As the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Editor, Angie leads SCL’s operations and marketing, aligning strategy, communications, resources, and people for organization-wide results. As the founder of a collaborative school and co-founder and head of school of a K-12 classical school, she appreciates SCL’s work in helping schools thrive and is deeply committed to SCL’s core value of serving the broader movement through hospitality.

Angie earned a Certificate in School Leadership from a joint business and education program of Harvard Graduate School of Education, a B.J.A. in Journalism from Grady College at the University of Georgia, and one year of law school before committing to classical Christian education over 20 years ago. She now serves as an advancement consultant for classical Christian schools. Early on, Angie worked as a legal market analyst for an international consulting firm, a newspaper editor, a public relations director for the Chamber of Commerce, and a Congressional press intern.

In her role as the Director of Leadership Development and Collaborative School Initiatives for the Society for Classical Learning, Starrla is able to combine two big passions—developing leaders and expanding collaborative schools across the United States. Prior to joining SCL, Starrla and her husband were co-founders of Veritas Academy in Austin, Texas, and over the course of 18 years Starrla served in various capacities including Academic Dean, Academic Team Chair, Grammar School Head, and School of Logic Head. She continues to serve on the Veritas Academy School Board and its Governance and Nominations committee.

While at Veritas, Starrla developed curricula and academic programs, trained hundreds of teachers, served on accreditation teams for similar schools, and helped many classical, collaborative schools launch and grow. She is passionate about Kingdom building through the expansion of classical, Christian schools; and after receiving her Masters in Leadership through Gordon College, shifted her focus to developing programs for training future Christian school leaders.

Starrla and her husband, Jef (the longtime Veritas HOS), are the parents of three adult children, all graduates of Veritas Academy. After living in the Texas Hill Country for nearly 30 years, Starrla and Jef now enjoy living close to their adult children in Memphis, Tennessee.

Brian has been in classical education for 17 years serving in various capacities ranging from "science" teacher to administrator and board chair. With a desire to grow as a professional educator, he returned to school in 2015 to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership at Vanderbilt University's Peabody School. Graduating in 2018, this work ignited a passion to study Classical Christian schools for the purpose of helping them to improve as they seek to build the Kingdom of God. In addition to his work with SCL, Brian directs the Center for Christian Classical Education at College of the Ozarks in Pointe Lookout, Missouri.

Lauren Key began working for SCL in the fall of 2022. She brings over 10 years of Administrative experience in Classical Education including Director of Operations, Director of Admissions, and Director of Fine Arts: The Habersham School in Savannah, GA. Lauren’s focus on our team is operations, customer experience, sponsorship and membership. She enjoys combining her love of customer service with her love of Classical Education. She lives in Savannah with her husband and three girls.

Sarah Spencer has been in education for almost twenty years. She has served in a variety of capacities: public high school history teacher, classical Christian fourth grade teacher, classical Christian Grammar School dean, and most recently homeschooling her own children in the classical Christian tradition. She is an army wife and mother of four. She enjoys hosting friends, family, and neighbors; reading and discussing great books; cooking and eating delicious food; spending time alone in the Word; and singing. She is energized by the good work being done in the classical, Christian movement, as we consider together what it means to raise up the next generation with a love for truth, beauty, and goodness.

Marissa has served as SCL’s executive assistant since 2016. “I truly believe in SCL’s mission and vision to help classical Christian education thrive, and how it is making an impact in the next generation and society as a whole,” Marissa says. “SCL has ministered to my family and me in numerous ways, and it’s been an honor to be a part of this movement in a small way.”

Prior to SCL, Marissa served as the program director for the Alec & Belle Waterhouse Lecture Series in Honolulu, HI where she organized conferences and seminars for nearly 10 years. She also has held administrative positions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in the President’s Office. Marissa is married to Shelby, and they have three children who attend Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, TX. Born and raised in Honolulu, HI, Marissa enjoys traveling, reading, and volunteering in her daughters’ American Heritage Girls’ troop.

