Mount Paran Christian School announces several promotions from within its ranks to the school’s administrative team for the upcoming 2023-2024 academic year.
Mrs. Tawanna Rusk will move into full-time leadership in the sole role of Associate Head of School. Among her responsibilities, she will be integral in shepherding the division heads for the four academic levels – preschool, lower school, middle school, and high school – in their academic leadership and nurturing of students and faculty.
With this realignment, current MPCS Assistant Head of High School Mr. Jason Beard assumes the Head of High School title. Ms. Ashley Cochran, high school dean of students, will move to the Assistant Head of High School position. The new High School Dean of Students is Dr. Nikki Hamilton, a 20-year veteran educator who most recently served as a High School English Teacher and Directed Studies Teacher at MPCS.
After a six-month nationwide search, Mrs. Tina Baker has been named the new MPCS Head of Lower School. Mrs. Baker most recently served as the MPCS Assistant Head of Lower School alongside former Head of Lower School Dr. Deborah Davis, who is retiring after 17 years to pursue educational coaching. Jocelyn Sotomayor, current MPCS Middle School Counselor, has been named as the Assistant Head of Lower School.
In December, Mount Paran Christian School announced that Mr. Peter Hill would be the next Head of Middle School.
Former children’s pastor and MPCS Kindergarten teacher, Head of Preschool Ms. Penny Harrison continues to shine in her role, preparing the youngest of learners for Kindergarten success. Assistant Head of Middle School Mrs. Alison Wilbur and Middle School Dean of Students Mr. Jeff Diggle both remain as faithful servant-leaders supporting middle grades faculty.
Interim Head of School Dr. David Tilley shared, “As we look to the future, we are confident our academic leadership
team will further advance our school’s mission and vision. Paramount to their academic and leadership abilities is the
love for the Lord each of these leaders possesses. We are grateful for their willingness to serve and look forward to
what God has in store.”
ABOUT MOUNT PARAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL:
Mount Paran Christian School, the largest private Christian school in Cobb County, is a non-denominational, college preparatory school for students in preschool age three through grade 12. MPCS is committed to excellence in academics, award-winning arts, and championship athletics, all within a Christian environment with small class sizes. Founded in 1976, MPCS is fully accredited (SAIS/Cognia) and located near Kennesaw Mountain on a 68-acre
collegiate-like campus. Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, MPCS unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in truth.
ABOUT MPCS ADMINISTRATION
Mrs. Tawanna Rusk, Associate Head of School
Mrs. Rusk enjoyed a twenty-year career in Cobb county schools before joining the MPCS family as Lower School Head 12 years ago. She became Assistant Head of School in 2015 and Head of High School in 2016. For the past two years, she has served as the Head of Upper School and Associate Head of School.
Mrs. Rusk earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Special Education from Georgia College, a Masters degree in
Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University, and a Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from
Kennesaw State University.
Mr. Jason Beard, Head of High School
Mr. Beard has served at MPCS since 2010, beginning first as a coach and then hired full-time in 2011 to teach Economics and Psychology. In his time at MPCS, Mr. Beard has coached the varsity cross country, basketball, and tennis teams. In 2017, he created and facilitated goLEAD, a two-year curricular leadership program offered to high school students. He became the Assistant Head of High School in 2019.
Mr. Beard completed his undergraduate degree at Samford University, his Master of Arts in Teaching at Georgia
State University, and his Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Gordon College.
Ms. Ashley Cochran, Assistant Head of High School
As a teacher, Ms. Cochran spent seven years in Cobb county and 12 years in private education, the last eight of those at MPCS. Her specialty is Math for grades 8-12. Subsequently, she served as Dean of Students in both the MPCS middle and high schools.
Ms. Cochran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Auburn University. She earned her Masters degree in
Educational Policy Study from Georgia State and her Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from
Lincoln Memorial University. Ms. Cochran has served for many years as a cheerleading coach and will continue to
coach the MPC middle school competition cheer team.
Dr. Nikki Hamilton, High School Dean of Students
Dr. Hamilton has been a member of the MPCS faculty since 2018, serving as a member of the high school English and Directed Studies departments. She is an alumna of Spelman College, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English/Pre-Medicine, Kennesaw State University where she earned a Master’s degree in Education, and Capella University where she earned both a post-graduate certificate in College Teaching and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education.
