Leadership and Board

Jeremy Mann

Head of School

Jeremy Mann has served as Head of School since founding The Field School in 2017. He began his career as a special education teacher in a low-income public school in Los Angeles, and then worked as a teacher coach in Chicago with Teach For America. He has a B.A. in philosophy and great books from Biola University, an M.A. in special education with an emphasis in urban education from Loyola Marymount University, an M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Wheaton College. Jeremy lives in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago with his wife Erin, a former nurse practitioner at Lawndale Christian Health Center, and their five children, four of whom attend The Field School.

Brian Williams

Principal

Brian left his home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to attend Wheaton College, where he graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English Literature. After graduating, he taught for three years in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago through Teach For America. He earned his M.A. in Teaching at Dominican University, along with certifications in bilingual and ESL education. When he learned that a school was starting that would join his calling to work with students from diverse backgrounds with a focus on Christ-centered, classical education, he was thrilled to move to the Austin neighborhood and join The Field School as the founding Kindergarten teacher. He took on the role of Principal in 2021 and continues to delight in great texts and how they inspire children. He, his wife Priscila, and their two children live in Austin and are part of The Brook church in the Montclare neighborhood.

Paul Canada

Dean of Students & Athletic Director

Paul Canada was raised in Brookneal, Virginia and has spent over 30 years in youth development and leadership. His experience includes serving as Youth Pastor of the Rock of our Salvation Church in Chicago, co-founding Jireh Sports Ministry in Indianapolis, serving as Vice Principal of the Circle Rock Prep School, and founding the Flipside Academy of Movement. Paul has a B.S. degree in Youth Ministry from Liberty University. He is married to Carol and has five children ages 16 to 26 years old.

Keith Davis

Head of Finance and Operations

Keith Davis was raised in Marietta, Georgia and has lived in Birmingham, Alabama for 20 years with his wife, Elaine, and three girls (ages 7, 9, and 11). He earned a B.A. in Accounting from Samford University and held an active Certified Public Accountant license for over 10 years. He has worked in non-profit finance for over 12 years. Keith currently serves as a shepherding elder and finance chair at Redeemer Community Church in Birmingham. In his free time, he enjoys camping, cycling and hiking. Keith and his family will move to Chicago in June 2024 to join The Field School. 

Grace Liu

Head of Advancement

Grace joined The Field School’s Office of Advancement in 2021, serving as Advancement & Partnerships Associate and Campaign Director. In addition to her work with Advancement, Grace leads various music initiatives at The Field School, including the student chapel bands. Originally from Virginia, Grace graduated from Vanderbilt University with highest honors in Human & Organizational Development and Violin Performance. Prior to The Field School, Grace worked at Siloam Health in Nashville, TN and helped found the Asian American Christian Collaborative. Grace also serves as Communications Assistant for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, performs and teaches with local performing arts organizations, and helps lead the youth ministry and a community group at Chicago West Bible Church.

Annie Houghton

Dean of Community Life

Annie Houghton has served in various capacities at the school since its founding. Previously, Annie was on staff with Young Life for 20 years, speaking, developing, and fundraising. She graduated from the University of Illinois summa cum laude with a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development. She is married to Jon and has four kids, 10 to 19 years old.

Natalie MaLossi

Director of Admissions

Natalie MaLossi has called Chicago home for the past twelve years and resides in the Austin neighborhood with her husband, Matt, and their two daughters, both of whom attend The Field School. Originally from Denver, Colorado, she grew up in a biracial, first-generation family and earned a B.A. in Cultural Studies and Spanish from the University of Denver and an MBA from the Daniels College of Business. Natalie brings an extensive background in business and technology, having led global teams and diversity initiatives at companies including Meta, PayPal, and Stripe. She and her family are active members of the Near North location of Park Community Church, where Natalie serves in the children’s ministry. In her free time, she enjoys home improvement projects and urban gardening.

