Headmaster | hharris@franklinchristianacademy.org

In 2004, Mr. and Mrs. Harris began Franklin Christian Academy. He serves as the Headmaster of the school and President of the Board of Trustees. He is the former President of the Middle Tennessee Athletic Conference. Mr. Harris received a Masters of Education Administration and Supervision degree from Tennessee State University and he graduated from Baylor University with a degree in accounting in 1978. After spending 20 years in business both as employee and owner, God called Mr. Harris to the world of education. He is committed to seeing students grow in the grace of Christ through knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Business Administrator and Human Resources | lharris@franklinchristianacademy.org

Lisa Harris has a passion for teenagers to know Jesus and walk with Him personally.  Mrs. Harris has a passion for discipling students from a God-centered worldview. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in 1976 from Baylor University's School of Dentistry and worked in that capacity for 10 years. God called her into academic education as a second career and began teaching in 1986. She has taught all grades from kindergarten to 12th grade. She also recruits and trains teachers to serve at the School of the Medes in northern Iraq, a biblically based school in an Islamic environment. She also received her Masters of Education Administration and Supervision degree from Tennessee State University.

Head of Upper School and Football Coach | tjohnson@franklinchristianacademy.org

Coach Johnson earned B.S. in Secondary Education from Vanderbilt and a M.Ed. in Administration from Lincoln Memorial University.  While at Vanderbilt, Tim was a four-year letterman as a defensive back for the Commodore football team.  During his thirty years as an educator, he has taught multiple subjects in the social sciences.  At a variety of public and independent schools, he has also enjoyed serving as an assistant football coach, strength and conditioning coach, head football coach, and in multiple administrative positions.  Two of his stops included serving as head coach at nearby Franklin High and BGA, highlighted by his 2004 Franklin team reaching the state championship game.  Tim and his wife, Julia, enjoy spending time with family, hiking, playing tennis, biking, serving the community and walking "Vito" their Gold Retriever. I am so excited to work with the FCA faculty as we mentor our future great servant-leaders.

Head of Lower School and Coding Teacher | pellsworth@franklinchristianacademy.org

Mr. Ellsworth (better known as "Profe") is passionate for all things Spanish. After leaving the missions field in Mexico, Profe earned a Bachelors of Science in Education from Liberty University and has been teaching since 2011. Profe is dedicated to helping students not only appreciate other languages and cultures, but also discover their God given strengths and callings. Profe enjoys spending time with his three boys and his wife, Muryel, outdoors and doing exercise. 

Dean of Students and Middle School Teacher | drichey@franklinchristianacademy.org

Dan Richey was born and raised in Southern California, to a family with deep roots in ministry and education. He met his wife of 21 years in high school. They have three children in middle and high school. He attended California State University, where he earned his BA in Political Science and Public Administration, minoring in Criminal Justice and German Language. While still attending college, he combined his heart of service with a passion for teaching, and began a 25 year career in Law Enforcement, where spent a majority of his career teaching and certifying officers in advanced training. Dan has always had a passion Christ and mentoring youth, so early in his career he identified and acted upon the difficult circumstances many middle school aged children face. He earned the distinction of fifth grade DARE teacher and also began to coach youth sports, partner in homeless and at-risk youth outreach, camps, and Sunday School. When he is not working, Dan enjoys spending time with his family camping, hiking, and skiing. He is passionate about partnering with families and reaching he next generation for Jesus, pointing them to Him for their identity, as they navigate their teen years.  

Academic Dean and Director of Admissions | sradbill@franklinchristianacademy.org

Stephanie Radbill has been at FCA since 2011. She was born into a military family and spent her early years traveling the world. She spent her Jr High and High School years in St. Louis, MO.  She attended Covenant College and studied Elementary Education and minored in Spanish. She taught elementary school in St. Louis for 3 years. In 2004, Stephanie moved to Bulgaria to work as a missionary with Mission to the World.  While there, she taught Middle School to missionary kids and did administrative work as well. She had wonderful opportunities to see much of Europe and travel. While in Bulgaria, she met her husband, and they have 4 children. She loves reading, baking, gardening, traveling, and missions. 

