School Board

Originally from North Carolina, Jennifer grew up in Western North Carolina until her family was transferred to New England when she was 12, and she returned to the south to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, before completing law school at the University of Memphis. Professionally, Jennifer began her legal career with a boutique domestic relations firm in Memphis before returning to East Tennessee in 2006, where she enjoys practicing Family Law and leads her own law firm. She and her two children attend First Baptist Concord and joined CCS/CCP in the fall of 2017. Jennifer also serves on the Board of Directors for Sugarwood Homeowners Association and is active with the East Tennessee legal community. An alumni of the University of Tennessee, she and her children spend their free time cheering on the Vol and enjoying the mountains of East Tennessee.

Heather Ferguson and her husband, Justin, are thrilled to be a part of the Concord family. They are
members of First Baptist Concord, and their three daughters attend Concord Christian School and
Concord Christian Preschool. Heather has lived in Knoxville since 2010 after moving here from
west Tennessee to attend law school. She enjoys teaching in the Kids ministry at FBC and is
passionate about Kingdom Education. Heather practices law part-time at Bass, Berry & Sims,
PLC where she concentrates on tax incentives related to economic development. In her spare
time, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and cheering on her daughters in their
activities.

Annette Gossett has been married to her husband, Austin, for 15 years, and they are the proud parents of four children: Adree, Ashton, Ayson, and Alex. Their family relocated from Indiana to the Knoxville area in the spring of 2020, and they joined FBC later that fall. Since that time, their children have been enrolled at CCS and CCP.

Annette works part-time as a dental hygienist in Farragut and remains actively involved in the school through several volunteer opportunities. In addition, she and  Austin serve in the children’s ministry at FBC. They are grateful to be part of the Concord community and are committed to supporting its continued growth and success.

Donell Gundy works as a Team Supervisor in the Employee and Labor Relations Branch at the National Institutes of Health and previously worked as a Human Resource Specialist for the United States Department of Energy. Donell has a B.S. in Marketing and an M.B.A. from Tennessee Technological University. She is an active member of First Baptist Concord, serving in the children’s ministry with her husband, Justin, and also co-leading a women’s Bible study. She and Justin live in Knoxville with their two daughters who are students at CCS, and Donell has been serving on the school board since 2023.

James Harrill is a self-employed professional engineering consultant serving the home building industry. He also served as a civil engineer for Clayton Homes for fourteen years and is a registered professional engineer in 13 states. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. James, along with his wife and daughter, Christina and Gracie, are active members of First Baptist Concord. Gracie has attended CCS since kindergarten and is a proud member of the Class of 2028. James has served on the school board at CCS since 2022.

Leslie Lane is an Oncology Nurse Practitioner at Tennessee Cancer Specialists where she has worked for the past twenty-five years. She and her husband, Josh, have two children, Madeline and Miller, who attend Concord Christian School. Their family resides in Farragut and has attended First Baptist Concord church for the past ten years. When she is not watching her children play sports, Leslie enjoys hiking, reading, and traveling with her family and their dog, Boone.
 

Bob Larkin, and his wife, Gina, spent nearly 30 years at a Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, where they were strategically involved in supporting the Christian School there. They arrived in Knoxville almost five years ago to support their children and grandchildren who preceded them to Tennessee. Bob and Gina desired to find a permanent church that felt like home and also included strong preaching and teaching from the Word of God. After 18 months of church searching, they came to First Baptist Concord and are now thrilled to be active members of the FBC congregation. They enjoy the sermons preached and their small group who are like family to them and help make a large church feel much smaller and more personal.

Bob retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years, and then spent nearly 30 years as the M.D. Program Admissions Director at the University of South Florida in Tampa and as the Founding Admissions Director at the University of Central Florida M.D. Program in Orlando.
 

Nathan Smith is an Army Veteran, a Wealth Manager Specialist at Stivers Wealth Management, and the CCS board’s Finance Committee Chairman. He and his wife, Alicia, have four children and can generally be found at the ball fields or gymnastics gym. When they can carve the time, they enjoy taking family hikes. Nathan and Alicia also foster and find great joy helping to care for babies in need.

John Robert (J.R.) Yates is currently in his first term on the CCS school board. He and his wife, Danielle, have two children that attend CCS. J.R. enjoys serving alongside Danielle as a teacher in the children’s ministry at First Baptist Concord, and he is employed at the University of Tennessee Medical Center where he serves as Assistant Director of Inpatient Pharmacy. In addition to family time and church activities, J.R. enjoys sports, reading, and fly fishing.