Administration

Mr. Chris Brazell was selected to serve as the fifth Head of School at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in May of 2021. Mr. Brazell has faithfully served in many roles during his twenty years of service to the Cottage Hill Christian Academy school community; most recently as Athletic Director, Varsity Football Coach, and Varsity Baseball Coach. Brazell began his career at Cottage Hill Christian Academy during the 2001-2002 academic year serving as an assistant coach, then spent 13 years in the classroom as a social science teacher, coached various sports for two decades, and has been a fixture on the schools Administration and Leadership Teams.  

Brazell completed his Bachelor of Science in Social Science from the University of Mobile in 2002 where he was the team captain of the 2001 World Series baseball team. In 2004, Chris was named Head Baseball coach and garnered 339 wins on the diamond over seventeen seasons, (3) thirty-win seasons, and (31) student-athletes went on to play at the next level. In 2013 he was named Athletic Director, after serving as the assistant A.D. for five years. In 2016, he moved out of the Social Studies classroom and into fulltime administration, as he served as the Upper Schools Dean of Students. In 2018, he was tabbed as the Head Football coach and led the Warriors to the first Region Championship, 10-win season, and playoff appearance. During the span as head football coach for three seasons; the Warriors posted 24 wins, set numerous records, recorded many firsts for our football program, and sent at least one player to the NCAA Division 1 level in each. He has also been selected as “Coach of the Year” by various organizations, both as a head football and baseball coach respectively. Mr. Brazell continued to serve as a member of the leadership team in various capacities during his tenure.

In the twenty years of education experience, Brazell has grown to understand the many aspects that are involved in running and leading a school committed to Christian values. As he has shared with many of the athletes he has mentored over the years, Chris works to instill his personal motto of aligning priorities. He often shares with the student body his goal of keeping his walk with Christ first, family second, calling third, and then personal hobbies. Brazell seeks to lead Cottage Hill Christian Academy in its continual goal of being the choice for a Christ-centered, academically challenging education in the Mobile area. Brazell describes his excitement for the opportunity to lead saying, “I am honored to be selected to serve as the next Head of School at CHCA. I would like to thank the members of the CHCA School Committee and the leadership of Cottage Hill Baptist Church for this opportunity. The journey over the past two decades as a Warrior, has been a tremendous blessing for me both personally and professionally. My family and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the days ahead.”

Cottage Hill Christian Academy is the largest weekday ministry of Cottage Hill Baptist Church where Brazell and his family are faithful, active members. CHBC Leadership and the CHCA School Committee is confident in the leadership of Chris Brazell. Dr. Alan Floyd, Lead Pastor of CHBC, shares his confidence in the new leadership for CHCA, “Mr. Brazell has been with CHCA for 20 years, and at his very core he is a Warrior. With his years in the classroom, sports fields, and administration, he understands the balance of athletic and academic rigor. And after hearing his vision for CHCA, I have the utmost confidence that Chris will lead our school forward to a brighter future.” 

Mr. Chris Brazell is married to Charlie Brooke Brazell and they have one daughter, Chrislie- Anne.

Mrs. Jennifer Newton is entering her 20th year as a part of the Warrior family. In her role as West Campus Director, Mrs. Newton leads our high school students, faculty, and families. During her tenure at Cottage Hill, Mrs. Newton has also served as a teacher, coach, and admissions director. She understands the culture of Cottage Hill and is excited to help propel our high school to even greater heights.

Mrs. Newton attended Pensacola Christian College, where she double-majored in English Education and Physical Education and was a member of the Lady Eagles volleyball team. She and her husband Brad have twin daughters, Emily and Ashlyn (11th grade), who attend Cottage Hill. The Newtons are active members of Cottage Hill Baptist Church.

Mr. Trent Catchpole is in his fourth year as the Church Campus Director at Cottage Hill Christian Academy. Mr. Catchpole graduated from Lee University with a B.S. in Physical Education K-12, minoring in Bible in 2010.  In 2020, he obtained his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama. Mr. Catchpole is excited to continue serving at Cottage Hill where he formerly taught PE and Bible, coached football, and started the varsity girl's soccer program. He and his wife Brooke have two children at CHCA, Benjamin (2nd Grade) and Raylee (K4).

