Mr. Cassalata has lived most of his life in the Casa Grande area and an alumnus of Casa Grande Union High School from 1990-1993. After high school, he earned associate’s degrees at Central Arizona College. Weeks later, he transferred to Arizona State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2002. While teaching full-time, Mr. Cassalata was able to complete a master’s degree in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University. Currently, Mr. Cassalata is working towards a doctorate degree and considers himself a lifelong learner.
Mr. Cassalata has been teaching for 17 years and is a member of the United States Air Force auxiliary/Civil Air Patrol since 2017. As a Captain in the Civil Air Patrol, he has been qualified as an Aerospace Education Officer educating cadets and community members on the strategic importance of air dominance, aerospace advancement, and flight dynamics. Mr. Cassalata has also begun to operate a cadet flight with Vista Grande students to teach the fundamentals of flight and potential careers in both military and civilian aviation sectors.
In Mr. Cassalata’s free time, he enjoys taking his family to national parks and road trips throughout the state. His favorite teams are ASU Football and Arizona Cardinals. If the family is not going on a road trip, they are watching movies, playing catch, or simply being together. He is married to his wife Lisa and has four children: Tyler (26), Kevin (24), Sarah (22) and Luke (6).