Faculty Gallery

Katie Byrd grew up in North Carolina and earned a B.S. in Earth and Ocean Sciences and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Duke University. She was a National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Senior Fellow as a master's student. After graduation, Katie relocated to New York City and taught for five years at the James Baldwin School in Manhattan. At Baldwin, Katie wrote and taught curriculum in climate change, urban ecology, nutrition, and astrobiology. She also developed and hosted the annual STEAM Nite, created fieldwork, and student research opportunities in collaboration with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (How Healthy is the Gowanus Canal? 2014), the American Museum of Natural History (extremophile investigation, 2015), and NASA (How Can NYC Become More Climate Resilient? 2015-2016).

In 2015, Katie was awarded the Math for America Master Science Teacher Fellowship and in 2016 was a NASA Climate Change Research Initiative Teacher Fellow at the NASA GISS research center. Then, in her words, she got tired. And she quit. And she traveled to 32 countries over the course of a year. In 2017, Katie and her husband Sonny (a Govie alum) moved to South Carolina and she began teaching again. Now in her tenth year of teaching she thinks she has the best job in the world, talking about science (and life) with young people, who are just the perfect amount of weird and special.

Bridget is a proud South Carolina native, dedicated school counselor, and Greenville newbie as of July 2021.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in elementary education from the University of South Carolina-Columbia, a Master of Education in Counselor Education from South Carolina State University, and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University.  She served as a school counselor at Northwestern High School in Rock Hill, SC, for the past 16 years and acted as the Director of School Counseling her last two years. 

Bridget is excited about learning a new school and a new city.  Most importantly, she is excited to serve as a listening ear, cheerleader and advisor to her students. Her hobbies include journaling, thrift shopping and anything that involves HGTV or the Hallmark channel.  Her mantra is “Believe you can, and you will” (Author unknown). 

Anna Katherine Freeland completed her BA In English at Converse College and earned her MFA from Pacific University. She co-founded The Writers Block Project and taught literature and creative writing in maximum security prisons for nine years. Her work has appeared in Didn’t See It Coming, The Emrys Journal, Talk, AtHome, and is forthcoming in Passenger Journal. She taught Sophomore English, AP English Language, and Senior English as a long-term substitute in 2020 and is thrilled to begin as permanent faculty.

Marion Grier has been an instructor of world languages, with certification in French/German/ESOL, for over 25 years.  Originally from Detroit, she spent one year studying in Clermont-Ferrand, France as part of the BA foreign study program at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI.  She later completed an MBA at Clemson University while working in the accounting, marketing, and language lab departments of the Michelin Tire Corporation.  She has conducted several student exchange programs in Germany and has been selected to participate in a wide variety of language seminars and programs:

2018 - Selected by AATG as a Chaperone for its Summer Study Program, Kiel, Germany.

2015 – Bundesministerium für Frauen, Summer Seminar Erzähl Mir Was (Digital Storytelling in German), Vienna, Austria.

2014 – National Endowment of the Humanities, Summer Seminar, “France’s Legacy - WWI and WWII”, Paris and Caen, France.

2011 – US Department of State, “Teacher Excellence & Achievement Program,” Stara Zagora, Bulgaria.

2007 – AATG Award; “Immersion Methodologies,” Summer Seminar, Concordia Language Villages, MN.

2004 – Koscuisko Foundation; English Immersion Summer Camp, July, Limanova, Poland.

2003 – AATG Award; Goethe Institute, Summer Seminar, Kunst & Kultur (Art & Culture) Berlin, Germany.

Rose Jenkins comes to the Governor's School from Midlands Technical College where she has taught mathematics for 22 years. She is an alumna of Spelman College where she earned a B.S. degree in mathematics. Jenkins also holds masters degrees in Mathematical Sciences from Clemson University and in Educational Technology from the University of South Carolina. Jenkins is the mother of Michaela Jenkins, a rising senior at Kenyon College and a 2015 graduate of the Governor's School.

Charnise Mangle is an extraordinary social studies teacher and certified literacy teacher and coach. Ms. Mangle is a Greenville native and attended Clemson University, where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Secondary History of the Social Sciences in 2012. When she understood the need for teachers to incorporate content specific literacy strategies in their classrooms for student content understanding, she began studying literacy. In 2019, she earned a Master’s of Arts in Education with a concentration in Literacy from Furman University. She will join the faculty of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities for her first year this fall after six years at Wade Hampton High School in Greenville.

Ms. Mangle has a passion and zeal for teaching social studies and has created a classroom where students can learn about United States History and the Constitution in a compelling and creative way as she guides them on a journey of personal civic duty and community understanding. She will also be teaching United States government and economics and is excited to create new and engaging lessons. She believes she has been called to raise the next generation to become critical thinkers and people of progress. She has been working with high school students since 2009 through YoungLife, student ministry, mentoring, tutoring and teaching.

In 2014, Ms. Mangle worked as a Residential Life Coordinator for the Governor’s School and enjoyed the experience so much she dreamed of being a part of the academic faculty in the future; she is so excited that the dream is coming true this school year.  

Ms. Mangle is also a published author of her ebook, Understanding Race and Racism in America: A Collection of Resources on Race in the United States of America for Self-Exploration, released in 2020.  

According to Mrs. Rita Pierson, the educator who has profoundly impacted Ms. Mangle, "every child deserves a champion -- an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be."

Charles graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. After graduation, he worked for the Lancaster County Council for the Arts (LCCA) coordinating their Arts in Education initiative. He also curated two local galleries and designed, wrote, and produced all publicity materials for the LCCA.

Charles earned his M.Div.BL from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2000, Charles and his family moved to San Jose, Costa Rica, to study at the Instituto de Lengua Española (ILE). After completing the year of study at ILE, Charles and his family moved to Puebla, México, where they lived and worked for five years.

Upon returning from Latin America, Charles taught Spanish at Dorman High School and Palmetto High School. He joined the Governor's School faculty in the fall of 2016 and serves as the sponsor for the National Spanish Honor Society, which conducted its first induction ceremony in October of 2016.

Charles has performed professionally with the Columbia City Ballet and Gaston Ballet Theatre. He also toured regionally with the Patchwork Players and appeared in several local and national commercials. 

In addition to his teaching duties, Charles currently serves as a Chaplain with the rank of Major in the South Carolina National Guard, and participates in local theater productions.

Mark Sibley-Jones taught at USC-Columbia for fifteen years before coming to the Governor's School. From 2002 to 2006 he taught English Literature at the South Carolina Honors College and advised students across a number of academic disciplines. He is thrilled to be teaching juniors in English III, English IV, and AP English Literature at the Governor's School.

Desiree has spent most of her professional career mentoring and counseling students and adults. She earned a Bachelor of Social Work from Albany State University in Albany, GA and a Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling-Marriage & Family from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.  Prior to joining the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Desiree served the state of South Carolina as a Licensed Addiction Counselor for 11 years and Greenville County School District as a Special Education Teacher for 3 years.

She is passionate about coaching students to make healthy, informed decisions in order to experience maximum personal and academic success. 

Desiree enjoys spending time with family, playing basketball and board games, and engaging in outdoor activities.