Executive Board

Terri’s passion for education and learning started years before she received her degree from Utah State University. She grew up as an Air Force “brat” living in and visiting many different countries. Whether in Germany, Philippines, England, Hong Kong, North Dakota or settling in Florida, it allowed her the opportunity to learn from many different cultures. Upon receiving a scholarship to Utah State University, she met her husband, Jonathan Howell, where they both found their love of history and education. Adding three sons to their family, three daughter in-laws, three grandchildren and two more in July, has given them the ability to share their love of travel, the beach and baseball. Eating peanuts and cracker jacks at thirteen Major League Baseball Parks (including Fenway Park…Go Red Sox) with your family is a Homerun! Terri started her educational career at Dixie High, teaching US History. Her Flyer Family will always have a place in her heart. After teaching, she received her Media Endorsement and started at Snow Canyon Middle School in the library. She later received her Master in Education Administration. In 2018, she took a Teacher on Special Assignment position at Desert Hills High. After nineteen years in education, Terri is thrilled to be a part of the Thunder Family in her third year as Assistant Principal over Athletics. You might find Terri watching the Red Sox, enjoying the sun on the beach or playing with her Grandchildren!

Ryan McGuire is the Principal of Salem Hills High School. He was the Principal of Mt. Nebo Middle School when he was awarded the UASSP Middle School Principal of the Year in 2020. Mr. McGuire received his bachelor’s degree in history from Brigham Young University in 2000 and a master’s degree in Education Administration from Southern Utah University in 2007. Mr. McGuire served as Principal of Springville Junior High for five years and as Assistant Principal of Payson High for five years. He also was as an assistant principal of Payson Junior High. As a teacher, he taught Spanish and history at Spanish Fork High and Spanish Fork Middle School. He also coached basketball throughout his teaching career, including being the head coach for the girls’ varsity basketball team at Spanish Fork High. Ryan enjoys spending time outdoors and fishing of any kind. He is married to Trudy and they have four children. They reside in Spanish Fork, Utah.

Bruce grew up near Liberty Park in SLC and graduated from Highland HS, but he still claims South High pride. Go, Rams and Cubs! He taught ESL, English, and reading for ten years at Hillcrest Junior in the Murray School District. This is his ninth year as a high school administrator in the Canyons School District. He was an assistant principal at Corner Canyon HS for six years. Go Chargers! This is his third year as the principal of Jordan High. Go Beetdiggers! Maroon and Gray! He has a BA in English and MED in teaching and learning from the U of U. He completed his Ph.D. in educational leadership at BYU. His doctoral research focused on teacher collaboration and comparative education, emphasizing the Finnish system. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at the University of Utah’s Department of Education, Culture, and Society. He is an educator today because a high school teacher advocated for him. He hopes to keep paying it forward by advocating for students, educators, school administrators, and Utah schools.

Braxton Bateman attended Southern Utah University where he received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Elementary Education along with his Administrative, Reading, and Technology Endorsements. After SUU, Bateman started his education path as a teacher at Washington Elementary School and then served as a Title-I Site Coordinator.  Bateman moved to Kanab to become the elementary principal at Kanab Elementary School and served as the principal for six years.  He is now currently working as the principal of Kanab Middle School and oversees district program positions.

Randall Seltz grew up near Detroit, Michigan. After studying secondary education at Western Michigan University, he moved to Utah to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming an English teacher. Randall spent seven years teaching English at the middle and high school levels. After moving into teacher leadership roles, he earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Utah. Since 2017, he’s worked as an Assistant Principal in Canyons School District at various middle schools. When not at school, Randall enjoys trail running, reading, and exploring Utah’s many canyons and mountains. 

Eric was born and raised in the central valley of California. He graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and returned to California to begin his teaching and coaching career at his alma mater. After five years in California, he returned to Utah to continue his teaching/coaching career at Lehi High School. Eric spent the next six years as a teacher/coach at Lehi High School while completing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Westminster College and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Utah University. Eric spent the next four years as an Assistant Principal at Orem High School and then returned to Lehi High School where he is currently serving as an Assistant Principal. Eric lives in Lehi with his wife Chantel and they have four children. Eric has a passion for leading, learning and is excited to work with all of the great educators in the state.

