AMS Impact Team
AMS Impact Leadership
Erik Greenberg, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Erik has spent his entire career in education serving in various leadership capacities in both Higher Education and Early Education. He is very passionate about education, particularly providing equal opportunities for education to all students.Prior to joining AMS, Erik served as VP of Operations for Early Education schools. He led operations for over 20 schools in various states in the Western United States. In that role, he learned how vital education is in the early years of a child’s life. Prior to that, Erik spent over a decade in Higher Education. Starting his career in enrollment services, Erik worked closely with working adults to pursue their educational aspirations. Throughout his time, he led larger enrollment teams and eventually lead entire campus teams serving as Campus President in both Washington D.C. and Dallas, Texas. Erik has a bachelor’s degree in International Business and a Master’s in Business Administration. Erik joined the AMS network in February of 2019.
Brandi Adams Bressler
Chief Operating Officer
Brandi has spent her entire career in education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Educational Leadership from Arizona State University. Brandi began her career as a high school history teacher at a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona. After obtaining her Arizona principal certificate, she held instructional leadership and school administrative roles before ultimately transitioning to operational roles within charter school networks in Arizona. In her capacity, Brandi works closely to support AMS schools in the areas of Marketing, Enrollment, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Facilities. Brandi is passionate about education and the work we do to provide the best education and the best environment to AMS students. Brandi joined the AMS network in December of 2020. |
Steven Hykes, BS, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Steven Hykes graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Akron with a minor in Economics. He began his career in public accounting working in the fields of audit, tax and mergers and acquisitions for both Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Steven received his Certified Public Accounting license from the state of Arizona in April of 2015. He has a diverse background having managed restaurants, volunteered overseas, and done both educational and non-profit work. Most recently he was the Chief Financial Officer of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, where he spent three years overseeing various financial aspects of the business. Steven joined the AMS network in January of 2016.
Cheri Shannon
Chief Strategist
Committed to the core mission of ensuring students are prepared for success in college, work and life, Cheri has dedicated her career to strengthening leaders, growing networks and impacting students. Cheri has recently served as the Chief Growth Officer for Phalen Leadership Academies and provided leadership in securing turnaround contracts, facilitated the transition of the new turnaround schools, served as the board liaison for PLA contract schools and worked with national charter authorizers on charter compliance.
Cheri began her work in education serving as a teacher and an administrator in traditional public-school districts. Following her work as the Deputy Superintendent in the Kansas City Missouri School District she was quickly tapped to serve in top school leadership positions in the charter sector in Kansas City and was the founding principal/superintendent of University Academy. Following 6 years of service within charter schools and being recognized as an emerging leader in the field, Cheri was chosen to lead the Missouri Charter Public Schools Association in 2009, followed by the Florida Charter Schools Association in 2011.
In her tireless work to advance the charter movement and continue to make a difference in the landscape, Cheri’s talents in new school development became widely recognized and she quickly gained a reputation for her instrumental work in growing and launching schools, inspiring her to serve as an educational consultant to serve others in this capacity. Prior to her time as Phalen Leadership Academies, Cheri served as the Vice President of Strategic Expansion Development for the Learn4Life Network of Charter Schools based in California and through that work was able to secure a state approved TX charter in Austin, an 1882 Texas District Charter Partnership, a 10-year charter in Charleston, SC and a state approved charter in Buffalo, NY. Cheri also secured federal CSP grants for each of these new charters.
Cheri earned her Master of Science Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Arizona State University and Bachelor of Science in Education from Southwest Missouri State University. Cheri has completed the coursework for her Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska and has an Education Specialist Degree from the University of Missouri. Combined with her rich experience in public education, Cheri is recognized as an expert in the industry and has contributed much thought leadership through numerous roles and opportunities throughout the nation.
Nate Lowry
Chief Academic Officer
Prior to joining AMS, Nate Lowry was an Executive Director for IDEA Public Schools in the Greater Austin area, where he oversaw 16 high performing schools serving almost 10,000 scholars K-12 all in high poverty neighborhoods. As Executive Director, he achieved 100% matriculation for their senior classes, and he led the region to increased performance on state assessments, leader and teacher retention, and scholar persistence.
Before managing the entire Austin Region, Nate served as a Vice President of Schools for IDEA, where he significantly increased principal retention, helped orchestrate school turnaround, and set strategy for program and talent development. Serving as IDEA Public School’s VP of Leadership Development, he designed and implemented school leader training for a network of over 70,000 scholars across multiple states.
