About Us

CanopyEd specializes in helping districts and individual educators unlock the potential of virtual learning for their students and teachers. Our work is informed by research, experience, and a belief that education should be both rigorous and joyful for everyone involved. 

Learn about our new blended learning platform Canopy: www.CanopyEducation.com

William Minton, Founder & CEO

Over the past 12 years, William has worked at public, private, and charter schools, coached over 100 teachers, and directed several youth development organizations focused on leadership, college access, and the arts. He spent the 2015-16 school year traveling the world and visiting some of the top-ranked schools across 5 continents. He has shared lessons from these travels in various venues, including a number of national conferences and in Edutopia. He started CanopyEd in 2017 because he felt the discourse around education in the United States was too narrow in its scope. He believes in the creative potential of teachers and the importance of trust in high expectations.   

Elizabeth Minton, Founder & COO

Elizabeth started her career as a 3rd grade teacher and has since held roles in education policy, teacher training, and leadership development. Prior to CanopyEd, she worked for the East Baton Rouge School District, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, and Teach for America. Elizabeth is passionate about leveraging the unique benefits of virtual platforms to enhance learning experiences. She enjoys reading, international cuisine, Louisiana seafood, and spending time with her 3-year old son, James.

Gray Whitsett, Communications Manager

Gray worked for the Louisiana Department of Education and taught secondary American literature and history as a Teach For America Corps Member before joining CanopyEd. He has also worked for a number of national political campaigns and is passionate about improving the quality of public services, especially education. His favorite part of any project is getting to know the client and building a strong relationship, and he values the range of backgrounds he has gotten to know through the education field. Gray is a music-lover, likes to read and write, and does his best to run every week.

Sicily Wafer, Film Editor

Sicily is a student at the school of Film and Screen Arts  at Louisiana State University. She joined the Canopy team in 2020 and the work has reminded her that editing is the part of film which gives her the most joy. As partners film virtual PDs on Canopy Ed devices all of the footage goes to the Canopy cloud. Sicily then pulls the footage, hilarious errors and all, and weaves it into coherent and purposeful virtual courses. Sicily’s talent for powerful visuals and dynamic editing is one of the key features that make Canopy courses as engaging and rewarding as they are.