Meet Our Leadership Team + Faculty + Staff

Ben Pettit was appointed Head of School in 2015 and has more than 20 years' experience in education as a teacher, advisor, coach, counselor, and administrator. He joined  Sun Valley Community School in 2009 as Middle School Head, and, prior to assuming his current role, also served as Assistant Head of School and Upper School Head.

In his role as Head of School, Ben is continually inspired by the way the school’s faculty, staff, Board of Directors, students, and parents deliver on the school’s mission. “I am deeply impressed by the passion and dedication displayed by everyone—past, present, and future—who has worked and continues to work to deliver on the promise of the school. I wholeheartedly believe in our philosophy, which combines a vigorous and experiential educational model, with abundant opportunities in the outdoors, arts, athletics, and service learning,” he says. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be of service to our community and to help inspire our students to be their best, authentic selves.”

Prior to joining Community School, Ben spent 11 years at St. Anne’s Episcopal School in Denver, Colorado, where he served as a middle school math teacher, Math Department Chair, and as a soccer coach.

Before transitioning from teaching into leadership roles, Ben worked at McClelland School in Pueblo, Colorado and held counseling positions at Littleton High School, where he was also Varsity Boys’ Head Soccer Coach, and at East Elementary School in Denver, Colorado.

Ben holds a BA in English, with a minor in Psychology, from University of Denver and a MA in Applied Psychology and Counselor Education (Cum Laude) from the School of Counseling at University of Northern Colorado. He is the current Board President for the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS). 

Alessia Carega was appointed as Sun Valley Community School's Director of Admission in 2019. Before joining Sun Valley Community School, Alessia served as the Director of Regional Scholarships and the Assistant Director of Financial Aid at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire.

While at St. Paul’s, Alessia ran a dorm and was active in the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts focusing on new student transitions. Before working at St. Paul’s, Alessia left a job teaching English to pursue her passion of realizing a more sustainable world. To that end, she worked as a Director for Saatchi & Saatchi leading project teams to design and implement sustainability programs for companies like Walmart and Frito Lay.

Alessia is an avid traveler who speaks fluent French and Italian and is proficient in Spanish. She is also a runner who is passionate about the outdoors. Alessia and her husband Trent Smither have two young and proud Cutthroats.

Patrick Graham joined Sun Valley Community School in 2015 as Outdoor Program Assistant Director and was appointed Outdoor Program Director in 2017. Patrick holds a degree in outdoor education from Vermont’s Johnson State College and, prior to joining the Cutthroat team, worked as a ski guide for Sun Valley Trekking and later as a Lead Guide and Licensed (Level II) Backcountry Ski Guide. He also trained with the American Mountain Guides Association in both climbing and skiing.

Liz Kantor joined Sun Valley Community School in 2017 and serves as Director of Events. In her role, Liz manages all school events.

A Wood River Valley native, Liz previously spent ten years in marketing, public relations, branding, and event management across a variety of industries. Prior to joining SVCS, Liz was the Marketing Director at Zenergy Health Club & Spa in Ketchum.

Liz holds a BA in communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is an active community member, serving on the board of The Advocates, where she chairs the Resource and Development committee. Liz and her husband, Josh, a 2002 graduate of the school, have two children.

Dave Kerber joined Sun Valley Community School as its Middle School Head in July 2025.

Dave brings over 25 years of independent school leadership and teaching experience to the position, most recently serving as Director of Academics for TVT Community Day School in Irvine, CA. In his varied administrative roles, Dave led a number of initiatives, including major curricular and programmatic changes in grades K-12 (everything from English to Math to Engineering), as well as the creation of a two-week, experiential immersion program that included local, domestic, and international service programs. His classroom experience includes roles as a middle and high school English and Humanities teacher and Department Chair at several excellent schools in California.

An avid outdoor enthusiast and overlander, Dave is thrilled to join our incredibly warm community and excited to offer academic and life experiences for our students rooted in both indoor and outdoor classrooms. He holds a B.S. in American Studies from Willamette University and a M.A. in English Literature from University of Montana.

Jonna Mendes joined Sun Valley Community School in 2011 as the director of the Sun Valley Ski Academy.

Jonna has an impressive background as an athlete and coach. A two-time Olympian—at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games—Jonna was also a four-time National Champion (twice in downhill, twice in giant slalom) and earned a bronze medal in super-G at the 2003 Alpine World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Following her 2006 retirement from the U.S. Ski Team, Jonna honed her coaching skills as a U.S. Ski Team development coach from 2006-10, working with athletes at national and regional projects and competitions.

In addition to her role as SVSA Program Director, Jonna coaches the U16s with Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. Jonna’s unique perspective and experience as an elite athlete and coach is an asset to the development of our SVSA student-athletes. In her free time, Jonna loves chasing her son, Declan, down the mountain and camping with Declan and her husband, Will.

Janet Salvoni joined Sun Valley Community School in 2005 and was appointed Elementary School Head in 2011. Janet has extensive experience in the classroom, having taught pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades; she has also served as a Learning Specialist and as Early Childhood Coordinator. Currently, in addition to her role as Elementary School Head, she serves as Co-Director of the Teacher Training Academy (TTA).

Janet holds a BA in elementary education from University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an MA in education from Cambridge College.

In her daily work with students, parents, and colleagues at Community School, Janet is continually inspired by the passion of the school's faculty. "They believe 100 percent in the work they are doing, both with students and behind the scenes," she says.

Janet and her husband, Frank, are parents of two Cutthroats: Tyler '23 and Cooper '27. When she's not at school or spending time with her family, Janet spends time on the ice pursuing her passion for ice hockey.

