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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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.