Board of Governors
ACA is governed by a Board of Governors which facilitates the broad vision and philosophy of the school. This team works together to protect the classical and Christian vision of ACA and pave the way for continued growth and success. To contact the board please send an email to bog@auburnclassicalacademy.com
Members include:
- Mrs. Stephanie Roarke (Chair)
- Mr. Adam Long (Vice Chair)
- Mrs. Paula Deist (Secretary)
- Ms. Lee Alice Johnson (Treasurer)
- Mr. Jermile Brooks
- Mrs. Bethany Mazzola
- Mr. Ashley Miller
Stephanie Roarke is an Alabama native, and longtime supporter of Auburn Classical Academy where she taught 2nd grade for eight years. She and her husband met while students at the University of Alabama. They have resided in Auburn since 2003 and they own J. Roarke Plumbing Company, which services the Lee County area. They have two sons both of whom attended ACA for many years. Stephanie earned a B.A. in History from Auburn University Montgomery. She and her family are members of First Baptist Church Opelika and are active in FBCO’s youth ministry. Stephanie enjoys watching her sons play soccer, as well as traveling the country with her entire family, usually to attend sporting events.
Jermile Brooks and his wife Haley have three boys who have attended Auburn Classical Academy since their kindergarten year. Jermile is a graduate of College of Charleston and holds a B.S. in Physical Education with an emphasis in Sports Medicine, in addition to a Master’s Degree from Clemson University. He has been a certified athletic trainer and has worked with various collegiate institutions and professional teams throughout his career including, Clemson University, Auburn University, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, and the New York Knicks. In 2016 he entered into medical device field where he is currently an executive sales representative. Jermile is also a graduate of Highlands College with a Certificate of Ministry Leadership. He and Haley lead the pre-marital ministry at Church of the Highlands, in addition to an outreach team that serves the Our House community through the Auburn Dream Center.
Paula Deist is a homemaker and mother of two children who are both graduates of ACA. She and her husband Jeff relocated their family to Auburn in 2014. Additionally, she is a part-time consultant to the food industry with expertise in new product development and quality assurance. She earned a B.S. in Dietetics/Clinical Nutrition from San Francisco State University and is a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists. She is of Roman Catholic faith and parishioner at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Auburn. Her interests include gourmet cooking and playing tennis.
Lee Alice Johnson is the owner of The October Group, a small real estate development and project management company with projects in the Auburn area. She is a licensed real estate agent and manager of the BHHS Commercial Real Estate group, where she specializes in commercial sales, leasing and development. She has spent most of her life in Auburn, after moving here with her family when she was 8 months old. She graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Architecture and Auburn University with Master’s degrees in Community Planning and Public Administration. She started her career as a City Planner in Snowmass Village Colorado before moving back to Alabama, working in both public and private sector planning; and since 2004, in real estate development. She lives in Auburn with her daughter who attends ACA, and is an active member of Cornerstone Church. Lee Alice also volunteers with the Lee County CASA organization and is on the Auburn Commercial Development Authority.
Adam Long is a software engineer and business intelligence leader, who currently leads an analytics and reporting team in the financial sector. Prior to his business intelligence career, he worked as a software consultant building custom applications for fortune 500 companies. He has a software engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Florida. He and his family are members and volunteers at Cornerstone Methodist Church. In his spare time, he volunteers with the Auburn University New Venture Accelerator as their Developer-in-Residence coaching and mentoring student entrepreneurs. Adam and his wife, Brandi, have three children. They have been an ACA family since 2016.
Bethany Mazzola is a homeschooling mom with a daughter enrolled at ACA. She has a BA in economics from Covenant College and an MBA from Eastern University. After spending 8 years teaching English in China, she moved to Opelika from Lhasa, Tibet and married Jack Mazzola. In her free time she enjoys learning more about classical education and catching up on the wonderful books her children get to enjoy in their classical schooling. Bethany attends Grace Heritage Church in Auburn with her family.
Ashley Miller is a licensed real estate agent. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Secondary Education – Science. He and his wife, Anna, were married in 2005 and have made Auburn their home with their four children. He and his family attend University church of Christ (non-denominational) in Auburn, where Ashely has served as a deacon since 2012. They are active in bible classes and attending worship services at their church, and are strong supporters of Bible-based education in an environment that honors God and teaches from a Christian ‘world-view’.