Director of Student Life & Theatre | msutton@franklinchristianacademy.org

Melanie Sutton has been serving FCA since 2009. She holds a degree from Abilene Christian University in Children & Family Ministry. Prior to teaching and ministering at FCA, she served as Program Director for Barefoot Republic Camp and Children’s Minister for Harpeth Community Church. Melanie has starred in or directed dozens of productions over the last 20 years… some of her favorites include: Brigadoon, Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, The Diary of Anne Frank, West Side Story, Grease, Godspell, and more.  Melanie’s husband Ryan is a multi-talented musician and producer, and they are the proud parents of two young boys- Jackson and Matthew. When she’s not discipling or directing students, Melanie loves watching college basketball or football, going to the theater, trying new restaurants, traveling, and cheering way too loudly at her son Jackson's baseball games.

Office Manager and Umbrella Program Administrator | rpowell@franklinchristianacademy.org

Rachel Powell is the Administrator of the Umbrella Program for homeschool families. She is also the office manager at FCA. Ms. Rachel received her B.A. in Global Studies from Azusa Pacific University. She was also a member of the first class to receive a Graduate Certificate from Lipscomb University’s Institute for Sustainable Practice. She enjoys fostering a diverse community at FCA. When not at school, she enjoys swimming, being outside, collecting postage stamps, and spending time with friends and family.

Athletic Director | wsmith@franklinchristianacademy.org

Wayne Smith is native of Nashville, Tennessee. Wayne began his basketball career at Hillsboro Comprehensive High School and continued his basketball career at Nashville’s Aquinas Junior College. Wayne also played at Belmont College, playing for the legendary Rick Byrd in his first season as Head Coach. As a post player, Coach Smith quickly established himself as a good defender and presence near the basket and was an 87% free throw shooter, with many career games. After playing a year professionally in Portugal, Coach Smith earned his degree in education from Tennessee State University. Having taught in the private, public and charter school settings and institutions for the past 18 years, he brings a wealth of knowledge in Health and Physical Education while coaching various sports such as softball, volleyball, and football. Coach Smith has over 25 years of basketball coaching experience. Currently, he is serving FCA as the Athletic Director and Head of all Basketball Operations. Coach Smith also serves as a Head Coach for the Upward Stars Travel Basketball Program, Camp instructor for Nike Elite Basketball Camps and Belmont Basketball Camps. Coach Smith and his wife Lucretia have a blended family of 6 kids.

Assistant Athletic Director | kjorgensen@franklinchristianacademy.org

KC Jorgensen is a Franklin, TN native and FCA alumni (2015) where he played football and basketball. He continued playing football in college at both Taylor University and Kentucky State University, before ultimately graduating from Lipscomb in 2020 with a B.S. in Business Leadership. In 2020, Coach KC began coaching football at FCA part-time serving as the high school offensive coordinator, while working at MAPCO Corporate in the Human Resources department. In 2021 he was hired on full-time at FCA serving as the Assistant Athletic Director, High School Offensive Coordinator, Middle School Boys Basketball Head Coach, while also maintaining FCA's athletic social media pages. Coach KC, is extremely passionate about the nurturing and growth of FCA students. In his free time Coach enjoys living an active lifestyle with his wife Olivia!

Marketing/Social Media and Computer Teacher | lgarrison@franklinchristianacademy.org

Lanie Garrison grew up in New Orleans, LA and received her B.S. and MBA from Loyola University New Orleans, where she worked as the marketing director of a small startup company.  After graduation, she moved to Littleton, CO to raise her three girls with her husband, Bishop.  During her 16 years in Colorado, she taught both high school computer and business college courses, while freelancing in marketing.  The Lord brought her family back South to Franklin in 2018 and she began teaching for FCA in 2019.  She loves being able to combine her love of teaching and the Lord and is grateful to be a part of the FCA family.     

