Darlington is pleased to welcome the following new faculty and staff members for the 2026-2027 school year:
Cairo Booker will be head girls' basketball coach and assistant director of admission. She served as interim head girls' basketball coach at Wesleyan School, her alma mater, this past season after serving since 2022 as an assistant coach. She has helped guide the program to state championship and Final Four appearances, including a region championship and state runner-up finish, and played a key role in player development. At Wesleyan, she also served as an admissions assistant and was previously the special events manager. Prior to Wesleyan, Booker spent two years as a graduate assistant coach at Wingate University, where she earned her M.A. in Sports Management. She also holds a B.A. in Business Economics from Wofford College.
Cody Chavers will join Darlington's Soccer Academy as head coach of the U16 Boys and assistant coach of the U17 and U19 Boys, bringing dynamic coaching expertise and recent recognition as United Soccer Club's Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. He currently serves as assistant director of coaching for U13-U19 Boys at United Soccer Club in Loveland, Colo., where he leads strategic development of coaching programs, oversees player identification and team placement, and recruits and mentors coaching staff. Chavers also serves on the club's Board of Directors, providing strategic leadership focused on player development, coach growth, and community engagement. He holds a B.S. in Business Marketing from Central Methodist University and earned his USSF 'C' License in 2025. Chavers was nominated for Colorado Soccer Association Developmental Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, and led his team to a President's Cup championship in 2025.
Bryce Cooper was named assistant director of the Soccer Academy in February, bringing more than 15 years of collegiate, academy, and elite club coaching experience to the role, along with a proven record of program building, player development, and leadership. He most recently served as head men's soccer coach at Newberry College, where over five years he transformed the program culture, led the team to its all-time wins record, and earned back-to-back SAC Tournament appearances. His teams achieved the highest program GPA in history (3.41) and earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for seven straight years. Prior to Newberry, Cooper served as first assistant coach at Duquesne University and Saint Francis University, and assistant coach at Butler University, where his teams won two Horizon League championships and made two NCAA tournament appearances. He holds a B.S. in Sociology from University of Southern Indiana, a master's in Human Resource Management from Saint Francis University and a USSF 'B' License, along with the United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma.
Courtney Cooper will serve as head of Regester House, bringing 15 years of experience as an elementary educator and instructional leader. She currently teaches fourth grade at Pomaria-Garmany Elementary School in South Carolina, where she has served on the School Leadership Team for 10 consecutive years and leads district-wide curriculum development in social studies and science. Cooper holds a B.S. in Elementary & Early Education from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from American College of Education, and was named her school's 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. She has founded multiple student leadership initiatives including an Entrepreneur Club, Filmmaking Club, Musical Theatre Club and School Hype Squad.
Lisa Ingram will be a Pre-K to 8 art teacher, bringing extensive experience teaching K-8 art and a deep expertise in ceramics. She currently teaches at Berry Elementary and Middle School and has been a pottery instructor at Earthworks Pottery since 2008, leading classes for students of all ages. Ingram holds a B.A. in Marketing with a Visual Arts minor from Berry College and a Master's in Counseling and Leadership from Liberty University. She is completing her Georgia K-12 Visual Arts certification this summer.
Bethany Pence will teach join the primary grades program as a second pre-K teacher for the expanding pre-K class. She brings five years of elementary classroom experience, most recently as a first-grade all content classroom teacher at Pepperell Primary School, and has certifications in Early Childhood Education, ESOL, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Berry College and is currently completing her Master's in Special Education with a dyslexia endorsement from Kennesaw State University. Click here to read more about the pre-K to 2 expansion.
Courtney Vega-King will serve as orchestra director for grades 4-12. With significant experience as a strings educator and professional musician, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Emory University, a Master of Music in Music Education from Northwestern University and a Master of Music in Violin Performance from the University of Georgia. Most recently, she served as middle and high school orchestra director at Rainey-McCullers School of the Arts, where she led all three orchestras to earn superior ratings at LGPE for the first time in the school's history. Her background also includes extensive private studio teaching, Suzuki training, and performance with symphonies throughout the Southeast.
The following faculty and staff members will have new or additional roles in 2026-2027:
Kobe Nadu ('20), who has been assisting the 3-5 team this year, will be a middle grades history teacher. He will also be the head coach of the middle school football and boys' basketball teams, along with continuing to assist Upper School football. Nadu recently moved into Summerbell House to join the residential program. He did his student teaching at Darlington while earning his degree in primary education and history from the College of Wooster.
Julie Swartz has moved into a new role as the student billing manager after serving as accounts payable manager since 2022. Her primary responsibility in this role is to ensure accuracy of all student charges and payment processing for tuition and incidental charges. Swartz holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Georgia. She and her husband, Larkin, are the parents of Oliver (’37) and Lucy (’39).
Lindsay Woods has transitioned into a new role, overseeing all aspects of accounts payable, including payment of all invoices, employee credit card administration, and cash processing. She has worked at Darlington since 2015, first serving as the Dar Shop manager and, most recently, as assistant controller. Woods holds a B.B.A. in Marketing from the State University of West Georgia. She and her husband, Director of Upper School Chad Woods, are the parents of Ava Ann (’26) and Barrett (’29).
This page will be updated as new employees are hired. Click here to see the most up-to-date list of employment opportunities at Darlington.
