Meet Springs’ New Faculty and Staff

Indian Springs is delighted to welcome an exceptional group of new faculty and staff to the Springs community for the 2018–19 school year. Get to know our new faculty and staff members, as well as returning faculty and staff who will be serving in new roles:

New Faculty
  • Susan Caraway, M.A., who joined us halfway through the 2017-18 school year, will continue to teach in our English Department. Prior to joining Springs, she worked as Curriculum Supervisor of Secondary English and Foreign Languages and Advanced Placement Lead Teacher—English for the Jefferson County Board of Education. A Certified Journalism Educator, she received the highest award from the National Council of Teachers of English Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines in 2000 and 2005. She completed a bachelor’s degree at Auburn University and her master’s in Secondary Education in English at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
  • Caroline Colvin '95, M.D., will bring her expertise as a physician to teaching genetics in the Science Department this spring. A 2005 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Medicine, she specializes in pediatric endocrinology. Caroline lives on campus with her husband, Visual Arts Department Chair Clay Colvin ‘95, and their children, Gus '23 and Searcy.
  • Colin Davis, Ph.D., joins our History Department from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he was a professor for 27 years. In 2010, he was awarded the Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Prize for Scholarly Distinction; he was appointed Distinguished Professor in 2014. Colin holds a B.A. in History/Sociology from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in U.S. History from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He will teach AP U.S. History and several electives.
  • Anabel Graff, M.F.A., joins us in the English Department as a Writer-in-Residence. Anabel has spent the last year finishing a novel; in recent years, she has also worked a fiction instructor for the John Jermain Memorial Library in Sag Harbor, N.Y., as a reader for Scott Rudin Productions, and as a teaching assistant at Texas State University. Anabel has a B.A. in English and Film from Vassar and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing from Texas State University. She will teach numerous writing courses, workshops, and advanced topics, and advise the literary magazine.
  • James Griffin, M.A., will teach in the English Department after serving for the past eight years as head of the English Department at Saint James School in Montgomery, where he also served as a member of the curriculum council. Before that James taught English at Lakeview Academy in Gainesville, Ga., and at Tudomány Nyelviskola in Budapest, Hungary. He holds a B.A. in English from Birmingham-Southern College and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Alabama. 
  • Tessa Magnuson, M.S., will join the Science Department from Mountain Brook Junior High School, where she has taught for the past five years. Tessa has also taught at ASFA, The Altamont School, and, very early on, at Springs. She holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Biology and an M.A. in Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She will teach 8th grade science, Forensic Science, and AP Environmental Science.
  • George Mange returns to our Spanish Department after teaching for three years at Mountain Brook High School. The son of two teachers, George majored in Spanish and minored in Latin American Studies at Birmingham-Southern College. During his earlier tenure at Springs, George won the 2013 Outstanding K-12 Teacher Award from the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers. He will also coach Cross Country this fall.
New Staff
  • Farrah Beckham has joined our Custodial Department and will work day shifts until mid-August, when she will transition to the evening shift.
  • Mia Coleman joins us as our Registrar, responsible for student records. Since 2011, Mia has served as Associate Registrar/Records Administrator for Education Corporation of America, where she has assisted corporate registrars, school deans, and program directors of 75 campuses with management and implementation of policies/procedures, grade and transcript processing, and other special projects. Mia holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Alabama.
  • Annie Galey will serve as Executive Assistant to the Head of School and Receptionist. Annie previously worked as an editor for CJS Media in Alabaster, and before that, as Administrative Assistant at The Shelby County Reporter. She received her B.A. in Public Relations from Auburn University.
  • Mandy Griffin will serve as the head dorm faculty in Goodrich Hall, where she will be living with her husband, James. Mandy most recently served as the Associate Head of School at Montessori School at Hampstead in Montgomery. She is a graduate of Birmingham-Southern, where she earned her B.A. in English. Mandy is also a certified Master Gardener.
  • Leah Taylor, Birmingham native and marketing professional, will serve as our Interim Director of Advancement. Leah worked as Executive Senior VP for Marketing and PR for Sterne Agee from 2003 to 2013 and before that as Senior VP of Marketing and Advertising for Regions. She has a B.A. in Interior Design from the University of Auburn School of Architecture and recently started her own business designing custom gifts. In addition to managing alumni relations and overseeing Indian Springs' fundraising efforts, she will work with Elise Frohsin '88, P '20, and the Parents Association this year to enhance parent relations.
  • We also welcome Ansley and Mateusz Rudak to campus, where they will join the Residential Life team this year as dorm faculty.
New Roles
  • D'Anthony Allen will guide student involvement in clubs and activities as Springs' new Student Life Coordinator. He will also continue to teach English electives and serve as Dorm Faculty.
  • Dorm Faculty India Allen will serve as Residential Life Coordinator, leading Springs' residential life skills curriculum and overseeing the dorms during the academic day.
  • Christine Copeland, M.S., who has a background in college admissions and has worked in Springs' Admission Office for 12 years, has stepped up to serve as Interim Director of Admission and Financial Aid for the 2018-19 school year. She will continue to represent Springs as she oversees the recruitment and admission process for prospective families and students.
  • Jan Fortson, who came to Indian Springs in 1996 and has served as Dean of Student Life for the past 15 years and as a house parent for nine of those, steps this year into the dual role of College Advising Associate and SSD (Services for Students with Disabilities) Coordinator. She will work with Director of College Advising Amelia Johnson.
  • Jon Gray, Ph.D., has been teaching math here at Springs since 2016 and this year will serve in the newly created role of Dean of Faculty. Jon received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2011, and here at Springs has led independent studies in Abstract Algebra I and II, Complex Analysis, Relativity and Topology, and other topics. As Dean of Faculty, he will lead the faculty in critical conversations about pedagogy and culture and work to enhance Springs' capacity to provide individualized experiences for our students.
  • Peggy Fleetwood, who formerly served as Executive Assistant to the Head of School, has moved into the position of Advancement Associate. In her new role, she will manage stewardship reports and will plan, implement, and provide support for alumni and parent events and initiatives, while also continuing her work with the Board of Governors.
  • Custodial staff member Andrea Lilly will serve as Residential Life Assistant, teaching the culinary unit and life skills curriculum to our boarding students.
  • Janae Peters, L.M.S.W., steps into the role of Dean of Students after serving last year as Dean of Student Development and Community Life. Janae will continue to lead Residential Life and Springs' Advising program and to serve as Director of Summer Programs. She will also oversee campus safety and student life.
  • Lauren Wainwright '88, J.D., who returned to Indian Springs last year to serve as Springs' new Director of Strategy and Special Projects and to teach government and law, will also take on the role of advisor to student government.
Looking forward to a great year!
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190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

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