Our newest faculty members have officially been welcomed into the Norfolk Academy family!

The group received orientation on Monday and Tuesday, two days when they learned about our Honor System, technology, and more. They were also able to tour campus and meet many of their new colleagues.

Here are the teachers, administrators, and staff joining our family for 2021-22:

Jeff Boyd, Middle School Director
A.B., Brown University,
M.Ed., Harvard University

Before joining the NA community, Mr. Boyd worked at Durham Academy, where he served in several key academic and administrative roles: English and history teacher, grade-level team leader, basketball and soccer coach, Assistant Director of Enrollment Management, and Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Engagement. Before that, Mr. Boyd worked as an English teacher and coach at his alma mater, Greenhill School, in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Boyd is completing his doctorate in education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jessica Chesson, 2nd Grade Teacher
B.A., James Madison University

Mrs. Chesson, who comes to us from the Williams School, taught 3rd grade and held a key academic administrative post, Lower School Director, there. She has more than 20 years of teaching experience across elementary grades and in public and private school settings.

Katharine Clark, Student Accounts Manager
B.S., Liberty University

Mrs. Clark earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Liberty University. She has worked as an accountant specializing in banking and tax, and most recently as a staff accountant at an environmental lab.

Cheney Doane, Upper and Middle School Music
B.A., Whitman College
M.M., University of Utah

After graduating magna cum laude from Whitman College, Mr. Doane was hired by his alma mater as a pianist in the music department. Following a year of work, piano study, and concert-going in Vienna, Austria, he began his graduate studies at the University of Utah. He served as the pianist for the university's choirs and worked as the school's Assistant Music Director for the Musical Theater Program. He has assisted with music direction and performed on six full stage productions, including Stephen Sondheim's Company and Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins. Mr. Doane also has performed and assisted with direction in opera festivals in Germany and Italy. When not performing for instrumental and vocal recitals, he has maintained a private piano studio since 2013, and writes and records songs for Little Bit Films. In addition to teaching music and leading our choral and instrumental music programs in the Middle and Upper School divisions, he will coach volleyball and basketball.

Sean Dugan ’92, Artist-in-Residence
B.A., Brandeis University

Since graduating from Norfolk Academy, Mr. Dugan has appeared in numerous plays, musicals, and World Premieres on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in regional theaters, and dozens of episodes of television and films. He received a Drama Desk Award nomination for his work in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of the 2010 Tony-nominated Best Play Next Fall. He has also appeared at such high profile Off-Broadway theaters as The Signature Theatre and the Manhattan Theatre Club. Mr. Dugan has also graced the stage of many notable regional theaters. His film credits include The Report starring Adam Driver, the award-winning short film Dinner@40, Stephen King's A Good Marriage, Victoriana, and four other major motion pictures. He has guest starred on television in 11 different series, including Boardwalk Empire, Blue Bloods, Elementary, Law & Order: SVU and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and played Timmy Kirk for four seasons on HBO's Oz. As Artist-in-Residence at Norfolk Academy, Mr. Dugan teaches Acting, coaches the 9th and 12th Grade Speeches and directs Chomped, the school's first cooking competition television show. He has previously taught acting workshops and classes in New York City and On Camera Acting at Muhlenberg College.

Austin Dunn, Upper School Chemistry
B.S., College of William and Mary 
M.S., University of Virginia

At William and Mary, Mr. Dunn double majored in Biology and Chemistry. He completed his M.S. in Bioanalytical Chemistry at UVA. After graduating, he worked at UVA for two years as a teaching assistant for Organic and General Chemistry, before being elevated to supervisor of all General Chemistry labs. He was awarded William and Mary's Andrews Prize in Undergraduate Teaching and UVA's Graduate Teaching Award and completed his master's thesis on mapping dynamic uptake of glucose in living tissue slices using fluorescent imaging. While completing his Master's degree, he developed and pilot-tested new lesson plans and teaching tools to remake labs in an active learning format. An Eagle Scout, he loves hiking and biking in the outdoors. He completed five years of Latin in secondary school. In addition to teaching, he will be working outside the classroom with students interested in debate.

