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Board of Directors

The Early Light Academy (ELA) Board of Directors is a non-profit governing body led by parents and community members established to oversee the implementation of the school charter as approved by the Utah State Office of Education.

Meet our Board Members

  • Jenn Lund
    Bio
    Jenn Lund
    Chair
    Jenn Lund
    Chair

    Jenn Lund graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology with an emphasis in Wildlife.  Her passion for all kinds of science led her to an opportunity to teach third through fifth grade students at The Waterford School in Sandy, Utah.  There, she was able to engage young minds by teaching them through daily hands-on experiments. Watching students who at first struggled, finally succeed brought her the most joy.  She helped form a Bird Club where she taught students to identify birds and throughout the year went on field trips to observe the vast array of species found in Utah.

    Jenn spends much of her time taking care of and running her five children around.  She loves working in her flower and vegetable gardens and showing her kids all of the beauties of nature found there.  Her love of birds has carried over to her family. They enjoy going on birding and other wildlife excursions together.

    Term ends June 2027

  • Andrea Johnson
    Bio
    Andrea Johnson
    Vice Chair
    Andrea Johnson
    Vice Chair

    Andrea Facer Johnson graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in History Teaching and a Special Education Endorsement for Mild/Moderate Disabilities. She taught special education for 8 years and while teaching was awarded Wasatch Peak Academy Teacher of the Year and Utah Charter School Teacher of the Year. For the last 5 years Andrea has been the Listening Program Provider for Utah Virtual Academy and has ran her own online business, Modern Day Invite. Andrea is also a board member for the charity Reach Out and Learn, with her focus in Ghana. She hopes to travel back there one day and build a trade school. Andrea is a mother of 3 and loves spending time with her children. She also enjoys wake boarding, snow boarding, swimming, and composing music.

    Term ends June 2026

  • Candice Mitchell
    Bio
    Candice Mitchell
    Board Member
    Candice Mitchell
    Board Member

    Candice Mitchell has a passion for all things creative. From her early career as a character animator for video games, to her current roles as wife, mother, and business owner, she weaves together her deep appreciation of design and aesthetic, with a pragmatic ability to realize and execute a vision.

    Candice graduated Magna Cum Laude from Utah State University with a BFA in Graphic Design and Computer Animation and subsequently spent many of her professional years as an Art Director and Creative Executive. She provides a visionary and unorthodox approach to everything from product development, to brand management, to fostering relationships with licensors such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Sesame Street and Sanrio. Her latest adventure is the operation of a design and marketing firm with her husband. Her creative endeavors have taken her to far-off shores, coast-to-coast, around the block, and in her own backyard where she loves to throw immersive events, cultivate her garden, and spend time with her three favorite men.

    From their first year at ELA, she and her family knew they had found a community of kindred spirits. ELA’s tenets-- Responsibility, Kindness, Leadership, Hard Work, and a forward-thinking Informed Perspective developed through historical context--dovetail beautifully with their own principles. She is excited to add her voice to the ELA family.

    Term ends June 2027

  • Brett Crockett
    Bio
    Brett Crockett
    Financial Coordinator
    Brett Crockett
    Financial Coordinator

    Brett has spent over 20 years helping create, build, and grow businesses. One of his favorites is Readeo.com, an application that combines books and video chat to help families connect through reading. He’s been able to work with well-known brands including Discovery, National Geographic, ABC, Verizon, Adobe, and others, but his favorite work is helping smaller companies grow into recognizable brands. Brett is currently a Partner and Director of Marketing at Harmon Brothers, a video advertising agency known for viral internet videos including Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, FiberFix, Lumē Deodorant, Purple Mattresses, and others. Brett and his wife Whittney enjoy camping, skiing, and rock climbing with their daughter who attends ELA and her little brother who is a future ELA student.

    Term ends June 2025

  • Brian Christensen
    Bio
    Brian Christensen
    Secretary
    Brian Christensen
    Secretary

    Brian Christensen has a strong passion for education and learning. Never being one to shy away from learning anything new, he tends to gravitate towards new projects and responsibilities that help him learn and grow.  

    Most recently, Brian graduated from the University of Utah with his MBA. He also received a Masters Degree in Sports Medicine from Syracuse University, and his undergraduate degrees are in Sports Medicine and History from Brigham Young University. Brian has successfully worked in the Healthcare Industry for the past 15 years. For the past ten years, Brian has worked as a Product Manager guiding the development of many major IT initiatives. He has successfully helped large and small companies like Verisk Health, Aviacode, Healthicity, 3M, and USANA build new and exciting features to help them with their IT endeavors. 

    Brian and his wife have three children who currently attend ELA. They have lived in the area for 15 years and are grateful for the many friends, both old and new, they have made in the ELA community. In their free time, they enjoy reading, traveling, gardening, golfing, doing projects around the house, and of course, learning new things.

    Term ends June 2026

Board Meetings

All Early Light Academy (ELA) Board of Directors meetings are open to the public. ELA follows the Utah Open & Public Meetings Act. Meeting information is posted at least twenty four (24) hours in advance on the Utah Public Meeting Notice website, as well as all meeting minutes, audio recordings and meeting materials.  Meeting minutes and audio recordings are also available to the public by request.  To request a written copy of Board Meeting minutes or audio recording of an open meeting, please email your request to Mrs. Schmidt

To receive an email or RSS feed whenever the ELA Board of Directors has a public meeting, in addition to other tools for public meetings within the state of Utah, visit the Utah Public Meeting Notices website, then perform a search for Early Light Academy.

Financial Oversight

The Governing Board oversees the financial health of Early Light Academy. All budgets are approved by the Governing Board and published on the Utah Public Finance Website.

In accordance with Utah Code Ann. Section 53G-7-309, the governing board receives a financial report each month. This report includes the following information: (i) the amounts of all budget appropriations; (ii) the disbursements from the appropriations as of the date of the report; and (iii) the percentage of the disbursements as of the date of the report. The report is also available for public review.  CLICK HERE for the most current copy of Early Light Academy's monthly financial report.  

The Board Audit Committee is comprised of the Executive Director, Board President and Board Financial Coordinator.

Stakeholders of Early Light Academy may report financial concerns regarding fraud, waste, abuse, or non-compliance directly to the School in accordance with the School’s grievance policies.  Alternatively, stakeholders may report such financial concerns to the Utah State Board of Education through their Public Education Hotline at (801) 538-7813.  Full contact information for the Public Education Hotline can be found here.