Faculty

Lisa Higgins is an Assistant Teacher and also teaches Advanced 5th Grade Reading. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and has a passion for helping students develop strong reading, critical thinking, and communication skills. She enjoys creating an engaging classroom where students are encouraged to become confident, lifelong readers.

Originally from New York, Lisa has called the Nashville area home for the past 18 years. She is the proud mom of two adult children and loves spending time with family and friends.

Amber Kreeger holds a degree in Criminal Justice from Casper College (Class of 2004) and has dedicated the past two decades to working with children and families. As a former foster parent and adoptive mother of six, with two biological children, Amber brings deep, firsthand experience to her work in childhood education and child advocacy.

Over the years, she has volunteered extensively in her church, working with children from birth through elementary age. Her leadership roles have included serving on the Board of Directors for both the Wisconsin Head Start Program and the Wisconsin Foster and Adoptive Parent Association.

Professionally, Amber has worked as a certified nursing assistant, small business owner, aftercare director, teacher’s assistant, and substitute teacher, roles in which her nurturing presence and commitment to supporting young learners consistently shine. She is especially passionate about creating safe, supportive environments that help children grow, learn, and thrive.

Rooted in strong family values and a heart for service, Amber continues to use her experience to advocate for children and strengthen communities through education.

Gracie Refsell is excited to be teaching your children this year at George Washington Academy. She has been teaching for four years and is looking forward to many more in the future. There has always been a love for teaching in her heart and she loves helping young children learn for the first time. When she is not teaching, you can find her at church on Sundays, coaching lacrosse in the fall and spring months and enjoying quality time with her family and friends. 

Ms. Refsell earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Education from Central Michigan University

Brittany Swinney is a passionate and dedicated educator with over five years of teaching experience. She firmly believes in the power of building strong relationships with her students and fostering meaningful partnerships with their families. Her classroom is a place where students feel safe, loved, challenged, and inspired to grow—both academically and personally.

Ms.Swinney has experience teaching 1st, 4th, and 5th grades, and she brings a wealth of knowledge, energy, and creativity to her teaching practice. Her caring nature shines not only through her dedication to her students but also in the way she nurtures her one-year-old daughter, who is the center of her world.

Brittany holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Sterling College and is thrilled to be joining the George Washington Academy community. She looks forward to an incredible year of learning, growth, and connection!

Jenna Richards is thrilled to join George Washington Academy as a passionate educator. She brings over a decade of teaching experience in Kindergarten through 3rd grade in both public and private school settings. Mrs. Richards is dedicated to creating an inclusive, supportive environment where every student can thrive and feel like part of a team. Outside of school, she enjoys traveling with family, reading, and listening to podcasts. Mrs. Richards also loves just being at home with her husband, 4-year-old son, and their dog, Cosmo. She is so excited to be part of the GWA community and looks forward to a fantastic year of learning and growth!

Tori Giannotti is a passionate and dedicated educator with over ten years of teaching experience. She was born and raised right here in our community. She strongly believes in building strong relationships with her students and their families. 

Ms. Giannotti graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a certification in Special Education.

Ms. Giannotti has experience teaching Pre-K, Kindergarten, 2nd and 3rd grades. She has always known that she has wanted to teach and she feels extremely fortunate to be living that dream each day. 

When she is not in the classroom, Ms. Giannotti enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is looking forward to partnering with families to create positive, engaging, and supportive learning environments where every child can grow academically, socially, and emotionally. She can’t wait for a wonderful year at George Washington Academy!

Jessica DeLay is a dedicated educator who is passionate about helping children grow both academically and personally. Originally earning a degree in Psychology, Mrs. DeLay developed a strong understanding of child development, learning, and building meaningful relationships with others. Her passion for working with children has been evident throughout her career, from teaching dance to now leading her own fourth grade classroom.

Outside of the classroom, Mrs. Delay has spent several years teaching dance to children of all ages, where she has encouraged confidence, discipline, creativity, and teamwork. She believes that every child learns differently and strives to create a classroom where students feel safe, supported, and excited to learn each day.

As a first year fourth grade teacher at George Washington Academy, Mrs. Delay is committed to fostering a positive classroom community built on kindness, respect, responsibility, and curiosity. She values strong relationships with her students and families and believes that when children feel seen, encouraged, and challenged, they are capable of achieving great things.

Carina Fox is a dedicated educator with over 20 years of teaching experience. She grew up in Western New York, where she began playing piano at age four, and clarinet at age eight. Growing up in a family of educators, Mrs. Fox knew she wanted to be a teacher at a young age. As her love of music developed, this naturally led to pursuing a degree in Music Education. She furthered her education by earning an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. Along with teaching music and chorus, Mrs. Fox has led creative visual art camps for elementary students, and she brings her experience as an athlete and volleyball coach to the P.E. classroom.

