Except for two brief stints, Julie Aldredge has been a dedicated Tyler resident since the age of 12. She left the area for a short time to attend and graduate from Stephen F Austin University, where she met her husband Philip. Julie served as a fifth grade teacher with Grace Community School for 19 years before she and her family moved to Arkansas in 2018, where she served as a third grade teacher and then as director of The Eagle Foundation Learning Center.  She is excited to be back in the Tyler area where she can be near family and rejoin the GCS family as well. She and her husband have two adult sons, who both graduated from Grace Community in 2015 and 2018.

Coach Chris has been part of the Grace Athletic program since 2021 as the Head Softball Coach and will also be helping coach middle school football. He has been coaching softball for 13+ years and has been in the travel circuit for many years as well. Coach Chris has been married to his wife Jennifer for 15 years and their daughter Sadie will be attending Grace Community High School starting in the fall. Prior to starting at Grace Community, Coach Chris was enlisted in the United States Navy stationed overseas, where he also received his degree in Sports Science at the American Military University.

Krystal joined Grace in 2020. She received her Associate’s degree in Applied Science, surgical technology and nursing, from Tyler Junior College. She worked as a registered nurse for a home and community service program advocating for individuals with developmental differences since 2012. Krystal and her husband, Chase, have two children, Kalynn and Kynlee, who both attend GCS. She and her family love traveling, spending time with family and friends, going to sporting events, and attending church at Concord Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Kameron has taught foreign language for over 10 years and in several different countries. Kameron received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her ESL certificate from EBC Servicios Lingüísticos in Madrid, Spain. She and her husband David have two young daughters, Adele and Elizabeth. Kameron’s hobbies include travel, culinary endeavors, hiking, reading, hosting friends and family, working with her church youth group, and catching wild critters with her kids.

Coach Barker has worked as the Teen and Health & P.E. Director for the Boys & Girls Club in Arlington, TX. He brings forth a personal background with over twenty plus years of love, play, and commitment to the sport of basketball. Jonathan graduated from Tyler Legacy High School and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. Jonathan and his wife Sarah have two children, Israel and Rowan.

Betsy taught as a middle school reading/language arts teacher for 8 years following graduation from SFA in 1999. She and her husband of 20 years have three children who attend GCS: Joshua, Micah, and Jesse. After staying home with her children, Betsy joined the children’s ministry of Green Acres Baptist Church where she has worked for over eight years. Betsy and her family also attend Green Acres Baptist Church.

Carley began working at Grace in 2015 and has taught kindergarten and fourth grade. Prior to Grace, she taught at Jack Elementary in Tyler. Carley received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Tyler. She and her husband, Josh, have one daughter, Rose, who was born in August of 2016.

Keith joined Grace Community School in 2019 to teach chemistry. He comes to Grace with 27 years of teaching experience in public school and has spent the last 19 years teaching all levels of chemistry, including AP and IB. He spent the previous nine years in Whitehouse where he taught AP and Pre-AP Chemistry and was the UIL Academic Coordinator and led the UIL Science team to six consecutive district titles. Keith and his wife have been married for 25 years and are members of Friendly Baptist Church where Keith serves as a Deacon and teaches the Hands and Feet Sunday School class.

Beth joined Grace Community School’s Academic Success Center in October 2018 as an NILD Educational Therapist. Prior to her work at Grace Community School, she taught at Cypress Christian School in Houston for 11 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston. Beth and her husband, William, have three grown daughters, and they attend Grace Community Church. In her spare time, Beth enjoys spending time with family, photography, and scrapbooking.

Kelley has worked in the field of education for 31 years, serving as a professional school counselor in both public and private Christian schools for the past 16 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, a Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling, and a postgraduate certificate in Mental Health Counseling. In addition to school counseling, Kelley is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate. Working as a school counselor, she has a desire to encourage her students to recognize their value and embrace their worth in the Lord, seeking His direction for their future. Kelley has been involved in various prayer ministries for many years and is passionate about sharing the privilege of being in God’s presence. She is a member of Grace Community Church in Tyler where she is active in the women’s ministry. Kelley and her husband have been married for 31 years, and they are blessed with two children, two children-in-law and two grandsons.

Elizabeth has worked as an elementary teacher in Christian schools since 2011. She joined GCS in 2016 as a fifth grade language teacher and worked in the Academic Support Center. She has been teaching first grade since 2017. Elizabeth received her bachelor’s degree from Bryan College and her master’s degree from Liberty University. She attends Grace Community Church and loves to crochet, read, and hike in her spare time.

Ms. Bice holds a BA degree from Sam Houston State University and MA from University of Houston at Clear Lake City. Prior to her start at GCS in 2001, she taught sixteen years in public education in Texas. Ms. Bice loves introducing young people to theater in the middle school program as well as teaching dual credit speech. She also serves as Director of Fine Arts for GCS. In 2007, she founded The Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Company, a performing arts partnership between Grace students and specially-gifted children and young adults. Delisa worships at Bethel Hope in Tyler. She is looking forward to occasional visits to NYC to see her daughter Caitlin and son-in-law Jesse who met each other at Grace in the sixth grade.

Carrie has worked as a middle school teacher since 2014 at Grace Community School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and her master’s degree in Secondary Education from Stephen F. Austin State University. Carrie and her husband, Jason, have two children at Grace, Bailey and Noah. She and her family love traveling, spending time with family and friends, going to sporting events and musicals, and attending church at Grace Community Church.

Brittany has taught elementary technology/STEM at Grace Community School since 2021. She received her master’s degree in English education from Georgia State University. Before joining GCS, Brittany taught high school English and fifth grade reading for eight years in the public school setting, both in Georgia and locally in Tyler. She and her husband, Tim, have one son, Jackson, who attends Grace Community School. Brittany loves traveling, playing board games, fishing, and hiking. She and her family are members of Bethel Bible Church.

Stephanie has worked in multiple library settings since 2011, including the preservation of special collections, digital collections, as well as public libraries. She is excited to join the Grace team as the Library Assistant. Stephanie received her bachelor’s degree in Child Development and Family Living from Stephen F. Austin State University and her master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of North Texas. Stephanie and her husband, Kent, have two sons at Grace and one daughter in preschool. She enjoys reading (of course!), recommending good books, watching movies, crocheting, playing board games, and traveling anywhere and everywhere.

Amber joined Grace Community School in January of 2022 as the Director of Admissions – Upper Campus. Amber received both her undergraduate degree and MBA from UT Tyler, where she was on the women’s golf team. She and her husband married in 2015, and they have two little girls at Grace. Amber and her family are members of Flint Baptist Church and enjoy playing golf together and serving others. 

Tonya has been with Grace Community School since 2017.  She is a certified public accountant with 22 years of banking and regulatory reporting experience and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler.  Tonya and her husband, David, have three children, including a Texas Tech University graduate and two daughters who attend GCS.  They attend Clearview Church in Lindale and enjoy fishing, camping, and spending time at home.

Monica has worked as a teacher and coach since 1997 at various public schools and private schools including First Baptist Dallas, Lucas Christian Academy, and Grace Community. She first taught at Grace from 1999-2003 before marrying husband, Brad, and moving to Dallas. Monica taught several high school history classes, has served as the yearbook advisor, and coached varsity volleyball, track, and cheerleading. Since 2013, she has been serving Grace as the varsity volleyball coach, assistant to the athletic director, and middle school computer teacher. Monica received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in Kinesiology and History. Monica and Brad have two children at Grace. They attend Grace Community Church (OJ).

Mitzi Britt is joining the Grace Community School team wearing many hats. She will be serving as our middle school ASC and office assistant, as well as, helping in our libraries and middle school offices. Mitzi has been married to John for 21 years and has two children, Ty (19) and Paige (15). Paige is a new Cougar this fall in the 2025 class.

Gail has worked at the Grace Early Education Center since 2008 and has worked in the early education field for more than 35 years. Gail feels that she was called to work with younger children, and their pure hearts bring her so much joy! She is the proud mom of three adult children and seven grandchildren. Her children and grandchildren keep their families very busy. Gail enjoys anything outdoors, being around friends and loved ones laughing. Gail says Grace is her extended family. The staff and families love big, support each other in the good and hard times. She feels blessed to call Grace Community her home away from home.

Heather comes to Grace from Wylie Primary School in Henderson, Texas. There she taught Pre-K, Head Start & Kindergarten in her 6 years with the school. She has enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom for the past 9 years. Heather grew up in Henderson and graduated from Texas A&M University at Texarkana. She has been married to her husband Pat since 2007. They have two boys, Layton & Alden, who attend Grace. She is a member at Calvary Baptist Church in Henderson, where she lives. She enjoys sports, the outdoors, traveling & spending time with her family.

Lisa has worked at Grace Community School since 2015. She received her bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and her master’s degree in Teaching from The University of Texas at Tyler. Lisa and her husband, Wes, have one daughter and one son at Grace. She and her family attend the Indian Creek Church of Christ.

Laura has worked as an elementary music teacher in public schools since 1994. She has been with Grace Community School since 2011 as an elementary music teacher and varsity girls golf coach since 2013. Laura received her bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee. She and her husband, Mark, have one son who graduated from Grace in 2016 and twin daughters who graduated from Grace in 2019.

Myranda received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2013. She is married to her husband, Matt, and has two daughters, Annakate and Lucy. She taught 3rd grade before staying home with her girls. During her time at home, she was the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Living Acts Church in Tyler, where they are members. She enjoys working out, house plants, and reading.

Karen has worked in the high school office since 2009. She provides staff, parent, and student support for RenWeb, our school management system, and serves as the registrar for the guidance office. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in Computing Science from Texas A&M. She and her husband, Mike, have three children who graduated from Grace. They attend Marvin United Methodist Church.

