Welcome New Faculty and Staff!

With extensive experience and a passion for creating choice-based artistic learning environments where students learn skills and develop a love and appreciation for the visual arts, Ms. Sampson is committed to upholding Ms. G’s phenomenal legacy, while continuing to grow and develop our arts program at Galloway.

Fun Fact: "I’ve driven cross country with my husband 4 times and have been to 38 US states!"

With a master’s in early childhood education, and over seven years of experience as a lead teacher in independent schools, Ms. Hobson is a wonderful addition to our school community. She has a strong passion for creating exciting, interdisciplinary curriculum experiences for students, as well as a truly joyful classroom management style. We're excited for our fourth graders to have the opportunity to learn and grow with such a wonderful educator.

Fun Fact: "The year after college I lived in Alaska and backpacked through Southeast Asia."

With more than ten years of experience in both preschool and elementary independent schools, Beth brings a deep developmental knowledge of teaching, as well as a calm classroom presence. We can’t wait for you and your children to meet her.

Fun Fact: "I love to bake anything chocolate!"

Already a familiar member of the PreK team at Galloway, Ms. Dutta will return as a Lead Teacher in one of our PreK4 classrooms. Ms. Dutta has a Master’s Degree in Education, has more than 10 years of PreK Lead teacher experience, and has also been a certified teacher in both India and Canada. Her kindness, commitment to learning, and enthusiasm for our Galloway students will continue to make her a well-loved member of our team.

Known by many EL children as “Mr. Steve,” Steven Palmer joined our Early Learning team last year as a long term substitute, and we are thrilled that he agreed to return as a full faculty member this year. Beloved by our students for his humor, energy, and fun-loving spirit, Mr. Steve will truly be an asset to our EL faculty.

Fun Fact: "I still hold my high school’s (Stockbridge High) Track & Field record for the 400m."

Kirsten Jones will also join our Early Learning PreK4 team as an associate teacher. As one of our most experienced long term substitute teachers during last school year, Ms. Jones brings joy, flexibility, and a love of Galloway to this new role. With a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education, she has a strong desire to work with our students to help cultivate their curiosities and passions.

Fun Fact: "I love all things purple!"

Michael has a wealth of experience teaching many levels of both math and science, most recently at Mills Springs Academy.  He said he is drawn to Galloway because of  its commitment to strong academics and its care to be thoughtful about the whole person. He loves middle school students because he feels "like this is the age where young people begin to settle into their likes and dislikes, and I want to make sure that mathematics makes the list of likes."

Lizz has taught Social Studies to middle schoolers for a number of years, most recently at Viewpoint School in California where she is also the Middle School Coordinator of Diversity. When asked, “Why middle school?”, she replied that in middle school, "there are so many feels, so many mistakes, so many learning opportunities...it consistently reminds me that we’re all human beings that deserve compassion and to be seen, heard, and loved."

Fun Fact: "As part of a group photography show, I’ve had some of my work displayed in a gallery in Paris (a long time ago!)"

As Michael Bennett moves to the 8th grade team, we are delighted to welcome Savannah McCard. She has a wealth of experience teaching writing and reading to middle schoolers, most recently in St. Francis' Middle School. She is thrilled to be joining our community and spent a whole day at Galloway observing teachers and discussing curriculum just three days after being hired.  She is looking forward to exploring more creative and innovative ways to teach concepts and describes middle school as the "sweet spot" because "students are old enough to engage in higher level discussion and deeper thinking while also young enough to still enjoy making learning fun and exciting." 

Fun Fact: "Traveling (within and beyond the United States) fuels me!"

Mallorie is a master teacher and taught for years at Lovett.  She is moving back home to Atlanta after living in Spain.  Mallorie loved meeting her colleagues on Zoom and is looking forward to collaborating with them and teaching in a school that suits her progressive teaching style.

Fun Fact: "My first job was as a cocktail waitress in a salsa club!"

Ms. Kathleen comes to Galloway from the International School in Amman, Jordan where she was the Head of Libraries for 7 years. Her last 15 years have been spent in the Middle East where she developed a passion for YA literature translated into English and how each individual has a unique story to tell, which connects us to others and can effect positive social change.

Before becoming a librarian, she taught English with an emphasis on journalism and has studied at the Student Press Law Center. Earlier studies include Renaissance and Reformation Studies at Oxford University, and Literary Criticism as a Pew Younger Scholar at Notre Dame University. This summer, Ms. Kathleen celebrates an epic voyage completed from Amman, Jordan, to Atlanta.

