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Administration
Van Roberts
Owner
After graduating from UT Austin, Van moved to Dallas to work in a newly-formed family business. He has owned and operated successful car dealerships, and a highly-acclaimed restaurant in the Dallas area.
Van brings extensive knowledge of creating a concept based on a desired end product, and massaging the process in order to make it successful. His accomplishments are, in no small part, due to recognizing untapped talent in people, and then allowing them the freedom and resources to succeed.
He now turns his energies toward developing Allegiance Academy. His idea for the academy is to maximize a young student/athlete’s time efficiency and effectiveness, in a supportive environment. This is achieved by combining high quality private school education with comprehensive soccer training, under one roof.
Van envisions an academy where student athletes can grow to their fullest potential as students, athletes and outstanding character individuals.
He resides in Dallas with his wife, Laurie and their five children.
Jennifer Vukelich
Academic Director
Jennifer brings 25 years of expertise in teaching and educational leadership to Allegiance Academy. Her recent leadership experiences include a district administrator role, responsible for curriculum development. She has also held roles as principal and assistant principal.
She has a double Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Spanish, and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership. She has a passion for enhancing school connections with the community, implementing challenging curriculums that improve students’ knowledge and self-confidence, and developing teachers to be more student-focused.
Jennifer’s goal for the Allegiance Academy is to set up a comprehensive curriculum that encourages self-development and educational exploration. Her plan is to create one of the top academic environments in the state.
She lives in Dallas with her husband, John and their three children. Her son will be attending Allegiance Academy.
Kim Pelt
Kim brings 26 years of teaching experience with emphasis in Gifted and Talented programs to Allegiance Academy. Several of her accomplishments as an educator include the creation of Humanities Programs in 5A Texas school districts such as Coppell and Southlake.
She has a double major in Education and Communication from the University of Texas in Arlington. She has received extensive training at Columbia University Teacher’s College which include advanced courses focused on reading and writing. She has received IB training in Austin, Texas, on BYP and MYP writing curriculum.
She currently lives in Roanoke, TX with her husband, Kyle. She brought her passion for education home to her 4 children, all of whom are collegiate graduates and received academic and athletic scholarships. She continues to mold the minds of future generations of her family, which include her 6 grandchildren
Reading/Language Arts
Social Studies/Instructional Coach
Edvaldo Pedro
Athletic Director
Currently the Director of Coaching at Allegiance Football Club, which he started in 2016. Coach Pedro has been coaching youth soccer for the past 6 years.
As the DOC and founder of AFC, Pedro has developed a successful philosophy, methodology and culture that has expedited the growth of the players and teams.
A successful journey that can be noted through the dominant performances the players and teams consistently display, as well as their rapid growth. Something that has elevated multiple players from recreational level players, to now being invited to train with the top European academies. In addition, Pedro’s teams are currently ranked amongst the very best in the nation.
Coach Pedro also serves as a lead instructor for BCWMethod. Based in Spain, the program develops training and playing methodology to expedite player’s growth. Pedro has guided various youth and college coaches in implementing these methods.
In addition to BCWMethod, Pedro has hosted multiple Coaching Master Classes. Some of which included Luis Milla (Spain U23 National Team Coach), Andres Carrasco (Kuwait National Team Coach), Antonio Cortes (Catalunya National Team Coach) and multiple European professional coaches.
Bianca brings 22 years of education experience in Arlington ISD with multiple positions within the district. She retired last year and felt the calling to Allegiance Academy to be the Office Manager.
Bianca’s goal when starting at the Academy is to be a resource to the students and staff to ensure they are set up for success in their educational journey.
Bianca has two grown children and is a Texas native. She enjoys spending time with family and her five grandchildren in her newly found free time. She has three shiatzus and currently resides in Arlington. She is excited to be joining the team.
Bianca Escobedo
Office Manager
Anna brings ten years of experience in education to Allegiance, having previously held roles as classroom teacher at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, high school counselor, dual credit coordinator for Tarrant County College, and mentor for students engaging in self-directed education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Teaching. Anna is passionate about supporting students by equipping them for success in their goals. She looks forward to working with Allegiance’s students to make sure that they have the tools they need to thrive as they move forward on their academic and career journeys.
Originally from Michigan, Anna taught in Bahrain and went to grad school in Oregon before landing in Texas in 2011. When not educating her two young daughters, you can find her reading, listening to podcasts, or engaging in her interest-of-the-week.