Latoya Pinson

Student Support Coordinator

As Student Support Coordinator, Latoya Pinson partners with teachers and parents to provide individualized support for students. Latoya Pinson was born and raised in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago in Austin. She is the proud wife of Coach Nigel, mother to three boys, and forever a Chicago Bears fan! She is passionate about building strong families in the Body of Christ. She has served youth and families for over a decade, through By the Hand Club For Kids, children’s ministry, and youth ministry at her church, Living Word Christian Center. She is a Certified Youth Mental Health Coach and trained in Spiritual and Behavioral First Aid for Youth

Courtney Gonzalez

Office Manager

Courtney Gonzalez was raised in the western suburbs of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois. She and her husband have three children together, all of whom attend The Field School. Prior to working at The Field School, Courtney served as a private-practice doula to the Chicago community for seven years. She enjoys being with her family and friends, cooking, carpentry and household projects, singing, and being in nature. She attends Cross Culture Church.

John Searls

Chair

John Searls was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. After graduating from Purdue University, he began working in the construction supply and real estate development sector. Today he is self-employed with a focus on developing small to midsize multi-family buildings, along with an emphasis on window and door supply and installation. He is passionate about serving in the local church and is a board member at Chicago Tabernacle where he has attended for 16 years. He resides in the West Loop with his wife Bethany and two young daughters who attend The Field School.

Neil Tan

Vice-Chair

Neil is a retired Executive Pastor who served at his former church in Connecticut, where he was a member for thirty years. Born in Malaysia, he lived in England for eighteen years, where he earned a Ph.D. in robotics and a post-graduate diploma in theology, before moving to the USA to work for UPS in various technical and management roles. His board experience includes serving on a regional board of OMF (Overseas Missionary Fellowship), as an elder at several local churches, and with a faith-based organization called The Jericho Partnership that serves local at-risk youth. He and his wife, Eva, have three grown-up children and ten grandchildren. They currently live in Los Angeles and attend a campus of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.

Dana Cooper

Chair Emeritus

Dana Cooper has 30 years’ experience growing and leading start-up Christ-centered schools in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. She shared her experience as Chief Advancement Officer and Assistant Head of School with the founders of The Field School and volunteered to help communicate its mission and vision to potential families, partners, and donors before TFS opened in September 2017. As an inaugural board member, Dana has served as Advancement Committee Chair, Board Secretary, and Vice Chair. She has a B.A. in liberal arts and a M.Ed. in educational administration from Xavier University. She and her husband are parents of two adult children educated in the Cincinnati Christ-centered start-up, now both married and parents of five children and four pets.

Mark Bodett

Treasurer

Mark Bodett grew up in the Chicago and Denver areas and has a Liberal Arts degree from Wheaton College and a Structural Engineering degree from the University of Illinois. Mark started his career in engineering and worked on the Washington D.C. Metro system and for the U.S. Department of State. Mark finished his career working twenty-six years in finance as a bond trader in Chicago. Mark and his wife Brenda have three adult children and recently welcomed two grandchildren to the family. Currently, Mark and Brenda attend College Church in Wheaton.

Jasmine Dowell

Secretary

Jasmine Dowell is a Pediatric Intensive Care Physician from Chicago’s Austin neighborhood who completed medical school and Pediatric Residency at the University of Chicago. Her upbringing and professional background made her passionate about ensuring Chicago’s children have the opportunity to flourish into the people God lovingly created them to be. Jasmine lives in Milwaukee, WI where she serves in clinical, research, and leadership positions at Children’s Wisconsin-Medical College of Wisconsin. She worships at Evolve Church where she co-leads the Healthcare Ministry. Jasmine has supported The Field School since its inception and joined the Board to contribute her love for Jesus, pediatric calling, and her organizational leadership skills to advance The Field School mission.

Lauren Akinlawon

Lauren Akinlawon grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and has been living on the West Side for eight years. She is the Project Manager for a new Children’s Museum coming to North Lawndale and also works as a part-time Speech Pathologist for The Field School. Lauren received her B.A. from Augustana College and her M.A. in Speech Pathology from the University of Northern Iowa. Lauren has previously served as the Board Chair for God’s Treasures, a therapeutic day school for children with special needs based in Nicaragua. Since moving to Chicago in 2006, Lauren has been actively volunteering and involved with a various organizations on the West Side including Breakthrough Urban Ministries, 1LCDC, City of Refuge, and Reborn Ministries. Additionally, she has served as the speech therapy team lead at Aspire Children’s Services, Shriners Hospital, and L.E.A.R.N Charter School. She currently resides in Austin with her husband and two kids.