Taylor joined Grace Community School in 2021 and teaches seventh grade at Grace University. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy with a minor in writing. For several years, Taylor taught ninth grade in Houston and eighth grade in Tyler prior to joining GCS. She has previous experience with a college advising company, tutoring juniors and seniors, and teaching SAT/ACT test preparation courses. Taylor and her husband have four children and three of them attend Grace University. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, playing tennis, and reading books.

Randi has been a part of the upper campus Academic Success Center since 2022. She received her master’s degree in early childhood education and special education from Grand Canyon State University and her bachelor’s degree in general studies from Texas State University. Prior to joining GCS, Randi taught second grade in Tyler public school after moving from the Houston/Katy area, where she taught preschool at a Christian school. She and her husband, Jacob, have four daughters, and they attend Grace Community Church.

Heather joined Grace Community School in 2022 as the Elementary Receptionist. Heather is happily married to her husband, Trevor, and has one daughter, Emslee. Heather enjoys spending time with family and friends, kayaking, designing, and reading.

Christy has worked at Grace Elementary since 2015. She and her husband, Michael, have two children, Zayden and Zoe, who attend Grace. She loves spending time with her family and their two dogs, Kingsley and Penny. Christy and her family are very active at Bethel Bible Church, where she loves volunteering in the preschool and worship team. 

David began serving at Grace in 2020 as the visual communications coordinator. He has a vast array of knowledge and experiences, including freelance designer, illustrator, photographer, and videographer for the last 20 years. His full-time portfolio includes marketing director for a national real estate company, a production artist for an international advertising agency, and a designer and fabricator for a local, custom metal fabrication business. David and his wife, Adrianne, have four children ranging in ages from 22 to 4 years of age, with the youngest attending Grace. Their family are members of and serve in the nursery, children’s, youth, and student ministries at Summit Heights Fellowship in Hawkins, Texas.

After practicing architecture with a firm in Houston for five years and in Tyler for three years with Fitzpatrick Associates, Jason attended Dallas Theological Seminary and earned a Master of Theology degree. He has served as a youth pastor in Houston and currently serves as an elder and teaching pastor at Grace Community Church. Jason loves audiobooks, creative writing, and the Hebrew language. He and his wife, Amber, have two daughters, Alexis and Emory.

Sherry has worked at Grace Community School since 2017 and is currently a fifth grade teacher. She was a classroom teacher for five years before becoming a mother. While homeschooling her six children, she also taught at Venture Academy and Pine Cove Outdoor Education. Sherry received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma. She and her family are members of Grace Community Church and her son, Gabe, attends Grace Community School.

Jeanne has worked at GCS since 1981, initially as a second grade teacher (’81-’84) before moving to first grade and now in the Academic Success Center. She previously taught two years at another Christian school as a kindergarten/first grade teacher. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler, her master’s degree in Reading at University of Texas at Tyler, and completed her Learning Therapist training at Southern Methodist University. Jeanne and her husband, King, have four children. Shafen, her oldest son, graduated from Texas A&M and works for Edward Jones. He is married to Katy, a teacher and tutor, and they have two sweet boys, making Jeanne a proud Nana. Miranda, her oldest daughter, a Marine, is stationed in Virginia as a parachute folding instructor. Michael, her second son, graduated from Grace in 2012 and Texas A&M. Jennifer, her youngest daughter, graduated from Chapel Hill and works in kindergarten after-care at Grace. Jeanne and her family worship at Green Acres Baptist Church.

Karolyn joined Grace Community School in August 2016 as the Director of Communications and Marketing. Prior to her work at Grace Community School, she worked for the East Texas Food Bank for nearly ten years and KLTV, an ABC affiliate, as a television reporter. Additionally, she worked as the Executive Director of St. Paul Children’s Foundation. She earned her bachelor’s in Communication Broadcasting with a minor in Marketing at the University of Central Oklahoma. Karolyn and her husband, Jeff, have two children at Grace Community School. The Davis family attend Grace Community Church.

Carrie joined Grace University in 2018. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Harding University. Carrie and her husband, Brandon, have three boys Eric, Josh, and Ethan. She is a member of Shiloh Road Church of Christ, and in her spare time enjoys reading, playing board games, gardening, and traveling.

Grant joined Grace Community School in 2018 where he will serve as the high school geometry, foundations of college math, college algebra, and statistics teacher. He has previously worked as a high school math teacher since 2014 for Sheridan County School District #1 in northern Wyoming, with teaching experience in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, as well as three dual credit courses through Sheridan College in Sheridan, Wyoming. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and his master’s degree in Mathematics Education from Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. Grant and his wife, Haleigh, have two young children: Abraham and Juniper.

Salomon graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler where he received a with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies EC-6. He has worked for Grace Early Education Center since 2014 as the Lead teacher for the afterschool program and as a pre-kindergarten teacher. He and his wife, Rachel, have been married for three years and have a daughter, Nicole. He has ten siblings and is the first to graduate from high school and attend college.

Danny started teaching at Grace in 2007. He taught biology in the high school and now teaches 7th grade Life Science. He has coached football (MS and HS), baseball (HS), and track (MS and HS), and basketball (MS). His wife and family are members of Glenwood Church of Christ. He received his B.S. and M.S. from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M, Commerce). He has been teaching school since 1972, and the years here at Grace have been the greatest.

Jennifer serves as elementary principal. Before becoming the elementary principal, she was the elementary assistant principal and a junior kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade teacher. Jennifer earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech University and her master’s degree from Centenary College of Louisiana. After teaching for five years in public schools in Louisiana, Jennifer joined the Grace Community staff in 1996. She and her husband, Jeff, have two sons. Jody attends Grace High School and Justin graduated from GCS in 2012. The Doziers are members of Green Acres Baptist Church. Jennifer enjoys Jazzercise, reading, and all sorts of crafts.

Rachel is a third grade teacher at Grace. She graduated from Grace Community School in 2014 and earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Abilene Christian University. She also continued her education and obtained her Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning from ACU. Before her time at Grace, she taught third grade at Jack Elementary in Tyler. Rachel and her husband, Garrett, have a daughter, Jamie, who attends the EEC. They are all active members of Bethel Bible Church Downtown.

Coach Edwards is a graduate of North Mesquite High School.  He played college football at Ouachita Baptist University and received his Master’s Degree as a Graduate Assistant Coach at Delta State University.  Edwards has been an educator for 36 years and has recently retired from public education where coached at Harmony High School for the past 10 years with Coach Russell.  Before his time at Harmony, Billy was the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Little Elm, Venus, and S and S High School.  Coach Edwards is married to Audra.  Ethan, their oldest son, is married to Lindsey and he is a coach at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas.  Their daughter, Allyson, serves as a Youth Minister in Little Rock and she has recently married Zack Kelley.  Their youngest son, Isaac, plays college football at Ouachita Baptist University. Edwards has served as a deacon at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Calvary Baptist Church in Mesquite, and is currently attending New Hope Baptist Church.

Melissa has been the middle school art teacher and high school art and ceramics teacher since 2014. Melissa received a bachelor’s in Art from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a secondary teaching certificate from Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. After many years of homeschooling her three children, Melissa has taught high school visual arts and ceramics since 1999, developing a three-tiered ceramics program along the way. She and her husband Andy, also a Grace teacher, now have three grown children and three adorable grandkids.

Jacquelyn joined Grace Community School in the Spring of 2020 as Advancement Administrative Assistant. Prior to Grace, she stayed at home with her girls. Previously, she worked at the Texas A&M Foundation in gift planning. Jacquelyn received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Texas A&M. She and her husband, Jared have three daughters that attend Grace Community School. They are members of Marvin United Methodist Church.

Ann has worked as an elementary, middle school, high school, and junior college teacher for various public and private schools for twenty-six years. She started at Grace in 2010 as the ninth grade World History/Geography teacher. She received her B.S. in Education from Harding University and was certified to teach AP World History at TCU. Ann and her husband, Randy, have five children, three of whom have graduated from GCS. Besides loving to learn, Ann is passionate about her positions with Go Gold Network of East Texas, a non-profit organization walking alongside of pediatric cancer families, and also Toys for Tots. Whenever possible, she loves to write, and be Lolli, in the Lolli & Pops grandparent partnership she has with Randy.

Jamey has worked as a first grade teacher at Grace Community School since 2015. She taught for eight years in Louisiana prior to moving to Texas in 2012. Jamey has received her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University. She and her husband, Chris, have three children, two at Grace Community High School and one at Grace Elementary School. Their family attends Rose Heights Church in Tyler.

Jay Ferguson is the Head of School of Grace Community School in Tyler. Grace Community School is the largest private school in East Texas, serving nearly 1000 students in grades kindergarten through 12th. He has served in that position since June 2003. Grace’s mission is to assist Christian parents in educating, equipping, and encouraging their children to influence the world for Christ. Jay was a practicing attorney in Dallas and Tyler for ten years before joining Grace Community School in 2002 as its Director of Development. After the departure of the school’s long-time Head in summer 2003, Jay became Interim Head of School. He assumed the full-time Head of School role in fall 2003. Since that time, Jay has worked to build a flourishing culture at Grace, a vibrant educational community that has been awarded Blue Ribbon Exemplary status by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015 and 2017. Jay has written extensively on Christian education and related issues. He has contributed to Building a Better School, published by Paideia Press, Mindshift: Catalyzing Change in Christian Education, published by Purposeful Design, and Religious Liberty and Education, published by Rowman and Littlefield. He is currently co-editing Building a Better School II, focusing on board governance. He is a regular contributor to Christian School Education and the ACSI and CESA blogs. He also writes a weekly blog on spiritual, education, cultural, and parenting issues. He is an adjunct professor in school law and governance at Covenant College in Georgia, at Gordon College in Massachusetts, and at Baylor University. He is a frequent speaker at national seminars, and served on the adjunct faculties of the Van Lunen Center at Calvin College and at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. Jay is a past recipient of the W.C. Windsor Award for outstanding service in the Tyler community. He was named Smith County Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year. He currently serves on boards of organizations operating at the local, state, national, and international level. He is the Past President of the Texas Private School Association, the Past Chair of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability, and is the Current Chair of the Association of Christian Schools International. He has a heart for training heads of school, leadership teams, and school boards. Jay holds a Bachelors’ Degree from Baylor University, a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law, and a Masters’ Degree in Educational Leadership from Covenant College. He earned his PhD in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University. He and his wife, Ashley, are members of Grace Community Church, and have served over 20 years in small group and children’s ministries. He currently serves as an elder of Grace Community. He and Ashley have three teenage daughters, Emma, Annie, and Ellen. He has taught them to love Jesus and football, in that order, which he considers his gift to future sons-in-law, Lord willing.

