The community shares gratitude to Spartans for helping advance the school’s mission to inspire a love of learning and service.

As the 2025-26 academic year draws to a close, we honor retiring staff members, those celebrating major milestones through their years of service and send well wishes to those departing.

YEARS OF SERVICE RECOGNITIONS

Spartan faculty and staff reaching the 20-year mark of their St. Stephen’s tenure are honored during a special chapel service. Additionally, members are honored every 10 years thereafter. During the 2025-26 academic year, the school thanked the following faculty and staff members:

Gretchen Inman, Director of Health Services | 26 years

St. Stephen’s Middle School Librarian Michelle Andrews, Counselor Tania Gil and Health Education Director Nicole Turner delivered chapel remarks honoring Director of Health Services Gretchen Inman for 26 years of service. The tribute fittingly happened during National Nurses Week. Inman started working at St. Stephen’s in 1995 and held many different roles during the early years of her tenure, including biology teacher, track and cross country coach, and was a residential dorm parent.

Inman briefly left The Hill to earn a nursing degree from The University of Texas at Austin, before returning to St. Stephen’s as head nurse and, later, director of health services. The proud parent of two Spartans, Gatlin ’24 and Addie ’26, Inman has been an outstanding administrator who safely guided the community through COVID-19. Her leadership, expertise and fairness make her a deeply appreciated colleague, inspirational teacher and true "MVP."

Philip Doig ’81, Upper School Dean of Students | 21 Years

In a heartfelt chapel tribute, Luis Gudino ’26 and Juanjo Castillo Espinosa de Los Monteros ’26 honored Upper School Dean of Students Philip Doig ’81 for his 21 years of dedicated service to St. Stephen’s. While students playfully know him for tracking down "unresolved attendance," his true impact runs much deeper. Holding one of the hardest roles on campus, Doig masterfully balances enforcing high expectations and consequences with serving as a trusted advisor and confidant. His students noted that this challenging balance works because everything he does stems from a deep belief that students are capable of greater responsibility and growth. Thanking him for his decades of patience and high standards, his advisees highlighted that his lasting legacy lives on in the confidence and accountability he instills in every Spartan.

Chris Caselli ’82, Photography Instructor & Campus Photographer | 20 Years

St. Stephen’s PIRL Director and Robotics Instructor Troy Lanier paid tribute to Campus Photographer and Photography Instructor Chris Caselli ’82, honoring him for 20 years of dedicated service to St. Stephen’s.

Lanier described Caselli as one of the hardest-working members on The Hill — the omnipresent figure sneaking through the sliding doors of Chapel, roaming the sidelines of athletic events and capturing the magic of graduation. As a St. Stephen's Class of 1982 graduate, he sees the community from many distinct angles and truly understands the soul of St. Stephen’s. Long before Austin’s massive development, he lived just down the road and would famously drive his Volkswagen up The Hill to bring pizza to everyone on campus and hang out.

Today, his connection to the school is as strong as ever. He and his wife, English Department Chair Colleen Hynes, Ph.D., are Spartan parents. In closing, Lanier shared that Caselli consistently forces us to reframe how we view our surroundings and teaches us to look closer and rediscover The Hill over and over again. Whether capturing the sweeping landscape of Brewster Memorial or venturing down to his beloved Gulch by the baseball field, Caselli constantly helps us understand who we are as a community.

Kurt Oehler ’93, Upper School Math Instructor | 20 Years

Dean of Faculty Wallis Goodman honored Kurt Oehler ’93 for his 20 years of dedicated service to St. Stephen’s. An alum himself, Oehler’s deeply rooted commitment to the community spans all areas of campus life. As a champion for the sciences, he serves as the sole faculty sponsor for the Saxena Fellowship STEM internship program, bridging connections between students, alumni and researchers. A former Spartan athlete, Oehler has channeled his passion into coaching cross country and basketball. His collegiality shines through his constant willingness to step in for colleagues, while his leadership in the dorms has provided a structured, positive environment for younger St. Stephen’s boarding students for more than a decade. Beyond the classroom, Oehler is an indispensable fixture on the 8th and 9th grade retreats — cheerfully handling the behind-the-scenes logistics.

HONORING SPARTAN RETIREES

The St. Stephen’s community bids farewell to five talented and devoted retiring faculty and staff members. Although their presence on campus will be missed, their inspiring legacy is long-lasting. The St. Stephen’s community celebrated each retiree during a special chapel service, and wished each of these Spartans good health and great happiness as they embark on their next chapter.

