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.

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.

Jacquelyn joined Grace Community School in Spring of 2020 and serves as the Development Manager, Annual Programs and Planned Giving. 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.

Carrie has worked at Grace Community School since 2014. 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.

Heather Garrison joined Grace Community School in 2025 and serves as the Development Operations and Stewardship Coordinator. She was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies from the University of New Mexico. Before joining Grace, she worked for the Sulphur Springs Independent School District and previously served at the New Mexico Ministry Network in Albuquerque.

Heather and her husband, Eric, have two sons, Colton and Trenton, who attend Grace. The family attends Grace Community Church, OJ Campus, and they enjoy spending time with family and friends, as well as watching sporting events, especially baseball.