2019-20 New Faculty

Sara Herndon, a teacher for 12 years at the Atlanta Speech School, came to New Avenues as a speech and language pathologist. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Georgia State University. Sara has worked in several educational settings in the Atlanta area. At  the Atlanta Speech School, she provided direct speech-language therapy in the areas of receptive-expressive language disorders, speech sound disorders, and fluency disorders. Sara also worked with psychologists to conduct psychoeducational evaluations and counsel parents and students regarding appropriate accommodations and interventions. Sara is excited to work with the teachers, students, and families of the New Avenues program. Her knowledge and expertise will enhance the program as we grow and incorporate a collaborative push in language development approach.

We are excited to welcome a familiar face into this role. Most of you know Rebecca as Mr. Hall’s former executive assistant; however, her Walker roots exist far beyond her time in the Head of School’s office. Throughout her years as a Walker student, Rebecca was the first editor of Pegasus, played basketball and softball, and was a varsity cheerleader. After graduating from Walker, she continued to dedicate her time to the school, serving as president of The Walker School Alumni Association from 1994-1998.

 

In her role as Director of Alumni Relations, Rebecca will be working to build partnerships with Walker’s 2,333 alumni through outreach, communication, event management, and volunteer coordination. “Whether shaping industries with innovative ideas, serving others or raising future generations, every single one of our amazing alumni is carrying Walker with them,” said Rebecca. “It will be a privilege to support them and to provide a welcoming landing spot for them when they come ‘home.’ I can’t wait to celebrate all that they have and will accomplish, and I am honored to take on this new position.”

 

Rebecca received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Georgia and has worked in the Head of School’s office at Walker since 2006. She is married to Kevin Avery, Walker Class of 1984, and is the mom of Joseph, Isabelle (‘16), and Lily-Kate (‘17).

Kathy Chapman is happy to be back at Walker this year.  She and her husband, Brad, have three daughters, Caroline ’02, Melissa ’03, and Leigha ’08, all of whom attended The Walker School from Primary School through Graduation.  During this time as a Walker parent, Kathy also worked in the Advancement Office from 2001 until 2014. In the summer of 2014 she joined her daughter Melissa’s company as a designer and creator of metal and stone jewelry.  In 2017 Kathy was hired by Trinity School in Atlanta as the Business Associate for their Extended Programs Division. Since 2014 Kathy has continued to do projects for the Advancement Offices of both schools and has now returned to Walker as Advancement Services Manager.

Walker’s new Director of Human Resources. Derrick will work to strengthen the human resources processes that relate to talent recruitment, acquisition, and retention for Walker. His key responsibilities are to foster positive employee relations, develop and oversee on-boarding process for new faculty and staff, provide training for school leadership, develop soft skills training for all Walker employees and serve as an ambassador of the Walker culture and employee engagement.

Williams has extensive experience in human resources, school administration and teaching, having worked for Gwinnett County Public Schools, Clayton County Public Schools, Jonesboro High School, John Hope College Preparatory High School and most recently Clark Atlanta University. During the interview process, Williams shared that he would like to utilize his skills in human resources and educational administration to assist teachers and ensure that students receive a quality education.

Williams holds a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and supervision from Clark Atlanta University, a Master of Science in administration and supervision from Governors State University and a Bachelor of Science in elementary education from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.