Faculty & Staff

Duncan grew up in Hope, AR. He met his wife Krystal in high school, and they were married in 2015. God has graciously given them two sons. Duncan attended Ouachita Baptist University where he obtained his B.A. in Political Science. After being called to ministry in college, he attended The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. There he obtained his M.Div. and Th.M. before completing his Ph.D. in Old Testament. Duncan and Krystal returned to Arkansas in 2019, and he was called to pastor Gravel Hill Baptist Church in Benton where he still serves as Teaching Pastor. Christian education is Duncan’s primary love, and he believes it is the key piece that is missing in modern discipleship. He is convinced that PCA is able to assist parents in the calling of Deuteronomy 6 to form children into intelligent, virtuous disciples of Christ.

In many ways Mary views PCA as a child that God has given her the privilege of nurturing. Her greatest desire is to see students leave Pinnacle with a vibrant and growing relationship with Christ. As a teacher, she has also always desired for her students to love learning and, through that love, to be constantly seeking God’s Truth in all that crosses their paths. She graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in Music then received her Pharm.D. degree from the University of Florida. She and her husband Dave met and were married in Richmond, Virginia. After their first child, Jacob, was born, Mary transitioned from practicing pharmacy to being a mother. She classically homeschooled her children for eight years and has loved the opportunity to teach in a classroom environment since PCA’s doors opened in 2010.

Amy grew up in a small town in north central Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor's of Interior Design and a minor in Art History. She met her husband Bill while finishing her degree, and they were married in 2007. Amy has served in her home as a stay-at-home mom while operating a small Interior Design business on the side. With all four of their children now at PCA, Amy decided to set into a full-time position as both administrative assistant and art teacher for two classes. Amy's desire is to continue to see the students flourish not only in their love for education, but more importantly in love for their Savior.

Brooke was born and raised in South Arkansas. She moved to the Central Arkansas area with her husband, Micheal, in 2012. They have two children who currently attend PCA, Lola and Luna. After having their first daughter, she was able to become a stay-at-home mom to focus on serving her family. During that time, she had the privilege of teaching part time at various church preschool programs. They are members of The Church at Rock Creek where she is actively involved in Women's Ministry. She feels extremely blessed to be able to come alongside the wonderful staff already at PCA to help teach, nurture and disciple even the youngest students at Pinnacle.

Jennifer is a native of North Little Rock, Arkansas. She graduated from Ouachita Baptist University in 1999, and then moved to Texas to attend seminary where she met her husband Mark. She completed her M.A. degrees in Christian Education and Ministry-Based Evangelism in 2003. In the years following graduation, a friend introduced her to Christian classical education. Jennifer accepted a position teaching kindergarten at Covenant Classical School where she taught for three years until her oldest child was born in 2007. In 2014, her family moved home to Arkansas to help with the family business. At that time, her oldest entered first grade at PCA. Jennifer’s appreciation and passion for Christian classical education has grown over the years as all four of her children currently attend PCA. She is especially grateful to be a part of preparing four and five year olds to enter kindergarten at PCA. Her heart’s desire is to foster students’ love of learning about their Creator and His world.

Emily grew up in Georgia then moved to Little Rock while in high school. She graduated from The Croft Institute at the University of Mississippi with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Spanish. While at Ole Miss, Emily met and married her husband, Paul, and they now have three daughters, all of whom attend PCA. Emily has taught preschool in both traditional and montessori classrooms, and her desire is for PCA's youngests to develop a love for learning and to begin building a strong foundation in Christ. 

Born and raised in Indiana, Renée met her husband Tim while earning her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Tennessee. The Reeds were married in 1982 and have resided in Little Rock since 1989. They have three children and three grandchildren. Mrs. Reed taught second grade in Knoxville, TN, and also homeschooled her own children before coming to PCA. God has given Renée a heart for children, and she enjoys the distinctly Christian and classical curriculum at Pinnacle Classical Academy.

