Matt Dempsey began his education career in Selma, Alabama as a Spanish teacher at Selma High School for 3 years before leaving to work for Teach For America as the Blackbelt M,TLD – serving schools and teachers from Montgomery to Perry County. In 2015, he moved to Nashville, TN to lead Nashville Prep, a 5th-8th grade charter school. Matt currently resides in Nashville and is the principal of RePublic High School. Though he no longer lives full-time in Selma, he still owns a home in Dallas County and visits frequently.

Mrs. Suzanne McKee joined Marion Military Institute (MMI) on 4 October 2004.  She serves as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement, and the Executive Director of the MMI Foundation.  She oversees development, grants, and fundraising activities, alumni and parent activities, public information and media relations, government affairs, strategic engagement, and all activities for the MMI Foundation, which houses the endowment for MMI and awards more than 40 named scholarships each year.  She also carries the additional responsibility to serve as the MMI President’s Chief of Staff.

She and her husband, Robert, established the Faunsdale Foundation for the town of Faunsdale, Alabama, and recently completed a partnership with the University of Auburn School of Architecture’s Rural Studio to open the first ever community center for Faunsdale.  Her two sons, Gordon and Porter Lawless are 2016 and 2018 graduates of Marion Military Institute and both transferred to her alma mater, The University of Alabama.

Carmon Paige Fields is originally from Marion Junction, Alabama but currently resides in Sawyerville, Alabama. She graduated from Judson College with a degree in Criminal Justice. She also received her Juris Doctor from Birmingham School of Law. She worked in the legal system for 20 years with a Private Attorney, the District Attorney Office, the District Judge Office, and Chief Juvenile Probation Officer. In 2017, she was employed with Marion Military Institute as the Director of Human Resources & Compliance, Senior Personnel Officer, and Title IX Coordinator. She is excited about Breakthrough Charter School because it will be a diverse educational facility, where all children can receive excellent educational training. Also, Breakthrough will provide leadership opportunities, along with community and parent involvement.

Kristi Wallace is a native of Perry County. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law and a B.A., cum laude, from Auburn University. She has over 20 years of experience in the legal industry, both as a practicing attorney and in business development and marketing roles with two national law firms. She currently serves as Strategic Marketing Projects Manager for Butler Snow LLP. Her daughter will be in third grade upon opening in 2021.