Darlington is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members for the 2024-2025 school year:
Blake Bourg will teach Statistics at the Upper School. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics Education from Berry College and has taught all levels of math, from Algebra 1 to AP Calculus and Statistics, at Armuchee High School for the past nine years. He is driven to teach math to students in a practical and experiential way.
Jamarcus Chatman has been named director of student outreach and will coach football. He holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Troy University, where he finished out his college football career after playing previously at Florida State University.
Kelsie Coccia will be an Upper School learning specialist and soccer coach. She holds a B.S. in Child Development from Colby-Sawyer College and an M.A. in TESOL from the University of Southern Maine, Portland. With nearly a decade of experience in education, she has has worked in learning support, taught English, and engaged in many aspects of school life from student activities to robotics to coaching. She has significant boarding school and camp experience, most recently working at Salisbury School in Connecticut. She will also join Darlington's residential duty staff.
Dr. Matt Laliberte will teach seventh and eighth grade English and coach middle school football. He holds a B.A. in English Teaching from the University of New Hampshire, an M.S. in Instructional Design, Development & Evaluation from Syracuse University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction from Boston College. In his 17 years in education, Laliberte has held administrative, faculty support, and teaching roles at both the middle and high school levels. Currently middle school principal at Holy Innocents' Episcopal School, he is excited to get back to his teaching roots and fully join the school community his children and wife are already so much a part of.
Callum Lees will coach with Darlington School Soccer Academy. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from Reinhardt University, where he played men's soccer and qualified for the National Championships. Lees' coaching experience includes two years with Southern Soccer Academy, where he also competed as a player.
Mary Austin Morgan ('13) will serve as an assistant director of boarding admission. She holds a B.S. in Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University, where she worked in the athletic department and served as coordinator of the sports fields after graduating. She credits her time as a boarding student and head prefect at Darlington for guiding her in her academic pursuits as well as her personal growth and development as a young adult.
Stephani Perkins will teach Biology and Anatomy & Physiology at the Upper School in addition to serving as assistant coach for cross country and track and field. She holds a B.S. in Microbiology from Oklahoma State University. She has five years of experience in the classroom and 14 years of experience coaching track and field, serving most recently as head track coach at Southern Illinois University.
Nehemiah Reddish will teach physical education at the Upper School and serve as an assistant football coach. He holds a B.S. in Sports Management and an M.B.A. from Shorter University, where he was played football and served as a team captain for two seasons. Currently, he teaches the Workforce Readiness Pathway at Rome High School and serves as defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator for Rome Middle School's football team. He also served previously as a volunteer assistant defensive backs coach at Rome High.
Barrick Wade ('19) will teach Upper School math and support athletics by coaching. He is finishing up his B.Ed. in Mathematics Education at Shorter University in May and served as a student teacher at Darlington this year, assisting in Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Introduction to Engineering, and Pre-calculus Finance. In athletics, Wade served as assistant middle school softball coach, head middle school boys' basketball coach, and assistant girls' lacrosse coach. He also helped with Darlington's Youth Basketball Camp for three summers.
Hannah Willerson ('19) will serve as advancement services officer. She holds a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of Georgia. During college, she was a Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership (PROPEL) Scholar at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and also participated in the Walt Disney Company's Disney College Program. Most recently, Willerson has served as assistant golf professional at Coosa Country Club.
The following current faculty and staff members will move into new roles in 2024-2025:
Madeline Cornwell ('11) will move from her role with the Soccer Academy to be the Upper School administrative assistant for the Student Life Office. She joined the Soccer Academy staff in 2021 and has served as assistant girls' coach and administrative assistant for the program. Cornwell holds a B.S. in Sports Management from the University of West Georgia.
Brant Evans will move from his role as dean of students to be the assistant director of Upper School. His primary responsibility will be to lead the Student Life Office team. He will also assist with academics and supporting teachers while continuing to teach his AP U.S. Government course. Evans joined Darlington's history department faculty in 2008 and holds a B.A. in History and an M.Ed. in Social Sciences from the University of Georgia.
Terar Everhart ('13), currently the Upper School administrative assistant, will move into the dean of students position. She will coordinate all non-academic programming within the school day, as well as support our students outside of the school day. She joined Darlington's student life team in 2021 and holds a B.S. in Communication from Kennesaw State University.
Betina Fuentes has been named head of the English department. An English teacher and head tennis coach at the Upper School since 2023, she holds a B.A. in Secondary English Education from the University of South Florida, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with specialization in differentiated learning and ESOL from the University of Tampa, and is currently finishing up her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at American College of Education. Fuentes has 16 years of teaching and administrative experience in the United States and abroad in the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, Hungary, and Morocco.
Keegan Hinsley will move from the middle grades to the Upper School to teach AP English Language and English 2. He has taught English and served as an assistant coach for middle school basketball since 2023. He holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Literature from the University of Alabama, where he taught composition and literature courses as part of his master's program.
Tara Inman will shift from her current role as dean of students for global education into a new role as dean of community life. She will be coordinating student engagement programs and student activities, along with continuing to serve in a support role for our international students. She joined Darlington’s student life team in 2002 and served previously as director of ESL, spiritual life coordinator, and head of house. Inman holds a B.A. and an M.A.T., both from Carson-Newman College.
Rebekah Kinney has been named assistant director of Pre-K to 8. Currently the school’s professional development coordinator and director of the Senior Ventures Program, she has taught at Darlington since 2002 and holds a B.S. and an M.Ed. from Berry College. Kinney’s previous roles at Darlington have included technology integration coordinator, fourth-grade and kindergarten teacher, and residential life duty staff member.
Melissa Smyly has been named director of curriculum and instruction. Currently head of the English department, she has taught English at Darlington since 2017. Smyly holds a B.S. in Secondary Language Arts from Auburn University and an M.A. in Library Media Technology from the University of West Alabama. Additional roles she has held at Darlington include Upper School and middle grades English teacher, residential life duty staff member, cheerleading coach, lacrosse coach, and director of Musical Theater Camp and the Thatcher Hall musical.
Julia Thomas ('07, LD '15) has been named campaign director. She has worked in Darlington's Advancement Office since 2015 and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. As the current director of annual giving, she has raised more than $10 million for The Darlington Fund during her tenure.
This page will be updated as new employees are hired. Click here to see the most up-to-date list of employment opportunities at Darlington.
