Beverley Taylor Sorenson long had the dream of ensuring every elementary student in Utah has the opportunity to have a meaningful, arts-rich education. For nearly 20 years Beverley dedicated her time, money, and efforts to see this dream come to fruition, beginning with developing the Art Works for Kids teaching model. Her influence continues through her philanthropic foundations and family support.
The Sorenson family endowed positions and programs at seven of the Utah Universities. These positions offer professional development opportunities for elementary classroom teachers and arts educators. They support the LEA’s and schools within their region in the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTS Arts). These universities offer pre-service and in-service training for elementary classroom teachers and arts educators.
The BTS Arts puts arts educators trained in one of four art disciplines (visual art, dance, music and theater) in elementary schools to work alongside classroom teachers to develop lesson plans for the core curricula that incorporate art. The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) administers the program statewide, and collaborates with deans and university staff from Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Tech University, Weber State University and Westminster University to provide professional development for the arts educators and classroom teachers. These higher education institutions also work with the USBE to manage the successful implementation of the BTS Arts Program in their respective areas of the state.
Cally Flox
Brigham Young University Endowed Chair
Cally Flox is the founding director of the BYU ARTS Partnership working to increase the quality and quantity of arts education within the BYU Public School Partnership, serving five school districts. For fourteen years, she has convened partners to create and present professional development programs currently serving over 1,000 teachers each year. She worked with the Utah State Board of Education to offer the Arts Integration Endorsement for elementary teachers. With a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University, she taught dance and math in K–12 schools. She is a licensed administrator with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from BYU. Cally taught dance and creative development for people of all ages and completed additional training in sensory integration and the neurophysiology of learning. She is a co-author of the book Teachers’ Guide to Resiliency Through the Arts and has presented both as a keynote speaker and workshop provider for children and adults. She is on the Utah board for Dance and the Child International and recently presented for their international conference in Australia.
Art Discipline: Dance
School Districts Covered: Alpine, Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Grand, Jordan, Juab, Nebo, North Sanpete, Provo, South Sanpete, Uintah, and Wasatch
Website: education.byu.edu/arts
Email: cally_flox@byu.edu
Emily Pereira
Utah Tech University Endowed Chair
Emily joins the Utah Tech Region from a few miles up the road, Cedar City. After growing up in Utah, Emily found herself living in San Diego where she earned her Theatre Arts degree at the University of San Diego. After receiving her degree, Emily moved to New York City. While there she earned a Master of Science in Teaching at St. Thomas Aquinas College. Her first teaching job was at an alternative high school in Brooklyn, New York. After a few years teaching there, she moved back to Utah with her small family and served as a Beverley Taylor Sorensen Arts Learning Program Drama Specialist. She taught in two schools, one in Cedar City and one in rural Beryl, Utah. Most recently, Emily taught fifth grade. This variety of teaching experience, both in the BTS program and out, she has gained a lot of insight on how the arts can support learning. She looks forward to supporting the Utah Tech Region in the upcoming year!
Art Discipline: Drama
School Districts Covered: Kane, and Washington
Website: dixie.edu/elementary-arts-education/about-btsalp/
Email: emily.pereira@utahtech.edu
Alisa Petersen
Southern Utah University Endowed Chair
Alisa Petersen is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair of Elementary Art Education at Southern Utah University. As the director of the artsFUSION outreach program, Alisa combines her passions for art, creative exploration and the maker movement to coordinate, develop, and teach arts-integrated learning activities for elementary teachers and children. She holds degrees in fine art and education and teaches courses in arts integration and creative development.
Art Discipline: Visual Art
School Districts Covered: Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Millard, Piute, Sevier, and Wayne
Website: suu.edu/artsfusion/
Email: alisapetersen@suu.edu
Kelby McIntyre-Martinez
University of Utah Endowed Chair
Kelby McIntyre-Martinez draws upon years of experience as an arts educator, choreographer, and director in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences. Mrs. McIntyre-Martinez received her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Youth Theatre from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. She has done extensive collaborative work with school districts, universities, and non-profit organizations to create quality educational fine arts programs for youth that are more inclusive and accessible to the greater community. She is currently the Assistant Dean for Arts Education and Community Engagement in the College of Fine Arts, Director for the Fine Arts, Program Director of the Endowed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, and faculty in the Master of Arts in Teaching Degree Program, and adjunct faculty in the Department of Theatre.
Art Discipline: Youth Theater
School Districts Covered: Canyons, Granite, Murray, Salt Lake, Tintic, and Tooele
Website: www.artsed.utah.edu/BeverleyTaylorSorenson.html
Email: kelby.mcintyre@utah.edu
Aurora Hughes Villa
Utah State University Endowed Chair
Aurora Hughes Villa is currently the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Program Director for Elementary Arts Education and Associate Professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University. Aurora was formerly the District Arts Coordinator for Cache County School District in Logan (UT) where she founded Art in Transit: From Schools to Community – a program that brings art made by children into public places. She received the Sorenson Legacy Award for Excellence in Arts Education in the category of exemplary arts program initiative for her work with Art in Transit. Prior to moving to Utah, Aurora was a full time art professor at North Central College (IL) where she taught sculpture and ceramics. As a licensed teacher, she taught art in the public schools at the elementary, middle school, and high school level in Buffalo (NY) and Phoenix (AZ) and has taught art to children and adults for over 25 years. Aurora holds a BFA in Ceramics and a BS in Art Education from Buffalo State College (NY). After completing her MFA in Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (IL), she exhibited her work nationally and internationally, with her artwork appearing in Ceramics Art and Perception. Aurora is currently on the Utah Art Education Association Board and enjoys creating arts partnerships around the state.
Art Discipline: Ceramics
School Districts Covered: Box Elder, Cache, Daggett, Logan, Rich, and San Juan
Website: teal.usu.edu/arts-are-core/
Email: aurora.villa@usu.edu
Tamara Goldbogen
Weber State University Endowed Chair
Tamara Goldbogen is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endowed Chair for Arts Learning and director of the award-winning Arts Learning Collaborative at Weber State University. She teaches in the College of Arts & Humanities, the College of Education, and the Honors Program. Tamara’s creative and scholarly work focuses on theatre for young audiences, drama-based pedagogy, and arts integration. Tamara has received numerous accolades for her teaching such as the Presidential Teaching Excellence Award, and the Joseph and Holly Nye Bauman Outstanding Faculty in Honors Award. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Drama and Theatre for Youth from the University of Texas at Austin.
Art Discipline: Theater
School Districts Covered: Box Elder, Davis, Morgan, Ogden, and Weber
Website: weber.edu/artslearning
Email: tamaragoldbogen@weber.edu
Rebecca Penerosa
Westminster College Endowed Chair
Dr. Rebecca Penerosa is the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Assistant Professor of Arts Education at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to teaching, she also directs the Sorenson Scholar, Westminster BTSALP, and ArtsBridge Programs. She has enjoyed over 20 years of experience as a general music, arts integration, and choral instructor from early elementary grades through higher education. With a focus on multicultural music, ESL instruction and arts integration, she continues to create and foster ties among the community with classroom teachers, arts educators, and pre-service students. Dr. Penerosa is Orff certified and presents at conferences locally, nationally, and internationally on her research and application methods for multicultural music education and arts integration.
Art Discipline: Music
School Districts Covered: Statewide, North Summit, Park City, and South Summit
