Leadership & Staff: Susan Gray School - Peabody College of Education and Human Development Peabody College of Education and Human Development

Susan Gray School Leadership

Katherine Newman, Director

Dr. Katherine Newman joined the Susan Gray School community in May 2022. Katherine's areas of research are early language and literacy development in preschool settings and instructional coaching. She is interested in language acquisition through playful learning experiences and the types of teacher-child interactions that foster vocabulary knowledge. Katherine has also coached pre-K teachers on Creative Curriculum and Pyramid Model implementation in the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. At the Susan Gray School, she champions teacher-led professional development and learning. Katherine earned her Ph.D. in Learning, Teaching, and Diversity from Vanderbilt University. She is a Pyramid Model trainer and certified elementary school educator. Katherine and her husband, Kevin, have three children, two of whom attended the Susan Gray School. Her middle child has disabilities, an experience that has changed and enriched her professional and personal life. She is passionate about high-quality inclusive education and partnering with families as they advocate for their children at the Susan Gray School and beyond.

Helene Howell, Senior Administrative Specialist

Helene Howell is the senior administrative specialist for the Susan Gray School. She joined the SGS family in 2017, relocating from her home state of Florida to the Nashville area. She has worked with children all of her adult life in different capacities. She is thankful for the opportunity to support the leadership, teachers, families, and children of the Susan Gray School!

Amber Powell, Nurse

Amber is a 2014 graduate of MTSU's School of Nursing. She began her career as a pediatric nurse in an inclusive skilled nursing and therapy center for medically fragile children. The program focused on inclusive peer-modeling for the children with special needs-just like SGS. She developed a great passion for working with children of all ages but holds a special place for preschool aged children. She also has experience in adult cardiology, medical-surgical nursing, and urgent care clinical work. Amber has been the school nurse at SGS since 2019.

Amber was born on a small cattle farm in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and fostered a deep love for animals and the outdoors at a young age. She was interested in science and medicine in middle school-but for the four legged creatures instead. She changed her course of study to nursing after one semester in college and hasn't looked back since. Amber is passionate about health and wellness through healthy eating, activity, and doing the things you love most. In her spare time, she enjoys playing outside and hiking with her son Henry and husband Jordan. She is learning more every year about gardening and spends the rest of her time there and with her small flock of backyard chickens.

Susan Gray School Staff

Person Name	Primary Email
Bond-Riordan, Sarah Associate Teacher - WO	sarah.bond-riordan@vanderbilt.edu
Cobb, Val Associate Teacher - SE	valeria.cobb@vanderbilt.edu
Matthews, Takara Associate Teacher - CB	takara.matthews@vanderbilt.edu
Graham, Leigha Lead Teacher - BB	leigha.graham@vanderbilt.edu
Choi, Julia Lead Teacher - FF	hye.yoon.choi@vanderbilt.edu
Newman, Katherine Director	katherine.newman@vanderbilt.edu
Hanner, Lauren Lead Teacher - MC	lauren.hanner@vanderbilt.edu
Koons, Sarah Associate Teacher - FF	sarah.koons@vanderbilt.edu
Howell, Helene Senior Administrative Specialist	helene.m.howell@vanderbilt.edu
Joseph, Ronishia Support Staff	ronishia.joseph@vanderbilt.edu
Jovanovic, Petra Associate Teacher - FF	petra.jovanovic@vanderbilt.edu
Winters, Heather Occupational Therapist	heather.r.kavanaugh@vumc.org
Macaulay, Julia Associate Teacher - RM	julia.macaulay@vanderbilt.edu
Morrison, Katie Office Assistant/Substitute Teacher	katherine.j.morrison@vanderbilt.edu
Correia, Paige Physical Therapist	paige.correia@vumc.org
Munoz, Raphi Associate Teacher - TB	karen.munoz@vanderbilt.edu
Loew, Jen Lead Teacher - TB	jennifer.loew@vanderbilt.edu
Powell, Amber Nurse	amber.c.powell@Vanderbilt.Edu
Pursell, Jake Associate Teacher - MC	jacob.pursell@vanderbilt.edu
Hyde, Kahlia Lead Teacher - RM	kahlia.j.hyde@vanderbilt.edu
Lord, Annie Instructional Coach	anne.k.lord@vanderbilt.edu
Powell, Livy Lead Teacher - SE	olivia.powell@vanderbilt.edu
Stoicu, Micah Lead Teacher - CB	micah.l.stoicu@Vanderbilt.Edu
Story, Elizabeth Support Staff	elizabeth.l.story@vanderbilt.edu
Watson, Destiny Support Staff	destiny.l.watson@vanderbilt.edu
Xia, Allyssa Support Staff	wei.a.xia@vanderbilt.edu
Moritz, Erin Speech Therapist	erin.moritz@vumc.org