Student Resource Officer | rlemons@franklinchristianacademy.org

Roger worked in the Tennessee Highway patrol and worked at another Christian school for 6 years as their Student Resource Officer. He has been serving the Nashville area community since 2007. He has been with FCA since April of 2019. Roger is married to his wife Tiana and has two furbabies Linus and Lucy. He greets the students daily at the front door and helps bring security to our community. 

History Department Head | barmstrong@franklinchristianacademy.org

Brett is a long-time teacher, coach, and administrator. He earned a B.A. in Business
Administration from Presbyterian College, an M.A. in European History from Georgia State
University, and a Ph.D. in Modern European History from Vanderbilt. After 15 years as a
professor of History at Trevecca Nazarene University and after coaching their women’s soccer
team for six years, he and his wife Leslie moved to Intermountain Christian School in Salt Lake
City where Brett was the High School Principal and Leslie was the Director of Admissions. Brett
has also taught and coached at both Christ Presbyterian Academy and Grace Christian Academy
in Franklin. Brett and Leslie have three children and when he’s not in the classroom, he’s
happiest hiking, camping, and flyfishing somewhere in the West.

High School Teacher | lbrandenburg@franklinchristianacademy.org

Lauren feels truly blessed to find a teaching home at FCA, as one of her greatest joys is encouraging and mentoring young writers. Kentucky born and raised, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a corollary major in Education from Georgetown College, which is also where she met her best friend and husband, Jamie.  After several years of teaching middle school and high school English in Ohio, Lauren stepped away from her profession to raise and homeschool their two children – Kensington and Jack, currently students at FCA. During her time outside the classroom Lauren began to write Christian fantasy for young readers, develop curriculums for homeschool families, and teach creative and novel writing within their homeschool community. In 2019 she published her first book for grown-ups, which won the American Christian Fiction Writer’s award for Contemporary Fiction. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her family, reading, baking macarons, and doing her best to dwell on all the lovely things. 

High School Teacher | kchance@franklinchristianacademy.org

Katie Chance is a graduate from Lipscomb University with a BFA on Musical Theatre and an alum of FCA , graduating from there in 2016. She is currently working for her M.Ed in Child Studies at Vanderbilt. Along with performing, Katie has enjoyed teaching dance at Lipscomb Academy, working with preschoolers at Tippi Toes, and volunteering her time at the SENSE Theatre at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Not only is she excited to teach drama and dance in her first year, but is blessed to be back to support her FCA family.

Middle School Teacher | adonnelly@franklinchristianacademy.org

Ashley was born in Alabama attended Auburn University.  She received her undergraduate and Masters Degree in Elementary Education. WAR EAGLE!! She met her husband, Sam, while in graduate school at Auburn they married in 2000. For the next 19 years the Army has stationed them all over the United States.  After Sam retired from the Army, they were excited to finally be able to choose where to live.  Prayerfully  they were led to Franklin and thrilled to find FCA!  They are blessed to have their children attend the school. Outside of school,  Ashley loves to read, go shopping, watch college football, and delights in spending time with her family!

Middle School Math School Teacher | cdorcean@franklinchristianacademy.org

Chaka has a passion to train, transition and transform the lives of all she comes into contact with through her God given gift of teaching. She grew up in the DC/Maryland/Virgini area and holds her Bachelor of Science in Biology & Masters of Education in Administration & Supervision. Chaka comes to us with 23 years of successful teaching experience from classroom teacher to administration in both public & private sectors. She thoroughly enjoys teaching Math, Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship and making it fun! Chaka has been married to her husband Ricardo for 14 years and they have 2 gifted and beautiful children Cooper Marie & River Francois. When Chaka is not teaching at FCA, she is a full time Christian Life Coach who focuses on Soul Wellness that helps Christians experience a deep level of Healing & Freedom in all areas of their life.  Chaka LOVES the Lord as clearly understands her purpose in the earth to help others reach the destiny God has designed for them while experiencing the joy, peace and freedom God so graciously has given us! Her favorite scripture is 3 John 1:2 "You shall prosper and be in good health, even as your SOUL prospers." 

