Staff

Head of School

Johnny "Ray" James

Born and raised in north Louisiana, Ray is a critically conscious and outcomes-driven educational leader. His expertise includes leadership development and instructional coaching, culturally relevant and responsive curriculum design and implementation, middle school and secondary literacy, and family and community engagement. 

Over nearly 15 years, Ray has held various roles in schools & communities in Baton Rouge, LA, Atlanta, GA, and Newark, NJ including substitute teacher, graduate assistant, literacy teacher, educational policy fellow, instructional coach, education community organizer, curriculum auditor, and assistant principal. Most recently, Ray was a senior consultant with 2Revoltutions, a national education design organization, where he was responsible for designing and implementing listening tours, statewide learning Communities of Practice, and core internal and external relations development. In addition to this work, Ray was an adjunct professor in 2Rev’s master’s of education with a specialization in a competency-based education graduate program. 
 
Ray‘s undergraduate and master’s degrees are from LSU (Geaux Tigers!) and outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their 2 young daughters and relishes victories for the Los Angeles Lakers, LSU Tigers, and the culture (politics, hip hop, etc.). 
 
Ray firmly believes in the limitless potential & power of all children and knows they will be the leaders of their revolution- now and later. As Head of School, Ray is looking forward to the opportunity to lead the co-creation of optimal conditions for students’ success and excellence while supporting the greater Atlanta community in realizing its dream for its most resilient population.

Social Services

Aleta McDaniels

Director of Social Services

Keith Hardrick

Social Worker

Stacey Jones

Lead Therapist, LCSW

Autumn Bowers

Receptionist, Executive Assistant & Social Media Coordinator

Development

Martha Moore

Director of Development

Tiffani Randolph

Associate Director of Development & Communications Manager

Becky Mautner

Volunteer and Community Engagement Coordinator

Operations

Will Armstrong

Director of Operations

Facilities

Alex Sykes

Bus Driver

Classroom Educators

Taylor Staes

K

Aleta McDaniel

Director of Social Services

Aleta joined The Boyce L. Ansley school in 2020. She is a Licensed Social Worker with a strong passion for social justice, trauma-informed practices, and youth and family support. With experience in community mental health, non-profit work, and court administration, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. A former AmeriCorps Member and researcher for organizations like the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Aleta holds a Master’s in Public Policy and Law from Trinity University and Social Work from Saint Leo University. Being part of The Boyce L. Ansley School, Aleta is committed to connecting families to community resources and providing solutions to help resolve the social problems that interfere with student learning to promote positive outcomes for students and families.

Keith Hardrick

Social Worker

Keith Hardrick is an Atlanta native who was educated in the Atlanta Public Schools system. After earning his Bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University, Keith started his journey as an investigator with Georgia Department of Family and Children Service. While at DFCS, Keith worked towards completing his Master of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. Keith has worked with families and children in a variety of roles over a 15-year time span, ranging from the city of Atlanta Camp Best Friend, City of Atlanta Rapid Rehousing Project, HOPE Atlanta, Metro Atlanta YMCA, and serving as a School Social Worker with Atlanta Public Schools.

Keith is dedicated to incorporating his love and passion for healthy scholars at The Ansley School.

Stacey Jones

Therapist

Stacey Jones is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who is passionate about family preservation, trauma-informed work, and supporting parents and those working with children and families. Stacey is certified in Nurturing Parenting Programs and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Since graduating with her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, she has had experience with preschool intensive outpatient programming, school behavioral and mental health, foster care, families and veterans experiencing homelessness and integrated health and behavioral healthcare.

Stacey is excited to continue being part of The Ansley School and is committed to giving students and families the support they need to heal and thrive.

Martha Moore

Director of Development

Martha Moore has more than 30 years of experience in fundraising that began at Marist School.  She spent 16 years serving Mount Vernon School in Sandy Springs where she gained experience designing and implementing strategies for annual and capital campaigns, board training, volunteer recruitment and event planning. Before returning to schools, Martha helped secure resources for women and children dealing with homelessness and addiction at Mary Hall Freedom Village. As Director of Advancement for Swift School, Martha raised awareness and funds for children with dyslexia and recently served Atlanta Academy as Director of Advancement.

She is excited to continue connecting people to the issues they care about and strengthening philanthropic culture through The Ansley School.

Tiffani Randolph

Receptionist

Tiffani Randolph is our welcoming receptionist, born and raised in Atlanta, GA. She has a Bachelor’s degree from the illustrious Winston-Salem State University and a Master’s degree from Georgia State University. She values community, creative expression, and compassion. These three ideals are what led her to support The Ansley School as part of the internal team. She has been an integral part of The Ansley School family for 3 years, as her brother started his educational career at the school in the 1st grade.

Tiffany is glad to be a part of all the great work that continuously happens at The Ansley School, as she continues to contribute to “a school like no other.”

