Our Staff

Shauna began her career at KDS in 2002 as the director of development and communication. She moved into the role of assistant executive director in 2007 then into executive director in 2020. Shauna holds a B.A. in English from Lambuth University and a M.A. in English from the University of Tennessee. Shauna is active in the Columbia Noon Rotary Club, the City of Columbia Civil Service Board, the Governor’s Council for Community Services and Columbia First United Methodist Church. She is involved in the Maury County Chamber & Economic Developmental Organization (Board of Director, Treasurer, & Chair of the Community Development Council) and Generation Maury, and is a graduate of Leadership Maury. Shauna and her husband, Tim, have four children.

Robyn holds a Business Administration and Marketing degree from MTSU. She worked in various business and management roles for 18 years prior to joining KDS in 2014 as operations director. She is active in the Columbia Noon Rotary Club and served as Club President for 2015-16. Robyn is a graduate and former board member of Leadership Maury as well as a member of the Youth Education Foundation Board. Robyn is active in the Maury County Chamber and Economic Alliance—she served as Board Chair for 2020. Robyn is also a member of the National SHRM organization. She lives in Maury County with her husband, Jeramie, and their two daughters, Emily and Maggie.

Dr. Jennifer Ballard has served as our main campus principal since 2005. She is a native of West Kentucky, where she graduated from Murray State University with a B.S. in Science. Dr. Ballard also holds a M.S. in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University and a Ed.D. in Special Education Leadership from Capella University. She is licensed through the Tennessee Department of Education with a Professional Administrative License. Dr. Ballard has taught in the Education departments of Columbia State Community College and Ashford University. She has experience in special education, social work and criminal justice. In addition, Dr. Ballard has extensive training in Autism, developmental delays and a particular interest in the growth and development of students post-graduation. 

Prior to her appointment as director at our Center for Autism, Annette served as a Facilitating Teacher for Maury County Schools for students with Autism and those needing placement in a Comprehensive Development Class. In addition, she has 30 plus years of experience working with students with special needs at all levels of public education. She has been a SPED teacher, elementary school counselor, and system-wide facilitating teacher. Annette attended Middle Tennessee State University and obtained a B.S. degree with a double major in Elementary Education, K-8, Special Education, K-12 and a M.Ed. in Special Education. She also obtained a guidance and counseling endorsement from Trevecca Nazarene University.  Annette and her husband, John, reside in Columbia. They have an adult daughter, Lauren, who is a nurse.

Casey is a native of Louisiana, where she received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She began working at KDS in July of 2021, as the residential director, after moving to the area to be closer to extended family. Previously, she worked at a therapeutic boarding school for teenage girls in Louisiana and was employed as a teacher for several years in the U.S. and abroad. Casey is currently working on her M.A. in Biblical Counseling from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as her certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Throughout her professional career, Casey has enjoyed mentoring young women and volunteering with youth camps and young adult bible study groups within her local church as well as community organizations. She is passionate about seeing the lives around her transformed by the power of presence and compassionate care. Casey lives in Columbia with her husband and stepson.

As communications director, Jesse is responsible for print and digital media inlclduing e-newsletters, a biannual traditional newsletter, socal media and maintaing the KDS website. She holds a B.S. from the University of Tennessee in Journalism and Electronic Media and a M.S. from Middle Tennessee State University in Mass Communication.  Jesse is active in her church where she heads up various service projects throughout the year. Her passions include reading, cooking from scratch and natural health and wellness. Jesse lives in College Grove, TN with her husband, two children and two dogs. 

Scott holds a B.S. in Accounting and an MBA from Tennessee Tech. University. He has served in various leadership roles in the area of accounting and finance throughout his career. In addition to his leadership roles, Scott has owned his own bookkeeping and tax service business for the past 15 years. He and his wife, Kirsten, have two adult sons.