English and Speech Teacher | cduroe@franklinchristianacademy.org

Cameron grew up in Wisconsin and recently moved to the Nashville area. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2016 with a degree in Secondary English Education. Cameron is excited to share the joy of reading and writing with students and to help them consider difficult ideas from a Christ-centered perspective. In his free time, he enjoys reading and writing, movie-going, basketball, and trying new coffee shops and restaurants.

PE Teacher | eekstrand@franklinchristianacademy.org

Edie grew up in Sunnyvale, California, where she lived for 48 years before moving to Franklin,

Tennessee. She has been married for 25 years and has two children. Her undergraduate degree is in

Bible and Theology and Christian Education. In 2012 she received a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology. She

has a lifetime teaching certificate for ACSI. She is deeply passionate about God and her subject area.

She feels blessed to do what she does every day, educating young people how to move their bodies and

take care of their bodies. She has been teaching and coaching many sports for over 20 years, including

tennis, basketball, field hockey, and cross country, although her first love is basketball. She played

basketball in high school and two years in community college. Edie loves to learn and is always taking

classes and learning new skills in her field.

Middle and High School Teacher | charrell@franklinchristianacademy.org

Casey grew up in Birmingham, Alabama as the oldest of four children. After highschool, she attended The University of Mississippi and stayed an extra year to earn her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She taught two years in Birmingham before getting married to her husband this past year. She has been in Williamson County Schools and is thrilled to be at FCA! She is passionate about helping students understand and love math! You can find Casey, her husband and golden retriever puppy (Harvey) walking around Franklin. 

Math Department Head | dhoesel@franklinchristianacademy.org

Dawn has a passion for students and guiding them to a greater understanding of God's universe through Math. Dawn has a gift for explaining complicated concepts in a way anyone can understand. As our Math Department Head she oversees all facets of our Math curriculum and instruction. Dawn Hoesel has been teaching at FCA since 2006.  She is married to Don and has two children. Dawn received her degree from Taylor University in Spanish and Math education. 

Middle School Math and Science | shultgren@franklinchristianacademy.org

Stephen received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Baptist Health Sciences University in Memphis. He spent 18 years in Various roles in Nursing, including ICU and CVICU and spent several years in the educational field training RNs and LPNs working in correctional healthcare. Stephen has a passion for process improvement, earning a Lean Six Sigma Blackbelt from Villanova University in 2011. This is his second year teaching in the Middle School environment, and loves coaching football and basketball. He has two grown children and lives in Spring Hill with his wife and youngest son.

Middle School Teacher | rhunter@franklinchristianacademy.org

Born & raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Rhonda attended a smaller Christian high school, very similar to FCA. After a year at Grand Canyon College, she was able to transfer to Baylor University, from where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications & Broadcasting. She went on to use her degree with Family Life Radio and a sports company helping host conferences. Rhonda married Joe Hunter in 1992 & after several moves,  landed in Memphis, TN for 10 years & on to Franklin in 2009. They are the proud parents of Zac & his wife, Gabrielle, Sydney, & Westley. All 3 kids graduated from FCA with Zac being in the umbrella program. After Sydney left for college, Rhonda came to work at FCA as an administrative assistant to help in the office and also sub where needed. This year she is helping in the office but also taking over merchandise, Senior liaison, teaching 7th grade Geography & created a Personal and Professional Development curriculum for seniors. Her passion is being Jesus to those around her & pointing them back to God’s Word & His truths. She loves spending time with her husband and kids as much as possible. She also loves hiking, reading, and recreational pickleball.