Catherine is deeply passionate about creating art and experiencing beauty even in the most mundane things. As a graphic designer at SCL, Catherine gets to create resources and initiatives that combine a passion for beauty and design with a deep love for classical education. Catherine holds a BFA from Mississippi State University and has a background in education and ministry. In addition to working as a graphic designer before joining SCL, Catherine was the college counselor and Art teacher at The Habersham School, a classical Christian school in Savannah, GA. She also served with Reformed University Fellowship, fostering spiritual growth in college students at Colorado State University. Catherine and her husband Chaston, who also works in classical Christian education, live in Anderson, South Carolina. In her free time, she enjoys reading and woodworking.

Jenna Wood discovered classical Christian education in the fall of 2020 and quickly became immersed in the classical movement. She served as the 9th Grade Humanities Teacher, where she developed a comprehensive curriculum guide and as an Administrative Coordinator she managed a broad range of responsibilities, including Enrollment and Admissions support.
Before transitioning into classical education, Jenna built a strong background in administration and event management. She worked as a remote Executive Assistant and previously served as an Event Manager at Towson University, where she oversaw the execution of 800+ annual events, coordinating logistics for audiences ranging from 10 to 3,500.
A Towson University graduate, Jenna and her husband share a love for their alma mater. They live in Baltimore, Maryland, with their two children. In her free time, Jenna enjoys volunteering with nonprofit organizations, getting lost in a good book, and spending time along the Maryland and Delaware beaches.

Peter Baur has been involved in independent education for nearly 40 years and has held roles in several environments, including start-up Classical Christian schools and “elite” private schools with over 150 years of history. Peter has served in nearly every capacity, including PR/Marketing, curriculum development, head of school, development/fundraising, special events, college guidance, admission, advisory, teaching and coaching. In addition, Peter has led schools and churches in strategic planning, has presented at Circe, ACCS and SCL, and been a featured speaker at schools around the nation. Peter is known for his ability to articulate Classical Christian education in a simple, practical manner. Peter is the only SCL Fellow elected prior to becoming a head of school.

Kevin Clark, DLS, is the founder and President of The Ecclesial Schools Initiative, Inc. He believes his vocation as a Christian educator to be in service of the Church and the family as they seek to train children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. For Kevin, education is not simply a matter of academic preparation; it’s about seeing Christ’s Church flourish as a new generation of men and women bring the wisdom, beauty and justice of New Creation to bear for God’s glory and the life of the world.

Kevin’s Christian Classical Education experience spans 17 years, including 15 at The Geneva School, Winter Park, FL. During this time he taught broadly across the upper school—logic, classical guitar, Old and New Testament survey, New Testament Greek, rhetoric—though Christian philosophy and theology were his main interests and perennial areas of teaching. He later assumed a leadership position at the school, serving five years as academic dean of The Geneva School before leaving to found The Ecclesial Schools Initiative.

Also active at the national level, Kevin has ten years of leadership as a fellow for The Society for Classical Learning, providing academic leadership to Christian classical schools throughout the country by hosting retreats and speaking at conferences. He also joined the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University in 2018 as a teaching fellow in their new Master of Arts in Classical Teaching program.

Russ Gregg (B.A., Global Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is co-founder and has served as Head of School since Hope Academy’s founding in 2000. He has been a resident of the Phillips neighborhood since 1994. In 1999, he was an administrator at a Christian School in Edina, and quit his job to help lay the groundwork for a Christian school for his urban neighbors. Russ and his wife Phyllis, who teaches 3rd grade at Hope Academy, live four blocks away from the school. They have three grown children. Russ serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Classical Learning.

Travis Koch is headmaster of St. Stephen's Academy in Beaverton, Oregon, where he has served since 2016. He loves to repair and improve neglected things such as watches, cars, buildings, recipes, curriculum, and school policy manuals. He holds a B.A in history from Stanford and an M.A. from Yale. When he's not reading or answering school-related questions, you'll probably find him in the garden or kitchen with his wife, or in the garage fixing something, or in the field chasing bumblebees with one of his five children.

