WGU Recognizes Canyons School District Administrator with Elevate Award

Sally Sansom receives the WGU Elevate Award for building strong teacher pipeline

For her outstanding work recruiting and supporting educators in the Canyons School District (Utah), Western Governors University presented Sally Sansom with the WGU Elevate Award. Sansom received the award in front of dozens of colleagues, family, and friends during an administrative meeting at the district office in Sandy.

The online, nonprofit university presents the WGU Elevate Award to individuals committed to providing high-quality educational and professional development opportunities for others. Sansom is the first recipient of the award in Utah.

“Sally has proven her dedication to helping others pursue and achieve their goals,” said Ismar Vallecillos, Director of WGU’s Northwest Region. “It’s an honor to recognize her with the WGU Elevate Award and thank her for all she does for teachers and her community.”

“Sally is the epitome of a true educator. In her mind, it’s all about the students — how much they are learning and growing and that they feel welcome and included at their schools,” said Superintendent Dr. Rick Robins. “In her role as an administrator in our Human Resources Department, Sally criss-crosses the country in search of the best talent with the aim of recruiting them to teach in Canyons. Once those teachers arrive in Canyons, she goes above and beyond to make sure they feel supported and valued. It’s evident in everything she does that she cares passionately about elevating the ideals of public education. I applaud her for being the first in Utah to receive this prestigious award, and I am so grateful she’s part of our team.”  

Sansom is a recruitment administrator in the CSD Human Resources department. In her role, she identifies and attracts top teaching talent to live and work in the CSD community. WGU honored her with the WGU Elevate Award not only because of the lengths she goes to find and recruit skilled educators, but the effort she gives to ensure they have access to resources to succeed and grow in their careers.

“Sally goes to tremendous lengths to ensure students in the Canyons community continue to have access to the very best teachers,” said Melissa Jensen, WGU’s strategic partnerships manager. “Before becoming an administrator, she worked as a teacher and a principal. She truly cares about the district’s teaching staff and making sure they are happy and successful in their careers.”

“I am so grateful. This is such an honor to be recognized by Western Governors University,” said Sansom. “I’m really excited to continue our partnership to see where we can get more teachers into our classrooms and schools, and better the community together.”