As a 20-year veteran educator, Dr. Hamilton’s work is focused on inspiring students to experience the world through learning and increase their capacity for humanity. She has served as a Student Government Association sponsor, a co-founding faculty member of The People’s Club, an Admissions Liaison for the high school, a cheer coach, and a mentor to new members of the high school faculty.
Mr. Peter Hill, Head of Middle School
Mr. Peter Hill joins MPCS from Catholic Memorial School in Boston, Mass. As a teacher in multiple independent schools, he taught a variety of History courses, including AP Comparative Politics. As a member of the Academic Leadership Team at Catholic Memorial School, Mr. Hill served as the International Student Coordinator, developed and implemented the peer mentoring program for the faculty, and advised and mentored faculty as they seek to
better enable their bilingual students using translanguaging pedagogy. There, he also served as a member of the history faculty and as the varsity head soccer coach.
Prior to his time at Catholic Memorial, Mr. Hill taught at Marianapolis Preparatory School in Connecticut and St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Dartmouth College and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College.
Mrs. Alison Wilbur, Assistant Head of Middle School
A veteran educator, Mrs. Wilbur has 23 years teaching and administrative experience, all spent in middle school. She worked for five years for Cobb County Schools teaching Language Arts. Mrs. Wilbur then joined the MPCS family in 2005, teaching Language Arts and History before assuming the Assistant Head of Middle School role in 2018.
She earned her undergraduate degree in Middle School Education, with a concentration in Language Arts and Social Studies, from the University of Georgia. She completed her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Kennesaw State University. Mrs. Wilbur is the coach for the fifth and sixth-grade sideline cheer squad.
Mr. Jeff Diggle, Middle School Dean of Students
Mr. Diggle has been in education for 20 years. He graduated from Cedarville University with a degree in Middle Childhood Education and concentrations in Science and Math and a minor in Bible. Mr. Diggle then moved to Tianjin, China, to teach seventh and eighth-grade students Math and Science at Tianjin International School. During his five years in China, he completed his Master of Education in Curriculum Development and Instruction through
Indiana Wesleyan University.
Upon returning to the U.S., Mr. Diggle taught middle school students in the Illinois public school system for nine years before accepting a middle school principal position at Santiago Christian School in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where he spent four years and completed an Educational Leadership program to become certified as an administrator.
Mr. Diggle joined MPCS in 2021 as a seventh-grade Science teacher and was subsequently promoted to his current
role the following year.
Mrs. Tina Baker, Head of Lower School
Before joining the MPCS family, Mrs. Baker taught in Cobb County Schools. At MPCS, she previously taught firstgrade for nine years, served as an instructional support teacher within the school’s Directed Studies program, and led the academic technology initiatives for the lower school. She has become an integral member of the Academic Council, developing the lower school Project Lead the Way® and STEAM initiatives. She previously served as Assistant Head of Lower School at MPCS.
Mrs. Baker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida International University and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Nova Southeastern University. She also holds her Specialist’s degree in Technology Management and Administration from Nova Southeastern University.
Mrs. Jocelyn Sotomayor, Assistant Head of Lower School
Mrs. Sotomayor brings a wealth of administrative experience, including having served as the Middle School Counselor at Mount Paran Christian School for the past four years. Her impressive 25-years in education includes roles within the private school community as a high school classroom teacher, counselor, dean of students, assistant principal, and upper school division head. Her experience includes serving as upper school principal for one of the most prestigious schools in her native Puerto Rico, the University High School, as well as assistant principal and division head at two independent private schools in Georgia.
Mrs. Sotomayor earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Geography and Sociology, as well as a Master of
Education in School Counseling and a Master of Administration in Public Affairs, both from the Universidad del
Turabo in Puerto Rico. She holds a Graduate Certificate in School Leadership and Management from Harvard
University.
Ms. Penny Harrison, Head of Preschool
Ms. Penny Harrison has 13 years of classroom teaching experience. She served in full-time ministry for 18 years, with the last eleven of those years as the Children’s Pastor at StoneBridge Church in Marietta. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Georgia State University.
Her experience with children has allowed Ms. Harrison to develop great wisdom, discernment, and knowledge of how to work with young children and partner with parents. From her experience as a kindergarten teacher, she knows how to provide an experience rich in kindergarten readiness skills.
