Florence Unified School District

Dr. Kelly Smith

My career began in 1995, teaching third graders at Crestview Elementary in Canyon, Texas. From there, I returned to the East Valley area and served in a variety of capacities at the elementary and junior high levels. I began my formal administrative duties in 2007 as an assistant principal at Copper Basin K-8 School, then as the principal of Anthem Elementary School.

Currently, my duties as Director of K-8 Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment include: curriculum design and planning, evaluation of curricula and of classroom instructional strategies and assessment practices, with the goal being to increase student engagement and academic growth. I am also responsible for overseeing the teacher evaluation system and staff professional development and coaching.

On a personal level, I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, fishing, camping and traveling. In 2021, I will begin my 14th year at FUSD. This is THE BEST place to work!

Dawn Winsor

This is my 23rd year in education and my 7th year at FUSD. It is a new and exciting transition from secondary administration. I am continually learning about the K-12 curriculum, instruction and assessment. I oversee high school curriculum, instruction & assessment as well as the English Language Development for EL students K-12. I enjoy analyzing data to drive the instructions for site administrators and our district. Previously, I was an assistant principal in charge of curriculum at a large suburban high school in Mesa, Arizona. I oversaw student registration, records, transcripts, the master schedule, teacher evaluations and graduation.

I completed my Bachelor's Degree in 1993, at Arizona State University in Exercise Science and Physiology. I spent over 10 years in the field of sports medicine as an athletic trainer. During that time, I worked in an orthopedic office and assisted with several professional sports teams. This was a great job, but very time-consuming, hours away from home.

As a result, I decided to go get my teaching certificate through the University of Phoenix. After student teaching, I had an "Ah-Ha " moment. I felt that this was my calling. My teaching experience is all at the secondary school level. I have taught Biology, Sports Medicine and Anatomy and Physiology. Ten years later, I became interested in administration. Through a terrific mentor principal, I became the Instructional Specialist for my school. This included organizing and presenting various in-services to my faculty and staff. In 2003, I finished my Master's in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. In 2005, I gave up athletic training and became an assistant principal.

On a personal note, I have three children. Their ages range from 17 to 11 years old. I enjoy camping, shooting, kayaking, traveling and being a mom.

Nikole Johnson

Sheila Frame

Mark Inmon

My journey into the field of education began in a small corner of Arizona, with a humble beginning as a substitute teacher for Bullhead City School District. Over the next decade, an evolution encompassing classroom, district, alternative education, and extracurricular coaching allowed me to work with some fantastic educators, support staff, and administrators. Obtaining a passion for facilitating professional learning.

In two years spent in the tri-state area, I worked with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Colorado River as Director of Operations under two phenomenal mentors. Their leadership fostered an appreciation and understanding of community involvement in improving opportunities for young people outside public education. I served as Vice-Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission and BGCCR auxiliary board and was part of the Kiwanis organization to assist community youth.

Upon graduating from Northern Arizona University, I returned to my purpose of public education. My wife Haley and I decided to move south towards the East Valley to raise our four children. This decision helped reinforce my desire to promote innovative teaching methods and create engaging curriculum materials. My experience as a mathematics teacher has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the intersection between curriculum and technology, enabling me to effectively support teachers in my new role with the Florence Unified School District. 

Michelle U. Bladt

Michelle Bladt has been a part of the Arizona education community for the past 15 years. She joined Florence Unified School District in 2022 as a Secondary Curriculum and Technology Specialist in the areas of English Language Arts and Science. She also serves as the District AVID Coordinator for FUSD, working with all grade levels K-12.

Michelle received her B.S. from The University of Arizona in Agricultural Sciences with a teaching emphasis in 2007 and received her M.A. in 2019 from Northern Arizona University in Educational Leadership, obtaining her Principal Certification through ADE. Michelle has a passion for the classroom and making sure every student has an opportunity to learn. This led to her desire to mentor, coach and support teachers in the best instructional practices, curriculum, and assessment district wide.

Before this role, Michelle taught various Sciences in grades 7 through 12 for thirteen years. As a classroom teacher, she emphasized the skills of reading and writing through specific content areas as she has been an AVID trained teacher since 2016. Michelle has led multiple departments, including; Science, Language Arts and Social Studies. In this role, she helped her teams develop curriculum that aligned with district, state and national standards while including high impact strategies that continued to yield growth in all areas. Michelle’s leadership roles outside of the classroom have included; Site Interventionist, Title-One Coordinator, Professional Development Instructor, Instructional Coach, District Summer JH Principal and Assessment Coordinator.

Michelle’s goal is to be able to support all FUSD site leadership and teachers ignite their passion for education and teaching while making sure students across our district obtain a high quality and impactful education! She believes that if all classrooms include rigorous curriculum led by teachers who have built a community of trust and strong teacher/student relationships, this will lead to highly effective classrooms and achievement by all students.