Darlington is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members for the 2025-2026 school year:
Alex Ables, who has assisted with Darlington's football program for the past six seasons and served as a substitute teacher for two years, will teach Upper School history. He will also be an assistant coach for football and track. Ables will graduate from the University of West Georgia this spring with a B.A. in History and Certification in Secondary Education (6th-12th).
Mitch Jordan ('90) will serve as athletic director. He holds a B.S. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a M.A. in Educational Leadership from Gordon College. With 23 years of experience in education and coaching, Jordan has served as athletic director at Mount Paran Christian School for the last 17 years.
Emily Kisor will teach Upper School math. She holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from The University of Alabama and is currently pursuing a M.S.E. degree in Mathematics at Jacksonville State University. She has spent the last seven years tutoring students in various levels of math while working in various professions, including as an engineer.
Ella Moore, who has been interning at Darlington this semester, will take on the Pre-K to 8 art teacher position full time. She will also assist with Upper School football cheerleading and serve as head basketball cheerleading coach. Moore will graduate from Berry College this spring with a B.A. in P-12 Education and Art. She also holds Google Classroom Training Certification and is currently participating in the Apple Educator Program.
Grace Tessein will be a part-time Upper School art teacher. She will teach Art 1 classes next year along with some iPeriods and after-school activities. She holds a B.F.A. in Ceramics and Painting/Drawing from Temple University and a M.F.A. in Studio Art from Louisiana State University. An active artist herself, Tessein has 13 years of experience teaching art in both academic and studio settings, most recently serving as a part-time Art Appreciation instructor at Georgia Highlands College as well as an instructor at two local studios, Earthworks Pottery and Sugar Jaws Pottery.
The following current faculty and staff members will move into new roles in 2025-2026:
Justin Bruce will transition to the new role of assistant director of the Teaching & Learning Center. He has served as a learning specialist at the Upper School since 2016 and is also the Upper School registrar. He holds a B.S. in Collaborative Special Education from Auburn University, a Masters in Special Education Adaptive Curriculum from the University of West Georgia, and an Ed.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Lincoln Memorial University.
Maddie Chastain will become director of content strategy and engagement for the Communication Office. She has served as the school's content manager since 2022 and is a member of the residential duty staff. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Berry College.
Andrea Frazier will teach Upper School Spanish. She joined the world languages faculty in 2022 as a Spanish teacher for grades pre-K to 5 and head swim coach. She holds a M.S. in Psychology from Universidad Rafael Urdaneta - Zulia.
Travis Gaug will be head of the English department. He has taught history at the Upper School and served as an assistant basketball coach since 2023. With 17 years of epxerience in education, Gaug holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Regensburg in Germany.
Tannika King's title will change to chief communications officer. She has been part of Darlington’s Communication Office since 2004, serving previously as director of media relations and most recently as director of communications. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Berry College.
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.
