Area: Leadership

Mr. Bishop holds a B.A. from UNC-Pembroke and an M.A. from Campbell University.  Mr. Bishop oversees all athletic teams and the entire athletic program grades 7-12.  He has served the Academy since 1982 and has been an educator since 1974.

Prior to her employment in 2000, Ms. Bruffey was a member of the Board of Trustees, chaired the Auction and Grand Garage Sale, served as treasurer of the Eagle club, and volunteered in the school store.

Mrs. Burt holds a Bachelor’s Degree from West Virginia University with an emphasis in Child Development and Family Studies. She is a member of the Phi Upsilon Omicron National Honor Fraternity.  She has been an educator since 2000 and joined the academy in 2011.  Prior to an administrative role, Mrs. Burt has taught kindergarten and pre-kindergarten.  She is  thrilled to have both of her children attending the academy with her.

Mrs. Dennison previously worked at our school in the admissions and business offices and as an English and Journalism teacher and spent 13 years as an Assistant Principal in the Cumberland County School System. Mrs. Dennison has a BS in Mass Communications from Methodist University and an MA in School Administration from the University of Phoenix.  She also holds a Professional Educator’s license as a K-12 Principal. Mrs. Dennison’s husband, Kevin, also works at F.A. as the varsity track and field coach and the varsity girls’ basketball coach.

Ms. Frady holds a B.A in English and History and a M.A. in American Studies from The College of William and Mary. She also has her M.Ed. in School Counseling from SUNY at Buffalo.  Ms. Frady served at the Academy from 2005-2010 first as the School Counselor and then the Director of College Counseling.  Prior to her time at F.A., she served as either an Assistant Dean or Director of Admissions at UNC-Chapel Hill, William and Mary, and Niagara University.

Mrs. Kaplan serves on the Administrative Team at F.A. and leads our efforts in both fundraising and marketing.   She has a BS degree and an MBA from Christopher Newport University.  Prior to coming to F.A., Mrs. Kaplan spent time as a registered nurse, a real estate agent, and as a professional grant writer.  

Ms. Lambert holds a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill.  Ms. Lambert oversees the admission office for grades pk-12.  She has served the Academy since 1983.

Mr. Pittman is a licensed CPA and holds a degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mr. Pittman has been a resident of Fayetteville since 1987 and is an active member of the community, serving on many private and civic boards. Mr. Pittman and his wife, Dellmarie have three children, Christina, Mary Carty, and Sam; and they are active in their church, Snyder Memorial Baptist.

Mr. Quesnel is the Head of School. He has served in that role since his appointment in 2012. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1989 with a degree in mathematics. He has worked in two other independent schools in North Carolina since then. His prior positions held include Assistant Headmaster, Academic Dean, Athletic Director, Upper School math teacher, and coach. Mr. Quesnel and his wife, Wendy, have two grown children, Kelly and Jonathan.

Mr. Tisdale holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from East Carolina University.  He has worked as an Information Technology (IT) consultant for clients such as Centura Bank and Microsoft.  Mr. Tisdale also worked as a programmer and Operations Manager for a company who hosted Blackboard and other Course Management Systems (CMS) for colleges across the country and as a Business Analyst for Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC.  Mr. Tisdale, a native of Fayetteville, is married to Karen and has three children Dawson, Jackson, and Callie.

Mr. Weel holds an Associate in Technology from Pierce Community College in Washington. He is the Director of Facilities and Grounds and is a Certified Professional Maintenance Manager attaining his certification from the Association for Facilities Engineering. He has served the Academy since 2015. Mr. Weel is married to Michelle and has a daughter Anna and son Robert who is an 2019 Fayetteville Academy graduate.  

Mr. Wright served as the Director of Behavior and Technology and as Co-Head of School at the Acceleration Middle School, a charter school located in Fort Myers, Florida.  Mr. Wright’s thirteen-year career in education also includes positions as a teacher, Director of Technology, Middle School Dean of Students, Director of Upper School Programs and Student Life, and as a Special Education Crisis Manager.  Mr. Wright holds a Bachelor of Science in Technology Education and a Master of Arts in Child Psychology.

He has a strong commitment towards maintaining a healthy school environment in which students are able to succeed, in addition to providing students with the opportunities to experience a variety of successes.  Those are the qualities of establishing a great educational experience for Upper School students.