Dr. David Diener works at Hillsdale College where he is an Assistant Professor of Education. Previous experience includes fifteen years in K-12 private education, eleven of those in administration and eight as headmaster of classical Christian schools. He also is a Fellow on the Alcuin Fellowship National Council and Director of the Alcuin Fellowship Midwest Chapter, serves on the Board of Directors for the Society for Classical Learning and the Board of Academic Advisors for the Classic Learning Test, is a member of the National Council of Classical Educators, and offers consulting services through Classical Academic Press. He is the author of Plato: The Great Philosopher-Educator and has published articles on Plato, Kierkegaard, and various topics in philosophy of education. He also serves as the series editor for Classical Academic Press’ series Giants in the History of Education and is an associate editor for the journal Principia: a Journal of Classical Education. He holds a BA in Philosophy and Ancient Languages from Wheaton College as well as an MA in Philosophy, an MS in History and Philosophy of Education, and a dual PhD in Philosophy and Philosophy of Education from Indiana University.

Mr. Lewis co-heads the Business Services and Specialty Distribution Groups. He joined Harris Williams in 2000 and has advised clients on a variety of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. From 2002 through 2004, Mr. Lewis was in London helping launch Harris Williams' international efforts.

Neil Anderson has been the head of school at Trinity Classical School (Houston) since June 2010. The school was founded in 2009 and Mr. Anderson was hired as its first head. TCS is a PreK-12th Christian, classical, and collaborative school with 700 students. Mr. Anderson has a genuine passion for education to the glory of God, through the liberal arts. After graduating from Wheaton College with a degree in Biblical Studies, he served as an associate pastor and worship leader at a church in west Chicago. With a growing family of four children, Neil and his wife Marian moved back to his hometown of Houston. Prior to joining Trinity Classical School, Neil worked at a local classical school, serving as a teacher, department chair, and Dean of Students. During these years, Neil developed a great zeal for classical education and completed a Master’s of Liberal Arts degree at Houston Baptist University. Neil is passionate about poetry, classical literature, theology, carpentry, coffee, hiking, running, and children. He also has a dog that he is not passionate about.

Craig Hefner serves as the Head of School at Covenant School in Huntington, West Virginia, where he has served since 2018. Craig has a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Wheaton College, an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a B.A. from Cedarville University. Craig is the author of Kierkegaard and the Changelessness of God: A Modern Defense of Classical Immutability, published in 2023.He lives in Huntington, West Virginia with his wife, Rachel, and their sons, Elliott and Adler.

Elizabeth Butler dedicated over a decade to Veritas School in Richmond, VA, serving as a parent of 2 students, a board member, and eventually as board chairman, leveraging her extensive experience in strategic planning from her tenure at McKinsey & Co. and WebMD. Because Elizabeth’s prayer is that all children will be able to meet their God given potential in a country that keeps them safe and protects their freedoms, she is committed to strong conservative leadership at every level of government. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an engineering degree from Auburn University. Elizabeth and her husband, Ron, are active members of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Hayden Johnson is a strong advocate for classical education. He was called into education fulltime in 2014 after a twenty-year corporate career leading technology and marketing teams around the world. He served for nine years on the Board of Directors at Grace Academy in Georgetown, Texas after which he was asked to serve full time as their Athletic Director. He also taught for several years in central Texas public high schools. Hayden and his wife Tracey began their careers as U.S. Army officers.

Both of his children attended Grace Academy beginning in kindergarten providing them the classical Christian education not afforded their parents. Hayden holds a B.S. from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from The University of Texas and a Master of Information Technology from Virginia Tech.

When he is not talking to parents, friends and patrons about the transformative power of classical Christian education, you can often find him preparing for Grace athletic events, training on his own or enjoying the Texas Hill Country with his family.