Meet The Team

With over 20 years at the state and local level, Angela provides training and development, policy review and revision, employee handbook design and revision, and professional coaching to school districts, Institutes of Higher Education, nonprofits, and other organizations. Angela is also a Gallup Successful Strengths Coach, "Time to Teach" National Classroom Management Trainer, and a published children’s author. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family along with traveling the country. 

Jennifer is a research and evaluation professional with more than 15 years of experience helping education leaders make sense of their data and use it to strengthen programs and support the people who implement them every day. In her previous role, she led statewide surveys that became the go-to source for school districts, agencies, and policymakers seeking reliable workforce analysis and reports. She also built data tracking systems and redesigned evaluation processes so results were clearer, more accurate, and easier to use. Jennifer has spent years examining teacher recruitment and retention initiatives across South Carolina, identifying what's working, where challenges persist, and which strategies truly help reduce staff turnover. She enjoys partnering with mission-driven teams who value insight over jargon and appreciate data that feels accessible, authentic, and genuinely useful. When she’s not working, she’s likely exploring new places, hiking mountain trails with her dogs, or chauffeuring her twins around town. 

Blending a multidisciplinary background spanning finance, operations, and creative strategy Barett served as the founding Chief Financial Officer for a profitable communications agency. Through this work, he built financial systems from scratch, shaped financial strategy, and helped guide the company through rapid early growth. In his consulting work, Barrett focuses on finding practical, scalable solutions to complex business problems, whether financial, operational, or strategic bringing a builder’s mindset to each project. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, Harlow and Flora. 

Gwen has over 35 years of classroom experience, specializing in mathematics. Throughout her career, she has worked in majority-minority, Title I, and highly impoverished schools/districts, with an emphasis on improving student achievement. She focuses on collaboration with teachers and students to enhance learning outcomes. In her free time, Gwen loves to watch football, particularly the Dallas Cowboys.

An award-winning education leader, Dr. Fay Jones is a retired school administrator with over 30 years’ experience in organizational leadership and program development.  After serving as an elementary teacher, assistant principal, and principal Fay had the honor of opening, Carpenter Elementary School, which is a multi-track, year-round school with over 800 students, prior to her retirement.  In addition to serving as the Senior Elementary Consultant for Studiously, Fay also works as an adjunct professor at North Carolina Central University, teaching best practices to the next generation of educators.

With over 35 years of experience in instructional leadership and organizational improvement in K-12 Education, Carla has dedicated her career to enhancing student achievement through innovative teaching practices and comprehensive professional development for educators. In various roles, she has skillfully implemented curriculum sequencing and pacing to ensure student success across diverse learning environments. When she is not working, Carla is an avid sports fan, rooting for her beloved Carolina Tarheels and Dallas Cowboys.

After spending decades on the open Nebraska plain, Joann and her family took a leap and moved to the Pacific Northwest. During the transition, Joann’s creative spark was reignited, prompting her to begin her career as a mystery writer. She has published over 20 books and is a USA Bestselling author along with winning multiple other awards. With her storied career, Joann helps others find their voice to create rich, powerful narratives through writing workshops and other methods. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, and good chocolate. 

A North Carolina Principal of the Year, Mr. Jim Key is a retired area superintendent with over 30 years’ experience working in a majority-minority school district. He specializes in improving school performance, particularly for schools with higher needs. In addition, Jim also served as a principal of an elementary, middle, and high school. When he is not working with school and district leaders including superintendents, he enjoys rooting for his beloved UNC Tarheels, spending time with his family especially his grandchildren, and eating a good biscuit.

Cam has over 30 years of experience in specialized program management and organizational support, and K-12 Special Education, working with educators and leaders on the needs of students with disabilities and 504 programs. Before taking on education leadership roles, she was a special education teacher, focusing on students with educational, social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and communication disabilities in general and special education classrooms. Cam and her husband reside in the small mountain town of Boone, North Carolina, which is home to their alma mater, Appalachian State University.

After 30 years’ in K-12 public schools, Dr. Alisa McLean is a retired superintendent, having worked in multiple urban, suburban, and rural K-12 school districts along with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Through her work, she has helped several schools and districts with turnaround initiatives, with each one school or district improving student outcomes via assessment data, graduation cohort rates, employee retention, and more. When she is not working with education leaders, Alisa enjoys spending time with her family and grandchildren, shopping, and sipping on a good cup of coffee.

A pioneering educator, Kim Short has experienced anything and everything in K-12 public education. During her teaching tenure, Kim worked on groundbreaking research around inclusion in special education and helped form some of the instructional approaches that are used worldwide.  As an administrator, she worked with various school communities and cultures, even opening a new elementary school during remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.  A true innovator in every sense, Kim enjoys leading groups tasked with finding new solutions to better the people they serve, whether it’s a for-profit company, a nonprofit, government agency, or educational institution. When she is not working with Studiously clients, Kim enjoys spending time with her family, relaxing at the beach, and reading.

Robin has over 30 years of experience supporting leadership development, staff training, and program effectiveness across K-12 and higher education settings. She began her career over 30 years as an elementary school teacher in Wake County Public Schools.  Her primary areas of interest are K-12 literacy instruction, teacher preparation and student engagement.  She has taught students at all levels from kindergarten through college.  At William Peace University, Mrs. Vincent is a teacher educator, field placement supervisor, first-year seminar instructor, and mentor to students. Mrs. Vincent enjoys making connections with students and forming community in the classroom.

With over 40 years of education and leadership experience, Sharon brings a wealth of experience to the Studiously team, particularly in mathematics.  During her career, Sharon has worked in majority-minority, Title I, and highly impoverished schools/districts, with a focus on improving student achievement. Her passion is working with teachers and students to help them grow as learners. Sharon’s rich experience benefits all of our Studiously clients looking to lead with empathy and belief in their people. In her spare time, Sharon enjoys traveling and spending time with her children and grandson.

Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Brian Castle leads our marketing and communications consulting practice at Studiously.  For nearly 20 years, Brian has led strategic marketing, communications, advertising, and public relations efforts for dozens of organizations, including startups, middle-market firms, nonprofits, and government agencies. Brian is the founder of a marketing agency, Parklife, and a nonprofit, Blue Ridge Collaborative, where he also leads creative work for arts, culture, and education. In addition, he is an operating partner at Dallas, Texas-based venture capital firm, 2 the Moon Ventures.