Cortlandt Armstrong

Cortlandt Armstrong serves as Director of Account Management within Meta’s Global Business Group. He leads a $2Billion sales organization that aims to empower over a thousand Mid-Market companies to grow, scale, and reach their full potential on Meta platforms. Beyond his professional responsibilities, Cortlandt is a Diversity and Inclusion advocate and community builder. He serves as Chicago’s Vets@ chapter Co-lead (Meta’s Veterans employee resource group). He also helped launch Elevate Advanced Access, a program that enables minority-owned businesses to use Meta as an economic catalyst for growth. Prior to Meta, Cortlandt was GM & Director of Strategic Sales at Life Fitness. He also brings extensive experience in project management, sales, and business leadership from his previous tenure at General Electric (GE). He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and briefly served as an Officer in the US Army. Cortlandt and his wife Erica have seven kids, five of whom attend The Field School, and are active members at Chicago West Bible Church.

Alex Cueto

Alexandra Cueto was born and raised in Chicago and has spent most of her life in the Little Village community where she currently resides. She came to know Christ at the age of twenty-one while working in a law firm downtown and started attending New Life Community Church, where she served in the Sunday school, the after school program La Semilla, and as a mentor to young men and women for five years. During that time, she also worked for the missions organization ITEAMS and for Lawndale Christian Health Center, where she has served as an accounting clerk, front desk registration rep representative, assistant manager and site manager for seven years. Currently, Alexandra works in the finance department at Lawndale Christian Health Center and cares for her two beautiful young women of God, Teresa and Sara, who are students at The Field School.

Jacqueline Doctor Johnson

Jacqueline Doctor Johnson is an active leader in the Austin neighborhood, where she has lived for 26 years. An accomplished textile artist, Jackie is a board member at Apparel Industry Board, Inc., teaches quality classes at the Austin library, and manages a YouTube channel on sewing, knitting, crocheting, and quilting. Jackie is a member of Resurrected Life Church International, where she serves as a minister, superintendent of children's church, and an intercessory prayer team member. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

Andrew Follett

Andrew Follett is a co-owner at New Sound Cafe, a historic gospel record shop restored as a community cafe where all profits go to support neighborhood organizations. He has more than 15 years of experience founding and leading companies, and most recently served as the CEO of Heggerty, an education company dedicated to solving the literacy crisis. Andrew lives on the west side of Chicago with his wife and four children, who all attend The Field School. He serves as an elder at Chicago West Bible Church, and enjoys travel, the outdoors, reading biographies, and playing the bass.

Jeff McCall

Jeff McCall is the President and COO of Turnpoint Services. Turnpoint is one of the nation's largest home services companies with over +7,000 team members across 30 states, and generates +$1.5bln in annual revenue. Prior to his role at Turnpoint, Jeff has held several executive leadership roles across various consumer and healthcare businesses. Jeff received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Columbia University. He and his wife have three children who attend The Field School.

Phil Nussbaum

Phil Nussbaum is a co-founder and Chairman of Performance Trust Companies, a financial services firm headquartered in Chicago. Phil graduated with high honors from Wheaton College with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics; he has an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago. Phil and his wife Judy have four adult children, including Mary Nussbaum, a founding first grade teacher at The Field School. Phil serves as an elder at College Church in Wheaton. He has also served on Wheaton College's Board of Visitors and the boards of the Simeon Trust and Radio 4VEH, a Christian radio station in Haiti.

Bruce McKenzie

Bruce McKenzie is a Senior Vice President at the Northern Trust Company in Chicago and has worked there for more than 35 years as a manager and Senior Fiduciary Officer in providing comprehensive wealth management services to ultra wealthy multi-generational families.  He graduated with a BA from Dartmouth College and a Masters in Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.  Bruce serves on multiple charitable boards including Chairperson of the Eleazer Wheelock Society at Dartmouth and the Advisory Board of Breakthrough Urban Ministries in Chicago.  He is also active at his church, Western Springs Baptist Church, where he is currently Treasurer.  Bruce and his wife Debbie have been married for 30 years with three sons and live in Western Springs. His wife Debbie works at The Field School as the Academic Support Coordinator.