Leadership/Staff
Administrative Team
Cody O'Brien
ELC Director
I am a Utah native, and I have always lived in Utah County for most of my life. I spent my childhood in Orem and most of my adult life I have lived in Payson, where I currently live with my family. My wife’s name is Lindsey and we have three children: Chandler (25), Carter (18), and Lydia (13). Our family loves to vacation in California or Florida and spend time at Disneyland and Universal Studios. We love the thrill rides and wearing ourselves out at the parks. My hobby is gardening and enjoying the flowers and fruits that come with it. I could spend all of my time outside if my life allowed it, and because I love being outside no matter the weather, learning how to garden has developed into my favorite hobby. I simply love the beauty of flowers, shrubs, trees and all the varieties of tomato plants that are out there.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix in 2010, and my first and only teaching experience has been with APA. I started in 2009 as a 5th-grade teacher at the Draper 1 campus. After teaching for a few years, I had the opportunity to open up another APA campus in Salem and spent the next ten years as the 4th- 6th Elementary Director. I have a master’s degree in Education Administration from the University of Phoenix and my time in Salem gave me an incredible amount of experience working with staff members, students and parents as I supported the school to become a thriving extension of the APA model.
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KrisAn Miles
Assistant ELC Director
Mrs. Miles attended Ricks College and BYU. She graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in History in 2004. She is a proud APA parent and got hired in spring of 2017 because she volunteered so much. She has been a groups instructor, classroom instructor, off campus teacher, and curriculum specialist. She is currently the assistant director at the ELC. She loves APA both as an employee and as a parent. She and her husband have been married 17 years and have three daughters.
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Kindergarten Team
Elizabeth Buell
Kindergarten Teacher
Elizabeth Buell began at APA in 2016 as a group instructor at the Early Learning Center. She worked at Draper 1 in several grades as a classroom instructor for five years, and this is her third year as a kindergarten teacher. Happily married with two daughters, Elizabeth also has two dogs and two cats. In her free time she likes to craft, watch movies with her family, and play card and board games.
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Hailey Lucas
Kindergarten Teacher
Hailey Lucas is a full-time student at Utah State University majoring in Elementary Education. This is Hailey’s fourth year at American Preparatory Academy, three years as an instructor and this is her first year as a teacher. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, arts & crafts, and traveling.
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Becca Mitchell
Kindergarten Instructor
Becca has been at APA going on 2 years now. She started out as a groups Instructor and this is her first year as a classroom instructor and loves it! She is certified in Marriage and Family Studies through Pathways and is continuing her education through BYUI. Becca got married over the summer and has loved spending time with her husband doing the activities they most enjoy, hiking, hammocking, playing volleyball and pickleball!
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Ary Saguilan
Kindergarten Teacher
Ms.Saguilan began working at American Preparatory Academy as an Instructor in 2016, and in 2020 became a Kindergarten Teacher. She's working on her Bachelor’s of Elementary Education at WGU. She loves teaching at APA, and seeing the growth and excitement of her kindergarten students! In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, dog, and friends.
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Kandra Pearson
Preschool Teacher
My name is Kandra Pearson, I started working at APA over 10 years starting at the west valley 1 campus. I was also one of the first students to attend American Prep when it opened in 2003. Teaching is a passion of mine! When I am not teaching, I enjoy traveling the world, attending concerts and shopping.
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