CJ Fayton, Upper School Teaching Associate
B.S., M.S., and J.D., University of Tennessee

After a highly-decorated athletic career at Princess Anne High School, Mr. Fayton earned a full athletic scholarship as a top recruit for the football program at the University of Tennessee. Since finishing his undergraduate and professional degrees, he has worked primarily in higher education administration, mainly in athletics. He has served in the compliance department at Vanderbilt University, as the Associate Athletics Director at Maryville College, and most recently in the athletic department at the University of Tennessee. One of the few SEC student-athletes to have scored in two different sports (basketball and football) in the same calendar year, he holds three degrees --- including a law degree --- from the University of Tennessee. In addition to serving as a Teaching Associate, he will coach in the football and basketball programs.

Olivia Fox, Lower School Teaching Associate
B.A., University of the South

At Sewanee, Ms. Fox earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies with minors in Spanish and Art. She played one season of Varsity Women's Basketball and was the Student Assistant Coach for her final three years. Her enthusiasm for working with young people flourished as she served as a summer camp counselor and an office assistant at the Charlotte Latin Summer Programs for seven summers. During her time at Sewanee, she tutored K-5th grade English as a Second Language students and assisted a 7th grade science class. Additionally, she held the position of Chair of the Student Title IX Committee at Sewanee to lead peer education initiatives and advocacy events. Working closely with the Office of Admissions at Sewanee, she led campus tours, mentored her peers, and interviewed prospective students. She studied history and art history in Spain for a summer and hiked the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage as part of the experiential learning program. While carrying out her instructional responsibilities, she will coach in the volleyball, basketball, and softball programs.

Carter Furr ’17, Middle School Teaching Associate
B.A., University of Virginia

Mr. Furr earned a bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Leadership from the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at UVA. During his last year of college, he was a Teaching Assistant for a class entitled The Resilient Student: Transitions, Thriving, and Leadership. He also served as a student manager for the men's basketball program for three years and particularly enjoyed celebrating the NCAA Championship with the team in 2019. Closer to home, he has been involved with the Norfolk Academy Batten Leadership Program, working as a Leadership Lab Counselor. In addition to his Middle School instructional responsibilities, he will be involved in the athletic program for three seasons and as time and schedule permit in the Batten Leadership Program.

Sara Henry, 3rd Grade Teacher
B.A., University of Richmond
M.Ed., University of Virginia

Mrs. Henry grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from the University of Richmond in 2000 with a Spanish major and an elementary teaching degree while enjoying a decorated intercollegiate swimming career. She began her teaching career in Richmond, teaching in Henrico and Chesterfield Counties in grades 1 and 2. She then began working on her Master's degree in Reading Instruction while teaching full-time, completing her graduate degree at the University of Virginia in 2005. While she was taking a five-year break from teaching to raise two children, her family moved to Suffolk, where Mrs. Henry returned to independent school work at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy in 2010, teaching in the lower school early grades and Spanish to the Pre-K and Lower School.

Evan Levine, Middle School Latin
B.A., Kalamazoo College
M.A., M.S., Texas Tech University

Mr. Levine earned a B.A. in Classics from Kalamazoo College, where he was also a member of the varsity basketball and football teams. He then went on to receive an M.A. in Classics and an M.S. in Geosciences from Texas Tech, while also conducting archaeological fieldwork in Greece, Jordan, and Italy. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Archaeology from Brown University. He has published on the archaeology, epigraphy, and literature of the ancient world – from the Mediterranean to the Middle East – and is currently involved in archaeological projects in Greece, Jordan, Sudan, and Italy. In addition to teaching, he will be coaching football, alongside his former college teammate Jackson Vaughn, and basketball.

Landon LoAlbo, Lower School Physical Education
B.S., Gardner Webb University

Mr. LoAlbo was born and raised in Virginia Beach, graduating in 2014 from Frank W. Cox High School, where he was a decorated athlete and Division I recruit to Gardner-Webb University. There, he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management while continuing his passion for wrestling throughout his college years. Upon graduation, he worked for a local non-profit organization, fundraising and managing projects to help feed needy children in Nicaragua. Outside of work, he continues his passion for working with young people by serving as a local Young Life leader and coaching wrestling.