Karla has been in Christian education since 2006 and has served at GCS since 2019. She has an undergraduate degree from Louisiana Tech University in Elementary Education and a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M. After serving as the principal at Grace University, she began serving as the principal at the 5th/6th campus in 2021. She and her husband, Dan, are the parents of Christopher and Leslie, Carter and Kelley Grace and Caeden. They are very excited to welcome their first grandbaby in the summer of 2023! They attend Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview.   

Sarah has taught at Grace Community School since 2012 after relocating to Tyler from California. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology from the University of California, San Diego.  She has since earned her Masters in Education from UT Tyler in Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Biology. She currently teaches Advanced Biology in conjunction with ETBU, Anatomy & Physiology and Forensic Science here at Grace. Teaching is Sarah’s second career. Prior to teaching, Sarah was a researcher for Howard Hughes Medical Institute studying pituitary development at UCSD for fifteen years. Sarah and her husband of 34 years, Kevin, have three adult children and are both active members of Grace Community Church.

Darla has worked as a nurse since 2007 and has been with Grace Community School since 2010 as the “Monday Nurse” at the lower campus. Darla received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from The University of Oklahoma. Darla and her husband, Chris (Class of 2004), have two daughters. The Foreman family worship at Bethel Bible Downtown and serve with the music and childrens’ ministry teams.

Jace has worked as the Grace Men’s Varsity Golf Coach since 2019. Jace is from the Lubbock, Texas, area and has a Petroleum Engineering degree from OU. Jace and his wife, Malory, have two children: Henry and Shepherd. The Fosters enjoy chipping around in the backyard and time out on the lake. 

Kendall has worked in the middle school since 2010 at Grace Community School. He has taught sixth grade P.E and coached high school baseball and football during his time at the school. Kendall has received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. He is happily married to Emily Fox and they both work with the student ministry at Grace Community Church.

Melissa was raised in a small town Northeast of Dallas and grew up as a studio-trained dancer from a young age. She first discovered her passion for the drill team in middle school and participated throughout high school. She was honored to be selected as 1st Lieutenant her Junior year and Head Dance Captain her Senior year. She then auditioned for the Tyler Junior College Apache Belles and was thrilled to continue her love of dance at the collegiate level for two years. As an Apache Belle, Melissa traveled to Dublin, Ireland, and performed in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Lord Mayor’s Ball. Other performance credits include Dallas Cowboys pre-games and halftimes, a feature on Texas Country Reporter, participation in Houston’s Bank of America Thanksgiving Day Parades, Tyler Rose Parades, and performing at Disney World. Melissa was honored to serve as Chaplain her Sophomore year of Apache Belles. Throughout her dance career, she consistently received both personal and team top honors, awards and scholarships throughout camps, competitions, and conventions. Following TJC, Melissa then attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Public Relations. She has continued to stay actively involved in the Apache Belle alumni organization as well as local fitness and dance organizations wherever she has lived. As a coach and mentor, she places high value on poise, discipline, precision, and teamwork all within a fun and encouraging atmosphere for her students. Melissa has served as the Assistant Director of the Cougarettes for two seasons and is excited for the opportunity to share her passion as Director in her third season with the team. Following college, Melissa lived in Houston and Dallas for 10 years before returning to East Texas in 2013 with her family. Her daughters, Caroline and Natalie, are students of Grace Community School, and all are members of First Baptist Church, Tyler.

Prior to coming to Grace Community in 2022, Eddie had been with All Saints for 30 years.  He served as Director of Athletics for 20 years, was Director of Development for 5 years, and Head of Middle School for 5 years.  He has coached varsity basketball for 15 years and varsity baseball for 3 years.  During his tenure at All Saints, the school has won five TAPPS Overall Championships and finished as runner-up twice.  He has been selected District Coach of the Year 10 times, led 4 teams to the TAPPS Final Four, and was awarded the Edd Burleson Leadership Award in 2017.   He received his Bachelors in Kinesiology from Jarvis Christian College and his Masters in Education Leadership from UT Tyler.  Eddie has been married to Misty for 30 years and has two sons Aston (25) and Logan (20).  The Francis family are long time members at First Christian Church. 

Kayla joined Grace Community School as the Admissions Coordinator in January 2022. Previously she worked at the Refinery Chiropractic as a chiropractic assistant and has worked for Grace Community Church and Grace Early Education in the past. Kayla moved to Tyler from Columbia Missouri to attend UT Tyler and graduated from there with a bachelor’s in Business Management. Kayla has lived in Tyler since 2017 and attends Grace Community Church. When she’s not working, Kayla enjoys being outside and hanging out with friends. She also trains dogs and takes Krav Maga self-defense classes in her free time.

Rainey has taught middle school at Grace since 2013 in the areas of 8th grade English and 6th grade Reading. She received her Associates of Arts degree in Advertising Design from the Art Institute of Houston before earning her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas at Tyler. She and her husband Joe have two adult children, Reagan and Parker. Rainey and Joe have been active members at Marvin United Methodist Church for 32 years. Being an avid golfer for over 30 years, Rainey can be found playing a round or two on weekends and supporting her favorite college teams, the Aggies and the Sooners.

Jennifer joined Grace Community School in 2018 as the high school and middle school choir director. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from Stephen F. Austin State University with a choral music emphasis as well as a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Tyler. She has over 20 years of experience teaching voice and directing choirs in both public and private schools from the middle school to collegiate level. Her choirs have performed under her conducting baton in Dublin, Prague, Salzburg, Vienna, Munich, and Dresden, as well as Carnegie Hall and Disney World. Jennifer has two sons, Cameron and Charles, who are both enrolled at GCS. They attend Green Acres Baptist Church where Jennifer actively participates in the music ministry.

Becky is a third grade teacher at Grace. She began teaching at Grace Community School in 2000 as a third grade teacher, but left in 2005 to be a stay-at-home-mom. In 2013, she returned to the third grade classroom. Becky received her bachelor’s degree from the Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Becky and her husband, John, have three sons at Grace. They are all active members of Green Acres Baptist Church.

Houston joined the Grace Community School IT department in 2021 after he and his wife, Morgan, moved to Tyler from Nampa, Idaho. Houston has previous experience working for a mobile IT Team and he is currently the head coach of the new GCS Esports program. He loves sports, video games, and Mountain Dew.

Morgan has been a part of the upper campus Academic Success Center since 2021. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Christian Teaching from Boise Bible College. Morgan and her husband, Houston, moved to Tyler from Nampa, Idaho. Before moving to Texas, Morgan worked at Northview Montessori, teaching preschool and kindergarten. Morgan is a former black belt in Ju-Jitsu and enjoys baking, traveling, and journaling.

Coach Gaston has been coaching football for 15 years, including serving as the Founder for FAST Football Camps, Inc., a ministry with the purpose of leading kids into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ by sharing the Gospel through football camps and clinics.  Grant is a partner in the law firm, Gaston & Lindley, PLLC, where he focuses on estate planning, guardianships, business law, and mediation. He may be an attorney by trade, but his true passion is coaching football and helping to develop men of character and integrity. Coach Gaston has coached both offense and defense and is currently serving as the head coach for Grace Middle School.  His mantra: Compete-Finish-Love.

Stacey began teaching in 2001 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Bible-Theology from Mid-America Christian University. She taught third, fourth, and fifth grade in Oklahoma’s Moore Public School District for fifteen years before taking four years off to stay at home with her children. She received National Board Certification in 2006. Her family relocated to Tyler in August of 2019. Stacey and her husband, Nathan, have two children and attend Grace Community Church. Stacey enjoys traveling, sports, and time with family.

Stephenie received her Region VII Alternative Teaching Certification in Math 4-8, in 2003 and has been teaching in various capacities for the past sixteen years. Her career began in public middle school, but most recently she home-schooled her five children. She is thrilled to be teaching in a school setting once again, and her kids are equally excited to be attending Grace. When they aren’t at school, the Gilmores can be found watching Aggie football, playing sports, relaxing with friends, and working on house projects.

Since receiving her degree in English from Texas A&M in 2013, Hannah has taught English at the middle and high school levels. She has also worked in safe homes with teen girls for 5 years. She graduated this summer with her graduate degree in English Rhetoric and is excited to be a part of the Grace Community Family. In her free time, she can be found at the gym, anywhere outdoors, traveling, or spending time with family and friends.

Julie began with Grace Community School in 2017 as a third grade teacher and now works in the Academic Success Center. She has taught junior kindergarten, kindergarten, and third grade for four years at Lake Norman Christian School in Davidson, North Carolina. Julie received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southeastern Bible College in Birmingham, Alabama. In her spare time, Julie enjoys reading, traveling, exploring new places, and learning new ways to create different kinds of crafts

Todd grew up in Tyler and has been teaching History and Literature at private schools in east Texas and St. Paul, Minnesota for twenty years. He has a degree in Christian leadership, (a ministry degree) with a minor in Education from Ecclesia College. Todd, his wife Samantha, and their son Dominic are members of Christ Episcopal Church, where each serves as lay ministers in some capacity. The Hagues love sports, (particularly baseball) and travel.

