Charles Valdez is a dedicated and passionate educator with over two decades of experience teaching Bible classes at his local church, coupled with several years of substitute teaching in Christian schools. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Pacific Union College and a Master of Arts in Organizational Development and Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, bringing a rich academic background to his teaching career.

Mr. Valdez has spent much of his professional life in the telecommunications industry, where he has honed his leadership skills and business acumen. In 2010, he and his wife relocated their telecommunications company, ITS Resources, from Pasadena, CA to Tennessee, where the company specializes in provisioning 911 call centers across the United States.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded the Agape Agency, providing insurance services in the communities surrounding Thompson’s Station

Beyond his business endeavors, Charles is deeply committed to community service. He has held leadership positions in several non-profit organizations, currently serving as the chairman of Williamson County for Latinos for Tennessee and previously as chairman of the board for GraceWorks Ministries.

Charles and his wife, Shar, are devoted parents to five children: Mahlet (27), Dianna (22), Grayeson (15), Jayden (14), and Caiden (12). This fall, the three youngest will be attending Renew Christian Academy, where Mr. Valdez will be teaching history.

As an educator, Charles is passionate about exploring the impact of historical events on contemporary society, with a strong foundation in Christian values. He emphasizes understanding history through a Christian lens, aiming to inspire his students to appreciate the relevance of history in their lives today.

Charles’s extensive business experience, combined with his dedication to education and faith, allows him to bring a unique and enriching perspective to his role as a history teacher at Renew Christian Academy. Parents can trust that their children will be guided by an educator who is deeply committed to their academic and spiritual growth.

After ten years of teaching public high school and ten years of homeschooling her own four children and working with other local homeschooling ministries, Joni is thrilled to be able to serve families and students in their journeys with the unique approach of RCA. 

She strives to make her classroom an invitation for students to grow in resilience and invites the conversations of their lives and homes to fuel their learning.

Through writing, teaching, and leading, Joni has always been involved in equipping and serving others in seeing themselves  as part of God’s bigger story on the Earth. 

She continues to serve in other local homeschooling ministries in the area and is the worship leader in her church where she enjoys songwriting on piano and guitar. 

She continues to homeschool her four children and loves baking, poetry and getaways in nature.

Whitney is thrilled to be joining Renew Christian Academy. She has taught English in numerous school contexts in four different states and two countries. Needless to say, she and her husband love to travel, but they are nice and settled here in Nashville after the recent birth of their second child. Mrs. Wiley has a passion for all of God’s truth, and loves to explore how literature points us to Him and gives us empathy for one another. Her other loves include her family, Church, rock climbing, leading worship, and walking barefoot through the grass. She graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in English and Secondary Education, and she took as many Theology classes as possible.

More coming soon!

Dr. David Cole, P.E. comes to RCA from the U.S. Defense Industry (Artis – HQ in VA) in a business where he serves as Special Assistant to the CEO and Vice President for Compliance supervising Quality, Contracting, Export Licensing, Safety, Physical Security, and hands-on responsibility for product system safety engineering. He has a unique 45-year blend of military, consulting, scholastic and industrial experience, with a desire to move into a new phase of life teaching aspiring students.

Dr. Cole has a stated teaching objective for joining the team at RCA: to prepare our youth for the world by teaching them to think, to reason, to solve problems, and equipping them with the tools to do so.

He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.), Management Science (M.S.), and Business Management (PhD) from Lehigh University, Texas A&M, and LaSalle University, respectively. After serving as a captain in the Army doing research and development, he led in positions of increasing responsibility at Hercules Aerospace, L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman, and as President of Martin Electronics in Florida. In 2010 Dr. Cole accepted the Executive VP position at Artis (Virginia) and has served there to date. During this period, he also lectured as an adjunct professor at Xavier University and the University of Maryland, while serving as an Elder at two Christian churches, and teaching adult and teen Sunday School for over 20 years.