Mike Pfaff, Upper and Middle School Biology
B.S., Pennsylvania State University
M.Ed., Suffolk University

Mr. Pfaff began teaching in 2002 at South Boston High School in Massachusetts, where he taught AP Biology, Chemistry and Physics. He was also an Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology and Rhetorical Communications at Suffolk University in Boston from 2004 - 2009. He served as a graduate assistant to the Education Department at Suffolk as well. In 2011, Mr. Pfaff joined the faculty at Campbell Hall School, an independent school in California, where he taught Physiology, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics for nine years. In 2019, he published a self-help book on learning differences, The Student Within: The Art and Science of Easier Learning. He holds a B.S. in Kinesiology from Penn State and an M.Ed. in Education from Suffolk University. In addition to teaching, he will coach in the cross country and track programs.

Kim Shamblee, 2nd Grade Teacher
B.A., DePauw University

Mrs. Shamblee earned a degree in Elementary Education and was a member of the DePauw University Women’s Varsity Volleyball Team. She began her career as a 3rd grade teacher and has also taught in grades 1-4 around the country and in Japan. She joined the Norfolk Academy staff in 2020 as a substitute teacher. She will be joining the second grade team to teach girls and will coach in the volleyball program.

Chris Stamm, Middle School Science
B.A., Wake Forest University
M.S., University of Connecticut

A native New Englander, Mr. Stamm journeyed south to Wake Forest, where he completed undergraduate work with honors in biology. He is a highly accomplished independent school teacher-coach and administrator, having served with distinction at leading independent schools and honored with several teaching awards during an 8-year tenure at the Casady School in Oklahoma, a 17-year tenure at Pine Crest School in Florida, and service at other independent schools. Having taught biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science, he is a similarly accomplished coach and a member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. He will coach in our basketball and baseball programs.

Christopher Thomas, Lower School Teaching Associate
B.A., B.S., Williams College

Mr. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and English at Williams College, where he took additional coursework in education and developmental psychology. He considers critical to his career path the time he spent volunteering as a teaching assistant at his local elementary school and in the afterschool program. A member of his college's club volleyball team, he played in the Division I nationals his sophomore year before taking over as captain. Upon graduation, he earned the Goldberg Prize in Mathematics for the remote lesson he taught on cryptography and playing cards.

Kimberly Warburton, Lower School Reading Specialist
B.A., M.T., and M.Ed., University of Virginia

After graduating from UVA in 2001 with a B.A. in History and MAT in Elementary Education, Mrs. Warburton began her career in Hanover County, as a 1st grade teacher and then as a reading specialist while finishing her M.Ed. in Reading Education. She moved to Henry County, to work as a reading specialist and then on to Fairfax County as a 1st grade teacher. While her husband was an active-duty service member in the U.S. Air Force, she was a literacy coach in Harnett County, North Carolina. Additionally, Mrs. Warburton has taught numerous reading education courses online as an adjunct instructor for UVA and served as an education consultant in various Virginia counties.

Chris Watson ’93, Upper School Math
B.S., Washington and Lee University
M.B.A., University of Virginia

A 12-year thriver at the Academy, Mr. Watson was an accomplished three-sport student-athlete and went on to be a four-year varsity letterman in football at Washington and Lee. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he joined the United States Marine Corps, beginning 20 years of service from 1997-2017, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Tours in Iraq, a Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous other awards and commendations distinguished his military career. He pursued postmilitary employment with Booz Allen Hamilton and as COO of a hotel management company. He returns to Norfolk Academy as a teacher-coach after having taught math and history in the Upper School and coached football and lacrosse from 2001-03. He will be teaching math and coaching football and lacrosse.

Morgan Wentz ’16, Development Associate
B.A, Hampden-Sydney College

Mr. Wentz recently earned his undergraduate degree in history with a Spanish minor from Hampden-Sydney. While in college, he served as the Student Assistant for the Men's Basketball team for one season, and as the Director of Intramural Sports for two years. After graduation, he pursued employment as a business analyst for Bank of America in Richmond.

Anna Whitaker, Middle and Upper School Band
B.A, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
M.A., Queen’s College

A native of New Zealand, Ms. Whitaker is an accomplished musician, dancer, vocal coach, and arranger. While at St. Margaret’s College, an independent all-girls school in Christchurch, New Zealand, she was the Director of the Jazz Band, Jazz ensemble, Middle School Choir, Musical Theater Company, and involved herself fully in other co-curricular arts activities including the school’s annual major theater production.