Our Education Team
Tracy Smith, M.Ed.
Head of School, Coral Springs
Throughout her almost 20-year career in education, Tracy Smith has served as an administrator, academic coach, instructor and program manager in both public and private schools and industry organizations. This experience helped her make a seamless transition to Xceed Preparatory Academy during the pandemic, bringing her positive and holistic approach of education to our Coral Springs campus.
During her time as an elementary and middle school teacher in traditional school settings, Tracy was twice nominated for Teacher of the Year for her work with students in integrated classrooms. In 2006, she moved into online education, where she spent several years as an administrator, curriculum writer, designer, reviewer and teacher for students both domestically and internationally, learning how to engage students, families and staff in the virtual classroom environment.
In addition to her academic duties, she serves as President of the Board of Directors of Smith Smiles Toy Donations, her family-run nonprofit that serves children in hospitals around the world. Smith Smiles Toy Donations has been recognized at both the county and state levels for its service to the community, with Tracy being awarded the Young Leadership Award in 2016. She has been featured on Medium, Thrive Global and Palm Beach Moms.
Tracy earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Florida State University. She graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 in her Masters in Educational Leadership program.
Connect with Tracy Smith on LinkedIn here.
Miriam Rube, MS
Head of School, Kendall
An experienced teacher and administrator, Miriam Rube has an incredibly diverse background in education, having spent the last 35 years of her career in traditional, online, public and private schools.
As Head of School for Xceed Preparatory Academy, Kendall/Pinecrest, Miriam is dedicated to serving students and families with compassion and respect, understanding that each student deserves to have learning experiences tailored to their needs. She is passionate about exposing students to activities that help them learn—from on-campus special events to mindfulness and yoga training to organizational skill building, Miriam believes in offering student opportunities to expand their knowledge, interests and talents.
Miriam earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology from The Ohio State University and a Master of Science in Guidance and Counseling from St. Thomas University. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Instructional Leadership and Management from St. Thomas University, focusing her research on blended learning.
Dr. Lucy Oganezov, Ph. D.
Head of School, Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School
A veteran educator, Dr. Lucy Oganezov serves as Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School’s Head of School.
Dr. Oganezov has taught for close to 20 years in a variety of settings including virtual and in-person in secondary schools and post-secondary institutions. She is extremely passionate about both personalized and virtual learning and transitioned smoothly into the Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School environment.
Organezov’s personal life plays a large role in her work. As a parent of two, she has an understanding of the life of a student. She is empathetic to the challenges students face when balancing academics and extracurricular activities, so she is committed to helping each student learn in a supportive and individualized educational model. Her personal experiences influence her philosophy as a school leader. According to Organezov, her leadership is inspired in seeing students as individuals, learning their interests, and working with them to get the most of their experience with Xceed.
Oganezov earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Education and both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from the University of Miami. Her research focused on mental health through the perspective of different cultures.
Betty Norton, M. Ed.
Chief Academic Officer
For almost 20 years, Betty Norton worked for Broward County Public Schools where she taught middle school students and later concentrated on special populations included Gifted and Exceptions Student Education (ESE) classrooms and Title I schools.
Motivated to bring even more value to the students of Broward County, Betty pursued and earned a National Board Certification in 2004 and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in 2007, while concurrently dedicating her time to increase academic achievement in the district’s middle and high schools. She worked at the district level from 2005-2016. She worked for Core Curriculum as a curriculum developer and then in 2009 transferred to the dept of Accountability. In both cases, she was assigned to low performing schools (D-F schools) and led a team of district support to evaluate, design, and implement school improvement plans and met with great success. Betty also provided training for faculty and administration.
Keen to learn more about virtual and remote education, Betty also spent seven-and-a-half years working for both Broward Virtual School and Florida Virtual School before embarking on her career at Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School , where she served as Head of Schools for Coral Springs. When Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School opened in 2020, Betty was tapped to lead the global virtual campus and since then, has become a go-to expert in online, remote and virtual education, having been featured in Thrive Global and numerous family and lifestyle blogs.
Betty earned a Bachelor of Science in Secondary English Education from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Science from Capella University.
Connect with Betty Norton on LinkedIn here.
A former public school educator, Dr. Brent Goldman has always been passionate about teaching and learning. However, as a young teacher, he quickly recognized that the traditional model of education was—and still is—antiquated and he knew there had to be a better way to help students learn.
So, 25 years ago, Dr. Goldman left public education to co-launch and lead pioneering private schools including The Sagemont School in Weston, Smart Horizons Career Online Education and now, Xceed Preparatory Academy and Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School.
As a recognized leader in innovative education, he has been profiled in the FloridaTrend 500, Thrive Global and Authority Magazine for his commitment and dedication to providing a personalized and flexible learning environment for Xceed students focused on subject mastery, not seat time or testing standards. Both Xceed Preparatory Academy and Xceed Preparatory Academy Virtual School were also recently recognized nationally on NBC News for its academic teams’ unique hybrid collaboration across all five schools.
Dr. Goldman earned a Bachelor of Arts from The College of William and Mary and both a Master of Science and Doctor of Education from Nova Southeastern University, where he is often a featured speaker at the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education.
Connect with Dr. Goldman on LinkedIn here.
*All educational team members have a minimum of a 4 year college degree (or higher) and are eligible for or possess Educator Certification issued by the Florida Department of Education.
Reporting Misconduct by Instructional Personnel and Administrators
All employees and administrators have an obligation to report misconduct by instructional personnel and school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student. Examples of misconduct include obscene language, drug and alcohol use, disparaging comments, prejudice or bigotry, sexual innuendo, cheating or testing violations, physical aggression, and accepting or offering favors. Reports of misconduct of employees should be made to the Xceed Preparatory Academy’s Head of School. Reports of misconduct committed by administrators should be made to Xceed Preparatory Academy’s CEO or Operations Director.
Legally sufficient allegations of misconduct by Florida certified educators will be reported to the Office of Professional Practices Services. Policies and procedures for reporting misconduct by instructional personnel or school administrators which affects the health, safety, or welfare of a student are posted in and on our website at xceedprep.org.