Gail Williamsen, along with her husband Thom, founded Elizabeth Academy in 2008. Gail was born and raised in Salt Lake City and attended public schools, graduating from Highland High School. She began her undergraduate studies at the University of Utah while designing women’s apparel and producing the catalogs for LeVoy’s Lingerie. Interrupting school and career, she paused to focus on what she considers to be the most important of her life’s work–the rearing of her seven children. Gail returned to the University of Utah in 2004, continuing her formal education and earning her BA in English.

She completed her Master of Education degree and American Montessori Society (AMS) Administrative credential through the Institute for Montessori Innovation at Westminster College. Gail has a passion for lifelong learning and particularly enjoys great art, music, and literature.

Sofia Laguna Rigolon is from Boulder, Colorado, and has been teaching, designing curriculum, and focusing on inclusive education practices for the past 11 years.

Sofia has two Masters degrees- one in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Denver) and the other in Instructional Leadership (Utah State University), and she holds a certificate in Instructional Design from the University of Utah. Sofia studied English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of Colorado.

Sofia has taught students from Kindergarten to university, and specializes in language acquisition, curriculum development, differentiation, and establishing collaborative teaching and planning models to maximize ALL student learning. Sofia and her husband are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters. As a family, they love being part of the Elizabeth Academy community!

Stacy has a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Utah, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Montana in Missoula, and an Associate’s Special Education teaching license through the Utah State Board of Education. She is completing courses to complete full licensure as a Special Educator, and this is in her third year of teaching.

Prior to joining the team at Elizabeth Academy, Stacy worked for Granite School District as a Special Educator. She also lived and worked in different countries throughout Africa for 7 years (2011-2018) and has worked in refugee resettlement in the Salt Lake area. She loves spending time with people from all different cultures, learning styles, and perspectives. One of Stacy’s greatest passions is Performance Art; she loves attending community theater performances, singing along to Broadway musical soundtracks, and is looking forward to teaching theater classes in addition to running the post-secondary program at Elizabeth Academy this year.  In her spare time, Stacy enjoys traveling and engaging in outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, and fishing.

Michele was a ballet major at Brigham Young University (BYU) and is nearing completion of her Early Childhood MACTE-accredited Montessori credential through MEPI (Montessori Education Programs International). With over 30 years of teaching experience at private studios and both private and public schools, Michele has danced since the age of six and has been teaching dance for over 20 years. She has worked with children ranging from 12 months to 18 years, including as an Early Childhood teacher and a member of our enrichment teaching team. Michele has four children—two boys and two girls. Traveling the world with her parents as a child instilled in her a great love and appreciation for people and culture. Michele joined the Elizabeth Academy staff in 2010.

Carrie, M.S. CCC-SLP , has a Bachelors in Communication Science and Disorders as well as a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Idaho State University. She is certified through the American Speech and Hearing Association and has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist in private practice, hospitals, home health, and in schools.

Carrie has served as a Parent Advisor on the Utah Special Education Advisory Panel for the Utah State Board of Education, The Utah Alternative Technology Team for Canyons School District, on the county and state boards of the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation, and has volunteered for Special Olympics.

She enjoys scuba diving, singing, playing piano and organ, cooking, reading, theater, crochet, learning, and advocacy. Carrie and her husband have 4 children, one of whom is diagnosed with Down syndrome.