Fun Fact: "I enjoy nature, hiking wadis, my gorgeous cat FIFI, and learning social media do’s and don’ts with my three children"

Ms. Goddard received her Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction in 2020 and since then has been an educational therapist at Academics Plus. Her previous experience also includes teaching math to ML and UL students! She is "eager to put my passion for designing rich, authentic learning experiences into practice." We are so excited to welcome Ms. Goddard to the Middle Learning team!

Fun Fact: "I recently drove Iceland's Ring Road in a tiny campervan!"

Betsy brings ten years of diverse teaching experiences from all over the world. Betsy received her master’s degree in Alaska, teaching in Anchorage and on the tiny island of St. Paul, where she taught math to all of the island’s middle and high schoolers at the same time. Betsy most recently taught in Seoul and Jeju Island in South Korea. Betsy loves the outdoors, is a seasoned traveler, and also speaks French. She is glad to settle back home in the Southeast and will be teaching Algebra I and Geometry.

Fun Fact: "I served in the Peace Corps in Guinea from 2011-2013!"

Joe comes to us from Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, where he taught after finishing his degree at Emory. He double-majored in a combined mathematics/economics program and Latin American and Caribbean studies. At Emory, he worked with Campus Life to find ways to extend Emory’s spirit of equity and inclusion to LGBTQ+ students in the Greek system. Joe loves reading (particularly Tom Wolfe), football, cooking, fishing, golfing, tennis, and travel. Joe's approach to instruction focuses on the skills of collaboration, problem solving, dedication, and intellectual flexibility. His goal as an educator is not only to teach math, but to develop skills that students can leverage for the rest of their lives.

Fun Fact: "I’m the proud owner of an English bulldog baby named Herschel!"

Heidi  is excited to join the Galloway community and the UL English department. Heidi has seven years of teaching experience including her time at the Asheville School in North Carolina  and Crystal Springs Upland School in California. Heidi takes pride in authentically engaging her students. She is committed to providing our students with windows and mirrors throughout the curriculum. Heidi is excited to join a school that shares the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Fun Fact: "I've broken both of my legs!"

Dr. Montgomery is a passion-purposed educator who teaches  American studies from diverse perspectives. Margaret has taught a variety of American history courses to graduate students at The University of Alabama. Some of Dr. Montgomery’s research has focused on gender within war and society. During the campus visit, Margaret was very impressed with how our students engaged with the lesson. Margaret brings an infectious enthusiasm for learning and we are grateful to have her as a member of the social studies department and UL faculty.

Fun Fact: "When I traveled to South Africa in 2009 to study race and reconciliation, I toured a stadium that was used the next year for the World Cup!"

Cara is moving to Atlanta from Pennsylvania to join our Fine Arts department as the ML and UL dance teacher.  She has spent the last seven years as the director of dance at The Episcopal Academy, and she has additional experience in curriculum development as well. Cara says that she seeks to “create authentic connections through dance and to use dance for making connections across disciplines as well as examining identity and difference.” She is eager to continue the tradition of inclusivity in our dance program.

Fun Fact: "I completed a 365-day dance challenge where I danced everyday for at least 2 minutes and recorded a short video for each day!"

Claire comes to Galloway with seven years of French teaching experience including the role of the modern language department chair.  Over the summer, Claire quickly began  meeting with Scottie as well as Audrey to ensure a smooth transition for our students. Claire’s lessons begin with a focus on the student experience and her teaching style is highly responsive to the needs of students. Claire is eager to get started and plant roots in the Galloway community.

Fun Fact: "Despite my intense fear of snakes, I'm always up for a good hike!"

Kim Dickson is our new Latin teacher joining the World Language department. Kim has a wealth of experience from teaching at the collegiate level to high schools across the country for 13 years. Kim creates active classroom environments where critical thinking, problem solving, and developing life-long learning skills are essential components of her lessons.

Fun Fact: "I am an avid fan of cheesy horror movies - the cheesier the better!"

Clay is an experienced debate professional. Since 2011, Clay has coached at the collegiate level and directed programs for local independent high schools as well as public school districts. In 2018, he was promoted to the Atlanta Urban Debate League’s Melissa Maxcy Wade fellow. Clay will be our debate tournament coach and work with our advanced debate students weekly in our Debate Master Class after school. Clay is excited to add to our growing debate program.\

Fun Fact: "I qualified to the National Debate Tournament (the intercollegiate policy debate championship) in 2015!"

Jacqueline has taught science in Atlanta for 13 years in a variety of settings, from an alternative school to a school based on the EIC model to two large, highly diverse high schools. She has held several leadership roles and is always looking for a new professional challenge. Jackie loves to run, bike, swim, weight train, and compete in triathlons.

Fun Fact: "My hobbies are baking, reading and doing triathlons!"