Mrs. Fox is passionate about helping students develop confidence, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning through the arts and physical activity. Above all, Mrs. Fox believes that building relationships is the only way to bring about meaningful change.

Mrs. Fox holds a B.A. in Music Education and an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, both from Lipscomb University. Mrs. Fox teaches Music, Art, and Physical Education at George Washington Academy.

Eliot Gudreau is a first-year teacher excited to begin his career at George Washington Academy. Recently graduated from Missouri State University, Mr. Gudreau holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics. He is a new Tennessee resident, born in Southern California, but raised primarily in the rural Ozarks. There, at a small school, he developed a passion for learning, and knew from an early age that he wanted to become a teacher. Mr. Gudreau enjoyed many subjects in school, but at university he decided to pursue the multidisciplinary field of Classics. He is particularly interested in the Classical languages (Ancient Greek and Latin), Greek philosophy and religion, and the reception of Greek culture in both Rome and in our modern world. Mr. Gudreau brings this love for the Classical tradition, along with a commitment to the principles of classical pedagogy, into the classroom every day. 

Mr. Gudreau earned his B.A. in Classics from Missouri State University. Mr. Gudreau teaches Junior High Latin, Science, and Trivium at George Washington Academy.

Zack West is an experienced educator whose teaching career has included students from kindergarten through the university level. A native of Tennessee, Mr. West began his career at Austin Peay State University, where he worked as a graduate assistant and television studio instructor while earning his master’s degree in Mass Communication. His interest in education later took him to South Korea, where he spent five years teaching kindergarten and elementary students.

After returning to Tennessee, Mr. West earned a second master’s degree in Secondary Social Studies Education and continued his teaching career at Thales Academy in Franklin. During his time there, he taught physical education, elementary subjects, junior high literature, and history. His broad educational background allows him to combine storytelling, historical inquiry, discussion, technology, and creative classroom activities to make challenging material engaging and accessible.

Mr. West is passionate about helping students become knowledgeable, thoughtful, and confident learners. He believes students flourish when they are given clear expectations, meaningful challenges, and opportunities to discover that serious learning can also be genuinely enjoyable.

Mr. West holds a B.S. in Media Technology and an M.A. in Mass Communication from Austin Peay State University, as well as an M.A. in Secondary Social Studies Education from Liberty University. He teaches junior high literature and history at George Washington Academy.

For 39 years, after receiving her BA in music education from Illinois College and pursuing an MA in the teaching of music from Western Michigan University, Kellee has been a music educator throughout the Midwest and South including The Gagie School, Hackett Catholic Central High School and Western Michigan University.  Kellee has been a pianist/music director for numerous theatrical and musical events as well as for many notable Broadway artists such as Timothy Shew, Titus Burgess, Mykal Kilgore and Karen Ziemba. She directed the children’s choir for two national tours of “Joseph…Dreamcoat” and a national tour of the  Kenny Rogers Christmas Show. She has music directed shows for various theaters and choral ensembles. Kellee is currently the music director at Act Too Players in Franklin, TN.

She served on the board and as Board President for the American Traditions Vocal Collection in Savannah, Georgia (2020-2022), music directed the first annual Junior ATC and developed the ATC’s community outreach and educational initiatives. Kellee is a commissioned and published composer (“Make Your Move” for Disney’s Collegiate Showcase and “The Star” for Hal Leonard with her first husband, Dr. Stephen Zegree). She loves to read and bake, is a loyal St. Louis Cardinal Fan, and a proud mom of Sarah and Nat Zegree. She now resides in Franklin, TN with her husband Don and her puppy, Nina Simone.

Kellee looks forward to being inspired by the students at George Washington Academy!

Edith Funes is entering her fourth year as an educator. She was raised in a Hispanic household in Southern California and was encouraged to develop her language skills in both English and Spanish. She completed advanced-level Spanish coursework throughout high school before pursuing a history degree in college. She is particularly interested in nineteenth-century American history, with a focus on the legal foundations of the Antebellum South and women’s history.

Mrs. Funes began her teaching career as a high school Spanish teacher, instructing Spanish I and Spanish II before expanding her teaching experience to include World History and U.S. History at both the middle and high school levels. This year, she is excited to begin working with elementary school students. She hopes to cultivate a classroom environment that encourages kindness, respect, curiosity, and an appreciation for different cultures.

Mrs. Funes earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Master of Arts in History from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She teaches Character Education and Spanish at George Washington Academy.