 I just finished year 28 in public education.  I have been a History and Health Teacher, Student Government Advisor, Assistant Principal High School, and a Principal at both the Middle and High School Levels.  My involvement in student leadership began at Hillcrest High School.  I was appointed to UASSP as the UASC Executive Director in 2007.  I serve with a national organization (NASSCED)  with executive directors from all over the country.  I served as Vice-President and President of NASSCED and as a board member.  Our purpose is to collaborate, plan and guide student leaders.  I am a firm believer that students must be engaged and anchored at their schools by SOMETHING.  I encourage our student leaders to facilitate and support those SOMETHINGS!  Currently, I serve as a Program Administrator in External Relations for Canyons School District.

Josh is committed to education and passionate about serving those in alternative and adult education. With experience from K-Post-Secondary Training, Joshua has experience throughout the continuum of education. One area of educational leadership which remains consistent throughout is providing instruction to those in alternative placements. Joshua has found the tools associated with Motivational Interviewing as a key strategy in helping teachers evoke their latent potential as well as practicing Facial Action Coding to help identify those students suffering from trauma and Multi-Language Learners who are unable to verbally express their emotions. Josh received his Administration and Educational Leadership M. Ed at the University of Virginia. He has and continues to serve on many Boards in Utah. Some of those include: Utah’s Governor’s Refugee Advisory Board, Member of the Ballpark Neighborhood Community Council, Coalition of Adult Basic Education, Chairperson of Utah State Board of Education’s Adult Education Advisory Committee, and President of the Adult Education Association of Utah.

Rhonda has been an educator for 31 years. As a teacher, she taught Social Studies and Physical Education. She loved being an advisor and coach of many extra-curricular activities. After being a high school assistant principal, she worked as the Public Relations Director for Alpine School District and then as the principal of Lone Peak High School for several years. At the district level, she was a Secondary Supervisor and then an Assistant Superintendent. She is excited to serve as the new Executive Director of UASSP. She married her high school sweetheart, Reed, and they have six children and two perfect grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family and doing anything outdoors.

Melony has been involved with education for the past 30 years and recently retired as the Finance Secretary at Maple Mountain HIgh School. She was involved at MMHS from the Startup of the new high school to the time she retired. She has worked at Payson High School and most recently at Salem Hills HIgh School, also in finance.

Melony was involved with UHSAA and served for several  years as the secretary for region 8, getting to know many administrators around the state. She loves spending time with her adorable 5 grandkids and attending any event they are involved in.

Melony loves staying busy and  is so excited to begin this new adventure with UASSP.

Shane Jones is the newly appointed Principal at Sky View High School. Shane started his educational career as a high school counselor in Kimberly, Idaho before coming to Utah. After counseling for twelve years, Shane decided to go back to school and get a teaching endorsement in psychology. He was a teacher, softball and volleyball coach and athletic director at Sky View before moving into administration. He has spent the last five years as the Assistant Principal of Green Canyon High School and was the Utah Assistant Principal of Year in 2019. Shane is married to Judy, a middle school math teacher, has four kids, and a grandchild with one more on the way.

Todd was born and raised in Scipio, Utah.  Currently, He lives in Salt Lake County but Scipio is still home. He thought of buying some ruby slippers on many occasions to tap the heels together just like Dorothy did in The Wizard Of Oz.  He has seen a transformation in education over the years.  He remembers sharing an Apple 2e computer with three other teachers and putting grades in a hard copy grade book.  He taught Science 31 years ago and never dreamed he would become an administrator.  He loved the classroom!  He doesn’t know what possessed him to hit the books at night and get his Masters in Education Leadership from Utah State University, but it was a great decision. He is currently the Principal of Herriman High School and a proud member of the Mustang community. The best part of his administrative experience has been the people he has met along the way.  If he doesn’t know you yet, he is excited about the opportunity. He has been President of UASSP previously and is excited to serve as the UASSP Coordinator.

Cerissa was born and raised in Utah and taught science and coached during her time in the classroom. She has had the privilege to work in both the junior high and high school as an administrator and is currently the principal at North Davis Junior High School in Davis School District. In her spare time, she likes to hike, be with her friends and family, and is currently on a quest to find the best fries in Utah.

