Staff

C. Kevin Imes

Superintendent

Kevin has served in public education for 28 years. In August 1988, he began his professional career as a science teacher in the Phoenix Union High School District. While there he served as a technology grant facilitator and co-originated the Alhambra Center for Medical and Health Studies.

In 2001 he was selected to open the alternative education program in the Deer Valley Unified School District and later was the founding principal for the district's most recent high school, Boulder Creek High School.

Kevin was selected as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment in the Agua Fria Union High School in 2009 and later went on to serve as the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services for three years. In June of 2015 was selected as the Superintendent of the Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY), a joint technical education district.

He is a native of Arizona having received his under graduate degree from Arizona State University and graduate degree from Northern Arizona University.

Email: kimes@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5884

Renai L. Williams-Phillips

Executive Assistant

Renai joined STEDY in 2015 to provide administrative support, working alongside the Superintendent to coordinate strategy development and implementation. Renai came from Norfolk, Nebraska where she served as the head facilitator of Envisions of Norfolk Career Academy, helping individuals with behavioral disorders explore employment options, build employment skills, conduct job search, and promote community involvement.

Previously, from 2010 to 2012 she served as the General Manager of TC Global in the downtown San Francisco Area. She actively recruited, interviewed, hired, trained, and motivated high performing teams. She was involved in organizations such as SF Smiles, Foster Youth in Action, and Minds Matter SF. Originally from Yuma, Arizona, from 2006 to 2010 she was promoted to direct a highly successful business startup as the General Manager of Elite Tanning L.L.C. She successfully led a team of professional sales, marketing, and operational execution specialists.

Renai serves as the Board Secretary to the STEDY Governing Board, as well is involved with organizations such as the County Attorney's Yuma Restorative Youth Justice Program, NAFE, and NAPW. Renai is a Yuma native and is happy to be back home along with her two children, Vienna and Paityn.

Email: rphillips@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5903

Julie Rodriguez

Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Specialist

Julie Rodriguez is the Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Specialist for Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma (STEDY).

Julie joins STEDY with several years of experience as a curriculum specialist. Prior to her service as a curriculum specialist, she served as a classroom teacher for 15 years, as well as supervising and training new teachers to succeed with state professional development standards and create positive and effective learning environments.

Julie received a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University. Her interest in being an educator began when her (now very successful) daughter would not attend kindergarten without her mom being in the room. The classroom teacher took advantage of this and Julie went from cutting out letters to tutoring students and from that day on, Julie fell in love with education.

Julie believes that great schools are the result of great teachers, “I will work to ensure that every student is receiving high-quality instruction from every teacher within STEDY.”

Email: jrodriguez@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 216-2621 Ext. 107

Merci H. Munoz

Business Manager

Merci has served in many roles for the past 30 years in School Districts within Yuma County. In April 1987, she began her career as an Administrative Assistant for the Yuma County School Superintendent’s Office. Two years later she was promoted to Fiscal Agent which opened many doors for her. While serving as the Fiscal Agent, Merci played an important role in keeping sure that the Public School Districts in Yuma County were in compliant; i.e. budget preparation, payroll, accounts payable, revenue, grants management and many other areas.

In 1995 Merci was hired as the Assistant to the Business Manager for the Gadsden Elementary School District #32 and later became the Human Resources Coordinator until her move in 2006 to serve as the Payroll Supervisor for Yuma Elementary School District #1. In 2007 Merci was highly recommended by then Crane Elementary School District #13’s CFO to serve as the Business Manager for Antelope Union High School #50 until 2012 when she was contacted by Somerton Elementary School District #11’s Director of Human Resources to serve as his HR Coordinator. In July of 2017 Merci was selected to serve as the Business Manager for Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma #96 (STEDY).

Merci was born and raised in Yuma where she attended Yuma area schools and a Yuma High School graduate. After high school graduation, Merci went on to Tucson, AZ where she attended UofA for two years and returned home (Yuma) where she met her husband of 25 years and raised their two sons and helped raised a step son and step daughter which she adores and doesn’t stop there, Merci also has eight grandchildren.

In her spare time, Merci enjoys entertaining with family and friends, decorating, sand dunning, water skiing, and just relaxing at home with her kids and grandkids.

Email: mmunoz@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 216-2620

Brenda E. Warnock

Executive Director of Program Management

Brenda Warnock serves as STEDY’s Executive Director of Program Management and brings over twenty years of information technology, project management, and organizational leadership experience to STEDY. A thirteen-year veteran employee of Arizona Western College, Brenda is an advocate of life-long learning and is passionate about education and closing our region’s skills gap. To this end, she collaborates with educators and industry leaders throughout Yuma County to facilitate quality learning experiences for students of all ages.