Kim was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida where she met her husband Brandon while earning her B.S. in Early Childhood Education at the Florida State College at Jacksonville. Kim and Brandon were married in 2014 and moved to Texas. Kim taught kindergarten in Florida and then in Texas at private-Christian schools for a few years. She and her husband now have 4 kids and moved to Arkansas for her husband’s job as a worship pastor at Christ Community Church. She is now excited to be back in the classroom teaching at PCA, where her 3 oldest kids are attending. She has a heart for teaching students and watching them grow in their love for learning and for the Lord.

Janelle grew up in Riverside, California, where she had the benefit of a Christian education.  She has worked in education (public and Christian) for many years, in five different states.  Previously, she was a missionary in Zambia, Africa.  She and her husband Walter have served in home missions together as well.  Their son Tommy is in Pre-Kindergarten at PCA, and Janelle excitedly joined the PCA staff for the 2024-25 school year.

Jarah grew up in Texas before her family relocated to Arkansas when she was in high school. She earned her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and has worked many years as a teacher as well as a children’s minister. Jarah and her husband, Nick were married in 2011 and have 7 year old twins that will be attending 2nd Grade at PCA. Her family lives in Benton, and are active members of Fellowship Bible Church. She loves to read, work puzzles, and play board games.

A lifelong Arkansas resident, Teresa has been married to her husband Mark for over 30 years. The Ingrams are parents to six children and two grandchildren. Teresa homeschooled her children using classical methods until deciding to return to school to finish her degree in education. Teresa received a BSE from Henderson State University in 2013. Since that time, she has taught preschool, kindergarten, third and fourth grades in public and private schools. Teresa and Mark enjoy serving Christ at their local church in Alexander.

Carrie is originally from Memphis, where she met and married her husband Ken. They have three children – Will, Emma, and Drew. Carrie earned her B.S and M.S. degrees in special education from the University of Memphis. She taught for 4 years in the inner city of Memphis and one year in the suburbs of Allentown, PA. For the next several years, she enjoyed her time at home with her children. During her years at home, she worked as a developmental therapist for Tennessee Early Intervention System providing specialized teaching to children with special needs as well as teaching part-time at Special Kids and Families. She also worked part-time as a private tutor for several years at Little Rock Christian Academy. Mrs. Knecht feels blessed every day to be on staff at PCA where she can be a part of such a wonderful community of teachers, parents, and students.

Michelle is a Conway, Arkansas native where she met her loving husband of 18 years, Zeb, while attending Central Baptist College. She then furthered her education at the University of Central Arkansas, graduating with a bachelor’s in early childhood education in 2008. After teaching at a private Christian school in Hope, AR, Michelle chose to be a homemaker when their first child was born. It wasn’t until the Lord led her to homeschool their three children that she saw the undeniable advantages of classical education and grew in her educational philosophy as a teacher. Her own love of learning is what drives her passion to teach. Her deepest desire is to see students grow in their passion and pursuit of knowing God and making him known, wherever He may lead them.

Katelyn grew up in Arkansas, where she was homeschooled with a strong classical influence. In the Fall of 2018, Katelyn began attending Faulkner University in Montgomery Alabama. During her time at Faulkner, Katelyn worked as an English tutor and treasured her time in Great Books, a classical honors program. After earning a B.S. in English, Katelyn returned to Arkansas, where she enjoys working with the youth of her church. Katelyn attributes a classical education for her love of learning and is thrilled and honored to work at PCA.

Jake grew up in Harrison, Arkansas and is married with four children. He attended Ouachita Baptist University.  He then went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and received a Masters of Divinity degree and has lived in Little Rock a little over a decade serving Pinnacle Classical Academy and his church. He loves the heart and culture of Pinnacle Classical Academy and hopes to teach a group of young men and women to think, speak, and live out of the wisdom that God in Christ gives through his Word and through the lessons and principles learned through the great books of Western civilization.

Laurel is a native of Little Rock. She was privileged to join Pinnacle Classical Academy as a student in 2010, its first year as a school, and to be in its first graduating class. Beginning in 2018, she attended Bryan College, where she completed a B.A. in English with a focus in Literature and a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a focus in the Humanities in 2022. She now has the honor of returning to Pinnacle as an upper school teacher in 2022 while working on an M.A. in Management and Leadership. Having been incredibly blessed by PCA as a student—by the classical model, the mission and vision of PCA, and the dedication and care of the teachers here—it has been an honor and a joy for her to work with the school once again as a faculty member.