Dr. Cole is a licensed professional engineer, and he has served on various U.S. Department of Defense Industrial steering committees as well two NATO advisory committees and is a founding member of the Aerospace Association’ Energetic Systems Technical Subcommittee.

He and his wife Melody live in Franklin, TN and are members at Harpeth Christian Church. They have seven children and 11 grandchildren.

My photography journey began when I was just 8 years old. I would follow my dad, who was a photography enthusiast around, helping him to capture nature and seeing the beauty in things that others may just over look. Little did I know at the time that it would lead me to a life time of joy and passion.

I am a mother of 4 and home schooled for 10 years. While living in California, I also taught at a Charter school for a few years and then at a private Christian school before moving to Tennessee in 2007. Two years after moving here, I married my husband and added 5 more children to my family for a total of 9. We now have 7 grandchildren and 5 in laws and our family keeps growing.

About 10 years ago, I decided to go full time in to photography and start my own business. I stepped away from the classroom to focus on my family and my business. This decision has made me a better photographer today and has been an amazing journey. I specialize in wedding photography as well as high school seniors. My business has taken me from Hawaii to Nashville and many places throughout the U.S., for which I am grateful. I love to travel!

My desire for my students is to teach them far more than just the basic essentials of photography. I want them to see God’s handiwork all around them. I want them to become story tellers through their photography. Photography is about capturing emotion, telling stories and creating art that evokes feelings and inspires us. When we seek God first, we see things more clearly.

I am excited to be working at RCA and can not wait to pour my love and passion for photography and all things God in to the hearts and lives of my students.

Claudia was born and raised in Mexico City. Upon graduating high school, she moved to Chicago, IL to pursue her higher education, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video from Columbia College Chicago. Claudia has been teaching Spanish for the past 16 years and has worked with various schools, after-school programs, summer camps, language centers, and tutoring companies in California, and now in Tennessee since she and her husband moved to Franklin in September of 2023. Claudia is honored to join Renew Christian Academy as a Spanish teacher. Claudia and her husband, Maxwell, regularly attend Harpeth Christian Church. They look forward to being blessed by the Lord and soon become parents. In her free time, Claudia enjoys singing, reading, exercising, working on home projects and organization, and exploring new hiking trails with her husband and their tiny dog, Luna. As a part of the RCA and Harpeth community, Claudia looks forward to continuing to strengthen her relationship with God and her devotion to Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-8

Jennifer has been in education since 1994. She completed her mathematics degree at Union University and moved to Nashville to begin teaching public high school. She then earned her Masters degree in Math Education from MTSU. Jennifer met her husband in 2001 and continued to teach until they welcomed their first child in 2005. Since then, Jennifer has added two more children and a dog (which she swore she’d never do) to their family while she continued to tutor high school and middle school mathematics.

While her favorite activity is taking a good nap, Jennifer loves going for walks and spending time with her husband, kids, and friends. Her favorite hobbies include decorating, baking, and finding good deals. Jennifer is excited to return to the classroom at RCA! She’s looking forward to encouraging students who find math challenging and watching their confidence and appreciation for the subject grow.

Kim has been teaching the Bible in various settings since 2005. She has experience in conducting workshops on Biblical interpretation for adults and leading Bible studies for youth. Additionally, she has worked as a Middle School English teacher in a Christian school and as a substitute teacher in a similar setting. She homeschooled her two sons, with her youngest graduating in 2022.

In 2012, Kim completed her Masters in Biblical Studies. She also authored a book that teaches people step-by-step ways on how to read and understand the Bible. Kim is dedicated to teaching her students how to read and interpret the Bible in context, discern sound Biblical truth, and personally apply Scripture with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Kim spends time writing Bible-centered resources and teaching people how to read the Bible through workshops, podcasts, and wherever the Lord opens the door. In her free time, she likes to read biographies and go on adventures with her family…and nothing makes her more excited than a road trip!