He was the founding principal of IDEA Weslaco Pike winning recognition at the state and network level for high levels of scholar achievement, and during his tenure as campus principal, Nate led IDEA Montopolis College Preparatory to be the only school in east Austin to earn a TEA “A” Rating in 2018. Nate is a proud Cornell University graduate, and also holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia. He strongly believes in holding all students and adults to high expectations, and is focused on finding innovative programming that closes the experience gap for all students.
Robert Biggs
Chief Information Officer
Robert Biggs is the Chief Information Officer for AMS. His career started in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona where he studied the effects of genetically modified crops insect pest populations. After gaining an interest in Information Technology while building IT tools to manage data collection and presentation at the U of A, Mr. Biggs transitioned to a career in technology. Throughout his career he has managed many IT implementation projects that touch on a wide varieties of technologies including networking, server systems, communications, line-of-business applications (EHR, CRM), and cloud solutions. He has built and managed teams of IT professionals, emphasizing skill-building and career progression. He has provided CIO services to many for-profit and non-profit organizations in various verticals including Medical, Public Safety, Education, Retail and Government. Mr. Biggs joined AMS in September 2017.
Šárka White
Director of Schools
Dr. Andre Haughton
Regional Director of Schools
Before joining the Academies of Math and Science in June 2022, Dr. Haughton has spent over a decade working to improve the lives of students in Texas and California through enhanced educational opportunities.
After earning a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Political Science from the University of Florida in 2010, he began his career as a Teach For America corps member teaching 8th grade social studies in Houston, Texas. Over the next several years he continued to teach while earning a Master of Education degree from the University of St. Thomas and dedicating his summers to training new teachers through Teach For America’s summer institute as well as veteran teachers with the Houston Independent School District. Over the next few years Dr. Haughton won the coveted Kinder Award for Excellence in Teaching in Houston (2015), became an assistant principal (2016), and earned a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston (2017). Since then, he has continued to train new teachers as a professor with the Relay Graduate School of Education and Houston Community College while also being a principal-in-residence in Austin, Texas and then school principal in Oakland, California.
Throughout his career, Dr. Haughton has now taught over 800 students, been a leader for over 2,500 students, and coached/supported over 500 teachers, many of whom have gone on to lead schools of their own.
Josh Duerr
Regional Director
of Operations
Josh has a dynamic blend of operations and education experience. For the past 6 years, he served as the Executive Director of a multi-site church in North Phoenix where he oversaw the operations, finances, and facilities of each of the church’s campuses. Josh also led their strategic planning and data analysis for the expansion efforts for each of the new campuses across the Valley.
Prior to serving as the Executive Director, Josh worked in a charter school network in South Phoenix for 6 years, where he taught middle school math and science and served two years as the Dean of Students. Josh has a Master’s in Business Administration, a Master’s in Educational Leadership, and a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education.
Tammy Oluyemi
Vice President of
Talent Development
With two decades of educational leadership experience, Tammy Oluyemi’s service has resulted in closing achievement gaps and creating opportunities for students in Louisiana, Georgia, Washington D.C., Texas, and Illinois. She has a record of results positively impacting urban communities where resources and access are limited, as well as developing leaders into high performers with a runway ranging from 6 months to 1 year. In addition to regional and school district leadership, Tammy’s experiences include being a K-12 school leader, professional development designer and facilitator, Common Core and State Standards implementation manager, curriculum writer, instructional coach, and teacher in traditional public schools and public charter schools.
Natalie Trainor
Director Exceptional
Student Services
Emily Willis
Director of
Human Resources
Emily Willis is the Director of Human Resources and is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the Human Resources Department for AIG and all AMS schools. As Director of HR, contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of organization-wide plans and objectives by working closely with school and network leadership. Emily believes Human Resources has the privledge of guiding employees through their work and making a positive impact on their daily lives.
Emily has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and an executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In addition, she holds a graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Cornell University. Prior to joining AMS in 2019, Emily worked in Las Vegas overseeing multiple hospitality properties. In her various roles, she oversaw employee relations and culture development. Emily has experience in developing human resources training, shaping cultures, and ensuring highly interactive, synergistic relationships with business partners.