Eric is excited and honored to join the UASSP board.  As an accomplished educator and experienced school administrator he feels that his experience will continue to move our profession forward. He is currently the Principal at Fort Herriman Middle School and in the fall will move to West Jordan Middle School. He has served as an Assistant Principal in both Utah (West Jordan Middle School), and Texas (Crosby Middle School). His passion is fostering inclusive learning environments for all students. He was recognized as the 2020 UMLA Principal of the Year, His commitment to student achievement and creating positive educational experiences drives him forward in his role as an educator.

Karen is a seasoned educator with a 40-year career dedicated to shaping young minds. For the past five years, she has served as the principal of Manti HS. Prior to her tenure at Manti High, Karen spent a decade as an elementary principal. Driven by her fervent passion for leadership, Karen thrives in fostering connections and building meaningful relationships. As a true people person, she believes in the power of
community and collaboration to drive positive change in education. Beyond her professional endeavors, Karen finds joy in her role as a loving spouse to Korry Soper and a proud parent to four children,
extending her legacy to 14 cherished grandchildren. Her commitment to educational excellence extends beyond her school’s walls, as evidenced by her role as the Vice Chair on Snow College’s board of
trustees. Additionally, Karen has served as a dedicated facilitator for the Principal’s Partnership Network (PPN) for the past four years. Karen is a former member of the UHSAA executive committee and her
specialization in sportsmanship for regions 12 and 14 underscore her dedication to fostering a culture of integrity and fair play in school athletics.

Quinn Linde has been in education for 10 years. His experience as an administrator spans six years, he has served as an Assistant Principal at Corner Canyon High and Hillcrest High in Utah.  He now serves as principal at Murray High School. In addition, he taught Biology at the high school level.  He holds degrees in Biology and Educational Leadership.  Quinn currently serves on the ECC as Region 10 director for the UHSAA.

Melissa grew up in Sandy, Utah, she lived in the Jordan School District. She attended Sunrise Elementary, Indian Hills Middle School, and graduated from Alta High School. She attended Snow College where she served as the student body president and then graduated from the University of Utah in Environmental Science. While at the U of U she served as the senior class president. She and her husband, Cary, lived 7 years in Missouri while Cary completed medical school. Upon returning to Utah, in 2003, they settled in Gunnison, Utah. In 2005, Melissa started and established a student leadership program at Gunnison Valley High School. Within two years the district saw the value in the program and hired her to create the curriculum, teach, and advise the student leaders. Additionally, over the past 17 years, Melissa worked for the district running the work-based learning program, as well as the AmeriCorps program. In 2018, she felt an urgency to get her Masters-degree. She received a Masters in Leadership from WGU. Upon completing
her Masters, she was hired as the assistant principal of Gunnison Valley High School in 2020. Melissa loves the youth and counts working with them as one of her biggest blessings in life. Helping them see and reach their full potential is one of her greatest joys. She is a proud mom of her 4 boys- Preston, Payton, Parker and Pearson. She loves spending time with them and her husband.

Jason is a dynamic professional who continues to put the success of students at the forefront of his work. He incorporates innovation in his leadership decisions. With 9 years of experience in education and 3 years in the field of Finance, Jason has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to drive growth and foster a culture of excellence within his teams. Jason’s career began in the finance industry after graduating from SUU. After 3 years working with Fortune 500 companies, he went back to school and started his education journey. He taught Social Studies at Lehi HS, then earned his Master’s in Educational Leadership from BYU. Jason is passionate about his family. He is married to his sweetheart Angela and they have 4 children. If he is not working, Jason loves to spend time with his family. Jason believes that through the service of others, we find happiness and joy within ourselves, which provides a perfect balance to his professional life. He loves to be involved in community service projects and continues to serve his neighborhood through various projects. He resides in Saratoga Springs where he cherishes time with family and friends.

Quinn Kellis, Ed.D., represents the Utah State Board of Education in his role as Leadership Development Coordinator. He is also the lead administrator for State Online Education Program (SOEP), school accreditation, concurrent enrollment, and administrator standards and licensing. Dr. Kellis is a former Superintendent from Arizona with 32 years of K-12 experience.