Renew Christian Academy holds a special place in Kim’s heart because her youngest son graduated there, having grown spiritually, academically, and personally. She feels grateful and privileged to be a part of this school. Kim-Christine is excited for the upcoming year and is looking forward to seeing her students connect with God’s word in a meaningful way.

From a young age, Stefani has been drawn to the stage, fueling her passion for the performing arts. She began her formal artistic education by attending an international boarding school, Idyllwild Arts Academy, during her high school years, where she focused on theater arts. This led her to receive multiple scholarships and grants to attend the State University of New York, Purchase College Theater Conservatory, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA. Stefani then pursued her education further at Yale University at the Yale School of Drama, where she earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts. It was during her time at Yale that Stefani discovered her love for teaching and directing while working with the Dwight/Edgewood Project, a community engagement program serving K-8th grade students in the New Haven area, as well as serving as the co-artistic director of the Yale Summer Cabaret. Since then, Stefani has shared her expertise with a wide range of individuals, including actors, dancers, musicians, songwriters, screenwriters, preachers, and CEOs. Her coaching focuses on enhancing on-stage presence, building confidence, developing compelling stories, and delivering impactful performances. Most recently, Stefani served as the Head of Theater Programs at the Norris Performing Arts Center in Temecula, California. In this role, she directed four main stage productions each year, such as “Mary Poppins,” “All Shook Up,” “Rock of Ages,” and “Into The Woods.” Additionally, she worked as the primary acting coach for five competitive acting and musical theater teams while teaching drama classes to students aged 5 to 18. Stefani’s passion for the arts extends beyond the theater realm. She and her husband, Daniel Martin, were the co-owners of ReAmp Recording Studios, a renowned premiere recording studio in Southern California. Together, they embarked on the creation of a folk-American family-friendly, fun, and educational music channel. Their channel has achieved remarkable success, with nearly 30 million views on YouTube and 20 million streams on Spotify. As both a performing artist and theater director, Stefani recognizes the value of artist development for herself and her students. Drawing from her own experiences, she understands the challenges that her students face and leads by example. Stefani is dedicated to fostering a supportive artistic community that nurtures all those involved in creating exceptional works. She has received awards for her acting and songwriting, and she embraces her roles as a director, teacher, mother, wife, and Christian. Stefani feels immensely grateful and truly blessed by the opportunity to teach Drama and Theater Studies at Renew Christian Academy as she and her family settle into their new home in Franklin, Tennessee.

I grew up In Memphis Tennessee on the banks of the Mississippi river as the youngest of four boys in our family. Both of my parents were independent business people each starting and owning their respective businesses. This proved invaluable to me learning many different skills while growing up. I worked alongside them doing various jobs as long as I can remember.

My father was a home builder and contractor. He also sold them. Many times I would be present on one of his job sites learning everything from carpentry, electrical, plumbing, drywall, concrete etc. – basically everything that goes into building a house as well as the business of marketing them and selling them when they were completed.

My mother owned two cosmetology schools and six hair salons. In high school, it seemed I was always repairing something there from the beauty stations to the Coke machine! I also cleaned them all every Sunday afternoon/evening as my weekend job.

In the early years as I forged my life’s career in music, I started a contractor business to help support our young family. We did everything from painting to small remodeling jobs.  I also worked as a maintenance man for various apartment complexes. This job engaged me to be a fix-it man for most anything.

As my music business flourished, we owned our own production elements for our concerts from sound, lighting, instruments as well as the vehicles to support our touring, I was the guy always in charge of maintaining it all.

After retiring from my artist career and touring, I co-founded a record label and music publishing business and continued to work on the business side of music for 25 years.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Trevecca Nazarene University.

I currently live in Franklin Tn with my lovely wife of 50 years. We have two wonderful daughters, two son-in -laws and five grandchildren. Two of our grands are married now!

