Executive Administrative Assistant to the Dean
cady@gcu.edu
602.639.7735
Connie Ady joined the College of Education team in December, 2009, as Executive Administrative Assistant to Dr. Cindy Knott, and Associate Dean, Dr. Kimberly LaPrade. Connie came to GCU from Deer Valley Unified School District where she was employed for 11 years, most of which were spent at the K-6 elementary school level.
After moving to Arizona from Ohio, Connie worked in corporate America in several different capacities; e.g. banking, legal, real estate development, and property management prior to beginning her tenure with the school district. While raising her family and working full-time, Connie finally accomplished her long-term goal of earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management along with a Human Resources Certificate from the University of Phoenix.
Since she was raised with four brothers, Connie did not have a choice but to enjoy sports. She also enjoys traveling and spending time with her family, which includes 13 grandchildren.
Education Credential Process Manager
kiara.craig@gcu.edu
602.639.6989
Kiara Craig is the Education Credential Process Manger for the College of Education's Office of Accreditation. Prior to joining the College Of Education team, Kiara worked in GCU's Faculty Training department for 3 years. She received her undergraduate degree in Human Communication with concentration in Training & Development from Arizona State University. Throughout her undergraduate years, she served as Chief of Staff for the ASU student body and worked within Student Services Management. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education in Adult Learning from Arizona State University with hopes of becoming a training consultant for higher education institutions.
In addition to traveling, shopping and sports; Kiara is an alumnae to the Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and enjoys volunteering within her community.
Assessment and TaskStream Coordinator
gmeyer@gcu.edu
602.639.6372
Gina is an alumnus of Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minor in Literature at ASU and a Master of Education from NAU, as well as an Administration certification. During that time, she worked full-time as a teacher in the Tempe Elementary School District in the 4th and 5th grades. She earned eligibility into the Project Venture grant program and for the last 10 years of teaching, her classroom was a fully integrated technology classroom with 7 desktop computers and a mobile laptop cart as well as access to the SMART Board. She also served as the assessment coordinator for 10 years. Her career with the Tempe Elementary District lasted until July 2008 when she joined Grand Canyon University.
Currently, Gina is the Assessment and TaskStream Coordinator for the College of Education. TaskStream is an e-portfolio system which showcases the coursework of COE students. Her goal is to help students positively utilize and discover the strength of their e-Portfolio to showcase the excellent work they presented while expanding their professional skills and competencies for a career in education.
Gina has a daughter attending the College of Nursing program at GCU. She also teaches online courses for GCU and sings karaoke with friends. She is an avid spectator of sports most especially football, both NFL and Collegiate. She is a native New Yorker and a fan of the NY Giants, though she has always support our AZ Cardinals. I am a fan of Diamondbacks baseball and Suns basketball. Whenever possible, she tries to get away to the quiet of Show Low or the excitement of Las Vegas.
TaskStream Service Specialist
alex.althoff@gcu.edu
602.639.7329
Alex joined Grand Canyon University in November of 2010 as the TaskStream Service Specialist. He graduated from the University of Arizona in December of 2009 with a B.A. in East Asian Studies. During this time he spent three semesters abroad in Nanjing, China, where he studied Mandarin and fell in love with the culture. In addition to Chinese, Alex also speaks fluent Spanish and hopes to live in a Spanish speaking country one day.
Alex is the oldest of three and enjoys spending time with his younger brother Max and younger sister Bethann. He is also an avid fan of the Detroit Lions and Phoenix Suns. In his free time, Alex enjoys going to the gym and hanging out with friends.
Office of Field Experience Liaison
lsilvagnoli@gcu.edu
602.639.6374
Having first come to the College of Education as a Field Experience Specialist, then Practicum Specialist in the Office of Field Experience in 2007, Lori now serves the College as Front Office Coordinator assisting with a variety of needs.
Lori moved here from the New York City/New Jersey area in 1987. Prior to coming to Grand Canyon University, Lori was in the Chiropractic and Holistic medicine field. She also was an employment relations manager with a certificate in the area of law for a financial management corporation for 7 years.
Lori enjoys working with students and school districts. Her 5 children were star football players and cheerleaders and she now has 5 grandchildren to whom she devotes her time. Lori always goes by a favorite quote in her life, "When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our lives or in the life of another".
Front Office Coordinator
jtrudell@gcu.edu
602.639.6368
John joined Grand Canyon University in June 2007 as the Front Office Coordinator for the College of Education. Currently, he is an Administrative Assistant for the College. He had previously worked for a real estate appraisal company for 8 years. He also worked for the Arizona Diamondbacks for 6 years, and was there for every home game of the 2001 World Series. He enjoys watching movies and sports, along with cooking, traveling and spending time with his family.
Academic Program Coordinator
abby.brown@gcu.edu
602.639.6745
Abby Brown is the Coordinator of Academic Programs for the College of Education. She earned her bachelor's degree in Elementary and Middle Level Education from the University of Northern Iowa and her master's degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. Prior to coming to GCU, Abby spent 7 years teaching in Phoenix-area public schools. She taught middle school science and math, was a math interventionist, and, most recently, coached teachers on the use of data to improve student achievement in her position as Student Achievement Teacher.
Abby and her husband, Neal, are the very busy parents of two young daughters and two yellow labs.
