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!

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.

Aimee has her Bachelor’s degree in Professional Studies from BYUI with certificates in Child and Family Advocacy and Administrative Assistance. Her career in education began in 2008 as a preschool teacher. She enjoyed learning and finding ways to teach to each unique child. As a teacher she became a program coordinator and helped train new teachers. Aimee transitioned to administration 2011 taking on the roles of Center Director and district trainer. This allowed her to continue learning and teaching. Aimee joined Elizabeth Academy in 2019 as the Office Manager after being drawn to the school’s mission.

She truly loves music and theater and taught dance and tumbling for 14 years. She has a minor in dance and recently rejoined the Theater community performing in community theater in Utah. This love has allowed Aimee to join the Theater department at Elizabeth Academy and direct the school’s musicals! Aimee loves spending time with her family which includes her husband and three children. Her absolute favorite place is the coast of the Pacific Northwest and loves camping there.

Anna Elkins is thrilled to join the team at Elizabeth Academy! She brings a strong background in early childhood education, having previously worked as an Office Manager at a daycare in Provo, Utah, as well as an Infant, Toddler/Twos, and workshop teacher. Anna is passionate about being in a school environment and is excited to expand her experience into the postsecondary space.

She is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and is always eager to learn and grow in her field.

Outside of work, Anna is an avid reader steadily making her way through an ever-growing “to be read” list. She enjoys spending time with her puppy, Rita, and and never misses a chance to hang out with her niece and nephews. A self-proclaimed anglophile, Anna dreams of moving to London someday. Her current Hyper-fixation include Formula One racing, all things Jane Austen, Star Wars, and the art of Claude Monet.

Ellie Abbott has a bachelor’s degree in socio-cultural anthropology and an associate’s in nursing. She received her elementary education teaching license while working in China at an international school. However, her most rigorous education comes in the form of raising 5 children. Ellie has taught preschool, 4th and 5th grades. She loves project based learning and creating authentic educational experiences for her students. Ellie is passionate about learning through good books and excellent authors. She is excited to spread the love with students in the library.

Lauren received her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University. She has her certification in Ayres Sensory Integration through USC and is certified Advanced in DIR Floortime. Additionally, she has spent the last 3 years gaining extensive knowledge as a sensory based, feeding therapist. Lauren is joining the Elizabeth Academy team as an occupational therapist with over 5 years of experience. Lauren is passionate about providing neurodiverse, affirming care that supports sensory processing, play, learning, and development. Lauren is thrilled to be able to support children in their educational development, improve parents’ understanding of the child’s sensory preferences and support their regulation from the classroom to daily life.

In her free time, Lauren enjoys skiing, hiking, hanging out with her dogs and DIY home projects with her husband.

*Private Speech Therapy Available

Jennifer earned her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Canisius College of Buffalo, NY in 1999. She holds a Gifted and Talented Endorsement from The University of Utah and is certified to teach grades K-6. She has been a part of the professional community at Elizabeth Academy since 2013.

Both of Jennifer’s sons, Dennis and Dante attended Elizabeth Academy and are now at Garfield School. Jennifer has always had a profound passion for the education and development of the whole child. She is committed and eager to facilitate the growth of the students at Elizabeth Academy.

Layne has her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Special Education with an endorsement in Autism Spectrum Disorder from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. In 2021 she started teaching in a Special Education Resource room position and then taught in a Self-contained ASD classroom. She moved to Utah from Michigan and is now the upper elementary interventionist at Elizabeth Academy!

In her spare time she loves spending time with her dog Alice, hiking with her family, camping, and traveling!