The following is an overview of my career:

Throughout his over fifty years in music, Eddie DeGarmo has had a storied career with success as an artist, songwriter, producer and businessman. He was one of the leading pioneers of contemporary Christian music as part of rock duo DeGarmo & Key, which was recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. During his 17 years with D&K and a successful solo endeavor, DeGarmo sold millions of albums and garnered 9 Grammy nominations and dozens of Dove Award nominations. He went on to co-found ForeFront Records, where he developed multi-platinum selling and Grammy winning artists such as dc Talk, Stacie Orrico, Audio Adrenaline, Geoff Moore and theDistance and Rebecca St. James. He was then recruited to lead the largest faith based music publisher Capitol CMG Publishing. Under his supervision that company went on to change the face of “Modern Worship” music.

Dawne has homeschooled for 17 years, graduated two children, and has a 15-year-old and a 12-year-old still homeschooling. After earning a degree in International Studies, she worked as a translator and then transitioned into a position as a compliance analyst. After one of her children was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2004, she started training to work with learning strugglers and has completed several nationally recognized programs. Since then, Dawne has been working with students with dyslexia, ADD, executive functioning deficiencies, as well as gifted students. She has taught in homeschool tutorials for over a decade and is currently an academic coach and ACT tutor, working with 6th-12th grade students in public and private schools, as well as the homeschooling community. She also writes and edits curriculum and ACT materials.

Dawne lives in Franklin with her family, and, in her free time, she loves to read and explore new places with her children. Starting this fall, she is excited to begin pursuing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University.

My name is Dean Toscano. I am excited and honored to be teaching the next generation of young men and woman at Renew Christian Academy. I have been married for 33 years and have two children; both of whom grew up and live in Nashville. Our daughter recently had a baby, so we are now grandparents to a beautiful little girl named Blakely. I graduated college from The University of North Carolina with a degree in Criminology, but God had other plans for me. I went into full-time ministry for the International Churches of Christ for 13 years. It was there that I led campus ministries and was also the lead minister for several churches. During our time in ministry, we were fortunate to be able to live and travel all over the world. When I left the ministry, I co-owned a company in Nashville for a few years and then went into Medical Sales for several years before transitioning to the Financial Service industry. I currently work as a Financial Advisor for a small independent financial firm, Gramercy Park Wealth Advisors. I have always had a passion for teaching and believe that our economy, and its role in our society, is crucial to understanding…especially for young people today. My experience owning my own business as an entrepreneur, as well as, teaching clients about investments as it relates to the economy will make our class both interesting and exciting!

Patty has had a passion for teaching children since she was old enough to make her younger brother sit in a desk and pretend to do school. She left her Canadian roots and attended Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois, earning her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. Her and her husband moved to Texas where she began her teaching career, starting in 1st and 2nd grade and then moving to 5th and 6th grade, all at inner city schools. After 12 years, she left her teaching career to begin the homeschooling journey that has taken her through the last 24 years. The last of 5 boys will graduate in 2023, all of them homeschooled. Along the way, Patty has taught at numerous tutorials and coop’s, depending on where her boys were attending at the time. Classes have included General Science, Physical Science, Chemistry, Biology, English, History, Classical Conversations, Sonlight Unit High School classes and a lots of math tutoring. Four years ago, their family moved to Tennessee for her husband’s job and they have quickly fallen in love with living in the ‘mountains’, especially after 30 years in Texas.

She also has extensive musical training, having completed several exam requirements for the Royal Conservatory of Toronto. Even after over 25 years of teaching private piano lessons, she never tires of watching a student learn to play something they love.

Lately, she has also added theater to her activities. She has taught some classes through Christian Youth Theater and has now been stage manager for 2 shows. As she nears the end of a very fulfilling homeschooling career, she wants to continue to help other students reach their God given potential and instill in them a love of learning that brings them closer to Christ. She continues to work with kids at church, directing her churches children’s department and in her spare time, loves to garden, hike and spend time with family and friends.

She is excited to be joining the staff at Renew and to continue to encourage others to seek out what she feels is the most important thing in life, our relationship with Jesus.

