Henry Brooks Adams said it best, “Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.” 

​

From an early age, Heather knew teaching would play an integral role in her life because of the amazing teachers who touched her life along the way…teachers who inspired her, instilled a love for learning within her, and believed in her no matter how easy or difficult the task.  Heather saw the power of positive influence that lies within the life of a teacher and had the desire to have the same positive influence on the lives of children and young adults. 

​

Heather began her teaching career at Bob Jones High School where she taught courses such as English 11, Advanced Placement Language and Composition, and Creative Writing.  Heather also served as the Literary Magazine sponsor, English Honor Society Sponsor, and Girls’ Golf Coach while teaching at Bob Jones.  As Heather grew in her teaching career, she had the opportunity to impact more student lives by serving in the leadership roles of District Secondary Instructional Specialist, Madison Elementary Assistant Principal, James Clemens High School Assistant Principal, Bob Jones High School Assistant Principal, and District Coordinator of Secondary Instruction and Career and Technical Education.  Heather now has the privilege of serving as the Chief Academic Officer for Madison City overseeing all instructional programs.     

​

Heather cherishes every opportunity to continue learning and growing as a professional educator.  She earned her BA in English Language Arts and Secondary Education and MA in English from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, EdS in Instructional Leadership from the University of North Alabama, and EdD in Instructional Leadership from the University of Alabama.  She has also been honored to serve as a member of the 2016-2017 cohort of the Alabama State Department of Education / University of Alabama Superintendents’ Academy and most recently selected as a participant of the Leadership Huntsville/Madison County Leadership Flagship Class 32. 

​

Heather is married with two precious young boys.  She loves spending time with her family; her two little boys bring such joy to her life.  In the spare moments she has, she loves spending time outside…walking, golfing, running. 

​

She is blessed to have such a wonderful family and to have the privilege of serving the families of Madison City Schools.

Chief Academic Officer

Natalia started her teaching career in 1999 in Vladikavkaz, Russia teaching English as a 5th and 6th grade teacher after earning her Bachelor’s  and Master’s degrees in Education (English, German, and History major) from Orel State University. She spent 17 years in public education arena as a teacher, instructional specialist, adjunct professor for Athens State University and Samford University, human resources and professional development coordinator, and federal programs coordinator.  Natalia worked in public and charter schools in Russia and the United States. She holds a doctorate degree in Instructional Leadership from Samford University. English as a second language, school improvement in public education, and achievement for all students have been the foci of Natalia’s career. In addition to her career in education, Natalia worked as a project manager in Moscow, Russia for Huawei Technologies, world’s largest telecommunications equipment company. Natalia is married and has 2 sweet daughters, ages 7 and 9. She loves arts and enjoys travelling with her family.

Federal Programs Coordinator

Being raised in a household that respected education and promoted obtaining as much education as possible, Melissa developed a desire to be an educator as a child. She had wonderful educational experiences throughout her school career and always hoped to give back and influence others’ lives in a positive way.  Melissa earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Educational Specialist degree in Elementary Education from Auburn University. She later earned another Master’s certification in Educational Leadership from the University of Montevallo. Melissa has experiences as a classroom teacher in Lee County Schools, AL; Forsyth County Schools, GA; and Shelby County Schools, AL. She also enjoyed serving as an administrator while working in Shelby County as well as during her time with Madison City Schools. She served as the principal of Madison Elementary School before transitioning into the role of Coordinator of Elementary Instruction. Melissa will always see herself as a teacher and reflects upon those experiences when challenged to make the best decisions possible for the students within Madison City Schools.

Melissa enjoys spending time with family, especially her husband and daughter. Her favorite book is The Little Engine that Could. We can accomplish anything when we are determined and willing to work hard! 

Coordinator of Elementary Instruction

Sharon Powell's career in teaching  grew from her love of learning and her love for children. Her appreciation for education took her back to college to pursue a second career as a teacher of literature. As part of her student teaching experience, she spent eight weeks at Bob Jones High School and fell in love with Madison City Schools. Leaving the opportunity to work as a graduate teaching assistant in order to take a position at Bob Jones, she joined the staff in 2002, as an English teacher. Throughout her years as an educator there, she taught countless courses and sponsored many clubs and organizations. Serving students in any capacity was at the heart of her career, as it is today. After fifteen years in the classroom, she continued to serve students, but in a different capacity. Serving the district as the Secondary Instructional Specialist for two years, she reached many more students by collaborating with their teachers. Currently, Mrs. Powell serves the students of Madison as the Coordinator of Secondary Instruction. She works very closely with school and district administrators to ensure that Madison City school district continues to be a district that challenges and nurtures its students. 

​

Sharon is married to her husband of 22 years, Tim Powell. They have one son, Mason Powell, who attends the University of Alabama in Huntsville. 

Coordinator of Secondary Instruction

Daniel Whitt began his education with a bachelor's degree in English from Ole Miss. After his undergraduate he attended the School of Audio Engineering in New York City and lived there for nearly four years. During his time in New York, he worked in many recording and film studios. He also worked full-time at The Economist magazine in Manhattan before deciding to move back home to Alabama and pursue education as a career. After gaining a master's degree in Secondary Education, he was hired at Liberty Middle School as a language arts and broadcast journalism teacher. He was then on the core team that started James Clemens High School, and video production and technology integration became his primary focus. Now, as the coordinator of instructional technology, Daniel focuses on pushing forward into the future of education with initiatives including digital portfolios, virtual reality, and many others.

​

Daniel has two children, Stella and Silas, and he owns and operates a recording studio in Athens, Alabama.

