Kelly Friede
Co- Founder and Head of School
Kelly Friede has served as an educator for the past 17 years in the roles of classroom teacher, behavior coach, assistant principal, and principal. Kelly and her husband, Matt, made the cross country move from Austin, Texas to New Jersey in May of 2020. Kelly and Matt celebrate 17 years of marriage this June, but found love at an early age as high school sweethearts. They love to travel, and have spent many years traveling the corners of the Earth together. Kelly also loves to cook, read, and decorate her home for the holidays. She enjoys spending time with her many nieces and nephews, spoiling them rotten before sending them home to their respective parents. No children of their own, but Matt and Kelly are the proud parents of a miniature dachshund, Rose. Kelly sees all of her students as her “kids” and she can’t wait to welcome you personally to the AVA family!
Kelly's Passions and Interests
Joel Anderson
Co- Founder and CEO
Joel’s unique passion for learning and education comes directly from his own experience as a student. He firmly believes that students and learning do not fit in a “one size fits all box,” and that experiential learning is what ultimately drives passion, progress, and product. As such, Joel embodies the entrepreneurial drive in each position he serves. Joel is the Vice President of Technical Operations for Mongo DB, a database and engineering software company whose products are used by companies world wide. He serves as AVA’s CEO and principal founder. Joel is committed to ensuring a personal philosophy of every child, every activity, every day. When Joel is not busy working for Mongo DB or thriving as an entrepreneur, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his beautiful wife and two girls. Joel is looking forward to the arrival of his son in January!
Joel's Passions and Interests