCauley has been with AZVA since March 2005. Her classroom experience includes teaching kindergarten, first, fifth, and sixth grades. She is a 2000 graduate of Eastern Washington University with a major in elementary mathematics and an emphasis in special education. She has taught in both public and charter schools and is excited to be working in an administrative capacity for AZVA. Nichole has successfully completed two master's degrees, one in curriculum and instruction and the other in educational administration and supervision. She has worked as a teacher, Title I Coordinator, and now as the K-8 principal for AZVA.

Operations Manager
Laurie DeFord started with AZVA in July 2004. She has a BS in management information systems from the University of Arizona. Her previous work experience includes providing tech support for DSL customers and assisting customers in a photo lab. She enjoys photography and reading and is excited to work for AZVA.

Community Relations/Local Development Manager
Tiffany Seidemann earned her bachelor's degree in education from Grand Canyon University. After completing her degree, she began working in academic affairs for a large online university, where she recruited faculty to teach courses based on their experience and level of education. While working for this university, Tiffany was given the opportunity to earn a master's degree, tuition-free. In order to be diversified, she chose to take business courses and earned an MBA. She then spent the next three years as a classroom teacher in a charter school. Tiffany has also taken graduate courses in education from the University of Arizona, which she hopes to apply toward a master's or doctoral degree.

Special Education Manager
Denese Wierzbicki, AZVA special education lead teacher, has 37 years of experience teaching special education, from preschool through high school. Denese has also taught math, science, and computer programming. She was attracted to AZVA as the ideal situation for special kids to receive a rigorous education at their own pace. Denese holds a BA from the University of Michigan in psychology and a master's degree in special education from Northern Michigan University.

Business Manager
Patti Giovannini has a variety of relevant experience ranging from the Cave Creek School District in metropolitan Phoenix to General Motors. Most recently, Patti was the director of accounting for ABS School Services in Phoenix. In this capacity, she directed accounting services to more than 100 charter and private schools in five states. Patti is a dynamic business leader with 12 years of supervisory accounting experience.