Art Teacher | tmcdonald@franklinchristianacademy.org

Tammy graduated from Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC with a degree in art and K-12 education. She later studied music at Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC.  She has a lifetime of experience in the United Methodist Church as a pianist and children/youth choir director.  After graduating from college, she began working in advertising with Maxway.  She also started her own studio for private piano and art lessons.  In 2000, she joined the staff at Cape Fear Christian Academy in Erwin, NC as an art and music teacher, and eventually served as Fine Arts Director until spring of 2011.  Since moving to Nashville, she is excited to be part of the FCA family and is very passionate about the arts.  Her goal is to help students see the beauty of God’s creation through the exploration of various mediums, styles, self-expression, and problem-solving skills.

High School Science Teacher | hmcgee@franklinchristianacademy.org

Heather is a graduate of University of Tennessee Knoxville with a Bachelors of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences and Secondary Education. She grew up up as a “corporate brat”, but is a native Minnesotan and has lived in CA, TX, Wash DC, ND, GA and CO. She has been married to Chad McGee for 20 years and has a wonderful son Gavin, who also attends FCA. Heather taught high school in Atlanta and Dickson County for 9 years before staying home to raise Gavin in 2006, and has tutored the past 10+ years. She enjoys hiking, skiing, travel and aviation and has a heart and passion for working with teens. Her goal is to help students see the beauty of God’s creation through the exploration of various mediums, styles, self-expression, and problem-solving skills.

Middle School Teacher | jmckennon@franklinchristianacademy.org

Jackie was born and raised in New Jersey.  She moved to TN about 10 years ago with her family. She has a masters degree in marriage and family therapy from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, PA.(now Drexel University), and worked as a family therapist before having children of her own. Since then she has been homeschooling her four children, as well as other homeschoolers, both privately and within a classroom environment for over 20 years. Nearing the end of her homeschooling season, she feels blessed to join the FCA family along with her youngest daughter to continue to help students learn and grow. 

MS Bible and HS Economics and Civics | rmclain@franklinchristianacademy.org

Rod grew up in Atlanta, Ga. After high school, he attended Presbyterian College earning a B.A. in Business Administration. He moved to Franklin in 1990 and began work as a youth pastor for Christ Community Church. In 2000, he moved to Vancouver, B.C. with his wife, Shana, to attend Regent College. While there, they had four children, earned a Masters of Divinity, helped plant two church congregations, and developed a recovery program for sexually exploited women of Vancouver.

Middle School Teacher | smclain@franklinchristianacademy.org

Shana McLain grew up in Brentwood, TN and graduated from Brentwood High School and Samford University with a B.A. in Speech Communications and Theater.  Shortly after college, she and her husband, Rod, were married and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where their 4 children were born, eh!  Shana and her family moved back to Franklin where she served as the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at St. John’s Anglican Church before coming to FCA in 2014.  She loves teaching history and the arts and connecting with students in a meaningful, Christ-focused way; she considers it an honor to live and work each day amongst the FCA teachers, students, and families.  Shana loves all things outdoors, live music and theater, and dining on patios!

Middle School Teacher | lmyers@franklinchristianacademy.org

Lana is a native of Williamson County and attended Taylor University with a B.S. in Education. After teaching a few years at Lighthouse Christian, she attended Covenant Seminary for a year, then returned back to Nashville where she married her husband, Bryan, and taught for the next several years at Christ Presbyterian Academy. She enjoyed staying home with her two daughters as well as homeschooling them for four years. Lana is excited to be teaching her favorite subjects at FCA: Bible (8th grade) and English (7th grade)! She desires to see students develop a love of literature and writing, and most of all, grow in deeper walks with Jesus and with one another.

