ALUMNI BOARD

Bryce James Davis (‘04) attended all four years of high school at MVA. He earned his B.A. from the University of Central Florida and his J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law. A member of the Florida Bar and a practicing attorney since 2014, he currently runs his law practice, which specializes in estate planning and probate, contract litigation and appeals, in Clermont, Florida. He became involved with the alumni board upon returning to Central Florida in 2014, and is excited to be a part of the incredible growth and future of Montverde Academy.

Tyler Davis (’04) attended the second Judicial Council president for two years, varsity baseball captain, a four-year letterman in golf, Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 11^th grade, and received the H.P. Carpenter Award. Upon graduating, he attended Florida Southern University and the University of South Florida to earn a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences with concentrations in political science and environmental science.

He served for more than ten years as an outdoors guide on the Hillsborough River and as a park ranger in Hillsborough County. He joined the MVA staff as the associate director of development for alumni relations in 2015, and is currently the institutional advancement data specialist at the Academy.

Christina Gazzia (’05) spent five years as a day student at Montverde Academy. She was in the choir and ran on both the track & field and cross-country teams. After graduating, she attended Florida Atlantic University where she also ran cross-country for two years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Christina works as an Associate Director for 10up, a premier digital agency that focuses on building WordPress sites.

Christina currently resides in Winter Garden with her two daughters Gabriella and Sophia, both students in the Lower School at Montverde Academy! Christina has served on the MVA board for almost two years and is excited and eager to serve the MVA alumni community.

Joseph Katuka (’07) first came to Montverde Academy in 2006 as a player from Nigeria where he attended the Basketball Without Borders Africa camp in South Africa as the top three players from Nigeria in 2004. He was a key part of MVA’s 30-0 team in 2005-07 and was recognized in NIKE and the NBA’s Top 100 players in 2006.

He went on to play Division I basketball for George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and started all four years. Earning the accolades of Senior Captain 2007-11, 2010-11 Most Improved Player, and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year. In 2011, Joe played on the international stage as a key member of the U18 Nigerian National Basketball Team in the 2007 Junior World Cup which was hosted in Serbia. He joined the MVA team as a basketball coach in 2013.

Sheri King (’87) is happily married to Kevin, her husband of 28 years. They have three amazing kiddos, Mackenzie, Carson, and Weston. She grew up overseas in Peru, Colombia, and Indonesia. At the time her family was in Colombia, she attended MVA for her junior and senior years to graduate in 1987 and attend Florida Southern College, graduating in 1991.

After spending 18 years in Colorado, they returned to Florida. “While I miss the mountains and the outdoor life Colorado offers, my husband and I love spending time at the beach,” said Sheri. “We have always been an active family and love watching and playing soccer, golf, softball, tennis and volleyball! Spending time with family, however, is my favorite place to be! I love that I get to share MVA as an alum with my sister, Kristi (‘89), and my son Weston (’19).”

Skylar Knight (’15) attended Montverde Academy for nine years (2006-2015). He was the Class of 2015 Valedictorian and Captain of the Academic Team. His mother (Jeanette Nederveen) still teaches French at MVA. Skylar obtained an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Rollins College (Winter Park, FL) in 2019 and a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University (Washington, DC) in 2021.

After completing his studies, Skylar worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of State (2021-2022) before receiving a 2-year appointment as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of the Treasury in August 2022. Skylar is a sports enthusiast and enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. He is passionate about disability advocacy and democracy, human rights, and governance issues.

Renata Martins(’16), a native of Brazil, arrived on the MVA campus and volleyball courts in her junior year. Her parents did not attend college, so she focused on making the best out of the opportunities that came her way. She recently earned a bachelor’s degree in global business and marketing from the University of South Florida and accepted a full-time offer from Cintas Corporation as a catalog sales representative.

Renata is passionate about education and has shared her story with 400+ Brazilian children and teenagers to encourage and inspire others. Her goal is to help make our world better through education and mentorship because she believes in a generation that appreciates the opportunity to study.

Jesse Meadow (’04) started at Montverde Academy as a Middle School student and continued through graduation in 2004. He earned an associate degree from Lake-Sumter Community College and graduated from the University of Central Florida with his bachelor’s degree in political science. He returned to MVA and spent seven and a half years, starting as an Assistant Dean of Admission, before becoming Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life.

While at MVA as a staff member, Jesse remained active as an alumnus and also served on the MVA Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. He left MVA in 2019, joining Schoolcraft Digital as Managing Director, a digital marketing communications agency co-founded with Chris Mitchell, also an MVA alumnus.

Jesse and Jackie, his wife, currently reside in Orlando and are focused on raising their two daughters, Sofia and Emelia.

Christopher Mitchell (’02) spent four years as a boarding student at Montverde Academy. Upon graduating, he attended the University of Tampa and earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He stayed active with Montverde Academy as a member of the MVA Alumni Association’s Board of Directors, and also served two years as the association president. In 2015, he returned to the Academy full-time to spend as MVA’s Director of Development and the Montverde Fund.

He left MVA in 2018, becoming an entrepreneur with the launch of Statecraft Digital, a holistic digital communications agency and strategic partner for political candidates and organizations, non-profits, and movements. He launched a second business, Schoolcraft Digital, a digital marketing communications agency focused on helping private schools broaden their audience reach and increase enrollment, which was co-founded with Jesse Meadow, also an MVA alumnus.

Chris currently resides in Orlando where he is a dedicated father to his son, Noah.

Ameka Mmoh-Hooper (’08) came to Montverde Academy in 2002 along with her older siblings Antoinette (Mmoh) Guest (’03) and Anthony Mmoh (’03). Ameka was born in Maryland but spent most of her adolescence living in different countries due to her mother’s job as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. State Department. While at MVA she was captain of the volleyball, basketball and tennis teams, and was a key component to the tennis team being Runner-up at Districts in 2003. Ameka was recognized by the Orlando Sentinel for being the Female Tennis Player of the Year for Lake-Sumter in 2007. She was the first female lead Prefect and led weekly assemblies and assisted with MVA open houses. Ameka was a member of the Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, National Honor Society, the student body President and the co-founder of the first Dance/Step team. She graduated in 2008 with multiple accolades including include Female Athlete of the Year, Female Athlete/Scholar of the Year, Ancient Guard, and Dorm Member.

After graduation, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology in 2012. In 2013, she enlisted in the United States Air Force as a Broadcast Journalist and was stationed in Guam, South Korea, Colorado, United Kingdom, and Louisiana. Ameka currently works as a Federal Agent within the Air Force while still remaining on active duty. In 2018, she graduated from Michigan State University with a Master of Science in Law Enforcement Intelligence and Analysis. Ameka currently resides in Louisiana with her active-duty husband Michael and their two sons.

Zakiya Newton (’09) attended Montverde Academy from middle school and graduated in 2009.  She then attended the Culinary Institute of America where she received her bachelor’s degree in Baking and Pastry Arts Management in 2012.  Upon completion, she worked for several boutique and upscale restaurants and catering companies in Miami, Florida.

She returned to her hometown in Orlando, Florida in 2018 and started a family.  Zakiya has two boys that she is raising while managing her home-based business (Celestial Sweets by Kia).  In 2022, she was a contestant in the Food Network Holiday Baking Championship where she made it to the semi-finals. Outside of managing her home-based business, Zakiya enjoys spending her free time doing activities with her children.