Trent Smither joined the Cutthroat Community as Director of Development in 2019. A graduate of St. Lawrence University, Trent has had a wide-ranging career that positions him well to advance our school’s mission and financial security.

Before serving in the independent school world, Trent, among other things, worked in sales and marketing at Anheuser-Busch, produced and marketed an award-winning feature-length film, and consulted with private equity funds where he focused on green-building strategies in emerging markets. From 2012-16, Trent was the Director of Communications and an English teacher at New Hampton School in New Hampshire. From 2016 to 2019, Trent served as the Advancement Director for the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire.

An avid skier, outdoorsman, and traveler, Trent loves living in the Wood River Valley and working at a school committed to incorporating outdoor education into the overall educational experience. Trent’s wife, Alessia Carega, is the school's Director of Admissions, and their two young children are proud Cutthroats.

Chad Stacy joined the school in July 2025 as its Chief Financial Officer, replacing Julie Siegel.

Chad came from the Dunn School, a private, independent, boarding and day school for grades 6-12 located in Los Olivos, California, where he served in various positions since 2010. He was most recently the school’s Director of the Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program, a nationally recognized and widely admired program built to honor the legacy and entrepreneurial traditions of Dunn, and prior was the Chief Financial Officer, a role he held for close to 13 years. As Dunn’s CFO, Chad helped grow their endowment from $1.2 to over $12 million. He also was also instrumental in the success of their “Leading Matters” campaign which funded the first new student-centered building added to Dunn’s campus in over 20 years. That building, the Cindy Bronfman Leadership Center, won an architectural significance award and is the centerpiece of their Upper School activities and entrepreneurship program. Previous to the Dunn School, Chad was the Director of Finance for Literacy Pittsburgh and a Senior Accountant at Ernst & Young, LLP. While at the Dunn School, Chad was the 2023 recipient of National Business Officers Association (NBOA): Business Leadership for Independent Schools’ Jeffrey Shields Innovation in School Business Operations Award and named a Will J. Hancock Unsung Hero by the same organization in 2021.

Chad holds a BS in Accounting, Summa Cum Laude from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a M.Ed. in Independent School Leadership from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.  Chad's considerable experience in school finance and strategic planning combined with the high value he places on school culture and empowering students in matters of finance and entrepreneurship make him the perfect person to step into the CFO role.

Alumna and our inaugural Director of Residential Life Jessica Wasilewski ‘98 joined Sun Valley Community School as its Upper School Head in 2025, taking over for longtime US Head Kevin Campbell.

Jessica brings a wealth of upper school leadership and teaching experience to the position, most recently serving as the principal for grades 11 and 12 at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri. There, Jessica cultivated and maintained close relationships with more than 200 11th and 12th grade students and families in addition to teachers and staff to support the social, emotional, and academic wellbeing of students and culture of the school. Additional duties included nurturing strong school-home partnerships, strategizing with other principals of the school, overseeing the disciplinary process for students, teaching Precalculus Honors, and much more. 

Prior to this role, Jessica was the K-12 Math Department Head at Trinity School in New York, New York from 2016-20 where she oversaw the K-12 Math Department, curriculum, and pedagogy. She served as the Peer Leadership/Orientation Coordinator, Fellows Program Coordinator, and Ambassadors Advisor at Trinity from 2015-19. Jessica also brings a personal connection to our school, not only as a 1998 graduate, but also as our Director of Residential Life from 2011-13, where she helped get our then nascent boarding program up and running. Her teaching experience includes roles as a middle and high school math teacher from 2002-to present.

She holds a BA in Economics with a math minor from Middlebury College, a MS in Leadership from Northeastern University, and a doctorate (Ed.D.) in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership also from Northeastern. Jessica lives and breathes her school community and cares deeply about the success of every student, family, and faculty member. She credits that to her history here at Community School where the teacher/student relationship is a fundamental aspect of learning and growing. 

Ryan Waterfield joined Sun Valley Community School as Director of Communications in 2018. Ryan was a member of the Cutthroat faculty for 15 years before leaving in 2011 to work in publishing. During her time as a faculty member, Ryan taught Upper School English and was the English Department Head for three years. She coached the girls’ basketball team and was the Director of the Senior Project Program. In 2014, Ryan cofounded BigLife Magazine and has served as its publisher and editor for more than four years. Ryan earned a BA in English from Transylvania University and studied and taught in the Czech Republic as a Fulbright Scholar. Ryan holds an MA from the Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English. 

Ryan understands the trends and changes taking place in communications and marketing through her entrepreneurial leadership at BigLife Magazine and also has a deep appreciation for the school and its history. In her role, Ryan communicates the school’s unique program and culture with Cutthroats past and present, on a local, national, and international scale.

Ryan and her husband, Greg Van Der Meulen '98, have two children, Townes and Zula. 

Clay Wawner currently serves as Director of Residential Life, Director of Summer Programs, Co-Director of Teacher Training Academy and is on the Leadership Team. 

He joined Sun Valley Community School in 2018 from the Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he served as Dean of Students, History Teacher, Community Service Coordinator, and Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach.

In addition to his extensive academic, residential, and coaching experience, Clay has over ten years of experience as an outdoor education instructor, having led wilderness experiences around the U.S. and globally, including two summers employed as a fishing and river guide for The River Company in Stanley. 

Clay is a graduate of Denison University, where he captained the men’s lacrosse team and graduated with a degree in history. He is currently earning his Masters in Business Administration from Boise State University with an expected completion in December, 2025. Clay enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife, Maggie, and their three sons, who are now all Cutthroats.