AFSA Elementary Leadership Team
Liz Burkwald
Elementary Director
651-209-3922
I believe in providing equitable education for all students in a supportive environment. I have worked to expand AFSA 3 times over my 15 years here and am really excited to be working in our Elementary building! AFSA's mission to expose students to agriculture as an integrated component throughout a rich, hands-on curriculum will be my focus as we add to our community. I believe learning is a lifelong journey; I started my educational journey with pre-school and summer camp work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then moved to MN and completed my Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education at UMN and my Master's in Special Education from Bethel University. More recently, I completed a Leadership certificate course through Harvard University, Equity and Diversity Inclusion Certificate from UMN and a Cultural Competency for School Administrators course.
Sam Wakefield
Executive Director
Hello! My name is Sam Wakefield and I am the Principal at AFSA High School. This will be my 14th year in education. I graduated from Bethel University with a bachelor’s degree in Physical and Health Education. I continued my education by obtaining my masters and administrative license at Concordia University, St. Paul. I strive to make sure students’ needs are met to allow them to grow as students and people. My leadership philosophy is that a great leader creates leaders around them. I want to help bring about the strengths around me to create an educational environment that brings success to students and educators. I am excited for this next year and I hope to continue to grow as an educator. My theme for this year is “Challenges create opportunities for success” Though we may face many challenges, that only gives us the ability to come together and create solutions to bring success.