DeKalb Brilliance Academy: where the strength of our community nourishes the brilliance of our students.

We have a charge from our community to build a school that redefines education and brings the real world into our classrooms. Are you a visionary leader ready to show what is possible for children? Apply today!

Meet our Staff

Our founding story

Our co-founders worked for three years with South DeKalb families and community members to design a school that empowers students to be leaders in any field they choose. We asked more than 1,000 community members a big question: “What should the purpose of school be?” 

Here’s what they told us: 

1) help my child understand their unique gifts, talents, and interests 

2) help my child understand their paths for impact 

Families pushed us beyond college and career readiness to focus on students' legacies. Our school empowers students to be leaders through combining rigorous & relevant academics with social-emotional learning. We put all of this together through our Real-world Project-based Learning, where students learn not only from their teachers and peers, but also directly from scientists, lawyers, engineers, and designers.

 

Admin Team

Co-founder / Principal

Mrs. Williams

Co-founder / Head of School

Mrs. Alter

Director of Operations

Mrs. Parks

Assistant Principal of Kinder-2nd Grades + Principl-in-Residence

Ms. Adams

Assistant Principal of 3rd-4th Grades

Ms. Shelton-Burleigh

Assistant Principal of 5th-6th Grades

Dr. Dollar

Assistant Principal of Scholar Support

Mrs. Locus-Footman

Operations Manager

Mrs. Pean

Facility Manager

Mr. June

Kindergarten Team

Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Mr. Woody

Kindergarten Assistant Teacher

Ms. Reed

Special Education Assistant Teacher

Mrs. Farley

1st Grade Team

1st Grade Math Teacher

Ms. Kennon

1st Grade Science Teacher

Ms. Scruggs

1st Grade ELA Teacher

Ms. Huggins

1st Grade Special Education Teacher

Scholar Support Department Chair

Special Education Assistant Teacher Coach

Ms. Morrow

 

1st Assistant Teacher

Ms. Loyd

2nd Grade Team

2nd Grade Math Teacher

K-2 Department Chair

Assistant Teacher Coach

Ms. Willis

2nd Grade Science Teacher

Ms. Martin

2nd Grade ELA Teacher

Ms. Austin

2nd Special Education Teacher

Ms. Huff

 

2nd Grade Assistant Teacher

Teacher T

3rd Grade Team

3rd Grade Math Teacher

Mrs. Terrell

3rd Grade Science Teacher

Ms. Ayers

3rd Grade ELA Teacher

Ms. Thornton

3rd Grade Special Education Teacher

Ms. Hiles

4th Grade Team

4th Grade Math Teacher

Ms. Williams

4th Grade Science Teacher

Ms. Biddle

4th Grade ELA Teacher

Ms. Young

4th Grade Special Education Teacher

Mrs. Martin-Clark

5th Grade Team

5th Grade Math Teacher

Mr. Lewis

5th Grade Science Teacher

Ms. Oyelami (Ms. O)

5th Grade ELA Teacher

Ms. Walker

5th Grade Special Education Teacher

Ms. Dozier (Ms. D)

6th Grade Team

6th Grade Math Teacher

Ms. Presswood

6th Grade Science Teacher

Mrs. Scott

6th Grade ELA Teacher

Mr. Jack

6th Grade Special Education Teacher

Ms. Jenkins

Scholar Support Team

Special Education Teacher

Mr. Berthoumieux (Mr. B)

Special Education Assistant Teacher

Ms. Fowler (Ms. Meca)

Special Education Teacher

Ms. Vincent

Special Education Assistant Teacher

Mr. Morgan (Mr. Rick)

Special Education Teacher

Mr. Jenkins

Special Education Assistant Teacher

Ms. Thompson (Ms. T)

EIP Teacher

504 Coordinator

Enrichment Chair

Ms. Miller

Gifted Teacher

EIP Teacher

Ms. Wheat

Enrichment Team

Dance Teacher

Mrs. Hudgen-Grace

Physical Education Teacher

Mr. Wise

Art & Animation Teacher

Mr. Lin (Mr. Sai)

Operations Team

Family Engagement Team

Nutrition Manager

Ms. Jenkins

Front Office Manager

Ms. Shinholster

School Nurse

Nurse Woody

School Social Worker/Counselor

Ms. Smith

Custodial Team

Mr. Rodney

Mr. Pedro

Ms. Gail

Mr. Thornton (Mr. T)

Meet our Board of Directors

You can always reach our board by emailing board@dekalbbrilliance.org

Chair, Board of Directors

Michael Freeland

Vice Chair, Board of Directors

Joseph Akpan

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Quentin Johnson

Secretary, Board of Directors

Jazmin Counts

Board of Directors

Dr. Curtis Armour

Board of Directors

Jenea Carruth

Board of Directors

Mesha Greene

Board of Directors

LaKenya Norris

Board of Directors

Sharicka Samuels