Our Team
Matthew Kirby
President & CEO
In addition to leading Liberty Classical Schools, Matthew Kirby is the Founder of Atlanta Classical School (ACA) and Northwest Classical School (NCA). Matthew served as the founding Chair of the ACA Board of Directors. In addition, Matthew is the owner of Trickum Ops LLC, an operator of franchised Bojangles’ restaurants in the Metro Atlanta area. Matthew is a graduate of The Westminster Schools, the United States Naval Academy, and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Mariah Carraway
Managing Assistant
Mariah Carraway has over 10 years of administrative and customer service experience, as well as 5+ years of HR experience. Mariah attended the College of Charleston where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership, Change, and Social Responsibility. She is also a Society of Human Resources Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). Prior to working for Liberty, she worked in Human Resources at a medical university. As Managing Assistant, Mariah works directly to support the CEO. As a mother, she understand the importance of education and fostering a safe and inclusive environment for students. She believes it is important that the school administration and employees are well supported, so that they can focus on the students and fulfilling the school’s mission.
Dudley Franklin
Chief Advancement Officer
Dudley Franklin is passionate about securing the resources needed to pursue Liberty’s mission in the life of each student for years to come. For the past 20 years as a fundraising and volunteer management professional, Dudley has helped non-profits grow their capacity and expand their impact. Prior to her work in the non-profit sector, Dudley worked in product marketing for companies like New Balance and Coca-Cola. She has been a part of Atlanta Classical since 2012. She was a key member of the launch team for Atlanta Classical and Northwest Classical, and served on the ACA’s founding board from 2014-2017.
Robert Kelly
Chief of Staff
Robert H. Kelly, JD, MPA, MA is a Certified Public Manager with 8+ years of extensive experience in management, policy development, and compliance working with executive level stakeholders in the public and private sectors.
Prior to Liberty, Rob worked for key elected officials in the metro Atlanta for several years. In his role as Chief of Staff for Fulton County, Rob led the team that supported the management, operations, communications, legislative affairs and outreach for the Commission 6, District Office. Rob holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree and a Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Georgia and earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of West Georgia. He is married to his law-school sweetheart and is the father of two toddlers.
Avery McCoy
Data & Accountability Director
As Director of Data and Accountability at Liberty Classical Schools, Avery leads data management, compliance, and strategic planning to support efficient operations and informed decision-making. He focuses on integrating data systems and processes that provide clear, actionable insights for school leadership, stakeholders, and boards.
Prior to joining Liberty Classical Schools, Avery served as the IT Manager for a network of 13 schools at Regina Caeli Academy. In his time at Regina Caeli Academy, Avery evaluated, implemented, and managed information systems, assisted with financial analysis and facilities management, and played a key role in launching new schools. Avery holds a B.A. in music performance from Kennesaw State University and a B.S. in Management Information Systems and Technology from Albany State.
Cari Mueller
Human Resources Director
Cari Mueller is responsible for providing strategic guidance and leadership for all aspects of the human resources function and establishing a vision and direction for the full complement of core human resources programs, policies and services. Prior to this position, Cari was the HR Manager for a small business in Population Health where she has proven success executing Human Resource activities, including establishing and implementing business processes and operations standards, HR start-ups, planning and integration resulting from M&A’s, and business reorganization. Cari attended Kennesaw State University’s Human Resources Management program and achieved the SHRM-CP Certification in 2015.
Mark Nolan
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Nolan is a highly accomplished chartered accountant with a wealth of experience in the field of education. With 15 years of experience in school finance and leadership, Mark has developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that schools face. Prior to joining Liberty, Mark was the chief financial officer of Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, where he was responsible for overseeing all finance and operations. Originally from the UK, Mark holds an M.S. in International Management from King’s College London. Before transitioning to a career in school finance, Mark developed his skills as an auditor at KPMG, where he gained extensive experience auditing Fortune 500 corporations and startups alike. Mark engenders a deep commitment to excellence and a broad passion for supporting the mission of schools.
