Scott Glasrud - Founder of the SAMS Academy.

D. Scott Glasrud is a 35 year resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a 1985 graduate of Manzano High School in Albuquerque. Upon graduation from high school, Dr. Glasrud attended the University of New Mexico where he graduated in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a second Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

In 1989, Dr. Glasrud began coaching high school basketball. He was hired full time to be an educational assistant, working with students with severe disabilities. Glasrud earned his teaching license from the College of Santa Fe and was hired to teach students with severe disabilities at Manzano High School.

In 1995, Dr. Glasrud re-enrolled at the University of New Mexico and earned a Master of Arts in Special Education. Later that year he was promoted to Department Chairperson, overseeing a special education department of more than 100 teachers and assistants and 200 students. In 1996, Glasrud was selected to testify before the President's Committee on Mental Retardation in Washington, DC.

In 1997, Dr. Glasrud enrolled in the University of New Mexico's Collaborative Educational Administration Program where he earned his administrative certificate later that same year. In 1998, Glasrud was chosen as an assistant principal at Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque's south valley. At Rio Grande, Glasrud was responsible for the school's curriculum and scheduling.

In 2000, Dr. Glasrud began his career in charter schools - founding and opening the Southwest Secondary Learning Center (SSLC), in Albuquerque, NM. The school continues to successfully operate today under Dr. Glasrud's direction.

Dr. Glasrud earned his doctorate in Finance in December, 2002. Since the opening of Southwest Secondary Learning Center in 2000, Dr. Glasrud has opened two additional charter schools (Southwest Primary and Southwest Intermediate Learning Centers) in Albuquerque. His fourth school, Southwest Aeronautics, Mathematics, and Science Academy will be opening soon.

Southwest Learning Center students have achieved the highest test scores on the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment. Southwest Learning Centers' students consistently outperform the local, state, and national averages for ACT test scores. Currently, the three schools that comprise the Southwest Learning Center have more than 4,000 families on the waiting list competing for spots in the enrollment lottery.