Justin grew up in southern Oklahoma and attended the University of Oklahoma where he met his wife Valerie and earned a BA in Ethics and Religion. The two have been married for over 20 years and have three children. After sensing a call to ministry, he received his MA in Theological Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and served as a pastor in North Texas for about ten years while simultaneously home-schooling his three children. It was during this time that he came to deeply appreciate the classical method of education. That combination of Christian ministry and classical teaching has sparked a passion for education that recognizes just how vital it is for us to rightly train up our children in the way that God would have them to go (Proverbs 22:6).

Alec was raised in  Cabot, AR and was a graduate of Cabot High School in 2014. After graduating high school, Alec went on to attend the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR. It was there he was saved at a winter Bible conference midway through his freshman year and began to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Desiring to impact students for Christ, Alec changed his major from pre-pharmacy to a BS in Applied Mathematics with a minor in STEM Education. During his junior year of college, Alec married Jillian,  his wife of now eight years, and they currently have two children together. Alec serves as one of the teaching pastors at Calvary Bible Church in Jacksonville. He is excited for this new venture into distinctly Christian and classical education and hopes God will enable him to play his part in the training of lifelong learners for Christ here at PCA.

Derek is originally from southeast Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Messiah College (now University) and worked as a 4th grade teacher before sensing the Lord's call to full-time ministry. Derek received his Masters of Divinity degree from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to Arkansas at the end of 2018 and currently serves as the Associate Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. Derek is married to Bethany with three children (two of which attend Pinnacle Classical). He loves teaching the Bible and is passionate about seeing others grow in their love of God and His Word.

Carl was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but grew up in the South and graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He worked in the electric utility industry for 50 years before coming to PCA. Carl and his wife, Ellen, actively pray for Pinnacle and are thrilled to have two of their grandchildren attend PCA. He desires to help students love learning, grow in their knowledge, and work to build God’s kingdo

Brandon is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. He and his wife Kim were married in 2014 and have four children. He attended Trinity Baptist College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received a bachelor's and master’s degree in Church Music. He currently serves as the worship pastor at Christ Community Church. His desire is to point others to Jesus and enjoys doing that through music.

Rachel grew up in Little Rock and holds a bachelor's degree in Technical Communication from Cedarville University and a master's degree in Educational Psychology from Florida State University. She held positions as a technical writer, training manager, and clinic coordinator before joining PCA's administrative staff. Rachel is a proponent of classical Christian education because it mirrors our brain's natural, divinely-created paths for learning and using information while making God the center of every classroom. She and her husband, Ben, have three sons who also attend PCA.

Kaitlin grew up in White Hall and moved to Little Rock as a teen. She holds a Studio Art degree from UALR with an emphasis in photography and graphic design. Kaitlin loves Pinnacle and is especially thankful for the Christ-centered education her niece and nephew have received and for the true friends they have made.

Karis Briscoe met her husband at the Little Rock airport after they attended Ouachita Baptist University's New Student Retreat as incoming freshmen in 2009. She is so glad to move back to this special town, in a state they love, and begin work at Pinnacle Classical Academy. The Briscoes discovered a love for classical education through Coram Deo Academy in Flowermound, TX and look forward to partnering with the staff at PCA. Karis has been involved in childrens and student ministry for almost twenty years and has four kids of her own. She is passionate about cultivating a lifelong love of learning, children's literature and creating a positive connection between children and their reading experience.

Lolo is originally from Belgium but grew up across various countries in Africa. After earning her teaching degree in Belgium, Lolo came to Louisiana to teach French. While in Louisiana, she met and married her husband Richard, and together, they had two daughters. Lolo has taught in public, private, and classical schools in addition to homeschooling her daughters but says her time at Pinnacle has been the most rewarding as it offers a beautiful balance of academic rigor, love, and grace.