Administration
Clayton AhQuin Jr.
Founder
Clayton Jr. alongside his father Clayton Sr. have developed a way of helping teens through Love, Honor, and Respect. Clayton Jr. has worked with the State of Utah in creating the “Clear the Air” campaign, which is a no-smoking and no-tobacco project. He has been involved in the development of young men in various programs for the past 18 years. Mr. AhQuin has the ability to connect with the boys in these programs through a great passion of his: music. Teaching the guitar, playing the piano, and giving vocal instruction during his free time with many of the boys is something he looks forward to. Clayton has been married for 18 years to his beautiful wife Julee. He is the very proud father of 5 beautiful children, which to Clayton is where true happiness lies.
Brian Parker
Clinical Director
Bio coming soon
Jade Laws
Human Resources Director
Bio coming soon
West Campus
Parker Haslam
Program Director
Parker Haslam is our Program Director. Parker grew up in Salt Lake City and Hurricane, Utah. He graduated locally from Hurricane High School and loves the community. In 2005, Parker married his perfect wife and began schooling to pursue a degree in criminal justice. He has been working with troubled youth since 2003 and enjoys what he does. He has had to opportunity to serve as a Proctor Parent in his own home and understands the difficulties that troubled teens bring to the home environment. He draws upon many experiences gained while serving two years in a third-world country as a missionary. He acquired excellent problem-solving skills and an ability to speak Spanish as a fluid second language. Parker looks forward to life’s challenges and embraces the moral satisfaction that follows any victory over such obstacles.
Tony Ruelas
Office Manager
Carolyn Callahan
Case Manager – Facility Mom
East Campus
Angel Orpinela
Program Director
Angel was born in Orange County, California. Later, his family moved to Utah for better opportunities. He grew up in negative areas and his family wanted him to focus his energy on good things like soccer and other sports, to stay busy and out of trouble. Through the sport that he loves (soccer), he got a scholarship that took him to a college in Kansas. He took classes in business and psychology. While he was out there he met his wife, who also had the scholarship to play soccer. She moved back home to play at Dixie State University. So Angel at that point knew she was the one for him and he moved to St. George to pursue her and started working at a residential treatment facility. In 2015 he transferred to Liahona and has been working for them since. He has two beautiful children, a girl and a boy that are 13 months apart and have a lot of energy. Angel loves spending time with his family, coaching his kids, playing sports, shooting, and anything outdoors! He is extremely passionate about helping the youth, as he has had many mentors in his life that helped guide him. He hopes to be just that for those that are struggling and could use a rock in their life!
Taylor Berry
Assistant Director
Born in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, I came to the states at eight months old and was adopted by my wonderful parents. I’m the second youngest out of 5 in my family. Most of my childhood was spent in Rigby, Idaho until I was 12. In 2006 my family decided to move to St. George, Utah in which I spent all my teenage years here. I attended and graduated from Dixie Highschool. After graduating I served a 2 year church mission and was blessed with the opportunity to go back to Tonga where I was born and serve the people there, as well as learn more about my culture and study the language. After my mission I went up north and attended Weber State University for a year and played football while attending as a walk on. After a year up there I was blessed with the opportunity to earn a scholarship at Dixie State University and pursue playing football as well as getting school paid for while studying Psychology. I met my beautiful wife Reegan while attending Dixie State and we were married in March of 2018. My wife and I are blessed with our only son Nakai, but hope to have more children in the near future. I love to do anything that involves being with my family whether it’s traveling, camping, or just playing board games. As a hobby, I currently coach the running backs for a local highschool team here in St. George with my father who is the head coach of the team. I’ve worked at Liahona for 6 years now and love working with these teenage boys while watching them transition into the young men and leaders they’re supposed to be. Not only do I stand by our motto “You do good, you get good” I also believe that if you make the right choices, good things will eventually happen. You just have to be patient and stay diligent.
Johnathan Degraw
Office Manager
Johnathan, John for short mostly grew up in Northern Utah his family though when he was young were always on the move with some of his childhood spent in Sunnyvale, California. They finally settled where they would move to Southern Utah when he was close to graduating high school. John found his roots in Hurricane, Utah and is married and has 2 children. A 15-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son. Together they enjoy the beauty Southern Utah has to offer. He began working with troubled youth in 2007 with Liahona Academy as a line staff. He has been working specifically with young men now for 15 years. John loves being part of these young men’s journey to growth and success and enjoys the challenges that arise daily.
Beverly Carayas
Case Manager
Originally from Henderson, Nevada, I moved to Kanab, Utah, during my high school years before eventually returning to my roots to attend UNLV. I have dedicated my career to residential treatment since 1996 and joined the Liahona Academy team in 2015. My favorite part of my role is connecting with parents; I truly believe it’s the best job in the world. Having recently navigated the journey of loss, I find myself even more deeply committed to supporting families as they walk through their own difficult seasons with grace and strength.
Outside of work, I am a proud mother of three: My oldest is a busy local stay-at-home mom, My son is an ambitious IT professional in Georgia, and my youngest is a dedicated Special Education teacher. While I am incredibly proud of the lives my children have built, my teenage grandson is the absolute love of my life.
Administration
Dr. Roy Hoyt - Academic Director
Marsha Postert - Assistant Academic Director
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Administration
Dr. Roy Hoyt – Academic Director
Dr. Hoyt’s educational experience spans 38 years as teacher and administrator. He started his teaching career in Burley, Idaho as an American Government teacher and coach. He moved to Hurricane, Utah to be a high school assistant principal at Hurricane High School in the Washington School District. During his 25 years in the Washington School District, he was a high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and high school principal. He was also the Superintendent of Big Horn County School District #4 in Wyoming from 2014 to 2016. Roy was an Adjunct Professor for Dixie State University in St. George, Utah, where he taught Educational Psychology and Human Exceptionalities. Roy completed his Bachelor of Science at the University of Utah, Master’s Degree at the College of Idaho, and Educational Doctorate at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He has been a Lead Evaluator for school accreditation visits for many years to public, charter, digital, and residential treatment schools. He recently worked as field consultant for AdvancED. Dr. Hoyt enjoys spending his extra time in Central American, rafting rivers in the west, and riding his bicycles on local roads and trails. He sees working at Liahona Academy as a wonderful opportunity to contribute his skills as an educator and work with great many people.
Marsha Postert – Assistant Academic Director
Marsha grew up in Hurricane. She comes from a large family. She is the 7th child of 12 siblings. She graduated from Hurricane High School in 1986. She worked for 2 ½ years at a youth treatment facility for girls. She moved away for a time and missed the small town and all it offers, so she moved back. She attended Dixie College, then decided on a career in finance. She was a Construction Loan Specialist for 12 years. After leaving the finance industry, she chose to do foster care for 7 years. She also worked for Washington County School District as a paraprofessional in the Special Education department. She came to work at Liahona in 2014 as a teacher before taking the position of Assist Academic Director. She is married with 3 boys. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, baking, and reading. She feels that by working at Liahona she is contributing to a larger purpose. She is proud to be part of the personal development and growth of the young men who attend Liahona. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
