From left, Angela Johnson, Kelsey Brock, Holly Busch, Erin Bas, Cindy Lepore, Katie Kerekes, Kendra Stanton Lee and Mark Vosskamp.
Girls Preparatory School announces new faculty and staff for the 2016-17 school year. Three classroom teachers joined the World Languages department, and five new employees add their talents to the business, admission, and communication and marketing areas.
New faculty members include the following:
Erin Bas is teaching Spanish in the Upper and Middle School. With experience from novice levels to advanced honors classes, she has a reputation for collaboration with colleagues, writing and winning a five-figure travel grant to attend the International Forum on Language Training. She is a graduate of the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tenn., and holds a master’s in secondary education from UTC.
Katie Kerekes, who is also teaching Spanish at both levels, earned her M.A. in education from Union University. She comes to GPS from Schilling Farms Middle School in Collierville, Tenn., where she taught Spanish Honors classes and led student trips to Costa Rica and Belize. A member and leader of several faculty committees, she was honored by the local Rotary Club as Teacher of the Month
Dr. Cindy Lepore is teaching French in beginner and advanced classes. Dr. Lepore has taught in multiple environments, from classroom instruction to online settings. Most recently she taught linguistics and foreign-language education for teacher candidates at Lee University. She earned her doctorate in romance languages in 2014 from the University of Alabama, during which time she taught at the Institut de Touraine in Tours, France. She has made multiple presentations at language and interdisciplinary conferences and is a peer reviewer for System, an international journal.
Three new staff members joined GPS in August:
Joining the Information Technology Department as an assistant is Holly Busch. She is utilizing her analytical skills to help students and staff with computer hardware and software issues. She holds an associate of science certification in engineering of information systems, with a concentration in network management. In her previous position with Russell Cellular, she earned the Gold Circle Award.
New to the GPS Admission staff is Kelsey Brock. As associate director of Admission, she will become a familiar face to new applicants. Ms. Brock holds a master’s in counselor education from the University of Alabama Birmingham, where she was president of the UAB chapter of the National Counseling Honors Society. She has previous experience directing family education programs and recruiting new students. She is a member of the Chattanooga Junior League Event Planning and Fund Development committee.
Kendra Stanton Lee is the new associate director of Communications and Marketing. With a background in journalism and freelance writing, she was most recently an assistant professor of journalism at Southern Adventist University. She graduated magna cum laude from Allegheny College and received her master’s in liberal arts from Harvard. She has contributed columns to Nooga.com and feature articles to McSweeney’s and other publications.
Two new administrators in the Development and Business offices joined the school last spring.
Angela Johnson is the assistant head of School for Advancement. A graduate of St. Andrew’s-Sewanee and Wellesley College, Ms. Johnson has had successful fundraising experience as associate director of Harvard University’s Law School Fund, director of Annual Fund and Special Gifts at Mount Holyoke College, and as an associate vice president for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay in Boston.
Mark Vosskamp is the chief financial officer. Formerly the CFO and treasurer of HumanKind in Virginia, he provided business acumen and collaborated with program managers and Board members in the management of the operating budget, endowment, and real assets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Duke University and a master’s of business administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.