Kevin Richter
IT Director
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Mr. Richter now lives in Chastain Park with his wife and two children, who attend Atlanta Classical. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. He was a member of the founding leadership team at Atlanta Classical Academy and Northwest Classical Academy. Prior to his work in Liberty schools, Mr. Richter was president of a business intelligence consulting practice to small business CIOs and owners. An expert in database programming, internet security and financial analysis, Mr. Richter was also a key team member of several successful dot-com start-ups.
Matt Stone
Director of New Schools
Matthew Stone served as a teacher and administrator in K-8 and 9-12 charter schools before joining the team at Liberty Classical. He holds a bachelors degree from Hillsdale College, a masters from Cambridge College, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Liberty University. Matthew and his wife, along with their three young children, enjoy a love of books, sports, and travel best spent together as a family.
Angela Hsu
Finance Director of Purchasing and School Support
Angela Hsu’s work at Liberty involves supporting the CFO and others through the accounting process, with primary focus on grant compliance and accounts payable. Before Liberty, Angela worked in a large public accounting firm serving clients in the health care, insurance and manufacturing sectors. Her areas of work included audit, mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructurings. She is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Economics. Angela has three children at Atlanta Classical Academy, and sees firsthand the benefits of a classical education. She feels strongly that every child should have the same opportunity to develop into a virtuous, contributing citizen.
Jen Lai
Senior Accountant and Controller
Ms. Lai serves as the Senior Accountant and Controller at Liberty Classical Schools. She is an accounting professional with over 10+ years of accounting experience. Jennifer previously worked as the Controller for a private equity and wealth management firm in Atlanta. She is currently the Co-Founder/Managing Partner for TrueView Accounting and the CFO of a multi-location franchisee in the fast-food industry.
She attended Georgia State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. She furthered her studies at Kennesaw State University and obtained her graduate degree in the Master of Accountancy program.
Email: jlai@atlbo.com
James Keller
Director of Public Programs, Grants, and Revenue
Dr. James Keller received his Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University. He started his career as a Teach for America teacher and taught in three Atlanta Public Schools for over 8 years. Dr. Keller served as the Special Education Lead Teacher (SELT) at Atlanta Classical from 2018-2021, then became the founding SELT at Northwest Classical Academy. His goal is to bring the same passionate commitment he had for his students to his work in educational policy and advocacy, to impact and inspire the educational repairs that are so desperately needed.
Avery Padgett
Marketing Manager
Avery Padgett earned her B.A. in Multimedia Journalism from Berry College and has over 5 years of experience in communications and marketing for non-profit and education organizations. She joined Atlanta Classical Academy in 2019, where she was the founding member of the communications department. She was on the launch team for Northwest Classical Academy in 2021 and assisted both schools until officially joining the Liberty team in 2022. Avery works to tell the story of Liberty and its partner schools by providing a range of marketing, social media, branding, website, and design support. She believes that Georgia’s students deserve every chance to receive an enriching and edifying education.
Sunny Shaw
Human Resources Manager
Sunny Shaw joined Liberty Classical Schools with over two decades of experience in non-profits and K-12 classical education. After attending college in Indiana, Italy, and Washington, DC, earning Bachelors and Masters degrees in Social Work, she returned to metro Atlanta. Prior to joining Liberty, she taught in and supported the operations of classical academies, wrote grants and managed offices. Recently, Sunny became a Certified Professional with the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM-CP). She and her husband have five children, the youngest four of whom attend a Liberty Classical School. Sunny is passionate about creating more opportunities for classical education for children and bringing onboard the faculty and staff necessary to bring this vision to life.
Janet Tomko
Director of Outreach & Government Affairs
Janet Tomko provides ongoing enrollment guidance and support for current Liberty schools and outreach for new schools. Janet has a BS in Psychology from the University of Maryland at College Park and a JD from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC, where she worked at the US House of Representatives and the US Supreme Court before entering private practice with an emphasis on civil rights and litigation. Her two daughters were members of the first and second graduating classes of Atlanta Classical Academy, Liberty’s flagship school. Janet joined the ACA team as Enrollment Manager in 2018, has managed enrollment at Northwest Classical team since before the school opened in 2021, and looks forward to opening more schools so that every child has access to this excellent education.
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