Meet Our Team
Meet Our Administrators
The administrative staff for Utah Virtual Academies (UTVA) is ready to share their innovation, expertise, and enthusiasm with your family. The leadership is dedicated to empowering our school communities.
Meghan Merideth | Head of School
mmerideth@utahvirtual.org
801.262.4922 Ext. 210
Mrs. Merideth graduated from Utah Valley University in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in behavioral science. She completed her master's degree in educational counseling from the University of Phoenix in 2009 and is pursuing her doctoral degree in educational leadership at the University of Utah. Mrs. Merideth has been with UTVA since 2011 and has experience in working with students of all grade levels with charter and district schools before joining UTVA. Her background includes extensive experience as a school counselor, high school principal, and operations manager. Mrs. Merideth has a passion for virtual education, believing that all students can learn, and virtual education is a vehicle to facilitate quality education statewide.
Tiffany Allen | Operation Manager
tallen@utahvirtual.org
801.262.4922
Mrs. Allen graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in public relations and business. Mrs. Allen’s early career involved learning the marketing side of business. She worked with a virtual training company right out of college and was intrigued by the "education" component of the company. She has since served as the marketing director for local school bond initiatives, and the executive director for the Morgan Education Foundation. Mrs. Allen has been part of the UTVA team since 2018. It is her goal to provide sustainable processes to support staff and students to ensure each student the best possible virtual education.
Debbie Dempsey | High School Principal
ddempsey@k12.com
801.262.4922 Ext. 200
Ms. Dempsey graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in elementary education and special education. She earned her master's in education at City University of Seattle, principal certification from Seattle Pacific University, and education specialist degree from Walden University. Ms. Dempsey taught special education in grades 1–12 in private and public schools for 21 years and has been a principal for 12 years in public and charter school systems. Her family has lived in Maryland, Washington, and California, and are glad to call Utah home again. She has a son, a daughter, and four of the cutest grandsons around. Ms. Dempsey's experience with non-traditional educational opportunities has shown her endless possibilities for each student to reach their dreams.
Desarae Wright | High School Assistant Principal
dwright@utahvirtual.org
801.262.4922 ext. 3340
Mrs. Wright graduated from the University of Utah with her bachelor's degree in early childhood education and completed her master's in educational leadership from Western Governor's University in 2017. She taught grades K–2 before moving to administration as assistant principal, first for K8 and now for high school. Mrs. Wright joined the UTVA team in 2013 and has a passion for education and serving the virtual school population. Although working with younger students is where her career began, she quickly found a special place in her heart for high school and looks forward to seeing the school grow.
Lori Simonson | Middle School Principal
losimonson@utahvirtual.org
801.262.4922 Ext.7636
Lori Simonson graduated from Dixie State University in 2010 with a degree in elementary education and an ESL endorsement. She is currently enrolled at Southern Utah University and will graduate with her master's in education with administrative and supervisory license in December 2021. Ms. Simonson's background in education includes teaching 2nd grade, 5th grade, 7th grade science, as well as working as an instructional coach, lead teacher, and K8 vice principal. She is passionate about education and believes that every student should have the opportunity to receive the best education possible. Ms. Simonson believes that by working together as a middle school team we can help support students in finding success through their educational pursuits.
Lacy Robinson | Elementary Principal
larobinson@k12.com
801.262.4922
Ms. Robinson graduated from Dixie State University in 2006 with a degree in elementary education and an ESL endorsement. She will complete her master's in education with administrative license (MEd LEAD) in July 2021 through Southern Utah University. Her teaching experience includes being a 6/7 grade math teacher, high school mentor, 3rd grade teacher, 5th grade teacher, and math interventionist. Ms. Robinson began working at Utah Virtual Academy in 2013 and is so proud of how far this school has come since that time. In addition to teaching, she created and advised both the Ambassador and Jr. Ambassador leadership programs at UTVA. She also worked on the K8 leadership team as lead teacher for three years. Ms. Robinson is passionate about helping students grow and develop through equity and excellence. Her focus as a leader at UTVA centers around supporting teachers and families, high expectations for both staff and students, and keeping student growth at the very center of every decision that is made. Ms. Robinson truly believes that educators have a moral and ethical duty to educate every student and looks forward to that responsibility every single day!
Shelly Strahan | Special Programs Manager
sstrahan@utahvirtual.org
801.262.4922 Ext. 6000
Mrs. Strahan graduated from Southern Utah University in 2003 with a teaching degree in secondary language arts and journalism. After teaching language arts for two years at an alternative private school setting, Mrs. Strahan realized her real passion was working with students with disabilities, especially autism. She earned her endorsement in special education from Utah State University and afterward moved into special education in the public school system. Mrs. Strahan has worked in private schools, a public district school, and now at Utah Virtual Academy. She was the special education coordinator at UTVA for seven years, and in 2018 moved to the role of special programs manager, where she oversees compliance for Special Education, Title I programs, 504 plans, and ELL. Her strongest belief is that given the opportunity, all students can learn.
LuAnn Charles | Student Services Administrator and Marketing Point of Contact Rep.
lcharles@utahvirtual.org
385.212.4613
Mrs. Charles has been at UTVA for seven years, starting as a Kindergarten and 1st-grade teacher. She then worked as the family engagement coordinator for four years and is currently excited to work as the student services administrator with a fantastic team of professionals dedicated to supporting students and parent Learning Coaches. Mrs. Charles graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in elementary education. Her hobbies include rock climbing, hiking, fishing, singing, and spending time with her family.
