Meet our team
Meet Our Leadership Team
Wyoming Virtual Academy's (WYVA's) leadership team is passionate about helping students fulfill their potential and discover the possibilities of a high–quality education.
Dr. Joe Heywood | Head of School
Dr. Heywood was raised in Los Angeles but married into a Wyoming family and has recently settled permanently in Wyoming. Dr. Heywood has been a school administrator for over 10 years, worked as a principal, and has two years as the compliance manager of all public charter schools at the Utah State Office of Education. He also taught secondary English and history for 10 years. Dr. Heywood holds degrees in history, educational leadership, and curriculum and instruction from BYU, Northern Arizona University, and Utah State University.
Caroline Hickerson | High School Principal
Mrs. Hickerson has been with WYVA for more than six years and loves teaching science. Previous to teaching for WYVA, she taught for both public and private schools in Laramie County for seven years. She is also the 2015 Air Force Association Wyoming State Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Hickerson has a BS in biology from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She is highly qualified to teach middle and high school science.
Lisa Williams | Elementary Principal
Mrs. Lisa Williams began working with WYVA in October of 2011. She has a BA in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming and a MA in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. She also holds a certificate in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Williams in in her 17th year in education and was offered the position of elementary principal August of 2020. She had previously taught all grades K-6 with WYVA and served as the elementary lead teacher for 7 years.
Kristen Stauffer | Operations Manager
Mrs. Stauffer graduated from the University of South Dakota with a major in speech and a minor in English. Since then, she has been an assistant manager at a bank, assistant manager of a western store, and public relations director for Paleo Park.
Christina Jewett | Compliance Coordinator
Mrs. Jewett works as the compliance coordinator, the FAST lead, middle school advisor, and attendance coordinator. She joined the team in 2013. She has served in the military and earned her BA in business administration.
Jennifer Copeland | Testing Coordinator
Mrs. Copeland is a former high school and middle school Spanish teacher and has worked as a program coordinator with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. She has a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and a master’s in bilingual and multicultural education (secondary education). Mrs. Copeland grew up in Wyoming but has lived in Arizona and Las Vegas. She was excited to be able to return to the state of Wyoming and raise her children here.
Janae Miller | Career Learning Coordinator
Mrs. Miller has been with WYVA since 2015, she has previously held other roles such as advisor, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and Concurrent Enrollment adjunct instructor through Eastern Wyoming College. She holds a Master’s of Education with a K-12 principal certification. Mrs. Miller brings a wide career background to her role. With previous experience as a large-scale retail manager, as a healthcare patient relations program coordinator and as a post-secondary education program coordinator, Mrs. Miller can make solid connections for all Career Prep pathway students at Wyoming Virtual.