Coordinator of Instructional Technology

I accepted the role of Science Specialist/Grant Administrator after 25 years in the science classroom. My desire is to continue to share my innate love for learning, my strong sense of using innovation to reach excellence and to work with a heart that desires to instill confidence and to grow abilities of every child.

My teaching career began in Mentor, Ohio where I taught middle school science, and was named Lake County Science Teacher of the Year by The Lubrizol Corporation. After 10 years, I then moved to Madison, Alabama and began what would be 15 wonderful years of classroom teaching. In 2016, I was chosen as James Clemens’ Teacher of the Year and then the Madison City Teacher of the Year. The next spring, I was named The State of Alabama District 8 Teacher of the Year.

​

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education Degree majoring in Comprehensive Science from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio where I earned four letters as a member of the Varsity Softball Team. Softball then led me to Florence, Italy where I played on an Italian professional softball team, Mukki Latte. My Master of Science in Education was earned at The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, and most recently, I have attended Samford University to obtain my Educational Leadership Certificate.

​

I have two favorite “seasons” of my teaching career: The first occurred when I team taught in an inclusion classroom. My collaborating teacher taught me much about believing that every child can learn. She showed me that being a teacher brought the responsibility to figure out what was needed for the success of all the children in my classroom. The second “season” came late in my career when I became a part of a collaborative team of chemistry teachers that consistently worked together to improve instruction by questioning our techniques and modifying lessons to reach maximum efficiency.

When I am not thinking about myself in my educator role, I enjoy boating, fishing, playing pickleball and spending time with my family. I am married to Rob and we have two amazing girls, Emily and Katie.

Science Specialist / Grant Adminstrator

As the daughter of a college professor, a love for the teaching profession was instilled in Cindy at an early age. She earned her undergraduate degree at Samford University then began her teaching career as an 8th grade teacher for Hoover City Schools. After earning her Master’s Degree in School Counseling from the University of North Alabama, she served as a school counselor for 25 years.  She is currently the Grant Administrator and Counseling Coordinator for Madison City Schools. She was named 2006 Alabama Elementary School Counselor of the Year. In 2008, she was chosen as one of the top ten school counselors in the nation by American School Counselor Association. She is married and has two beautiful daughters.  She loves to travel and spend time with her family. Her favorite saying is “When you can’t find sunshine, be the sunshine.”

Grant Administrator

Mary has always wanted to be a teacher. She and her sister played school when they were growing up. Mary was usually the teacher and her sister was the student, albeit a reluctant one at times. Both of her parents graduated from college after she and her sister were born, so their hard work and sacrifice caused Mary to value education and see how it can transform people's lives. Mary earned her bachelors, masters, Education Specialist, and Instructional Leadership degrees from Jacksonville State University. She began her teaching career at Jacksonville High School and taught English/Language Arts there for sixteen years before her family moved to Madison. She joined the faculty of Bob Jones High School in 2012 teaching freshmen language arts before becoming Instructional Partner there in 2015. As Instructional Partner, Mary worked with teachers to provide professional development for the faculty and to support teachers in their classrooms. Mary joined the staff in the Instruction Department in 2018 as Secondary Instructional Specialist and finds great meaning in her work supporting teachers and administrators.

Mary is married to Michael, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Madison, and they have four adult children: Andrew, Jonathan, Samuel, and Thomas. She enjoys cooking, reading, watching movies, and walking their dog, Pelham. 

Secondary Instructional Specialist

Kaleb Joshua Owens is a native of Anniston, AL and currently resides in Huntsville, AL.  Kaleb is a former collegiate basketball player who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Spanish from the University of North Alabama.  He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Counseling/Psychology at the University of West Alabama. He is very passionate about education and working with young people.  He enjoys mentoring and helping students find productive post-secondary pathways. He previously worked at Calhoun Community College for six years and served several roles there—Career Coach, recruiter, academic advisor, and career advisor.  Kaleb also proudly serves as a member of the Alabama Army National Guard.

Career Coach

Wendy Pharo began her career ten years ago as a second grade classroom teacher at Heritage Elementary School.   After four years as a classroom teacher she decided she was ready to move into a coaching role and work alongside the teachers at her school.  She became the Reading Coach at Heritage Elementary the next year and discovered her passion as an educator by supporting teachers. Wendy believes through coaching and mentoring you are able to sustain great teachers and great teachers are the heart of any school system.  After five years as a Reading Coach Wendy desired to instructionally support teachers district wide and accepted the position of Elementary Instructional Specialist for Madison City Schools. Wendy is now able to work with teachers across the district to provide professional development and curriculum support.  Wendy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Auburn University and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Instructional Leadership. Wendy enjoys reading, going to shows, traveling with her family and spending time watching her sons perform on stage.

Elementary Instructional Specialist

Misty is in her 10th year with the Madison City Schools, serving previously as a substitute teacher and ISS Instructor. She is originally from Indiana and a graduate of Indiana University's School of Business.  She and her husband Jeff live in Madison with their daughter Michelle (18) and son Matthew (16).  In her free time, she enjoys cooking, (especially with fruits and vegetables from her garden), working out,  and traveling to tropical locations.

Instruction Secretary

Summer has worked for Madison City Schools for over 13 years.  She married to Chris and they have 3 children.  Summer enjoys watching her kids participate in their various activities, reading, scrapbooking and spending time on the water in the summer.  Her current position with Madison City Schools is HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) Coordinator and bookkeeper for the Instruction Department.  The most rewarding part of her job is seeing the parents of the families she serves through the HIPPY Program develop into their child's first teacher and the children developing a love of learning through the activities provided in their homes.

HIPPY Coordinator / Instruction Bookkeeper

​

Data Specialist