Leadership Team

Erik has spent his entire career in education serving in various leadership capacities in both Higher Education and Early Education. He is very passionate about education, particularly providing equal opportunities for education to all students.Prior to joining AMS, Erik served as VP of Operations for Early Education schools. He led operations for over 20 schools in various states in the Western United States. In that role, he learned how vital education is in the early years of a child’s life. Prior to that, Erik spent over a decade in Higher Education. Starting his career in enrollment services, Erik worked closely with working adults to pursue their educational aspirations. Throughout his time, he led larger enrollment teams and eventually lead entire campus teams serving as Campus President in both Washington D.C. and Dallas, Texas. Erik has a bachelor's degree in International Business and a Master’s in Business Administration. Erik joined the AMS network in February of 2019.

Brandi has spent her entire career in education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Northern Arizona University and a Master of Educational Leadership from Arizona State University. Brandi began her career as a high school history teacher at a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona. After obtaining her Arizona principal certificate, she held instructional leadership and school administrative roles before ultimately transitioning to operational roles within charter school networks in Arizona. In her capacity, Brandi works closely to support AMS schools in the areas of Marketing, Enrollment, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, and Facilities. Brandi is passionate about education and the work we do to provide the best education and the best environment to AMS students. Brandi joined the AMS network in December of 2020.

Steven Hykes graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Akron with a minor in Economics. He began his career in public accounting working in the fields of audit, tax and mergers and acquisitions for both Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Steven received his Certified Public Accounting license from the state of Arizona in April of 2015. He has a diverse background having managed restaurants, volunteered overseas, and done both educational and non-profit work. Most recently he was the Chief Financial Officer of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, where he spent three years overseeing various financial aspects of the business. Steven joined the AMS network in January of 2016.

Prior to joining AMS, Nate Lowry was an Executive Director for IDEA Public Schools in the Greater Austin area, where he oversaw 16 high performing schools serving almost 10,000 scholars K-12 all in high poverty neighborhoods. As Executive Director, he achieved 100% matriculation for their senior classes, and he led the region to increased performance on state assessments, leader and teacher retention, and scholar persistence.

Before managing the entire Austin Region, Nate served as a Vice President of Schools for IDEA, where he significantly increased principal retention, helped orchestrate school turnaround, and set strategy for program and talent development. Serving as IDEA Public School’s VP of Leadership Development, he designed and implemented school leader training for a network of over 70,000 scholars across multiple states.

He was the founding principal of IDEA Weslaco Pike winning recognition at the state and network level for high levels of scholar achievement, and during his tenure as campus principal, Nate led IDEA Montopolis College Preparatory to be the only school in east Austin to earn a TEA “A” Rating in 2018. Nate is a proud Cornell University graduate, and also holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Columbia. He strongly believes in holding all students and adults to high expectations, and is focused on finding innovative programming that closes the experience gap for all students.

Robert Biggs is the Chief Information Officer for AMS. His career started in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona where he studied the effects of genetically modified crops insect pest populations. After gaining an interest in Information Technology while building IT tools to manage data collection and presentation at the U of A, Mr. Biggs transitioned to a career in technology. Throughout his career he has managed many IT implementation projects that touch on a wide varieties of technologies including networking, server systems, communications, line-of-business applications (EHR, CRM), and cloud solutions. He has built and managed teams of IT professionals, emphasizing skill-building and career progression. He has provided CIO services to many for-profit and non-profit organizations in various verticals including Medical, Public Safety, Education, Retail and Government. Robert joined the AMS network in September 2017.

Emily Willis is the Director of Human Resources and is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the Human Resources Department for AIG and all AMS schools. As Director of HR, contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of organization-wide plans and objectives by working closely with school and network leadership. Emily believes Human Resources has the privledge of guiding employees through their work and making a positive impact on their daily lives.

Emily has a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and an executive master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In addition, she holds a graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Cornell University. Prior to joining AMS in 2019, Emily worked in Las Vegas overseeing multiple hospitality properties. In her various roles, she oversaw employee relations and culture development. Emily has experience in developing human resources training, shaping cultures, and ensuring highly interactive, synergistic relationships with business partners.

Daniel is an experienced software engineering manager and architect with a strong background in data analytics. He has ample experience leading teams, mentoring engineers, and driving innovation. Daniel has expertise in designing software system architecture for data analytics systems and app development using event-based architecture and microservices in Microsoft Azure. Also, he is a certified scrum master and has helped companies, including AMS performing agile transformations and maintaining agile project management. Daniel has a Master of Science in Analytics as well as an undergraduate degree in violin performance and plays violin with the Scottsdale Symphony.

Ayla Abaya has had a passion for education since she was a student herself. Beginning her career in admissions for higher education more than seven years ago, she came to realize that her skillset and experience was better utilized with younger students and their families. As the Director of Student Recruitment at AMS, Ayla helps her staff realize their goals of recruiting students and their parents to become a part of the AMS community. Ayla received her BA in Accounting from the University of Arizona in 2021. After years of working and going to college she recognizes the importance of an education and is passionate about sharing knowledge with peers, colleagues, and potential students/parents. Ayla joined the AMS network in November of 2021.

Lisa currently serves as the Director of Student Information Systems. Lisa began her career working with systems in the healthcare field where she started as a medical coder. After earning certification in multiple EMR platforms, Lisa had the opportunity to learn another area of systems, Education. Lisa quickly embraced the challenge of acquiring an understanding of school operations while simultaneously taking on the administration of the information system. Lisa joined the AMS team in 2018 and oversees the SIS support for students, parents, and staff of the Academies’ network.

Janelle Smith is the Director of Student Registration and Data and is responsible for providing leadership and direction for the Registrars at all AMS schools. Leadership includes ensuring all state reported data expectations are met and all records are complete and accurate. Janelle believes the Registrars have the privilege of being the first impression for AMS families and is passionate to ensure that every experience is exceptional. Prior to joining AMS in October 2021, Janelle spent over a decade supporting schools in registration and customer experience. 

Sho currently serves as the Director of Accounting, where he oversees the accounting functions for the network. He works with the executive team and other stakeholders to brainstorm and implement process improvements to enhance departmental and organizational performance. Sho manages the payroll, procurement, and accounts payable teams to ensure that the department is operating efficiently. He also establishes internal controls and monitors financial statement accuracy in compliance with GAAP accounting principles. Sho is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a B.S. in Finance and is currently a CPA. Sho joined the AMS network in 2012. 

Evan D. Faulkner-Hayes is proud to serve our Academies of Math & Science communities as Director of Student Services with the AMS Impact Group. Dr. Hayes is dedicated to the success of the AMS Network and providing students with the support they need to reach their greatest potential. Dr. Hayes has held administrative positions at several highly successful elementary and K-8 schools across the greater Phoenix area.

Dr. Hayes had the privilege of serving at three different AMS campuses before eventually joining the AIG team! His educational background includes a B.S. in Physics & Music, M.Ed. in Leadership & Advanced Teaching, Ph.D. in Education & Constructive Developmental Pedagogy, and is currently enrolled in an Ed.D. in Education Administration program with a focus on student services and program development.