Biography

I was born and grew up in Southern Minnesota in a small city named Austin. I am the second oldest of seven children. I moved to Utah County in 1999 and have lived here ever since. I now live in the magical land of Spanish Fork where it is nice and quiet, yet close enough to Provo for shopping and restaurants. I am married to the lovely Christy Bryant Nielson and I have four darling children (Andrew 13, Allie 10, Jared 8, and Joshua 5). I love being active and being outside. My favorite places to be (thus far) are Zion's Canyon N.P., Yellowstone N.P., Disneyland, and Corona Del Mar Beach in Newport Beach CA. I received my BS in psychology in 2002 and my MS in school counseling in 2007. I have been an assistant principal with Mountainville Academy since 2012.

I love to counsel others to discover new perspectives and personalities. I love to see students succeed and seeing that "light bulb moment" of inspiration. I also love to turn a sad face into a happy one. I am amazed at Mountainville Academy's students' abilities in academics, in solving problems, and in living a life full of character. I also love the school's mission of "building leaders one student at a time'. Where can you find its match? How many schools not only teach children to be excellent students, but also excellent people?

Some interesting facts about me…I love family history and discovering things about my ancestors. I’ve always wanted to try out for American Idol but chose to stick with karaoke. My hometown is the headquarters of Hormel Foods. If you look on the back of a Spam can, you will see it is made in Austin, MN. I love the Minnesota Vikings NFL football team and look forward to each game with enthusiasm. I love the outdoors and to hike, bike, and explore. I dream of buying a beach house in Southern California and having Bobby Flay as my personal chef, and I would love to sail around the world in my own yacht.