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WILLAMETTE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • Testimonials
    • WLA FAQ's
  • Contact Us
  • WLA Staff
  • Transportation
  • Compliance & Reports
  • Synergy Parent & Student VUE
  • WLA Cadet Handbook
  • Link Page

First Battalion

Administration & Leadership

Battalion Commander

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Name:  COL Kate Klontz
Position:  Battalion Commander
Started at WLA: 2016
​Education: Master of Arts in Education, Bachelor of Arts in English Writing University of Colorado
Comment: Teaching Leadership is a challenging but rewarding endeavor. I believe every person has the ability to learn, grow and become a leader. WLA provides the foundation for Cadet Leadership now and for the future.
​Email: 
kklontz@wlacademy.org

​Command Sergeant Major

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Name: SGM Jim Brainard
Education: High School Graduate and some college
Years at WLA: 2008
Comment: 
NO EXCUSES! I pride myself on being fair yet firm, while maintaining open communication with the students. It is very important to me to rise to the challenge of seeing our students become productive members of society.

Battalion Sergeant Major

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Name: SGM Jonathan Rogers
Education: Associate's degree in Accounting / Business Management

Years at WLA: Since 2014
Comment:​ 
I am tough but I am fair. In my office, I have a poster that I live by, the motto is "Quitting is not an option, don't tell me what can't be done", "It's not about perfect, it's about effort. and when you bring that effort every single day, that's where transformation happens. That's how change occurs". - Jillian Michaels
Email: dcayton@wlacademy.org
Phone: (541)246-2842


Alpha Company

1st Platoon

2nd Platoon

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​Name: 1LT Ryan Hovey
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: Math / Engineering

Education: 
Years at WLA: since 2018
Comment: 
Email: ​rhovey@wlacademy.org

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Name: CPT Joseph Lengele
Position:  Platoon Commander
Teaches: 8th grade Health and Wellness
Education: Eight years in the United States Army as a Nuclear Biological Chemical Warfare Specialist. AAS from Pioneer Pacific College in Criminal Justice
Years at WLA: Sine 2017
Comment: I got into teaching because its one of the greatest gifts to be able to teach our future.
Email: ​​jlengele@wlacademy.org

Company NCO

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Name: 1SG Jonathon Rogers
Position: Company NCO
Years at WLA: since 2019
Email: ​jrogers@wlacademy.org
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Phone: ​(541)246-2842
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Comment:


Bravo Company

1st Platoon

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​Name: LT Colton Pringle
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: ​10th - 12th grade English, Film is Lit, History of Baseball (middle school course)

Email: ​cpringle@wlacademy.org

Company NCO

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Name: 1SG George Cabral
Position: Company NCO
Teaches: PE, Drill and Ceremony
Education: Navy

Started at WLA: 2019
Comment: 
Email: gcabral@wlacademy.org


Charlie Company

1st Platoon

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​Name: LT Jeremy McGowan
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: High School Science

Email: ​jmcgowan@wlacademy.org

2nd Platoon

Name: LT Jochumson
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: 

Education: 
Years at WLA: since 2021
Comment: 
Email: ​bjochumson@wlacademy.org

Company NCO

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Name: MSG Kati Ruiz
Position: Company NCO
Education: 
Started at WLA: 2019
Comment: 


​Email: kruiz@wlacademy.org


Delta Company

1st Platoon

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Name: 2LT Maya Griffin
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: 7th and 8th Grade English Language Arts
Education: Bachelor of Arts in 
Secondary Language Arts Education from Western Oregon University
Started at WLA: 2020
Comment: 
 ​In 2013 I began volunteering with the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Foundation which catalyzed my interest for working with students. My love for literature and writing led me to the content area of English. I started working in Language Arts classrooms in 2014 and that is when I realized that there was no place I would rather be.
Email: mgriffin@wlacademy.org
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2nd Platoon

