Joseph (Joe) de Braga is currently the owner of two businesses, Reading Vision and the 7th Canyon Ranch. He is the retired director of secondary curriculum, instruction and technology for the Elko County School District in Elko, Nevada, a position he held from 2003 to 2010. Prior to this, de Braga was principal of Spring Creek High School, also in Elko, which he opened in 1992. While at Spring Creek, he incorporated the Envision program, a corporate approach to school organization in which the class is operated as a business, with student managers and employees working together to develop a final product. de Braga also developed a school-within-a-school to assist at-risk sophomores, and a program called Rewarding Excellence to publicize the achievements of students and teachers.
Upon his retirement in 2010, Joe was selected by the Nevada Department of Education to mentor school administrators throughout the rural counties in Nevada.
Also upon retirement Joe became an adjunct faculty member at Great Basin College in Elko, NV. He specifically works for the Continuing Education Department as a Microsoft Office Instructional Specialist where he provides training to the employees of the local gold mining companies.
In 2017 Joe and his wife Angie purchased the 7th Canyon Ranch in Lamoille, NV. This is a working ranch that is also a popular wedding venue. In 2018 Joe joined the Lamoille Volunteer Fire Department and was instrumental in the construction of a new fire station for the community.
Joe's most recent project is as a member of the committee to form a new charter school in Elko, NV. This school is named the Nevada Classical Academ Elko and will open its doors for students in the Fall of 2025.
Joe continues to work with students who struggle with reading through his Reading Vision company.
I enjoy working on our ranch and spending time with our five grandchildren. My hobbies include flyfishing, hiking, and horseback riding. I consider myself a life-long learner and teacher.
1983 University of Nevada - Reno, B.S., M.Ed.
