​
  IDEAVENTIONS ACADEMY
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OUR TEAM

63% of faculty hold Masters degrees or higher, 25% with PhDs
​

Our faculty are lifelong learners who love what they teach. They are subject-matter experts who bring real-world research, industry, and advanced academic experience into the classroom. Many have taught at the collegiate level or conducted original research, allowing students to engage deeply with complex ideas well beyond typical grade-level expectations.

Ryan Heitz, Head of School, Co-Founder


Grades 1-12
M.S., Atmospheric Science, University of Virginia
​

B.S., Environmental Science, University of Virginia

Juliana Heitz, Asst. Head of School, Co-Founder

Grades 1-12
B.S., Economics, B.S. Management Science, Information Technology
MIT

​Certified High School Economics Educator, Virginia Council for Economics Education 

Liz Crowder,
​Admission & College Counseling Director

Grades 1-12
​
M.Ed., Educational Leadership
Vanderbilt University


Graduate Certificate: College Admissions & Career Counseling
University of California - Berkeley


B.S., Political Science major
Minors, Psychology & American Studies
James Madison University

Sheri Hicks,
​School Counselor

Grades 1-12
​

M.A., K-12 School Counseling Marymount University
​

​B.S., Psychology
​George Mason University

Rochelle Gibson

Administration & Health
​Grades 1-12

Eve Lowery

Lower Elementary Teacher
M.A. Elementary Education
​George Mason University

B.A., English Literature, Honors

George Mason University

Sarah Ciupek

Middle & Upper School:
Biology, Chemistry
Ph.D., Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
​
B.S., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
​University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Alexandr Draganov

Upper School: Post-AP Math
Ph.D., Electrical Engineering,  Stanford University​
​

M.S., Theoretical Physics,
​Kyiv University

Lydia Gullicksen

Upper School: English
MFA, Creative Writing
Concordia University


B.A., Business, English & Creative Writing
Sweet Briar College

Andrew Hurley

Lower & Middle School: English, Drama
B.A., Literary Fiction, George Mason University
​
A.A., Acting, Musical Theater, and Performance

American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Magnolia Inmon

Grades 1-12: Spanish
M.Ed., Spanish Language and Culture
​UDIMA, Madrid, Spain
​

Spanish Teaching Certification, ACTFL
​
​MLA Certification, Spanish
George Mason University
​​​​

Amanda Johns

Lower Elementary, Earth Science
​B.A., Geography
​
Minor, Geo. Information Systems
​George Mason University​

Allan Michaels

Lower & Middle School: Math, Computer Science
B.S., Physics
Mary Washington University


VA Professional Teaching ​Certificates, Middle School Math
& ​Middle School Science
Old Dominion University

Tyler Schell

Lower School: History & PE
B.A., History
Minor, Secondary Education
​St. Peter's University

Alex Spangler

Grades 1-12: Engineering, Math
B.S., Industrial and Innovative Design
​Cedarville University

Albert Thompson

Upper School: History
Ph.D., ​United States History
Howard University

M.A., Military History
​Norwich University


B.A., Government
Minor, Modern Hebrew
​Oral Roberts University

David Winogradoff

Middle & Upper School: Math, Physics, Computer Science
​Ph.D., Chemical Physics
University of Maryland, College Park

B.S. Mathematics
Haverford College
Copyright © 2010-2026. 12340 Pinecrest Road, Reston, Virginia 20191 | 703-860-0211 | [email protected] | Tax ID 27-2420631 | CEEB Code 470033
Ideaventions Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded to or made available to students at the school.

​Ideaventions® is a registered servicemark of Ideaventions, LLC. All rights reserved.
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  • Our School
    • Who are we?
    • Fast Facts
    • Faculty
    • Careers >
      • Open Positions
    • In the News
    • Blog
  • Admissions
    • Events
    • Criteria & Testing
    • Application Steps
    • Tuition
    • FAQs
    • Contact Us
  • Academics
    • Lower Elementary
    • Upper Elementary
    • Middle School
    • Upper School >
      • Curriculum
      • Workload
      • College Counseling
      • Graduation Requirements
    • Calendar
  • Community
    • Arts & Theatre
    • Clubs
    • Teams
    • Trips & Events
    • Traditions
  • Summer
    • Elementary Summer Programs
    • Middle School Summer Programs
    • Summer Contact