Principal Julie Ballard is a 24-year veteran teacher. She was named to succeed longtime Tavan Principal Margaret Serna on June 6, 2019. After 13 years of service as a master special education teacher, she was unanimously selected as the new Assistant Principal in the 2014-2015 school year. She currently also teaches at NAU in the field of educational assessment. Her classroom experience brings valuable knowledge to all areas of curriculum design, student assessment, classroom management, teacher evaluation, and shared leadership. Mrs. Ballard's commitment to Tavan is evident in her innovative school initiatives, positive attitude in all situations, educational knowledge sharing, and understanding of the needs of a diverse student population. She has implemented our school behavior initiatives and reduced student behavior referrals by 75% over 2 years. As a community member, all 4 of Mrs. Ballard's children have attended Tavan Elementary School. 

Mrs. Ballard received a dual degree in K-12 Special Education and Elementary Education from the University of Northern Arizona in 1993, her Masters in Educational Counseling in 1997 from the University of New Mexico, and most recently her Masters in Educational Leadership with Principal Certification from University of Northern Arizona in 2012.