Debbie has worked as an educational therapist for over ten years at both Grace and other Christian schools –even in a school in Africa. She has been with Grace Community School since 2015, serving in academic services in the elementary. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler and her master’s degree in Education from Regent University. Debbie is a professionally certified educational therapist with NILD and a certified dyslexia therapist with the International Dyslexia Association. She and her husband, Robert, have four grown sons and two grandchildren. They are members at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Tyler.

Rhonda began teaching at Grace in 2004. She has over 30 years of classroom teaching experience and is currently teaching junior English, including AP English Language and Composition. Rhonda attended the University of Texas at Tyler, where she earned a degree in Secondary Education and a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies. She enjoys spending time with her daughter and granddaughter, who attends Grace Elementary School. When she is not in the classroom, she is traveling and sponsoring student international trips, reading, gardening, watching sports, fishing, and spending time with her family and friends. Rhonda is a member of Emerald Bay Community Church.

Carl has been a part of the Grace community since 2020 and joined the administrative team in 2021. He is the parent of a Grace alumnus and his other three children attend Grace. Beyond his work with Grace, Carl is also a partner with the fundraising consulting firm Alexander Haas and brings more than three decades of nonprofit experience to his role with the school. Carl holds a B.A. in Political Science from Texas A&M University.

Sherri joined Grace Community School in 1997 and has taught 26 years overall. At GCS, she began as a junior kindergarten teacher for one year before moving to kindergarten. She also taught four years of computer at the elementary campus. Sherri has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. She has been married to her husband, Randy, for 34 years. They have two sons, Bailey and Bryce. She also has a wonderful furry son named Brutus! They are members at Southern Oaks Baptist Church and have lived in Tyler all of their lives.

Jasmine has been teaching since 2017 and joined the Grace Community School in 2022 as the elementary art teacher. She has taught at Oscar Hamilton Elementary and Foreman High School in Foreman, AR. Jasmine received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and her Master’s at the Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, AR. She attends Green Acres Baptist Church, and loves to travel, draw, and swim in her spare time. 

Mikaela joined the Grace Community School staff in 2013 after being a Grace school parent for many years. She is married to Trey, and they have two daughters, Caitie and Sadie. Her oldest graduated from Grace Community in 2013, and Trey and Mikaela served as parent volunteers in several capacities over the years. She enjoys spending time with family and friends outdoors, traveling, and gardening. 

Anna joined the Grace Community School faculty in 2022. She is a 2015 graduate of Grace Community School and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. Anna began her teaching career in public education for three years in Tyler, Texas. She will be teaching sixth grade history at Grace Middle School. Anna and her husband, Nicholas, are members at Flint Baptist Church where she leads the fifth and sixth grade girls each Sunday morning.

Coach Hemphill has played soccer for twenty years, both at the high school and college level. He set the Georgia 5A state record for career goals with 115, was a First Team All-District, and District MVP selection. He played football for The University of Georgia for one year, and was a two-year starter for the Darton College Cavaliers soccer team in Albany, Georgia, earning All-Conference honors. He earned a trial for a professional team in England before retiring to pursue ministry. Coach Hemphill has coached soccer off and on for ten years. He served as an assistant coach at Lee County High School and Deerfield-Windsor School (Georgia). He currently coaches the middle school soccer teams for Grace and is an assistant coach for the boys and girls varsity teams. He also coaches a girls club team for FC Dallas in Tyler. In addition to soccer, Coach Hemphill has coached middle school and high school football at Grace Community School since 2010. He is also an online seminary student pursuing a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics.

Phenix joined Grace Community School in 2022 as a Teacher’s Aide. Phenix is happily married to her husband, Josiah, and has two daughters, Emma and Sadie. Phenix enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing and watching softball, working out, and reading.

Angie was excited to rejoin the Grace Community team in 2018 after previously teaching fourth and fifth grades from 2011 to 2016. She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in Elementary Education (Gig Em!) and has 25 years of experience in elementary education as a teacher and a librarian. Angie and her husband, Bill, have two daughters in high school at Grace, Molly and Anna Claire. She and her family love traveling, spending time with family and friends, cheering at the girls’ extracurricular activities, and attending church at Grace Community Church.

Jessica has been a part of the upper campus Academic Success Center since 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree from Cedarville University in Ohio. Jessica has previous teaching experience which includes years teaching second and third grade, as well as homeschooling her four children for 13 years. Her oldest son, Payton, graduated from high school, and her other three children, Colby, Caleb, and Olivia attend Grace Community School. Jessica and her husband, Steve, attend Grace Community Church, Old Jacksonville Campus along with their children. She loves to travel, camp, hike, run, and just enjoys the great outdoors.

Tandy serves as the assistant principal of the high school and joined Grace in 2019. She has an extensive background in education and has taught almost every grade level from kindergarten to high school. Tandy earned her master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. She and her husband, Mark, have been married for more than 20 years and have four children. Their two adult children, Terrell and Taliyah, are in college and their younger two children, Tariyah and Tyler, attend Grace Community High School.

Tracy has worked as a middle school and high school teacher since 2007 at Santa Fe Middle School, Bay Area Christian School, and Grace Community School since 2014. He has taught 8th grade US history, been an assistant coach for boys varsity basketball, and has coached cross country and track. Tracy received his bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University and his master’s degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Tracy and his wife, Debra, have two children. His son, Joshua, is a graduate of Boyce College in Louisville, KY, and lives and works there.  Hannah, his daughter, is a 2017 graduate of Grace and currently lives in Louisville, KY, with her husband, Dominic D’Ettorre, and they actively serve their local church. Tracy also serves as the bi-vocational Pastor at Westwood Baptist Church in Tyler, TX.   

Amanda joined the Grace Community School team in 2022 to serve as a third grade teacher. She has taught second grade for five years before becoming a stay-at-home mom in 2017. She and her husband, Wes, have two children who also attend Grace. Amanda received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Tyler in 2011 and is an active member of Living Acts Church in Tyler. She enjoys spending time with her family, running, and baking!

Coach Hope has thirty-eight years of coaching experience on the high school and collegiate levels. He has had coaching stints at Garland High School, Allen High School, Highland Park High School, Richardson High School, and Liberty Christian School. The Highland Park squad captured the 1998 State Championship. This past spring, Coach Hope was instrumental in helping Liberty Christian win the 2019 TAPPS Division 1 State Championship. He was voted Coach of the Year in 2010 while at Richardson, and that same year he was selected to coach in the North Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game. Coach Hope coached two years at Henderson State University completing his Master’s degree and helped guide the team to post-season play each year. Two players were selected in the 1991 draft. In 2012, he accepted the pitching coach/recruiting coordinator position at Ouachita Baptist University. In his first season, the Tiger pitching staff was second in the conference in ERA. Coach Hope became head coach of the Tigers baseball program in 2015. The Tigers reached post-season play in three of his six seasons at Ouachita and three pitchers were taken in the MLB draft during his tenure. Additionally, Coach Hope spent five summers coaching the McKinney Marshals in the Texas Collegiate League earning four playoff appearances, three championship berths and a league title in 2006. He also captured the TCL Coach of the Year honor in 2004. Several players off those squads were selected in MLB drafts. Coach Hope has served as Regional Director for the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. He is a member of the THSBCA and American Baseball Coaches Association. Coach Hope has been a sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He has served in churches as deacon, director of a young married class, and youth Teacher. Kyle and his wife, Cindy, have two children. Daughter, Erin, is married to Jordan Allen and they have two children, Gentry and Camden. They currently serve on the CRU staff at SFA in Nacogdoches, TX. Son, Ryan, is married to Haley and they live in McKinney, TX.

Jessica has worked as a high school teacher since 2003. She has worked in the public schools and at Grace since 2013. Since 2018, she has served as Director of Curriculum & Instruction and the Purposeful Design Director (STEM) for K-12 grades. She has also served as the mathematics department chair, TAPPS Academic Coordinator, and TAPPS Mathematics Coach. Jessica received her bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Tyler and her master’s degree in Mathematics from Stephen F. Austin State University. Jessica and her husband, Craig, have a daughter, Randi, who attends school at Grace.

Debbie joined Grace University in 2020. She graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a degree in elementary education and reading specialization. She has over 20 years of teaching in the classroom, homeschooling her children, and tutoring. She and her husband Keith have four adult children and five grandchildren. They love spending time outdoors, hiking, gardening, and enjoying time with family and friends.  

Wes joined Grace Community School in 2021. He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education math and a minor in religion from East Texas Baptist University. He later attended Lamar University, receiving a master’s degree in educational administration. Wes has eight years of experience, having served in many roles, including administration, teacher, and coach at both Gladewater High School and Brownsboro High School. Coach Johnston and his wife, Miranda, have two sons, Hudson and Knox, and a dog, Dixie. He loves to hang out with his family, coach, and ride his motorcycle.

Sarah has been an elementary public school teacher for the last 17 years. She has taught in various districts around east Texas and has spent the last 7 years as an RTI teacher for her campus. She received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, specializing in reading and music, from East Texas Baptist University in 2003. She has been happily married to her husband, Brandon, since 2003 and they have four children: Kate, Kennedy, Addison, and Drake. She spends her time with her children’s sporting events and relaxing with family and friends. She and her family attend Rock Hill Baptist Church in Chandler.

