Gary Bailey, AIA
Owner, President
Gary Bailey brings over 40 years of experience in architecture and project management, primarily in the field of education. He has served as the key design professional for over $1.0 billion in major education design projects around the state of Mississippi in the past ten years. His work has earned numerous AIA (Mississippi Chapter) Honor Awards for Design. In recognition of his expertise, Mr. Bailey has been a Guest Speaker at the Mississippi State School of Architecture as well as for government agencies. He has also served as an adjunct professor in the College of Education and Architecture at Mississippi State University for their Ph.D. Program in education leadership.
Pat Ross
Owner, CEO, Interim Alabama State Director
Pat Ross, CEO and Interim Alabama State Director of the Bailey Education Group, has served as a public educator in Mississippi for more than 20 years. Pat’s education experience includes teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, Superintendent, Deputy State Superintendent, and Education Policy Advisor to Governor Phil Bryant. Mr. Ross currently oversees all operations for the Bailey Education Group and is specifically focused on providing leadership development academies, retreats, and one-on-one coaching sessions with school leaders in Mississippi.
Hank Bounds, Ph.D.
Owner, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development
Dr. Hank Bounds, Vice President of Bailey Education Group, is a lifelong educator. Dr. Bounds has devoted his 28-year career to helping change students' lives in the same way education opened doors in his own life. He began as a high school teacher, then rose to principal, superintendent, and state superintendent before becoming Mississippi’s commissioner of higher education in 2009. In that role, he oversaw a complex system of eight public universities. He went on to serve as president of the of the University of Nebraska system from 2015-2019, where he was the administrator for the four campuses in the university system. There Dr. Bounds oversaw a period of record growth and collaboration, including all-time highs in enrollment, graduation rates, student diversity, research expenditures and public-private partnerships. In 2019 Dr. Bounds retired from Nebraska and returned to our area to continue to serve children.
Denise Ferrell
CFO
Denise is our CFO and a CPA. She has been with the firm since inception. Prior to Bailey Education Group, Denise worked for a couple of large local CPA firms in Birmingham, Alabama. She has a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from William and Mary. Her first three years of college were spent at Auburn University in Visual Design and Textile Design.
Tanisha Washington
Vice President of Educational Services, Interim Mississippi State Director
Tanisha Washington is a former elementary and middle school English Language Arts teacher with over 20 years of experience in various areas of education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech/Language Pathology and Elementary Education from the University of Southern Mississippi and a Master's degree in Elementary Education from William Carey University. She is currently working on her doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Ms. Washington has served in the capacity of Academic Curriculum Coach, Curriculum Coordinator, Interventionist, School Test Coordinator, LSC Chairperson, among other titles outside the scope of regular classroom educator. Ms. Washington currently serves as Director of Educational Services and Interim Mississippi State Director for Bailey Education Group, LLC. As Director, Ms. Washington oversees all instructional support services at Bailey Education Group.
Andy Parker, Ph.D.
Vice President of Operations & Support, Interim Louisiana State Director
Dr. Andy Parker is an energetic, motivational leader and speaker who has been teaching students and leading schools and districts for the past 30 years. He is currently serving as Vice President of Operations and Support and Interim Louisiana State Director at Bailey Education Group. His background in high school English and his passion for leadership and supporting those in leadership roles propelled him to begin writing his book, Building Brilliant Schools: What GREAT Leaders Do Differently, which was published in 2021 and quickly became an international best-seller. His companion workbook, 50 Tools to Build Brilliant Schools will be published June 2022.
An energizing, humorous, and frank speaker on issues about school leadership and cultural competence, Dr. Andy also coaches leaders in schools and districts across Mississippi and Louisiana to transform school culture and improve student and teacher performance.
Along with lessons he has learned along the way, Andy brings his passion for social justice, his sense of humor and positivity, and his love for people development. He is an avid lover of animals, and he knows that life is too short for bad coffee and cheap wine.
Cassie Williams Felder
Administrative & Marketing Associate
Cassie Williams Felder is the administrative and marketing associate for Bailey Education Group. She graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s degree in marketing. She is passionate about education and helping those around her. Cassie helps to onboard our new coaches, assists our leadership team with administrative duties, and she works to create the best marketing portfolio possible for Bailey Education Group so that we may successfully reach, partner with and meet the needs of those districts who need our services most.
Marauo Davis, Ph.D.
Director of Project Management, Mathematics Lead, & ACT Certified Educator
Marauo Davis is currently in his tenth year as an educator having received a Bachelor’s and Doctorate from The University of Southern Mississippi and Texas Tech, respectively. Marauo’s teaching began in Texas as a high school calculus and physics teacher at Monterey High School. Later, Marauo returned to Mississippi to his native of Wayne County to accept a position as a high math teacher and academic coach. While in the Wayne County School District, Marauo was recognized for teaching excellence in Algebra 1.
Kelly Earls, Ed.S.
Executive Director of Client and Coach Support
Kelly Earls is a former elementary and middle school teacher as well as a former elementary and middle school principal and brings 24 years experience from serving in a K-12 school setting. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in elementary education and a Specialist degree in Educational Administration. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Client and Coach Support with Bailey Education Group where she also serves as a project manager, instructional specialist, leadership coach, and data coach, working in school districts across the states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Jamie Williams
Director of Quality Assurance, Project Manager & Leadership Coach
Jamie Wade Williams is the Director of Quality Assurance, Project Manager and Leadership Development Lead for Bailey Education Group specializing in data analysis, school wide reform, MTSS, and Federal Programs. Prior to working with BEG, she served as the Principal of East Central Upper Elementary, an A rated school, that is part of the Jackson County School District. As the principal, she initiated school wide reform and a data driven approach to instruction, which resulted in a recent 62-point gain on the Mississippi Accountability Rating making East Central Upper an A rated school. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in School Leadership from the University of Southern Mississippi, and she is also certified in special education and school psychometry.
Deneen Jacome
Director of Internal Operations & Support
Deneen Jacome is the Director of Internal Operations and Support for Bailey Education Group, specializing in administering our internal portal using Office 365 since 2008. She also maintains a financial relationship with Bailey Education clients working with our Business Managers and Federal Program Directors. With previous experience in IT, beginning in the Broadcast Industry and then moving into the Clinical IT world working for Baptist Memorial Healthcare and serving as a Director in IT Project Management. Deneen has a proven ability to bridge the gap between technically minded resources and the business, while helping all sides move to well specified goals.