About Our School
UTVA Board
The Stride K12-powered career readiness program formerly known as Destinations Career Academy is now Stride Career Prep.
Board Meetings
The governing board follows the Utah Open Meetings Act and all meetings are open to the public. Board meetings are posted at least 24 hours in advance on the Utah Public Notice website along with meeting minutes and recordings. Meeting minutes and recordings are also available by emailing mmerideth@utahvirtual.org, and additional meeting documents are available for review in the archive.
Meetings are tentatively scheduled for the first Wednesday monthly based on the proposed 2021–2022 annual meeting calendar [PDF]. Please visit the Utah Public Notice website to view upcoming meeting agendas.
Policies, Procedures, and Chartering Documents
The board has a responsibility to oversee policies and the school charter. Policies are reviewed periodically and adopted at public meetings.
Administrative Procedures Manual [PDF]
Chartering Documents: UTVA was approved by the Utah State Charter School Board and the State Board of Education in 2008. Please note, the content of the original charter application (including policies) is subject to change and several amendment requests have been submitted and approved.
Charter Application [PDF](08/2007)
Amendment Request [DOC] (04/2008)
Amendment Request [DOC] (11/2010)
Charter Agreement and Exhibit A [PDF] (10/2018)
Financial Oversight
The board oversees the financial health of Utah Virtual Academy and reviews budgets on a regular basis. All budgets are approved by the board and publicly available on the Utah Public Finance website. Monthly budget reports are available upon request to mmerideth@utahvirtual.org.
Members of the audit committee include Amberly Keeler and Dallin Drescher.
Stakeholders may report concerns of fraud, waste, abuse, or non-compliance directly to school administration or the governing board. Alternatively, stakeholders may report such concerns directly to the Utah State Board of Education through the Public Education Hotline at 801.538.7813 and full contact information may be found on the Internal Audit website.
Board of Directors
President | Brian Maxwell
Brian Maxwell has a degree in political science from the University of Utah. His experience includes working as a deputy campaign manager, a senior policy advisor, and a senior account executive.
Email: bmaxwell@utavirtual.org
Vice President | Kristen Davidson
Kristen Davidson works as career and technical education coordinator at Northridge High School in Layton, Utah. She is a graduate of Weber State University and the University of Utah. She taught health science classes and has previous experience as an operating room nurse. Kristen served as the National Board Chair for HOSA Future Health Professionals, President of the Utah Association for Career and Technical Education and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Health Professions Network.
Email: kdavidson@utahvirtual.org
Financial Coordinator / Secretary | Dallin Drescher
Dallin Drescher has a bachelor's degree in commercial Spanish and is currently in law school. He has experience as an assistant manager at America First Credit Union and is the director of publishing for eAssist Dental Solutions.
Email: drescher@utahvirtual.org
Parent Representative | Amberly Keeler
Amberly Keeler is a former employee of UTVA who worked as an elementary teacher, a lead teacher, and as the Director of Family Academic Support Team (FAST). As a parent, Amberly has witnessed how UTVA can support individual student needs.
Email: ambkeeler@utahvirtual.org
Member | Marty Carpenter
Marty Carpenter has a demonstrated expertise in public policy and strategic communications and worked on the executive team of Utah's largest and longest-serving non-profit business association, the Salt Lake Chamber, as well as other nonprofit boards. Currently, Marty is a managing partner of 24NINE, a public policy firm located in Salt Lake City. Marty served as the senior advisor to Governor Herbert and has worked closely with education advisors, such as the Utah Education Association and various elected officials who support and oversee education.
Email: mcarpenter@utahvirtual.org