Coach Jones joined the Grace Community School in 2022. He has an extensive coaching career, including Allen High School, Decatur High School, and Prestwood Christian Academy. He has an undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of North Texas.

John has worked as a high school teacher from 1996 to 2000 in the Houston public school system and in the local public school system from 2000 to 2012. He has been at Grace since 2012 coaching speech and debate, and teaching Modern World History, US History, US Government, and Economics. He received his B.S. in Political Science from Texas A&M University. John and his wife, Bonita (Bo), have two daughters at Grace, Ela and Madeline. John and his family are members of First Baptist Church Tyler (South Campus) where John teaches an adult Sunday school class and Bo works with the eighth and ninth grade girls. John is a self-described nerd who loves all things political, science fiction, the 80’s, and Star Wars, He also loves running and hiking with his family.

Maggie Williams Koehn is in her first season as the Varsity Coach for Grace Cheer. A Tyler, Texas native, Williams Koehn is a Baylor University graduate where she was on the Baylor Co-Ed Cheer Team for four years. She served as a team captain on the cheer team while pursuing a degree in Studio Art – Graphic Design. She also has earned a Masters of Science in College Student Personnel from Arkansas Tech University and is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Education in Organizational Leadership in Higher Education through Abilene Christian University. She grew up dancing at Dance-N-Drill and danced and cheered for 12 years and transitioned out of dance and into competitive cheer at Spirit of Tyler in high school. That is where she ultimately fell in love with cheering. Maggie started taking coaching to the next level when she became the head cheer coach during her master’s program at Arkansas Tech University. Maggie continued to coach at the collegiate level back in her hometown at UT Tyler. She is currently in her fifth season as the UT Tyler Head Spirit Squad coach. The Spirit Squad is made up of Dance, Mascot, STUNT, and the Cheer team. She also cheered professionally for 3 years for the Houston Rockets and 1 year for the Indianapolis Colts. She has and continues to teach High school cheer, All Star Cheer, dance, tumbling, and fitness classes for over 15 years combined. Maggie also serves as the Interim Director of External Operations and Relationship for Patriot Athletics and additionally advises the Greek sorority, Zeta, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee also known as SAAC. Academically, Maggie has trained others and presented on leadership on multiple occasions including local schools in East and Central Texas along with the most recent East Texas Leadership Summit as a co-presenter with Dr. Colleen Marzilli. She has also created a curriculum with the Associate Dean of Students, Kim-Harvey Livingston, for freshmen Student-Athletes that provides leadership skills and coordinates with a mentorship program.

Tammy has been a part of the upper campus Academic Success Center since 2021 and has been a long time Grace mom for more than 24 years. Her four children have attended or are currently attending GCS: Seth, Class of 2011, Sarah, Class of 2012, Kate, Class of 2019, and Kaden will graduate in 2022. She also has three precious grandsons, Landry, Levi, and Layton. Tammy received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and is a member of Southside Baptist Church.

John has taught high school math at Grace Community School since 2021. He earned his Ph.D. in secondary education with a minor in mathematics from Mississippi State University in 2006. John also has a master’s degree in mathematics from Mississippi College. He began his teaching career in 2000 in Mississippi, teaching both middle school and high school mathematics. Prior to joining GCS, John was a professor in the School of Education at The University of Texas at Tyler for 16 years where he taught and trained math teachers, published papers, and secured grant funding. John and his wife, Sherri, have a large blended family with eight children and one granddaughter.

Marsha is the new receptionist for Grace Community High School.  She has an Associate of Art degree from Southwestern University in Waxahachie, Texas.  Marsha lived in Lindale for 19 years before moving to Montana, but recently moved back to Tyler in June of 2022. She has two daughters who reside in Tyler.  Her daughter, Lauren, is a 2nd grade teacher in Lindale and is married to Chase King.  Her daughter, Ashley, is a dental hygienist and is married to Zach Ochran. Marsha is in the process of finding a church home here in Tyler.

Coach Latham came to GCS in 2019 as a volunteer Cross Country coach. Tim and his wife, Debbie, moved back to his home state of Texas in January 2019 after retiring from a successful career (2017) in San Diego as a CC/T&F Head Coach for 40+ years. He served as Athletic Director at Sweetwater High School for 20+ years. He was a widely recognized expert in management and administration of team sports, managing/directing over 400 meets at every level during the course of his career. In early retirement he was an Assistant Cross Country Coach at San Diego City College and an Athletics Mentor for the Sweetwater Union High School District. Coach Latham has also been one of the facilitators of Nike Footlocker Nationals in San Diego for over 25+ years and still serves in that role.

Coach Latham has his Master’s degree from Baylor University and holds two Bachelor degrees from Howard Payne University.

Highlights of Coach Latham’s career include Coach of the Year 15 times; National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Section VII (comprised of the states of Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah and California) Boys Track Coach of the Year; California CIF Model Coach of the Year; High School Sports Association of San Diego Athletic Director Award; Award of Merit form the San Diego Starters Association, and awarded the National City, CA, Mayor Award. Coach Latham’s biggest honor was Induction into the San Diego Hall of Champions – San Diego County “High School Coaching Legends” Hall of Fame in November of 2018.

Tim grew up in Houston where his dad was the Pastor of Sharpstown Baptist Church for many years and he is pleased to be back in Texas near family and involved again in CC/T&F at GCS. Debbie and Tim attend Green Acres Baptist Church and have a son, daughter-in-law and 4
beloved grandchildren in Florida.

Ruby joined Grace Community School in July of 2022 as the Billing Specialist in the Accounting Department. She was born and raised here in Tyler. Ruby and her husband, Luis, have two children, one of which currently attends Grace. She and her family love traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Mike will be serving as the Athletic Coordinator for Grace Community School. He will also serve as the middle school men’s head basketball coach and the assistant high school softball coach. Before coming to Grace, Coach Lee has been an athletic director and coached basketball, cross country, softball and track.  As a head cross country coach, his teams finished in the top ten in state seven out of eight years with two State Championship runner ups. At both Bishop Gorman and All Saints Episcopal, he was part of a staff that broke the single-season record for wins in women’s basketball. 

Mike and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters. Their youngest daughter, Brooke, lives and works in Plano, Texas. Brittany is married to Aaron Bonneville, and they have two children, Corbin and Harper, and reside in Keller, Texas. 

Shelly began her role in 2022, as the Executive Assistant to the Head of School at Grace Community School. Before becoming Executive Assistant, she was a testing proctor and substitute teacher for Grace. Shelly received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Tyler and brings over 25 years of experience in leadership, customer service, and sales. Shelly and her husband, Jeff, have two boys, Austin and Walker, who attend Grace Community School. The Linville family are active members at Green Acres Baptist Church. They enjoy spending time together camping, fishing, playing baseball and tennis, gardening, and anything outdoors.

Kara started teaching third grade at Grace University in 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Family Relations and Child Development with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Oklahoma State University. She has taught kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. Kara and her husband, Danny, have three boys, Eli, Nate, and Thadd, who all attend Grace Community School. She and her family enjoy spending time together, traveling (especially to different Major League Baseball parks), and attending the boys’ extracurricular activities. They also attend Grace Community Church University Boulevard Campus.

Coach Loftis joined Grace Community School in 2018 as the varsity girls basketball coach and middle school history teacher. Devan comes to Grace from Brentwood Christian School in Austin, Texas, where he has been serving as associate athletic director, teacher, and head girls basketball coach for the last 18 years. Devan is married to Kaylee Loftis, an East Texas native and also a Christian educator and coach. They have three children: Brinton, Lucy, and Macy, who attend Grace Community School.

Kaylee joined Grace Community School in 2018. Kaylee comes to Grace from Brentwood Christian School in Austin, Texas, where she taught Pre-K4. She also taught kindergarten and coached various sports in middle school and high school at Brentwood over her 18 years with the school. She grew up in East Texas and graduated from Harding University where she met her husband, Devan. They have three children, Brinton, Lucy, and Macy, who attend Grace.

Lisa began serving at Grace Community School in 2022, where she began teaching fourth grade. Before joining Grace, she taught middle school English and writing after graduating from A&M in 1992. She and her husband, John, have been married 30 years and have three children. She has worked in the Kids’ Ministry at Green Acres Baptist Church for seven years. She and her family attend Green Acres Baptist Church. Two of Lisa’s favorite things to do are reading and traveling.

McKenna received her bachelor’s in Athletic Training from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  She received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Tyler and a second Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas. McKenna moved to East Texas in 2014 from Edmond, Oklahoma, and was the Athletic Trainer and Sports Medicine teacher for Overton ISD for 8 years. She has 6 fur babies at home which includes four dogs, Genna, Lucchese, Elle, and Zoey and two cats, Evie and Arya. McKenna loves to go to the movies and try new places when she has spare time.

Amy returned to teaching in 2014 after staying home for several years with her three children. Nathan, Maggie, and Brady attend Grace community school. She graduated from Baylor University with a degree in education with a math specialization. She and her husband, Blake, enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family. They attend Grace Community Church.

Coach Mike Maddox returned to the Grace Community School family in spring 2022 to work with the track athletes. He is an experienced track and football coach, and he previously served as the head varsity football coach at Grace Community School from 2006 to 2017. So naturally, he has signed on to be the varsity offensive coordinator for the Grace Cougar Football Program. His coaching philosophy comes from 2 Timothy 4:2.

He believes in relating to students on and off the field, and that winning will take care of itself through a positive program. Coach Maddox also believes athletes should act right, do right, and compete with all their hearts. Because of this, athletics is fun for them and everyone involved.               