High School Math Teacher | wshipman@franklinchristianacademy.org

Will is the son of a minister and grew up in Wartburg, TN    He is married to Jenni and they have two children Georgia and Victoria.  After high school, he attended Tennessee Tech University earning a B.A. in Business Administration. He moved to Aiken, SC in 2001 where he worked as the youth minister for the Aiken Church of Christ while returning to school to earn his teaching certificate in 6-12 math education. After teaching one year in South Carolina, Will returned to Tennessee and taught at Grassland Middle School for 7 years and Ezell-Harding Christian School for 5 years.  He currently serves the Antioch Church of Christ in Nashville as a deacon overseeing a summer camp for families and worship leader.

Middle School Teacher | jsmith@franklinchristianacademy.org

Jessica Smith grew up in the cornfields of Indiana, but has been in Tennessee for over 20 years.  She received her Bachelor's Degree from Lipscomb University and started her first teaching job at Ezell Harding Christian School in Antioch, TN before graduation.  She taught 6th grade English for 5 years, but left to stay at home with her daughter in 2010.  After being a stay at home mom for 12 years, she decided to go back into the classroom.  Luckily, she landed at FCA!  She currently teaches English (5th/6th) and Social Studies (5th) and hopes to spark a love for grammar and reading.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling around with her family (her husband, daughter, and son), exploring National Parks, hiking, watching and going to basketball games, and exploring new coffee shops wherever she goes.

High School English Teacher | dstengele@franklinchristianacademy.org

David grew up in India with his missionary parents, and then returned to the States for higher education. He has a B.A. in Literature and Writing (double major) and an M.A. in English. He has worked in a graphics company for New York publishers; taught Freshman English at the community college and university level; trained English teachers in Sichuan Province as part of the first Peace Corps team into China; taught ESL in Japan, where he met his wife, Akiko; taught I.B. English for six years at Kodaikanal International School in India, where he himself went to school; and, for seven years, taught High School English at Dalat International School in Penang, Malaysia. David has been with FCA since 2012.

High School Science Teacher | bvanfleteren@franklinchristianacademy.org

Bob VanFleteren was born and raised in Michigan.  He met his wife of 38 years at Michigan State University, where Bob got his academic degrees in Engineering and in Communications. They have three adult sons and three grandchildren.  His career has spanned over 35 years in automotive engineering, chemistry, metallurgy, packaged goods, and the diesel fueling industry.  Bob has a heart of service and a passion for teaching.  He has tutored and coached hundreds of students and athletes, and has led hundreds of students on short-term mission trips to Mexico, Haiti, and Russia. He and his wife are founders of a Christian school in Haiti, where they spend a lot of their time and effort ministering together. When he is not in the classroom, Bob enjoys spoiling his grandkids, playing fast-pitch baseball, competing in Masters track meets, advancing ministry work in Haiti, and mentoring younger professionals. He is passionate about reaching young people and helping them fall in love with Jesus.

Middle School Teacher | lwarbington@franklinchristianacademy.org

Lyndsey has a love for history, young adults, and teaching God’s truth. She is very excited that these three loves have come together at FCA. She was born and raised in Nashville and has just recently moved back to the area. She received a bachelors in education from Eastern Kentucky University and completed a Masters from Liberty University. She has spent the last 15 years supporting struggling learners in middle school and high school. Her desire is for the Lord to use her to impart in her students a love for learning about the Author of history but more importantly a desire to walk with the personal and loving God of all history! She believes a proper understanding of history can strengthen our trust in the reliability and trustworthiness of God's Word. He has left His fingerprints all over "His-story" and His creation for us to discover! “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:27

High School Teacher | wwilson@franklinchristianacademy.org

Wendy Wilson grew up in Michigan and has been in Tennessee for more than 20 years. She has lived in the Nashville area since 2007. She has a bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana and a master's degree in intercultural studies from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. Before becoming a teacher, Wendy worked as a newspaper reporter. As a teacher, she has experience teaching ESL as well as Spanish. She is grateful to be teaching at a Christian school where she can help students grow in their faith. Wendy enjoys knitting, hiking, ballroom dancing, playing board games and cards, and being involved at her church.