OUR TEAM

Dr. Gale earned a B.A. in English and Spanish from the University of Virginia, an M.A. in Humanities from the University of Chicago, then earned her Ph.D. in English from the City University of New York Graduate Center. She began her career as a high school English and Spanish teacher in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she fell in love with teaching. Since that time, she directed a family literacy program for Spanish-speaking families in Chicago, taught middle school at the Catherine Cook School in Chicago, and, most recently, spent nine years as a college English professor at Queens College (CUNY) and Clemson University. Dr. Gale was thrilled to join the faculty at Woodlawn in 2018. As a passionate lifelong learner, Dr. Gale aims to nourish that tendency in her students as they follow the paths of their own ideas. She is an avid runner and dessert-eater. She resides in Davidson with her husband and three children.

Elizabeth earned a B.A. in Art History from Kenyon College, an M.A. in Literature from Florida International University, and an M.A.R. in Religion and the Visual Arts from Yale University. Prior to joining Woodlawn in 2015, she worked in independent schools in a variety of capacities, both in the United States and Nicaragua. She enjoys teaching the Woodlawn students and expanding their knowledge and understanding of History. She and her husband reside in Mooresville with their three children, Antonio, class of ‘27, Tiago, class of ‘28, Susana, class of ‘29, their two nephews, Luis and Moises, class of ‘23, and a growing assortment of animals.

Cameron Edsall earned an M.A. in Ethics and Public Leadership from Johnson University and a B.A. in Political Science from Campbell University.  He is a proud Eagle Scout who began his career working in politics as a research assistant in the North Carolina General Assembly and serving as a legislative affairs manager for the governor of Maryland. As a Knoxville Fellows graduate student, Cameron worked with the 4th Purpose Foundation, a Knoxville-based criminal justice reform philanthropy, while obtaining his Master's in Ethics and Public Leadership. With his passion for history and government, Cameron aims to inspire young people to be civic-minded and create a sustainable future - which he believes is the key to leaving this world a better place than we found it.

Known at Woodlawn as Profe, Hahna earned a B.A. in Spanish and a B.S. in Business Administration from Convers College. She is a member of the Phi Sigma Iota International Foreign Language Honors Society. Hahna spent her 11th grade year as a Rotary Club International foreign exchange student in Quito, Ecuador and played Division II NCAA Volleyball at Converse College. Before coming to Woodlawn in 2013, Hahna was a deputy sheriff in New Hanover County. She now resides in Statesville with her husband, children, and their two dogs.

As a founding teacher, Kim joined Woodlawn in 2002 and has pioneered interdisciplinary teaching in the middle school. She has B.S. Broad Science & Visual Arts Education,  Moorhead State University, a B.S. in Human Ecology/Design, University of Minnesota, and an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Kim co-authored an article published in NCTE’s English Journal and is the recipient of numerous grants from the arts and science council. She continually seeks opportunities to connect students with artists in the community. Kim is an avid traveler, having visited over 30 different countries and has led several student groups on international trips.

Sam joined the Woodlawn team in 2021. He was raised in the Lake Norman area and feels right at home at Woodlawn, having former faculty in the family. Sam earned his B.A. in French with a K-12 World Language Licensure at the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2019. Prior to Woodlawn, he taught French for a time at the high school level and also obtained his private pilot's license. Sam loves having the opportunity to share his passion for history and reading with the students at Woodlawn.

Whitney Pyatt is a native North Carolinian coming from Troutman, NC. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science, with a minor in Spanish, and a M.A. in Environmental Management, also from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Additionally, she holds a Postgraduate Teaching Certificate in Middle and Secondary Education from the University of North Carolina Charlotte, as well as certification in English as an Additional Language. Most recently, Whitney taught in Palm Beach, Florida but has lived abroad facilitating both Science and EAL classes in Switzerland, Spain, Kuwait, and the United Kingdom. Apart from education, Whitney enjoys the outdoors, both inland and on the water. If you’re an avid hiker, you may have crossed paths with her along a trail somewhere around the world. She even walked 500 miles across Spain! Other recreational activities of hers include roller coaster rides, volleyball, yoga, jigsaw puzzles, SCUBA diving, and tracking down the best gelato shop in every city she visits!

Alicia Wilson earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati, an M.S. in Chemistry from Purdue University, and a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from Mississippi University. Dr. Wilson has served as a secondary teacher in various independent schools in Maryland and Florida. She has also taught as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at several universities. In addition, Alicia has also worked as a research chemist with agencies such as Ball Corporation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Wilson is a life-long learner, who enjoys writing research publications and engaging in professional development in bioinformatics.

Hannah Zinn earned an M.A. in European History and a B.A. in English from the University of Oklahoma. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in History (ABD) at the University of Oklahoma. Hannah has always aspired to teach at a school where taking a class to read under the trees is welcomed and cherished. Hannah comes to Woodlawn with an array of professional education experience from teaching students in a one-room schoolhouse in Russia, to serving as an instructor at the Ollar Lifelong Learning Institute,  and working as an adjunct instructor at several universities. She also served as the managing editor for The Journal of Women’s History. Hannah is a life-long learner/teacher who enjoys utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to study how people create meaning within a society.

Amanda joined the Woodlawn family in 2022: the same year as her son, Perrin, Class of '35. Amanda's experience as an educator has spanned multiple disciplines and roles. Amanda served as a middle school history and math teacher through Teach For America's Delta Corps. For the past decade, she has tutored math, study skills, and test prep through the Davidson Center, a local education center. For three of those years, she also served as the College Adviser for Mooresville Senior High School through the Davidson College Advising Corps. In addition to teaching, she works with multiple educational consultants, school districts, nonprofits, and families in navigating the college admissions process, specifically financial aid. Amanda enjoys volunteering, learning new words, and winning challenging board games. Amanda is an alumna of Davidson College who lives in Cornelius with her wonderful husband, Alex, and two children.

Youssef Bennis comes to us from Mitchell Community College, where he presently is a beloved calculus teacher. Previously, Youssef lectured at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University for six years. Youssef received his M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Tyler and his B.S. from Virginia International University. Youssef also worked as a financial consultant with the banking industry for four years. His primary research interests include: Combinatorics Graph Theory and Tiling Theory.