Will Armstrong

Director of Operations

Will Armstrong has a passion for children and an unwavering dedication to serving his community. He has over three years of Youth Development experience working with local Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlanta, Georgia. Will also has over eight years of professional security training and has provided security and facility management services for the Atlanta Women’s Shelter, Crossroads Community Ministries, and other transitional shelters. He believes in the power of community and that “no one is above serving those in need.” 

Will is proud to serve the students and families at The Ansley School and proud of making a difference in their lives.

Alex Sykes

Bus Driver

Alex Sykes is a passionate individual who has dedicated his time to serving children in the schools and the community. He has 14 years of experience working in the Dekalb County School System as a Plant Engineer. He has also worked for the Rockdale County School System as an ESOL teacher assistant to help international students with their second language acquisition. He has exemplified commitment and dedication when it comes to serving the needs of students in various age groups and categories of learning.

Alex  also has over 10 years of experience in the transportation industry training and supervising drivers. He is thankful for the opportunity provided by The Ansley School and for serving students and the community through education.

De’Yona Freeman

Teacher

De’Yona Freeman is an energetic and dynamic academic enthusiast who creates a stimulating learning environment for scholars to succeed at all levels. She is currently the Interventionist for Kindergarten and 1st grade at the Boyce Ansley School.  De’Yona has seven years of professional experience working with students of all grade levels and has been teaching for four of those years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Hampton University and her Masters of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Special Education from Georgia State University. De’Yona has a true passion for teaching students and finding different approaches to learning.

De’Yona is a retired Army Veteran. She is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and close friends, and doing diy projects.

Kenya Coleman

Instructional Paraprofessional

Kenya Coleman is the mother of 2 beautiful children. As a Certified Freedom Coach who specializes in healing and deliverance, she has years of experience helping people who have been oppressed, victimized, and stuck in their circumstances. Ms. Coleman has used her knowledge to continue her work with children as a paraprofessional to promote an environment that is inspiring, caring, safe, and adaptive to each child’s individual needs.

Kenya’s purpose in life is to help set people free from the negative mindset of not feeling loved, valuable or enough. Her aspiration is to see people gain their lives back and encourage people it’s never too late to start over again and love people back to life, and she is excited to manifest that in The Ansley School.

Stephanie Moree

Teacher

Stephanie Moree is a dedicated educator new to the Atlanta area. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Special Education Teaching. Immediately after graduating she began her teaching career in Miami, FL, where she remained for the last four years. Last August, she received her Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida International University.

Stephanie was drawn to the Ansley mission and she works every day to make sure her classroom is a safe and loving environment for students to reach their learning goals and develop into the best version of themselves.

Deranda Nick

Teacher

Deranda Nick is a compassionate educator who believes in the power of education to change lives. She is an Atlanta native that graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education. One of the most rewarding aspects of her work is witnessing the incredible progress made by her students. Deranda’s “secret” is leveraging her expertise in child development and employing innovative teaching methods to encourage students to think outside of the box. After a decade of working with children she continues to bring a nurturing and supportive approach to the classroom.

Deranda’s positive and engaging classroom empowers students to grow academically and emotionally. She believes that education goes far beyond textbooks and tests and makes her lessons come alive to inspire lifelong learners and open the realm of possibilities.

Ileana DeJesus

Interventionist

Ileana, known to students as Ms. DJ, is a recent graduate from Georgia College & State University with a degree in Special Education. She is ecstatic to be a part of The Ansley School team. Ileana is a native of the Metro Atlanta area and has worked with children for ten years. She has a passion for educating youth and curating a safe environment that promotes student growth. Ileana is committed to ensuring every student receives the individual support needed to make them successful.

She is enthusiastic and dedicated to building relationships with students and their families at The Ansley School.

Jocelyn Odom

Teacher

Jocelyn Odom serves  as the 3rd grade teacher for The Ansley School. Born in Austell, GA and raised in Douglasville, GA where she graduated from Chapel Hill High School, then graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. Outside of teaching she has been coaching all- star cheerleading for 7 years. She is dedicated to ensuring that each student has an equal opportunity learning experience that allows them to reach their full potential.

Jocelyn is excited to create a welcoming learning environment that encourages academic growth.

Aja Kennedy

Teacher

Aja Kennedy is an Atlanta native who is a true educator at heart. Aja started teaching at a young age when she taught English and Social Studies at a summer camp. She also taught dance and Sunday school at her church. She has always loved to learn and share her knowledge with others. She graduated with honors from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education. Aja has an innate passion for cultivating collaborative and exciting educational environments where students feel respected, valued, challenged, and trusted. She advocates for pushing her students to shoot for academic growth and achievement. She enjoys helping her students learn, understand, and refine their social and emotional growth.

Aja exudes her love for students, teaching, and learning in her practices in the classroom.