Alisha Kellum

I am currently a principal at Las Brises Elementary, a K-6 school in the Deer Valley Unified School District. This is my first year at this campus and my third year as a principal. My journey in education has been quite varied. I started with a journalism and mass communication degree from Arizona State University in 2008, but after the economic downturn made it difficult to break into television news, I decided to go back to school for a master's in special education at ASU. I've always had a heart for students who maybe can't advocate for themselves, which drew me to special education. I earned dual certification to teach general education grades 1-8 and special education K-12 cross-categorical. I started my teaching career as a long-term substitute at Ingleside Middle School in Scottsdale Unified in January 2014, then landed my first full-time position at Desert Mountain High School, which is actually where I went to high school. I worked specifically with 9th graders, helping them acclimate to high school and plan for their future. While teaching, I pursued a master's in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University, completing it in October 2016. I became an assistant principal at Desert Mountain High School, working in student support services with freshmen, doing 504 coordination and state testing for 2 years. I briefly explored higher education, working as an undergraduate recruitment and admissions coordinator at ASU's Walter Cronkite School, but when COVID hit, I realized my heart was in K-12 education, closer to students and making that direct impact. I returned to K-12 as an assistant principal at Madison Traditional Academy for 2 years, then went back to Desert Mountain High School as an assistant principal for another 2 years. In 2023, while seven months pregnant with my second child, I applied for and was selected for my first principal position at Cheyenne Traditional School in Scottsdale Unified. I had my son on August 2nd and school started August 5th, so I was scrambling to get everything ready. After 2 years there, with two little kids and a long commute from our home in Glendale, I decided to find something closer to home and outside the traditional school setting, which led me to my current position at Las Brises Elementary. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working at every level from K-8 to 9-12.