Craig Peterson
Director of Talent
| As the Director of Talent Acquisitions Craig helps guide his team in supporting the AMS network by finding and hiring the best teachers and admin available. Craig grew up in Tucson and has bounced around all of Arizona including Flagstaff, Gilbert, Chandler and on the border in Douglas. He has spent the past 12 years of his career working in healthcare, customer service and education focusing on recruiting and training new talent. In his free time Craig enjoys riding his bicycle and motorcycle, cooking for his family and travelling with his wife and 3 children. |
Caylee Migliorini
Vice President of Marketing
Caylee Migliorini is the Vice President of Marketing for AIG, where she supports the marketing enrollment efforts for all Academies of Math and Science. Mrs. Migliorini completed her Bachelor’s degree with focuses in Philosophy and Political Science from Arizona State University and has a Masters in Business. Mrs. Migliorini began working in education over ten years ago and has experience opening 18 Charter Schools in three states.
Ayla Abaya
Director of Student Recruitment
Ayla Abaya has had a passion for education since she was a student herself. Beginning her career in admissions for higher education more than seven years ago, she came to realize that her skillset and experience was better utilized with younger students and their families. As the Director of Student Recruitment at AMS, Ayla helps her staff realize their goals of recruiting students and their parents to become a part of the AMS community. Ayla received her BA in Accounting from the University of Arizona in 2021. After years of working and going to college she recognizes the importance of an education and is passionate about sharing knowledge with peers, colleagues, and potential students/parents. Ayla joined the AMS network in November of 2021. |
Lisa Uphold
Director of Student Information Systems
Lisa currently serves as the Director of Student Information Systems. Lisa began her career working with systems in the healthcare field where she started as a medical coder. After earning certification in multiple EMR platforms, Lisa had the opportunity to learn another area of systems, Education. Lisa quickly embraced the challenge of acquiring an understanding of school operations while simultaneously taking on the administration of the information system. Lisa joined the AMS team in 2018 and oversees the SIS support for students, parents, and staff of the Academies’ network.
Janelle Smith
Director of Enrollment
Janelle Smith is the Director of Student Registration and Data and is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the Registrars at all AMS schools. Leadership includes ensuring all state reported data expectations are met and all records are complete and accurate. Janelle believes the Registrars have the privilege of being the first impression for AMS families and is passionate to ensure that every experience is exceptional. Prior to joining AMS in October 2021, Janelle spent over a decade supporting schools in registration and customer experience. |
Sho Shiratori
Director of Accounting
Sho currently serves as the Director of Accounting, where he oversees the accounting functions for the network. He works with the executive team and other stakeholders to brainstorm and implement process improvements to enhance departmental and organizational performance. Sho manages the payroll, procurement, and accounts payable teams to ensure that the department is operating efficiently. He also establishes internal controls and monitors financial statement accuracy in compliance with GAAP accounting principles. Sho is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Finance and is currently a CPA. Sho joined the AMS network in 2012.
Helain Lewis
Director of Development
With 14 years of non-profit cross-sector constituent cultivation, operations administration, fundraising, and strategic planning experience throughout Arizona, Helain draws on her education, experience, and passion for community to create agency and relationships which promote systems level betterment throughout Arizona.
Helain holds dual undergraduate degrees from the University of Arizona in Public Health and Latin American History. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership and Development.
Dr. Evan D. Faulkner-Hayes
Director of Student Services
Evan D. Faulkner-Hayes is proud to serve our Academies of Math & Science communities as Director of Student Services with the AMS Impact Group. Dr. Hayes is dedicated to the success of the AMS Network and providing students with the support they need to reach their greatest potential. Dr. Hayes has held administrative positions at several highly successful elementary and K-8 schools across the greater Phoenix area.
Dr. Hayes had the privilege of serving at three different AMS campuses before eventually joining the AIG team! His educational background includes a B.S. in Physics & Music, M.Ed. in Leadership & Advanced Teaching, Ph.D. in Education & Constructive Developmental Pedagogy, and is currently enrolled in an Ed.D. in Education Administration program with a focus on student services and program development.
Daniel Crook
Vice President of Software and Data Analytics
Daniel is an experienced software engineering manager and architect with a strong background in data analytics. He has ample experience leading teams, mentoring engineers, and driving innovation. Daniel has expertise in designing software system architecture for data analytics systems and app development using event-based architecture and microservices in Microsoft Azure. Also, he is a certified scrum master and has helped companies, including AMS performing agile transformations and maintaining agile project management. Daniel has a Master of Science in Analytics as well as an undergraduate degree in violin performance and plays violin with the Scottsdale Symphony.