Coach Maddox has also served as head coach at Alba-Golden and Union Groce. He has been recognized for his leadership and accomplishment: he is a six-time Coach of the Year, served as the Offensive Coordinator for the State Champion Gilmer Buckeyes, featured in the Texas High School Coaches Association, Greater East Texas Track and Field Coach of the Year, coached six All-State Quarterbacks and eight State Champion Hurdlers, led Grace Cougars to an 83-37 record with eight straight playoff appearances, NCSAA National Coach of the Year, and Best Preps East Texas Athletic Director of the Year while at Lindale (5A) School.

Amber has been at Grace Community School since 2007 and currently serves as the elementary assistant principal. Before becoming the assistant principal, she was a third grade teacher, as well as an eighth grade English teacher. She has also taught as a high school English teacher at a public school in the East Texas area. Amber received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Tyler. She and her husband, Todd, have one daughter at Grace and another daughter who graduated from GCS (Class of ’14) and is attending Abilene Christian University.

Rick has taught music at Grace University since 2021. He earned a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministries and a minor in music from East Texas Baptist University. Rick has traveled nationally and locally for several years, leading churches, camps, ministries, and others in worship. He and his wife, Sharyn, have two boys who attend Grace University, Connor and Cade. Rick and his family enjoy swimming, tennis, and many other outdoor adventures together.

Lisa joined the Grace Community School team in 2022. She grew up at Grace Community Church, where she met and married my husband, Nate.  Lisa graduated from Chapel Hill High School and went to Oklahoma Wesleyan University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science.  She has been an inclusion instructor at Cumberland Academy Elementary School for six years, working mostly with students in Special Education, before coming to Grace.  Lisa has two sons, Noah and Solomon.  They attend and serve at South Spring Baptist Church.  Lisa loves soccer, reading, and long walks in the country.

Russell McLennan is so pleased to be part of the Grace Community School family. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he also serves as lead pastor at 903 Community Church in Flint, Texas.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma and Dallas Theological Seminary, Mr. McLennan loves engaging in deep and personal conversations about Christianity with his students.  He believes critical thinking and candid discussions about our faith will ultimately lead all of us to a more genuine relationship with the Lord. 

Outside of work, Russell loves spending time with his wife Kinzey and their two daughters. He enjoys playing soccer, basketball, reading, woodworking, and especially kittens. Fun fact: Mr. Russell likes to compete in the Scottish Highland games and even owns a kilt!

Judy has been a teaching since 1988 and joined Grace Community School in 1992 as elementary music teacher, fourth grade teacher, and is currently the fifth grade humanities teacher. Judy received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Tyler and her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Judy and her husband, Jeff, have a daughter, Erin, who graduated from Grace Community. Judy attends Grace Community Church and she has been a member of Tyler Morning Toastmasters since 1996.

Rhonda joined the Grace Early Education team in 2010 as the Director of Early Education in Lindale. She has been in the field of early childhood since 1977.  Rhonda taught in the classroom setting until acquiring her CDA in 1986.  She is blessed with two children and four grandchildren that call her “Sassy.” Since Rhonda began her career in early childhood education, she has seen lots of children come and go.  She has had the privilege and the blessing of raising multiple generations of children in the East Texas area.  Rhonda knows that children are a gift from God and believes that she is blessed to share the love of a child each day!

Jason has been the middle school/high school orchestra director since 2010, the middle school/high school band director since 2014, and the middle school/high school cross country coach since 2013. He has served as National Honor Society advisor, shotgun team advisor, and the summer camp administrator. Since he has been at Grace, the instrumental program has won three Texas Association for Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) instrumental state championships. He also serves as the TAPPS state music chair. Jason received his B.S. in Music Education from East Central University, where he met his wife, Angela. They have three daughters who attend Grace. Jason is an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt and manage conservation lands. He is also a seasoned runner who has completed six marathons and an ultra-marathon 50K, and many other races. One of his favorite races is the Rose City Triathlon were he competed individually, but also enjoys putting together relay teams stacked with several of his students.

Rachel recently moved to Tyler from South Dakota and is coming from Legacy High School where she taught sophomore English last year. Her husband, Michael, works as the student minister at Green Acres Baptist Church—Flint Campus. They enjoy serving the middle school and high school students at their church and being a part of their connect group.

Tania has taught elementary Spanish at Grace Community School since 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Turabo in Puerto Rico. She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and served for over 20 years in the mission field, working with children and youth ministries on the island and in over 25 countries. Tania, and her husband, John Ray, have four children who attend Grace Community School and Grace Early Education Center. She and her family have been part of the Tyler community since 2013 and attend Grace Espanol at the Old Jacksonville campus.

Deena and her husband, Gary, have been married for thirty years and were GCS parents for 24 years! They have four beautiful daughters, Haley (and husband Joe), Bradi-Kathryn (and husband Stephen), Madison, and Christin. They have six precious grand-babies under the age of six years old, Emery-Grace, Levi, Annie-Caroline, Charlotte, Tripp, and Sullivan. After graduating from UT Tyler and starting a family, Deena enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom. She joined the Grace staff in 2005, teaching kindergarten, then later junior kindergarten, and in 2020 began teaching first grade.

Breanna received a B.S.E. from East Texas Baptist University and masters from University of Texas, Tyler. She joined the GCS staff in 2016 and is currently working in the high school office as an administrative assistant.

Sundee joined Grace University in 2018. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and has experience teaching Pre-K, kindergarten, and 2nd grade. She and her husband, Rowdy, have a son, Chandler, who is a Grace Community School 2015 graduate, and a daughter, Bailey, who is a Grace Community School 2017 graduate. Sundee’s youngest daughter, Avery, attends Grace Community School. Sundee and her family attend Grace Community Church.

Brenda (R.N., BSN) has worked as the Grace elementary school nurse since 2000. She received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She and her husband, Frank, have six children, four of whom have graduated from GCS. Their family enjoys being involved at First Baptist Church, South Campus where she and Frank teach first grade Sunday School. Brenda loves “digging in the dirt”, reading, and spoiling her six grandchildren.

Kim joined the Grace Community School team in 2021. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Kim taught at Christian Heritage Classical School in Longview for 19 years and has taught kindergarten, first grade, and early childhood special education. She and her husband Jim, have two children who attended CHCS from K-12th. They have been active members of Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview throughout their years in Texas.

Wendee is joining the Grace family as an Instructional Aide as well as the Coordinator for our Jr K and Kindergarten After School Program.   She and her husband, Greg, have 8 children, and their youngest will be attending Grace.  Her family is new to Tyler and attend Green Acres Baptist Church where Wendee is involved with the Choir and Worship ministry.

Timothy has a BS in Marine Biology from Texas A&M, where he also minored in Chemistry and Diving Technology and Methods. He has a passion for teaching and tutoring and a heart for ministry, which he has been involved in for over ten years. Tim worked as a Supplemental Instructor at A&M before he and his wife, Shelby, moved to Tyler. Tim now regularly attends Grace Community Church. Tim loves learning and enjoys playing music, games, and movies.

Mischa has been with Grace Community School since 1998. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She and her husband, Jim, have a son and a daughter who are Grace graduates. Mischa and Jim are members of Bethel Bible Church downtown.

Anna joined the Grace team in 2020. She received her bachelor’s degrees in Painting/Drawing and Art History from the University of North Texas. She teaches art at Grace Middle School 5th and 6th and Grace University. Anna is married to the delightful Drew Pierce, and they have two dear preschoolers!

Libby comes to Grace from Pine Cove, where she served on the communications team. She graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Child and Family Studies.

Alison graduated from Drake University with an All Science Secondary Education degree. She attends Grace Community Church on Old Jacksonville with her husband, Ric, who also teaches at GCS. She has taught and coached at the middle school level since 2013.

Ric has been teaching history at the high school level since 2012, and has been with Grace Community School since 2015. He received his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History/Social Sciences with an endorsement in Math from Wheaton College, where he also had the privilege to play college football. He has been married to Mrs. Radcliffe since the summer of 2013. She, too, is currently working at Grace Community School in the middle school as the eighth grade math teacher. Ric also serves as a football coach on both the varsity and junior varsity levels, as well as one of the high school track and field coaches.

Brittney has taught kindergarten at Grace University since 2021. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of North Texas. Brittney began teaching in 2000 and has taught first and second grade, as well as the gifted and talented program for grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Brittney and her husband, Paul, have three children who attend Grace Community School, Hannah, Libby, and Jackson. In addition, they attend Grace Community Church UB campus and enjoy family time together, sports, and the outdoors.

Katie Ritcheson began teaching drama at Grace Community School in 2017. She is a 2003 graduate of Grace Community School. Katie studied theater and music at Tyler Junior College and Stephen F. Austin State University before beginning a career teaching middle school theater in Whitehouse and Waco. She and her husband, Doug, have two daughters at Grace.

Jill joined the Grace Early Education team in 2011 and has been working in the early education field for more than 30 years. After working for a school for so many years, her favorite thing about working at Grace is the daily teaching of God and praying, singing, and rejoicing to Him. Jill leads the weekly chapels, and this is her favorite part of the week! Each week she is touched by the precious prayer that is offered at the end by a child. Working with children has always been a blessing, and the joyful hearts of children is so rewarding that it rarely feels like a job. Jill and her husband, Randy, have been married for over 30 years and have two adult children. She cherishes the role as a mother, but the most rewarding and fulfilling role has been as a grandmother! They are the proud grandparents of four children whom they absolutely adore.

November has worked in education since 2001. She has been with Grace Community School since 2008. Over the years, she has taught math, served as a college guidance counselor, and currently works as the Student Activities Director and Chapel Coordinator. November received her bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University, her Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Texas at Tyler, and certification in College Guidance from Anderson University in conjunction with the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals. November and her husband, Brandon, have four daughters, two of which have graduated from Grace Community School and two that currently attend. They are active members at Green Acres Baptist Church.