Coach Thomas has returned to Cottage Hill Christian Academy in several capacities, one of which places him back courtside as the Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. He will be leading a group of young men who experienced a very successful season last year, finishing as 3A Area 1 Champions, 3A Southwest Regional Champions, concluding the season in the Final 4 with a 26-2 overall record.

Coach Thomas has been involved in coaching for several years with two additional stops in independent education. He served as Associate Director of Athletics and Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at Randolph School, Huntsville AL from 2014-2017. He then served as the Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at St. Paul’s Episcopal School, Mobile, AL from 2017-2019. Coach Thomas has a unique and well-developed understanding of private school education and is poised to contribute to the development of our student-athletes.

Coach Thomas has a passion for athletics and the impact coaching has on the lives of student-athletes. He has over a decade of experience in the Cottage Hill community and looks forward to continued growth within the community. Leading the basketball program at Cottage Hill Christian Academy, Coach Thomas looks forward to continued development through engaging younger players and challenging the older players as we strengthen our stance in the state.

Coach Thomas is married to Stacey Thomas, Payroll Manager at the University of South Alabama. They have three sons; Tyler, Trent, and Trevor who all attend Cottage Hill Christian Academy. Coach Thomas will be serving as the Director of Athletics and Dean of Students (West Campus) for the upcoming school year. The Thomas family are members of Cottage Hill Baptist Church.

Mrs. Ali White is the Assistant to the Head of School. Mrs. White, her husband Neil, and their family moved to Mobile in May 2017. Neil is the Campus Pastor at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. Mrs. White and her husband have four children, their oldest a 2019 graduate of CHCA. Mrs. White previously served for four years as the West Campus Office Manager. In her role as Assistant to the Head of School,  Mrs. White will assist Mr. Brazell and the Business Office in a variety of tasks. Should you need to contact Mr. Brazell or schedule a meeting, please contact Mrs. White.

Mrs. Selena Dressler graduated from the University of South Alabama with a degree in Accounting. Mrs. Dressler worked 27 years in trust and estate taxation and was a Vice President and Trust Tax Manager for Regions Bank. She attended Southern Trust School at Spring Hill College and Cannon Trust Tax School at the University of Notre Dame. Mrs. Dressler has been a member of the University of South Alabama Accounting Advisory Board and the Mobile Estate Planning Council.

Mrs. Dressler and her husband Tony are members of Downtown Church. Both of their children attended CHCA from K-3 through 12th grade and were very active in athletics. In her free time, Mrs. Dressler enjoys spending time on Fowl River and working in the yard.

Mrs. Selena Dressler joined CHCA in 2019.  As the Finance Director, she oversees all aspects of our Business Office and is responsible for the daily business and finance operations of CHCA. 

Mrs. Martha Winter is the Director of Preschool at CHCA. She served as the Assistant Director of Preschool for six years before moving into the director position. Prior to CHCA, she served as a part-time K2 teacher for one year at Kidz Crossing. Martha graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.  She pursued her field at a computer software company located in Mobile for 13 years where she served as an Administrative Assistant, Software Engineer, and Engineering Manager. She is a native of the Mobile area and is married to Bo Winter and has three sons, Wilson, Houston, and Tucker. Their family attends Grace Community Church. Through having children of her own as well as teaching Sunday school at her church, the Lord grew a love for working with children and helping them grow academically, socially, and spiritually. 

Mr. Tommy Hinton is thankful to serve as our Church Campus Academic Dean. Mr. Hinton served our Middle School for six years as a History teacher as well as two years as our Middle School Director. He will continue in his role as Middle School Director as he enters his new position but will add new areas of responsibility. These new areas of responsibility will be specific to accreditation, curriculum, and campus academics. Mr. Hinton is grateful to see the Lord's continued provision through the ministry of CHCA in this role.

Coach Rusty Mason has been a head football coach, baseball coach, athletic director, and administrator for many years. Coach Mason has coached over two dozen D1 athletes & several NFL & MLB players. He believes that his relationship with his players has been a blessing and is the most important reason for coaching. Coach Mason has been a long-time Air Raid Offense enthusiast & Tony Franklin System coach for many years. He has been the Head Football coach at several schools including Excel High School, Cottage Hill Christian Academy, Faith Academy, and was also the Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Columbus Christian Academy. Coach Mason spent five years in Corpus Christi, TX where he was a Campus & Cluster Pastor and Football consultant.