A Yuma local and former Crane kid, Yuma High Criminal, AWC Matador, and NAU Lumberjack, Brenda holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Liberal Studies and a Master’s degree in Administrative Leadership and Project Management.

Brenda believes in Yuma’s potential for economic greatness and works to provide our region’s high school students quality, relevant job skills in support of regional business efforts and industry needs.

Email: bwarnock@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5904

Rosa Garibay

Administrative Assistant

Rosa is an amiable, motivated, and committed individual who provides administrative and operational support for STEDY’s curriculum and program development functions. She attended Cibola High School, Arizona Western College, and continues her education by studying Psychology at Northern Arizona University-Yuma Branch. Having lived in Yuma for over eighteen years, Rosa proudly considers herself a Yuman. Rosa worked as a Business Manager for Dillard’s for the last five years, redesigning and implementing successful service strategies, training her team to meet or exceed performance goals, increasing sales and revenue.

Rosa works collaboratively with her STEDY teammates to enhance and support STEDY’s preparation of today’s students for tomorrow’s workforce, assisting students in making a successful transition from school to career through STEDY.

Email: rgaribay-mora@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 328-1794

Lynn Warner

Medical Assistant Instructor

Lynn is the Nationally Certified Medical Assistant Instructor for the Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma.

Lynn joined STEDY with six years of experience as Nationally Certified Medical Assistant, through the NCCT. Lynn came from Pinehurst, North Carolina where she worked as a CMA for Pinehurst Surgical Women’s Care, where she was the head CMA for assisting her physicians with several in-office procedures including the Novasure Ablation.

Before moving to North Carolina, she was a traveling CMA in Pensacola, FL for Sacred Heart Medical Group. There she was able to travel to different specialties and gained substantial experience from offices including cardiology, obstetrician-gynecology, family medicine and endocrinology to name a few. She received her National Certification in Erie, Pennsylvania where she was born and raised, then took her experience all over the country.

Lynn now serves as the Medical Assisting Instructor for STEDY, working as a CMA for Yuma Regional Medical Center, as well as currently furthering her education with Arizona Western College working towards her degree in nursing.

In her spare time, Lynn enjoys hiking the mountains with her husband Matt and her two dogs, working out, spending time with new found friends and traveling the west side of the country .

Email: lwarner@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5884

Erick Olivas

Animation Instructor

Erick joined STEDY in August of 2018 to teach one, if not the only, Animation course available in the Yuma county. Mr. Olivas is a Mexican American immigrant born in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, who at the age of 12 coming to the United States without knowing a word of English, was still very eager to learn, explore and motivate others into pursuing their dreams.

Mr. Olivas joins STEDY with several years of experience in graphic design, digital art and animation. Prior to being the Animation instructor for STEDY, Erick funded his own graphic design company (Expresarte) in San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, where he currently is one of the graphic designers and co-owners of the company. Mr. Olivas remembers being interested in drawing and painting since he can remember, and even considered attending Art school before graduating the University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in Computer Informatics. Erick enjoys working on producing different animation projects, playing music, sports and video games.

Currently, Mr. Olivas teaches the Animation class at the STEDY main campus in Yuma, AZ, where he does his best to cover the most relevant and innovative concepts pertaining to not only animation, but the animation industry’s standards and requirements. Mr Olivas’ main goal is to prepare our students for being some of the best animators and artists in the area by covering from the basic 2D frame by frame and skeletal animation style to the more advanced 3D modeling and design.

Erick believes that artists, and specially animators, are essential to having a more creative and beautifully designed world. After all, they are responsible for producing cartoons, impressive pieces of art, quick sketches or doodles, animation series, and many more awesome material in which the main goal is to entertain and transmit emotion to audiences.

Email: eolivas@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5884

Jeff Breeden

Coding/Software Development Instructor

Mr. Breeden joins STEDY with over 30 years of experience working with computers, having spent time developing and managing the Point-of-Sale computer systems for Supercuts franchises and running his own business.

Mr. Breeden has also developed many websites and created online programs and has supported people at every level of computing. Mr. Breeden previously worked in the I.T department at the Yuma County Superior Court, providing database management and technology support.

Email: jbreeden@stedy01.org
Tel.: (928) 366-5884