Coach Russell has coached football for 30 years. He lives by the words in II Timothy 4:2 which states “There is no offseason!” He is married to the former Jana Crosby and the two graduated from the University of Houston in 1991. Tim and Jana have two daughters: Bailee and Macey. Macey attends Harding University, and Bailee was killed by a drunk driver in 2016. Coach Russell enjoys the team atmosphere that each great football team possesses.

Josue joins Grace Community School again in 2017. He served at Grace from 2004-2008 as the high school Spanish teacher and boys and girls head soccer coach. Josue has been the Grace Men’s Soccer Head Coach since 2017. In 2017 he was an assistant to GCS Women’s Soccer program and assisted head coach Mitch Smith to win a TAPPS Soccer State Championship. Sabillon has coaching experience at the collegiate, high school, and club levels, and returned to Grace Community High School from Belhaven University in Jackson, MS. He previously has worked as an assistant college coach at Meridian Community College in Mississippi (2001-2002), at Tyler Junior College in Texas (2002-2008). Sabillon is a Two-Time All-American at Meridian Community College (1995-1996), as well as a 2012 NJCAA Hall Of Fame Inductee. Sabillon transferred to Marshall University and graduated in 2001 with a degree in business administration. He also holds a USSF “A” license and an NSCAA Premier Diploma. In 2013 he received his masters in sports administration from Belhaven University. Josue Sabillon, a Honduran native, is accompanied by his wife Andrea, and their two daughters, Isabela and Cecilia.

Chelsea joined Grace Community School in 2017. She teaches U.S. History. Chelsea is a 2005 Graduate of Grace where she placed at State-level speech and debate competitions and was the 2005 TAPPS Fine Arts Student of the Year. Chelsea attended Baylor University where she studied communication, English, history, and political science and graduated in 2009 from Baylor University’s Honors College with a University Scholars degree. She graduated in December 2018 with her masters in communication from Stephen F. Austin State University. After college, she served as the East Texas deputy regional director for U.S. Senator John Cornyn. She then felt a calling toward Christian education, first serving as the director of development for the Honors College at Baylor University and most recently as a college advisor at All Saints Episcopal School. She is a member of Green Acres Baptist Church, and in her spare time, Chelsea enjoys reading, playing board games with family, watching nerdy movies, and traveling.

Heather began teaching public school in Tyler in 2003 where she taught 1st and 5th grades. She left in 2010 to be a stay-at-home-mom, and then returned in 2018 to teach art and music at Hand-In-Hand Preschool in Tyler. Heather received her bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. She and her husband, Brandon, have three children, Hunter, Skylar, and Summer. They enjoy outdoor activities, spending time with family and friends, and attending Lifebridge Tyler Church.

Coach Scott began his volleyball coaching career in 2010. He has coached age groups from 13 to 18. His coaching highlights include:  2013- 5th place at USAV National Volleyball Championships (15’s), 2014- 5th place at AAU National Volleyball Championships (16’s), 2015- 5th place at AAU National Volleyball Championships (17’s), 2016- 14th place at USAV National Volleyball Championships (18’s).

Stephanie joined Grace Community School in 2021 as the athletics assistant, high school bible teacher, and middle school volleyball coach. She received a bachelor’s degree from Texas College and has worked in church administration for over 25 years. She also taught for several years at private schools in the Dallas area. She and her husband, Reginald, serve as pastors of Kingdom Family Church in Tyler and have a passion for sharing the gospel. They have two sons at Grace, Darius and Daniel.

Jeff has worked as a high school teacher since 1991 and started at Grace Community School in 1997. Jeff teaches high school mathematics and directs the Grace Community Drumline, which was established in 1998. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Stephen F. Austin State University. Jeff is married to Kathy, who also teaches at GCS.

Kathy has worked as a teacher for more than 30 years. She has worked in public school special education for seven years before coming to Grace in 1997. For the first eleven years, she taught fourth grade at the lower campus. Since then, she has been teaching sixth grade science and math. Kathy earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from the University of Texas at Tyler. Kathy is proud to help her husband Jeff, also a Grace teacher, with all of the responsibilities of the GCS Drum Line. You can hear her during football season as the “voice of the Cougar halftime.”

LeAnn has taught in public as well as private schools. Before coming to Grace, she taught in both the Klein and Plano public school systems for ten years. She has been with Grace Community School since 2006, teaching kindergarten and first grade. LeAnn received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. She and her husband, Sam, have one daughter, Michelle, who is a student at Grace, and a son, Jake, who graduated from Grace and currently attends Texas A&M. LeAnn and her family are members of Green Acres Baptist Church. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, cooking, and attending Aggie football games.

Holly has taught kindergarten at Grace University since 2014. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from ACU and began teaching first grade in 1991. She has taught first grade and Kindergarten for a total of 22 years. Holly and her husband, Jared, have two sons, Carter and Jacob, who graduated from Grace Community School. Holly enjoys family time together, traveling, reading, snow skiing, and playing with her golden retriever.

Jennifer joined Grace Community School in 2021. She received her bachelor’s degree in information technology and marketing from Baylor University. Jennifer and her husband, Michael, have three children, Grace, Brock, and Cullen. Grace attends Baylor University, while Brock and Cullen attend Grace Community School. Jennifer enjoys traveling, biking, movies, reading, and being outdoors. She and her family attend Grace Community Church.

Chris joined our coaching staff in 2022 and is the Director of Tennis at the Cascades Country Club.  Chris has been a USPTA certified professional since 2008 and was awarded the USPTA Texas Tennis Professional of the Year in 2016.  Chris and his wife, Lacey, moved to Tyler in 2006 from Missouri to attend TJC and UT Tyler.  Their two children, Blake and Abby, attend Grace Community School and are members of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler.

Coach Smith is a Tyler native who played locally and for Tyler Legacy High School for a total of 12 years and went on to play for one year at Tyler Junior College. He holds a national soccer coaching license and has coached for 27 years at various school and club soccer levels.  He’s currently entering his 14th year as the Varsity Girls Soccer Coach at Grace Community High School, where he has 7 district titles and Regional appearances, 4 Final Four appearances, and 2 State Championships. He also coaches locally for the FC Dallas East Texas Club, Under 12 and Under 13 girls. His motto for his teams is, “You can’t play the perfect game, but you can always give a perfect effort.”

Mitch currently resides in Tyler, Texas, with his wife of 28 years, Sherri, and he has two great children, a son, Jake, and a daughter, Brittany. Coach Smith says of his soccer girls, “I always want to be someone they see as a strong Christian Husband and Father. God is my Rock and Savior, so before they see me as a Soccer Coach, I hope they see me first and foremost as a born-again Christian.”

Tara has worked as an elementary teacher in a Christian school setting since 2010. She has been with Grace Community School since 2015 and has taught second grade, kindergarten, and junior kindergarten. She received her bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University. Tara and her husband, Clay (Grace alum ’04), are newlyweds as of 2013 and are enjoying life as a couple.

Victoria joined the Grace EEC-Tyler team in 2013. She began working with children at an early age; her first job was at a local gym and then expanded to babysitting and nannying for those families. After graduating from high school, she coached volleyball and mentored girls in elementary, middle school, and high school. Victoria was fortunate to stay at home with her son for almost two years after he was born. Then, when she returned to work, she chose Grace EEC and said the community blesses them. Her son attends Grace Community School.

Coach Spitzer joined the GCS baseball staff in 2008. He served four years as the middle school assistant coach and head coach from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, he assumes the varsity assistant coaching position. Time flies when you’re having fun! Coach Spitzer graduated from Baylor Law School. He and his wife, Trish, have four sons:  Jacob (GCS Class of 2013), Jonny (Class of 2015), Josh (Class of 2017), and Joseph (Class of 2020). The family attends Grace Community Church.

Diane received a bachelors degree from Kansas State University. She worked for Johnson & Johnson prior to becoming a “domestic engineer”. The Tauschers moved from Andover, KS to Tyler in 2011.  Randy & Diane have been married for 26 years and have four children; Morgan, Garrett, Jordan and Gannon. Garrett, 2017 & Jordan, 2019 are graduates of GCS. The Tauscher’s attend The Chapel of St. Peter & Paul in Tyler.

Diane started playing basketball at a young age, so the sport has always been close to her heart. She began coaching basketball when Jordan was 5 years old with the overall goal to have each player love playing the game more each year. Over the years, Diane has enjoyed coaching various levels of girls’ travel teams with most recent years coaching with Cy-Fair Premier in Houston.

Brennan is a 2012 graduate of Grace Community School and earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy. Brennan served on active duty in the Air Force for five years and had the opportunity to work as an engineer and program manager at the AF Research Laboratory, a small-business liaison, and STEM outreach coordinator. A passion for education pushed him to switch careers, and thus he joined the GCS team in 2021 to teach mathematics and engineering. Brennan also earned a master’s degree in education from Wayland Baptist University.

Janet Taylor is the head coach for the high school and junior high swim programs. She believes that many life skills can be learned through swimming, such as goal-setting, developing a plan of action to reach those goals, time management skills, and a strong work ethic. She understands how important relationships are in swimming, and how these friendships tend to last a lifetime. Most of all, Janet believes in Colossians 3:17 and wants to instill this verse into her swimmers, ”whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Janet graduated from TCU and was a three sport letterman in swimming, gymnastics, and golf. After graduation, she was head women’s swim coach at TCU for several years. She is in her 25th year of coaching at Grace and has led the Cougar swimmers to six state championships. Over the past 45 years of coaching, Janet has coached swimmers to all levels of achievement, from learning to swim to Olympic Trial qualifiers.

Sarah has taught high school English at Grace Community School since 2021. She hails from west Texas, where she taught writing and literature courses at Abilene Christian University. She obtained both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in English from ACU while working as assistant director of the Writing Center on campus. She and her husband, McKinley, are both teachers descending from a family of teachers. Sarah’s hobbies include taking her dog, Harper Lee, to the state park, drinking tea, cooking, reading, and swing dancing.