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Name: CPT George Frost
Position: Instructor
​Teaches: Platoon Commander
Education: 
Bachelors in Secondary Language Arts and a Masters in Special Education from Grand Canyon University.   
Years at WLA: Since 2017
​Comment: 
Lt George Frost was a 10-year teacher from Arizona before coming to Oregon in 2016. LT Frost spent one year as a substitute teacher before working at WLA.
Email: gfrost@wlacademy.org


Company NCO

Name: MSG Nick Cayton
Position: Company NCO
Education: 
Started at WLA: 2021
Comment: 

​Email: ncayton@wlacademy.org

Echo Company

1st Platoon

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Name: 1LT Teila Brainard
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: 7th and 8th grade Mathematics
Education:
Started at WLA:
Comment:
Email:​ 
tbrainard@wlacademy.org

2nd Platoon

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Name: 1LT Matthew Stemple
Position: Platoon Commander
​Teaches: 7th and 8th Grade Science
Education: BS Biology & Chemistry, University of Oregon, 2008
MAT, Pacific University
Started at WLA: 2019
Comment:  "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. -Wayne Gretzky" - Michael Scott.  
No one is innately smart; intelligence is not a trait a person is born with.  I was not personally born with the knowledge of how DNA is transcribed to make proteins or the nomenclature rules of organic chemistry.  It is something I had to learn over time, it had to be taught and explained to me.  When you first set foot in my science class, your personal science knowledge might be lacking and that is OK because I am your Sherpa and I am here to guide you up Mount Science.
Email: mstemple@wlacademy.org


Foxtrot Company

1st Platoon

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Name: MAJ Andrew Potterf 
Position: Platoon Commander
Teaches: 6th grade Language Arts and Social Studies
Education: 
BA English Literature U of O; MA Education U of O
Started at WLA: 2015
Comment: Helping students discover literature and a sense of intellectual curiosity is incredibly rewarding for me. I work hard to keep my curriculum fresh and interesting.
Email: apotterf@wlacademy.org


Special Education

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Name: CPT Judy Thomas
Position: Special Education Case Manager
Education:
Started at WLA: 
Comment: 
Email: jthomas@wlacademy.org

Name: CPT Debra Artzer
Position: SPED Instructor
​Teaches: ​Special Ed

Email: ​dartzer@wlacademy.org

Academic Advising, Career and College Readiness

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Name: LTC Tyson Migliaccio
Education: B.S. Earth Science, M.S. Science Education from Oregon State University
Years at WLA: Since 2017
Comment:
"You don't just give up. You don't just let things happen. You make a stand. You say no. You have the guts to do what's right when everyone else just runs away!"    ~Rose Tyler
Email: tmigliaccio@wlacademy.org
Phone: ​(541)246-2842

Spanish

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Name: CPT Maria Gutierrez
Position: Instructor
​Teaches: Spanish
Years at WLA: Since 2015
Email: mgutierrez@wlacademy.org
Phone:  (541)246-2842

Support Staff

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Name: Kammy Stam
Position: Office Manager
Education: 
Years at WLA: Since 2018
Comment: 

Email: kstam@wlacademy.org
​Phone:  ​(541)246-2842

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Name: Mrs. Faith Wolfe
Position: Uniform Manager & Secretary
Education:
Started at WLA: 2014
Comment: I'm a Lane County native. My husband and I live in Eugene with our 3 children, 2 cats, a bunch of rabbits, 1 lizard, and a tank of fish. I love sewing, all kinds of crafts, reading, and playing board and card games. I enjoy working with youth and am happy to be a part of the team at WLA.
Email: fwolfe@wlacademy.org

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Name: WO Edwards
Position: Network Administrator
Years at WLA: Since 2019
Email: itsupport@wlacademy.org

Name: Michelle Freng
Position: Uniform Manager
Years at WLA: Since 2020
Email: mfreng@wlacademy.org
​Name: Janet Bates
Position: Custodian
Years at WLA: Since 2014
Email:  jbates@wlacademy.org

​Name: Gene Youngblood
Position: Custodian
Years at WLA: Since 2014
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Email:  gyoungblood@wlacademy.org