Dawn Gauthier

I am originally from near Atlanta, Georgia, but have lived in Tennessee most of my life. I moved to Nashville in 1999 to attend college at Lipscomb University. I began as an education major, but discovered I had a passion for Sports Medicine and changed my major to Athletic Training. I graduated from Lipscomb in 2003 with a BS in Athletic Training and Exercise Science. After graduating I went to work for Tennessee Orthopaedic Alliance where I worked for 16 years, and also attained my master’s degree from MTSU in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. While working for Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, I was an assistant athletic trainer at Montgomery Bell Academy for 3 years; I saw patients in the physical therapy clinics; and also worked as a Medical Assistant for several of their surgeons.

I enjoy caring for athletes, from trying to help them prevent injuries and teach them how their bodies work to best compete in their sports, to assessing injuries and helping them rehabilitate to return back to play. I am an awe of the human body and God’s wonderful design. In addition to my 2 collegiate degrees and being a certified athletic trainer, I am also a licensed massage therapist.

I currently live in Franklin with my husband and son. I work for Vanderbilt University Medical Center as a Certified Athletic Trainer, and for Williamson County School System as a substitute teacher. On the weekends you will find me on an obstacle racing course, riding my bike, hiking with my family or in my gardens.

I feel so blessed to be a part of Renew Christian Academy.

My name is Marji Mennen.   My husband and I both grew up in Williamson County and have moved numerous times across the country for the 36 years we have been  married.   I was part of the very first graduating class of Brentwood High School and earned my teaching degree from University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  We have a son and daughter-in-law in Denver (with two precious granddaughters) and a daughter In Raleigh.    I am  a teacher from a family of educators and whether directly teaching or not, I have always been involved in education.   I have taught middle school English and preschool, trained writers and editors for a large company, and worked with high school students with disabilities who were interning in a hospital.   I have also volunteered in schools tutoring in writing and reading as well as coordinated a reading program with schools, classes and volunteers.   When not having fun with family and friends, I love to read, quilt, and walk.  We are so blessed after all the years of moving to finally be home and I am thrilled to return to teaching at RCA.

I absolutely love being a part of Renew Christian Academy and the Biblical education it pours into our students!

I am a follower of Jesus, an experienced musician, a wife to Frank, and a mom to two fine young men, 21 and 19. My oldest is a recently licensed commercial pilot and works for Envoy Air at the Nashville Airport. My youngest is in his second year at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he is studying Mechanical Engineering.

In 2015, for reasons I’d love to share over a cup of coffee anytime, I decided to go back to college and finish my education. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Western Governors University in December of 2018. Prior to that, I worked in 4^th and 5^th grade classrooms for six years as an Educational Assistant with Special Ed students in inclusion classrooms for Rutherford County.

Upon completion of my degree, I had no desire to teach in public schools but wanted to use my degree however and wherever the Lord saw fit. In 2020, He led us to Harpeth Christian Church. Not long after, the announcement was made that they were starting Renew Christian Academy. It seemed that the Lord was letting me know where He wanted me to be.

With an education and background in music, I have worked as a worship leader in two churches before coming to Harpeth, and my husband and I perform locally together for Assisted Living communities and Memory Care groups (a ministry of our hearts), as well as for local cafes, coffee houses, and various public and private events. But the Lord called me into an unexpected position at Renew and, while I was hesitant to accept, I could not be happier.   

I am beginning my third year teaching 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade History/Social Studies at Renew as well as being a mentor to an amazing group of young ladies. My goal as a History teacher is to ignite a passion in young people for where we come from and why it’s important to know. I want them to know the facts and truth about historic events and the people who shaped them and then form their own opinions about the world through the lens of Biblical and historical Truth.

