Our Team
Board of Directors
Charissa Sethman
Founder & Board Chair
Charissa Sethman serves as Founder & Board Chair of Chattanooga Classical Academy. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy & Religion from Covenant College and an M.A. in Leadership in Classical Christian Education from Gordon College in partnership with the Society for Classical Learning. She serves as the Interim Head of School for Clear Lake Classical in Clear Lake, Iowa.
Charissa brings sixteen years of experience in classical Christian education, including classroom teaching, tutorial and school leadership, curriculum planning, faculty support, family communication, and school operations. Nationally, she has worked with Classical Academic Press and Scholé Academy as a humanities instructor, Educational Services Coordinator, Manager of the Tutoring Center and Center for Students with Learning Differences, and curriculum consultant. Locally, she has helped launch Ingleside Tutorial and Regents Classical School in Chattanooga, served on the board of Skillern Elementary, and worked in policy development, family communication, school planning, and Tennessee non-public school compliance.
Her work at Chattanooga Classical Academy grows from a desire to see children receive an education ordered toward Christ, wisdom, virtue, beauty, and joyful responsibility. Alongside her educational work, Charissa’s experience in hospitality, design, project coordination, farming, and floral work has deepened her conviction that beauty, embodied skill, and care for place belong to a child’s formation.
Charissa and her husband, Michael, have five children and have been founding members of St. James Anglican Church in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
Amanda Turner
Secretary
Amanda brings more than twenty years of experience homeschooling her children and a deep commitment to the classical Christian tradition. She holds a degree in Social Work from Auburn University and has taught English grammar, writing, and several other subjects in a local homeschool cooperative. She is passionate about seeing God’s character and handiwork displayed in each discipline and she delights in sharing that with those around her.
For 23 years, Amanda has been a member of Woodland Park Baptist Church, where she serves children and teenagers. She is especially committed to helping children encounter what is true, good, and beautiful and receive the encouragement and support they need to flourish.
Amanda and her husband, Brian, have four children. Their family has owned a small business and enjoyed life on a hobby farm. She loves people, animals, being outdoors, travel, and exploring the National Parks with her family.
Michael Sethman
Treasurer
Michael is Operations Director for Logical Systems, Inc., where his work requires insightful discernment, careful planning, practical problem-solving, operational clarity, and faithful execution. Michael shares a long-standing commitment to classical Christian education and leadership marked by wisdom and durability.
As Treasurer, Michael will help CCA pursue disciplined growth, responsible stewardship, and a stable foundation for the school’s mission.
Griffin Adams
Coming soon…
Sarah McInnis
Sarah McInnis serves as Head of School at The Cor Deo School, a classical Christian school in Tacoma, Washington. Cor Deo’s mission is to cultivate wisdom, virtue, and deep faith in Christ, equipping students to engage the world with purpose, reason, truth, and grace.
Sarah holds a Master of Leadership in Classical Christian Education from Gordon College. Through her work at Cor Deo, she brings practical wisdom in school leadership, parent partnership, faculty formation, and the daily work of building and sustaining a joyful classical Christian school culture. Her leadership reflects a love for the Great Conversation, a desire to serve families well, and a conviction that education should form students for faithful, thoughtful, and grace-filled lives before God.
Sarah shares with Chattanooga Classical Academy the perspective of a sitting Head of School who understands both the beauty and the practical demands of this work.
Head of School, The Cor Deo School; Tacoma, WA
Advisory Council
Corey McEachran
Dean of Student Culture, Westminster School at Oak Mountain; Birmingham, AL
Corey McEachran brings over two decades of experience in classical Christian education to his consulting work. Having served in roles ranging from classroom teacher to headmaster, Corey has a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain thriving classical schools. He has led schools through significant growth, developed faculty, shaped student culture, and walked alongside parents as partners in their children's education. He has served in leadership roles across multiple classical Christian schools in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast, overseeing discipline policy, house culture, and student spiritual formation. Corey holds a Master of Leadership in Classical Christian Education from Gordon College.
He and his wife of over 25 years have raised five children within classical Christian schools, giving him a uniquely personal perspective on the experience of families he serves. His passion is helping schools cultivate communities where students, families, and teachers grow together in wisdom, virtue, and faith.
Emily O’Dell
Emily (Bernardini) O’Dell is a classically educated classical educator who loves great books and adventure. Emily holds a BA in Literature and Classics from the University of Mississippi (2006), and an MA in Leadership in Classical Christian Education from Gordon College (2026). Emily has 16 years experience in teaching and administration, serving most recently as Dean of Student Culture at Westminster Academy in Memphis, TN, where she mentored student leaders, and developed and led programs that increased student engagement and strengthened community connections. Emily is passionate about helping shape students to be gracious, sturdy, wise, and kind people, and is thrilled to support the good work of Chattanooga Classical Academy.
She and her husband have 4 children who all attend a local classical Christian school.
Laura Day
Academic Dean, Skillern Elementary; Soddy-Daisy, TN
Laura Day is a Chattanooga native and classical educator who brings experience in curriculum, instruction, teacher formation, and school leadership to her work as an advisor to Chatt Classical. She began her work in classical education at Hillsdale College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and apprenticed at Hillsdale Academy. She later served as a founding faculty member and department head at Trivium Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, part of the Great Hearts Academies network, and also worked as a network instructional coach and leadership fellow. After returning to Chattanooga in 2016, Laura continued in classical education through Memoria Press Online Academy while earning a Master of Arts in American History and Government from Ashland University.
Laura enjoys time with her husband and sons, reading, cooking, walking, and the beauty of nature.
Ruth Knuteson
Ruth Knuteson's commitment to classical Christian education began more than a decade ago when a friend introduced her family to the classical model. That conviction led her to Oak Hill Classical School, where she served from 2017 to 2026, most recently as Director of Operations. During her tenure, she developed deep expertise in school administration, compliance, accreditation, and student culture.
In 2026, Ruth joined the GOAL Scholarship Program to support schools in Georgia's education tax credit program and to help launch American GOAL, a new initiative expanding scholarship opportunities nationwide through a federal tax credit.
Ruth earned a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership of Classical Schools from Gordon College in Boston. She lives in the Atlanta metro area with her husband Scott and their four children, where they attend and serve at Antioch Church.
Ryan Breneman
Co-Founder and CEO of Generation Properties; Chattanooga, TN
Ryan Breneman is co-founder and CEO of Generation Properties, a real estate development and investment firm in Chattanooga. Prior to founding the company, he spent more than twenty years in the medical device industry, serving in sales and leadership roles, including as a Regional Sales Director for Abbott Laboratories. During his time at Abbott, Ryan received WeAlign Coaching and applied principles from Rare Leadership to build a team culture marked by trust, joy, and engagement. His leadership contributed to stronger retention, improved employee satisfaction, and consistently high sales performance.
Ryan brings to CCA extensive professional experience along with more than seventeen years in classical Christian education and relational discipleship. He and his wife, Ginny, have four children.