Meet Our Team
Meet our Administration Team
The administrators of Michigan Virtual Charter Academy (MVCA) are committed to ensuring students receive the finest, well-rounded education possible by providing expert tools and strategies, the highest quality teaching materials, and top parent support.
Randy Rodriguez | Head of School
Randy Rodriguez has served 29 years in public education. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in educational leadership. He started his educational career in the border town of Yuma, Arizona. Mr. Rodriguez served one year as a paraprofessional and eight years as a middle school teacher before entering administration at an elementary school of 1,200 students.
In 2004, Mr. Rodriguez was recruited to Michigan as an elementary principal. He was later selected as the district curriculum director and the assistant superintendent. He spent the last 5 ½ years as the superintendent in that same district.
During his tenure as an instructional leader, Mr. Rodriguez remained focused on continuous improvement by building systemic instructional and intervention programs, as well as ensuring strong character and behavioral expectations. He worked diligently to build strong relationships with families and community members to promote a positive educational climate for all students.
While Mr. Rodriguez has gained a wealth of experience in education during his career, he is excited to join the digital frontier of cyber schools and online education.
Mr. Rodriguez and his wife, Janae, celebrated 29 years of marriage this past year. They have four wonderful adult children, ages 26, 24, 22, and 20. He is grateful for the opportunities that an education brings to young people, and he looks forward to the opportunities MVCA can create for students and families.
Nick Hoffman | Principal | Middle School
Nick Hoffman has served in public education for more than 13 years. He received his MEd teaching certification, and leadership certification from Grand Valley State University. He also has a BA in business administration from Alma College.
Mr. Hoffman's passion for teaching came at an early age as a coach for many different levels of youth sports. A love for coaching ultimately led him to pause his business career and pursue a career in education. Mr. Hoffman has spent time teaching at the elementary level, teaching and coaching at the middle school level, and coaching at the high school level. He has also held leadership positions at all levels of K–12 education.
Mr. Hoffman holds a strong belief that all students can learn and have the potential for greatness. Building trusting relationships, discovering students’ learning styles, and meeting students at their level are keys to providing meaningful and individualized instruction. Holding students to high expectations and empowering them to make the right decisions will ultimately set them up for college and career readiness. Together, we will do great things at MVCA.
Mr. Hoffman and his family reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is supported by his amazing wife and is the proud father of a 15-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old daughter. A strong desire to see them succeed is affirmation of the important role educators play in molding the lives of our youth and drives him to be the best leader he can be every day.
Tanya Kuipers | Principal | Elementary School
Tanya Kuipers graduated from Grand Valley State University with both her Bachelor of Arts in English Language Arts and Elementary Education and her Masters in Educational Leadership. She taught second grade for six years in Muskegon before joining Michigan Virtual Charter Academy in March 2012. Mrs. Kuipers taught fourth grade for four years at MVCA before transitioning to a leadership role. Mrs. Kuipers has served as the Elementary Principal since January 2017 and enjoys working with the MVCA staff to better serve the families of MVCA. Mrs. Kuipers resides in Muskegon with her husband and four sons.
Amela Redzic | Family Engagement Administrator
Mrs. Redzic completed her BA in Arts (psychology and comparative religion) at Western Kentucky University, along with her MA in administration. Mrs. Redzic has served in education for more than 15 years in different states (Kentucky, New York, Tennessee, Arizona, and Michigan). She worked as a teacher, paraprofessional, and academic counselor before coming to MVCA in 2016 as a member of the Family Academic Support Team (FAST). In 2016, she transitioned to a leadership role as family engagement administrator. Mrs. Redzic strongly believes in the five E’s that drive her team in supporting all MVCA students: Student Engagement, Equipping, Encouragement, Expectation, and Empowerment. She resides in Grand Rapids with her husband and two children.
Iliana Elkhailani | Special Programs Academic Administrator
Iliana Elkhailani has served 20 years in public education. Shortly after completing Army enlistment, Iliana was accepted into the Troops for Teachers Program. She graduated from Chicago State University with a BA and a MAT and teacher licensure. Her first class was at her former elementary school in the south side of Chicago. From 2002-2014, Iliana was a primary teacher, special education teacher, case manager, and a principal intern, spending most of her time in Englewood on the west side of Chicago.
In 2015, Iliana Elkhailani was recruited to open a special education school in the south side of Chicago where she served students with severe social emotional disabilities as a Diverse Learners Principal. This was her first experience as a school administrator. She was later recruited by SD 89 to be an Assistant Director of Special Education where she began seven new programs for students with mild to severe disabilities. From there, she was hired as the Director of Special Populations by IDOE. The school district was taken over by the state of Indiana. Within a year, she improved compliance from 62% to 100 % and controlled wasteful spending.
In 2020, Iliana Elkhailani was offered a position as a Director of Student Services for Instituto Progresso Latino. She improved compliance from 29% to 100% in less than a year and began a Newcomer's program for students who are new to the United States. In 2022, Iliana began her career with Michigan Virtual Academy as a Special Programs Academic Administrator. She is excited to work in such an innovative setting. Iliana El-Khailani is committed to equity and inclusion for all students.
Iliana Elkhailani has been married for 20 years to her husband, Aissar and has two teenage sons, Adam, and Noah, in addition to numerous fur babies.