Chelsea Thauwald is the Content Communications Coordinator at Grace Community School. Prior to joining the communications department, Chelsea enjoyed a long career in the photography industry, where she worked with large corporations and small businesses. 

Having served as a content writer and photographer for N2 Publishing in recent years, Chelsea is excited to bring her love of writing and photography to the GCS marketing team.

Shortly after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Baylor University, Chelsea married her college sweetheart Nathan. Now, as devoted Baylor Bears, they enjoy attending their alma mater’s events and activities whenever possible.

In addition to being part of the marketing and communications department, Chelsea is also a proud mother of three Grace Cougars: daughters Carrington, Collyns and CalleighRose.

Norman has worked as a high school teacher and coach since 1981 at Grace, Seagoville, Crandall, DeSoto, and Lufkin. He has been with GCS since 2010 as a physics teacher, track and football coach. He currently is the Head Girl’s and Boy’s Track coach for Grace and assistant in football. Norman received his bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin. He and his wife, Mary Ann, also a Stephen F. Austin graduate, have three children and three grandchildren. Their daughter Leigh Ann and her husband Michael Hyde are Texas A&M graduates and are the parents of Nathan. Their daughter Kellie and her husband Daniel are East Texas Baptist graduates and are the parents of Annabelle and Emma. Their son James is a graduate of Texas A&M and lives in Seattle. Norman likes to build things and go on mountain hikes in the summer. He has been on many mission trips, both nationally and internationally. Norman and Mary Ann are both active at First Baptist Church in Lindale.

Emma is thrilled to start teaching fourth grade at Grace. She has taught fourth grade at Jack Elementary in Tyler for the past two years. Emma received her bachelor’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2019. She just got married to her husband, Shawn, in June of 2022. They both attend church at Grace Community Church on the University Boulevard campus.

Ijeoma “EJ” joined Grace Community School in June 2022 as the Director of Equity and Inclusion. She is an alumnus of Grace and attended from kindergarten to eighth before there was Grace High School.

Ijeoma worked for Tyler Junior College for almost 14 years, serving in various roles as professor, interim director for faculty development and professional development coordinator. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Communication from the University of Texas at Arlington, a master’s degree in Human Resource Development from the University of Texas at Tyler, and her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Dallas Baptist University. Outside of work, she enjoys knitting, gardening, and the family pet, a chiweenie, named Luna.

Ijeoma and her husband, Robert, have three children, Naomi, Abigail and Daniel. They are members of Rose Heights Church in Tyler.

Phyllissa began her teaching career in 2006 at a charter elementary school as a paraprofessional for three years when she was asked to create a Response to Intervention program for third through sixth graders. She continued teaching and building the program for the next three years. Simultaneously, she worked part-time as a trainer at a cognitive learning center helping clients with learning disabilities.

Since then, Phyllissa spent five years as a private learning coach, tutoring elementary to college level students while completing her bachelor of applied arts and science degree at the University of Texas at Tyler. There, she co-published a paper with a professor in the Department of Education validating an instrument to assess cognitive test anxiety in students, advocating the need for interventions for those scoring on the moderate to severe levels.

Over the last three years, Phyllissa worked with children on the autism spectrum at the Andrews Center Treatment and Learning Center as a registered behavior technician. Here, she trained clients as well as staff and interns.

Phyllissa loves to learn, loves kids, and has a heart to help children reach their full potential. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, making jewelry, and racing cars on racetracks.

Tasha has worked as a secondary English teacher since 1993 at Christian schools in Little Rock, Arkansas; Fort Worth, Texas; Austin, Texas, and Jackson, Tennessee, and has also taught public school in Beebe, Arkansas. She has been with Grace Community School since 2014 and has served as a seventh grade English and sixth grade reading teacher before moving to the upper campus media specialist. Tasha received her bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University and her master’s degree in Secondary Education with an emphasis in English from Harding University. Tasha and her husband, Joseph, have two children at Grace, a daughter and a son. Tasha enjoys watching many athletic competitions, especially when her children or her “Grace children” are playing! She also enjoys music and singing, good books, movies, mysteries of all kinds, remodeling projects, and family trips to the beach.

Joseph has worked as the athletic director at Grace since 2014. Prior to coming to Grace, he worked as the assistant athletic director at Jackson Christian School (Jackson, TN) from 2010 to 2014, and as the athletic director at Brentwood Christian School (Austin, TX) from 2000 to 2010. Joseph received his bachelor’s degree in Social Studies and master’s degree in Education Administration from Harding University, and his Educational Specialist degree from Union University. Joseph and his wife, Tasha, an English teacher at Grace Middle School, have two children at Grace: Darby and Rick. The Walkers are members of Grace Community Church and enjoy home remodeling projects, movie nights, and time at the beach together.

Amber joined Grace Community School in 2019. She is married to CJ, and they have three sons that attend Grace Community School. She and her family love the outdoors, sports, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 

Joshua serves as the principal of the 7th and 8th grades. He previously served as the director of student life in the high school from 2021-2018, director of college guidance from 2007-2018, and a high school physics instructor from 2004-2007. Joshua received his bachelor’s of science degree from Louisiana Tech University and holds a Professional Guidance Counselor certification for College Admission Counseling and Advising. Joshua and his wife, Rebecca, have four children attending GCS.

Rebecca has have been part of the Grace family since 2004. She joined the Grace team in 2017 as the middle school administrative assistant. Rebecca and her husband, Joshua, have four children enrolled at GCS on all three campuses.

Miranda joined Grace Community School in 2021 as a middle school grammar, bible, and Latin teacher and is currently serving as Grace University Principal. She received a bachelor’s degree in Christian studies with a minor in biblical studies from Dallas Baptist University, her master’s degree in Christian education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and her Ed.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2019. Prior to joining Grace, Miranda taught grammar to middle school students for 13 years. She has a passion for teaching, laughing, and bringing joy to the classroom. Miranda is married to Evan and has a mini-Australian shepherd, Samson.

Kellie has taught biology at Grace Community School since 2021. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in STEM Leadership from The American College of Education. Kellie began her teaching career in 2002. She left teaching in 2011 to be a full-time mom, and returned to teaching in 2016. Kellie and her husband, Adam, have two daughters who attend Grace Community School, Claire and Ava.

Coach Wells grew up in Tyler playing football, baseball, basketball, and track.  He graduated from the University of North Texas with a B.S. in Criminal Justice.  After working as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and later a U.S. Federal Air Marshal, Coach Wells returned to Tyler and married his high school sweetheart.  They have three children, Hadlee (Grace ‘15), Dylan (Grace ‘17), and Brayden (Grace ‘26).  Coach Wells and his wife, Andy, also volunteer with GSM at the Grace OJ campus.  Coach Wells began coaching middle school track in 2020 and transitioned to middle school football that same Spring.  Coach Wells is the offensive and defensive line coach for the middle school and serves as support for JV and Varsity football.

Jennifer has served as the elementary administrative assistant since 2015. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University. Jennifer and her husband, Travis, have three sons, Hamilton, Price, and JT. Hamilton and Price are Grace graduates, and JT currently attends.  

Cache joined the Grace Community School in 2021 as the 7th and 8th grade Administrative Assistant, after moving from southern California where she previously served Redlands Christian Schools. Cache is happily married to her husband, Josh, and has one son, Parker. Cache enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, baking and crafting.

Shari has a deep love for Jesus and for those who come seeking the hope He has to offer. Her background includes years of experience in education and programming for children and adults. She has taught in the classroom, worked as an Education Specialist with the Arizona Supreme Court and spent countless hours coaching and encouraging women, parents, families, and students. Her passionate love for Jesus and the principles in His Word give her a unique perspective on how the choices we make are so critical to living the lives we deeply desire. Shari is a ministry leader, speaker, and life coach, but the real truth is she’s a lover of chocolate and strong coffee. She has been married nearly thirty years to her best friend, Scott. She’s an avid University of Arizona Wildcat fan and mom to Ethan, Garner, Torrey, Sydney, Riley, and Reagan, and one beautiful daughter-in-law, Julianna.

Carol has been teaching since 1986. She received her B.S. from Abilene Christian University. She spent six years in public education in Texas and the other 26 years in Christian education. Her experience includes preschool music and curriculum writing, admissions director, pre-kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and junior/senior girls Bible. She and her husband, Lanny, have worked in Christian schools in Texas, Alabama, and Tennessee. They have two married daughters. Haley and Brenton live in Searcy, Arkansas where she is a nurse and he is a marriage and family therapist. Heather and Devon live in Memphis where she is completing her social work masters to go into therapy and her husband is in medical school. As a family, they have served in mission capacities in Brazil, Mexico, Central America, Africa, the Philippines, India and within the USA.

Lanny has been in education since 1984 where he spent 9 years in public school before becoming a Christian school administrator in 1993.  Lanny and his wife Carol have served in Christian education for 26 years.  Both of them received degrees from Abilene Christian University and Lanny has a Masters degree in both Education Administration and Christian Practice.   Lanny and Carol have two daughters.  Haley is married and lives in Searcy, Arkansas and Heather will be married next month and will live in Memphis.  Haley is a nurse and Heather is a Social Worker.  The Witt family loves to travel and do mission work.  The Witts have done mission work in India, Kenya, the Philippines, Mexico and other locations within the United States. 

Hunter has served with the AV team on Sundays at our Old Jacksonville Campus since 2020 and joined the IT department in May 2021. He received a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University where he met his wife, Michelle, who is a Grace alum. They are expecting a daughter in the fall of 2021 with plans to enroll her in Grace EEC.