• Sherry Buchanan
• Mason Cox
• Brian Gray
• Luis Murillo
• Cindy Stadulis

Read the full tribute to St. Stephen’s 2026 retirees

MOVING ON FROM THE HILL

The following faculty and staff members are closing their tenure on The Hill. We thank these Spartans for their service and wish them well.

Michelle Andrews, Middle School Librarian & Expeditions Instructor

Since arriving at St. Stephen’s 10 years ago, Michelle Andrews helped transform Becker  Library into a modern learning hub, integrated advanced research technology across all grade levels and served as a key contributor in the 2018 library renovation. She taught research and citation skills across all grade levels and collaborated with faculty to bring curriculum to life. Andrews has been an integral part of the Middle School serving as a 6th grade advisor and co-creator of the 6th grade Expeditions curriculum, which uniquely blends information literacy with sustainability and ecology.

Beyond the classroom, Andrews has fostered a love of literacy through the Book Fair and Literary Festival. Her participation in the Middle School Advisory Committee helped bring the Institute for Social & Emotional Learning (IFSEL) to campus, and her service on the Brooke Howe Laws Endowment Fund and Spark 2023 committees has left a lasting mark. 

Catenya McHenry, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

During her tenure, Catenya McHenry has improved our institutional communications by recruiting and leading a high-caliber team and spearheading the launch of our comprehensive new website. Her implementation of strategic internal and external communications systems and processes has strengthened the community and enhanced our brand identity, while updated campus signage has allowed visitors to better navigate our extensive grounds. In addition, by bolstering our external communications and global marketing initiatives, she has successfully elevated the school’s identity and awareness, amplified the work of our faculty and contributed to a more well-informed community. We are grateful for the vision and creativity McHenry has brought to our community.

Morgan Stokes, Upper School Theology Instructor

Since joining our community in 2011, Morgan Stokes’ impact has been meaningful and far-reaching. In her roles as Lay Chaplain and Theology teacher, she has been a cornerstone of our liturgical team, a dedicated mentor to the Spartans in Christ club, and a source of steady pastoral care for students and colleagues alike. We will miss her presence on campus, we are deeply grateful for the 15 years of heart and wisdom she gave to the Spartan community. 

John Branch, Guitar Instructor & Music Composition

After eight years of dedicated service to our Fine Arts Department, John Branch and his family are relocating to St. Louis. Since joining St. Stephen’s in 2018, Branch has been an integral part of the school’s music program, leading the Guitar Ensembles, teaching Music Composition and supporting the Jazz Band as both an instructor and performer. As an active performing artist, Branch brought a unique real-world perspective to his classes, providing invaluable mentorship to his students by bridging the gap between the classroom and the stage. We are deeply grateful for the artistry he shared with our community and wish him continued success as he begins his new role as a band Director at John Burroughs School this fall.

Greg Cook, Cross Country Program Director

Greg Cook has been instrumental in our athletic department as the program director and head coach for cross country, the program director for track and field and our Upper School PE coordinator. He joined the school as a coach in 2023 and transitioned to a full-time role in 2024. Whether on the trail, the track or the soccer field, Cook’s leadership has significantly shaped our student-athletes' experiences across both Middle and Upper School. We thank him for his tireless commitment to our sports programs and wish him the very best as he moves on to a new coaching opportunity at his alma mater, St. John's School in Houston.

Canon Ellis, Upper School Computer Science Instructor

Since joining our Computer Science Department in August 2024, Canon Ellis has been a vital asset to our STEM curriculum, teaching several sections of Upper School Computer Science and providing dedicated support for the PIRL. We are grateful for the expertise he brought to our Machine Learning and Python courses and for his proactive efforts in preparing comprehensive resources to ensure a smooth transition for his successor.

Chioma Mba, Ph.D., Middle School Mathematics Instructor

Chioma Mba, Ph.D., joined St. Stephen’s in 2017 and has since been a valued member of the Middle School community. Whether she was leading the 8th grade team, teaching 8th grade foundational Algebra and Advanced Algebra, or sharing her expertise with the Middle and Upper School Investment Club, her dedication to our students has been clear. Mba received the Dean H. Towner Master Teaching Chair Award for the 2023-24 academic year. We are deeply grateful for Mba's years of service and the positive impact she has made on our campus.