As the Head Football Coach/Bible Teacher at Cottage Hill Christian Academy, they were able to reach the playoffs for the first time in consecutive years.  He has been a head coach in 2A-5A in the AHSAA as well as the AISA. Coach Mason also coached and played baseball for many years with Hall of Fame baseball coach Lloyd Skoda winning several state championships as both a player & coach. Coach Mason was the Area Director & owner of “N Zone Sports” Corpus Christi.  

Coach Mason has been married to his wife Kindra for 27 years. They have three children: Madison 24, Dane 21, & Dayton 14. He is certified in PE, History, & Business Education in Alabama & Mississippi and has taught Bible classes for many years. Coach Mason has a master’s degree in Christian Ministry from Southern California Seminary. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile in Business Management & Marketing.

Janis Hyke has been an Early Education Center Director since 2017. She also served as a Preschool Director's Assistant for Cottage Hill Baptist Church for many years under the leadership of Brother Jim Robinson where she gained her experience and love for children. She is a wife and a mom of three children Isaac, Myles, and Bella. It is her passion to invest in the lives of the children and families at Cottage Hill beginning as young as six weeks and to watch them grow and develop into warriors for Christ. In her free time, she enjoys watching her children compete in recreation and sports.

Mrs. Bonds is a native of Hot Springs, AR, which she loves to visit whenever possible. She has always had a love for traveling and has shared this love with her family. Before starting her family, Mrs. Bonds taught elementary and middle school in Arkansas, Arizona, and Bogota’ Colombia. She also has worked for several years in Public Relations and Community Relations in the US, Canada, China, Italy, England, and South America. She, her husband, and two children have lived in many states and Canada before coming to Mobile. For the past 10 years, she has volunteered and worked at CHCA. She feels God placed her at CHCA and feels they truly are part of her family. One of her greatest joys is to see her student's love for Jesus in all that they do.

Mrs. Marie Sorel has been a vital part of the Cottage Hill Christian Academy staff since 2004. Before becoming a full-time office staff member, Mrs. Marie volunteered in the school office helping with many projects when her son, Zak Sorel, started attending K5 in 2001. Mrs. Marie is full of school spirit and is always ready to help with any registrar need you may have.  

Jill has over 16 years of experience in the field of childhood education. She was born and raised in Beaver Falls, PA, and received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Clarion University in 1994. Jill is certified with the American Association of Christian Schools and has been trained in multiple curriculums in both private and public school systems. She believes the key to a child’s learning potential begins with a strong Christ-centered environment, strengthened through clear communication between family, teachers, and support staff. Jill and her husband, Ben, have been blessed with three children- Samuel (22), Meg (19), and Maxwell (15).

Mrs. Hall graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with dual certification in Mathematics and Science. She has over 34 years of experience in public and private secondary education. Mrs. Hall previously spent 28 years at Mary G. Montgomery High School, before starting her time here at CHCA. Mrs. Hall has served as an honors mathematics and science teacher, UCA National Champion cheerleader coach and choreographer, high school Athletic Director, collegiate athletic liaison, and pageant coordinator during her career. She has coached Junior Miss, Distinguished Young Women, Azalea Trail Maid, and various pageant participants and judged DYW local programs in Mississippi and Alabama in addition to serving as an Azalea Trail Maid interview judge for many Mobile County High Schools.

Mrs. Hall and her husband Perry attend Christ United Methodist Church and have been married for 33 years. She considers her high-achieving triplets to be her greatest accomplishment: Marley, Preston, and Savannah Hall. Preston and Savannah are graduates of The University of Alabama and Marley is a graduate of the University of Montevallo. Mrs. Hall’s passions include traveling, spending time at the beach, coordinating social events, serving as a wedding coordinator, and assisting with various service projects throughout the county.

Above all, Mrs. Hall feels very blessed that the Lord opened this door for her to serve the students at Cottage Hill Christian Academy!

Katie West is a native of Mobile and a proud graduate of CHCA class of 2017. In May of 2022, she graduated from the University of Mobile with a bachelor’s degree in production technology. Prior to being on staff at CHCA, she served on the marketing team at the University of Mobile as the photographer and videographer and the Video Communications Specialist at Cottage Hill Baptist Church. She also has a background in live event production where she has served on audio and video crews for professional conferences, cruises, and sporting events.