Hi, I’m Gwenn Woods. I have been teaching art and drawing at tutorials since 2010. I love being able to help students view art with a Biblical worldview lens, and to see their daily life, their future life, and life’s  work all connected to who they are as a Christ follower. I am both excited and thankful for the privilege  

of teaching at Renew Christian Academy. God placed the desire to teach in my heart at a young age. I love being able to equip students and teach them the skills they need to succeed, all while having lots of  fun! 

God is the master artist. Since we are created in His image we are also creative.  God invites us to exercise our creative capacities fully by using the tools that God provided in his visual  creation, the language of art. Art is an act of worship.  

As a teacher, I work to embrace my students as they are and lovingly push them to explore this world, life, faith, and things outside of themselves in an interactive and engaging manner. I also desire to  work to ignite in them a passion for art. My goal is to help them discover the gifts and skills God  has given them that they can use in every other area of their life. 

I avoided art throughout my high school years. I was a perfectionist and constantly compared myself to others and believed that I could never be good at art, So, I received a diploma in nursing in 1978 and  practiced pediatric/ adolescent and intensive care nursing for 8 years. When I wasn’t working at the  hospital, I came in and painted murals on the nursing unit and did art projects with patients. I developed  an interest in environmental design when I had the opportunity to work with architects and interior  designers to redesign the pediatric/pediatric intensive care unit. Subsequently, I went back to college to earn my BFA in Environmental Design and Art History from Bowling Green State University. I worked  for 8 years with architectural firms and hospitals designing medical facilities before becoming a stay at  home mom to my two adopted children, Tori, now 28 and Alex, now 25. 

I served as a teacher’s aide and substitute teacher for grades Pre-K-8 for 3 years before homeschooling my children. After moving to Tennessee 12 years ago, I began teaching fine arts to grades K-6 at Franklin Classical School, and then grades 6-12 at West Harpeth Christian Tutorial 

I also assist with the Ignite Business program at Lipscomb Academy High School that engages students in  career path experiences in business. I work with business professors at Lipscomb University to introduce  students to the various disciplines in business. We connect students with businesses in the community to help students learn about various industries and to help them see the business disciplines in action. 

I am experienced in various art mediums and methods, including graphite, watercolor, pencil, acrylic and  oil paints, pastels, charcoal, ink, print-making, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. In my spare  time, I like to write, paint, garden, cook, read, hike and spend time with family and friends. I have been  married to Jerry, my high school sweetheart for 44 years and live with him and our crazy four year old  Havanese, Toby.

My name is Tiffie Rosen and I look forward to joining the staff of Renew Christian Academy.  I am a wife and mother of three, mostly grown, children; our youngest is currently a junior at Franklin High School.   I received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, with a major in Government, from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, both in the early 1990s.  My experience in education, prior to starting a family, include substitute teaching in Davidson County Schools, tutoring at Sylvan Learning Center, and teaching classes at a correctional facility.  After many years home with my children, I spent the past two years (Fall 2018 – Spring 2020)  teaching History and World Geography classes at Franklin Christian Academy.  Currently, I am busy tutoring and substitute teaching in Williamson County Schools.  During my free time, I love reading nonfiction, walking with friends, putting together jigsaw puzzles, going to jazzercise, and knitting (just learned but truly enjoy it).  I value public discourse and am passionate about engaging high school students in mature discussions about the way our government works and the gifts of freedom and liberty we not only possess, but steward, as American citizens.

What an opportunity to be a part of Renew Christian Academy! I have a Bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences and a minor in Marketing from Harding University. I have homeschooled my 14-year- old son and 11-year-old daughter for 7 years. We also foster two toddlers that we are hoping to adopt.

Equipping children for life past high school graduation, practical skills, the opportunities of learning-by-doing, has birthed two of the classes I teach: Life Skills and Culinary Arts. In addition to Life Skills and Culinary Arts, I will be using my experience I’ve gained in teaching Classical Conversations to offer Geography, as well.

In my spare time, I enjoy projects on our property, tending to my flock of chickens, gardening, cooking and baking. I’m looking forward to the fun hands-on-learning experience we will have at Renew Christian Academy.