Faculty & Leadership

Alex George Founder

Alex George, the “idea man” approached Donna Underwood in the Spring of 1997 to help him with one of his historically numerous ideas: he wanted to open a school to help families whose children struggled in school.  At that time, Alex owned eleven McDonald's restaurants and hoped that corporate would see the importance of his idea of placing educational services centers near their restaurants.  Even though that idea didn’t materialize, Alex opened LearningTECH/Quest School next to his 165N McDonald’s in June 1997; in 2000, the center moved to its present location at 2401 Oliver Road. In 2017, LearningTECH/Quest School changed its name to QuesTECH Learning. The Alex George Family has been instrumental to QuesTECH Learning's 20-year history of success.

Kevin Branson Principal & Executive Director

Kevin Branson, both our principal and newly named director will be leading our faculty and staff, as our former fearless leader, Donna Underwood, is passing the torch to him. Kevin Branson was appointed Principal in 2017, having formerly served as QTL Assistant Director. Mr. Branson came to QTL from Monroe City Schools (MCS) where he worked in special education and school administration. Prior to his time with MCS, he was a regular education teacher in Morehouse Parish. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration as well as a Master of Arts in Teaching. Mr. Branson is certified in elementary education as well as special education. Kevin also has experience in educational technology deployment, training, and consulting. He enjoys riding his motorcycle to school almost every day, as it sets the tone for a new and exciting day.

QuesTECH Learning

Stephanie Blackmon Operations Manager

Mrs. Stephanie has served since 2017 and is now QuesTECH Learning’s Operations Manager. She is a liaison to all aspects going in and out of QTL and does so with excellence. Mrs. Stephanie loves working at a school where she can watch students acquire their academic and social needs! When she’s not working at the school, Mrs. Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband Cody, daughter Anna Beth, son Brody, and two puppies.

Lindsey Boughton School Secretary

Lindsey Boughton, QuesTECH Learning’s school secretary, began working with us in 2021, in and out of the classroom. In addition to managing QTL’s front desk, she will be teaching art, talented art, homework lab, and after-school tutoring. When she’s not at QTL, Mrs. Boughton is spending time with her husband Matt, her children, Kennedy and Cooper, and her two pups.

Kari Counselman Teacher & Director of Student Affairs

Kari Counselman, a Louisiana Tech graduate in Elementary/Special Education, has taught at QuesTECH Learning for twelve years.  Having taught all subjects during her tenure at QTL, she currently teaches math, fourth through sixth grades.  Mrs. Counselman has attended the NICERC training in the past to enable her to better use technology in her classroom. “I love the students I work with because they are all so unique and present me with challenges daily.  I couldn’t imagine a day when I wouldn’t welcome the challenge of molding and helping young minds.  QuesTECH Learning's staff is full of love and enthusiasm for children and academia, therefore making it a wonderful place to work and learn. We work together as a team to ensure our students receive the best possible education,” Mrs. Counselman commented.

Christie Elkin Teacher

Mrs. Ekin taught Pre-K for 22 years in the parish and began teaching at Quest in 2021. Currently, she is teaching QTL’s Learning Lab, enabling her to remediate our learners’ math and literacy needs. “I love that QTL’s a small school with small class sizes where I can teach to each child’s individual needs; I love my co-workers. The kids at Quest are awesome, too,” Mrs. Elkin stated. When she’s not teaching QTL learners, she is spending time with her husband, 3 kids, 2 kitties, and 2 bunnies!

Melissa Guthrie Teacher

Mrs. Guthrie taught in the parish for 20 years and began teaching with us in the fall of 2023. Currently, she is teaching QTL’s science and social studies class for our elementary students. Mrs. Guthrie is excited to work in a smaller classroom environment so that she is able to meet the needs of her learners best. When she is not teaching, she loves to spend time with her husband Jimmy, her sons Joby and Jake, her daughters Jill and Jenna, and her dog Gracie!

Emily Hart Teacher’s Assistant

Mrs. Emily began working with QuesTECH Learning in 2019. She has been a vital member of the QTL staff by helping one-on-one with students and in the Learning Lab. Now, she works in the second-grade classroom, assisting in reading, language, and math. She leads the enrichment class, BAYA: Beautiful as You Are. When she’s not at school, Mrs. Emily loves to spend time with her husband Michael, daughter Madelyn, and dog Sophie!

Toni Hicks Teacher Leader

Toni Hicks, a sixth through eighth grade math/pre-algebra teacher at QuesTECH Learning beginning in 2004, is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Monroe with her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education.  She enjoys working with these learners “to help them reach their dreams through their education.” Mrs. Hicks has consistently reached the needs of her learners, both socially and academically.

Pam Jungina Teacher

Pam Jungina earned her B.A. in English education from NLU in 1981. After teaching English and French for 36 years, she is now retired from the Louisiana public school system. With her years of experience in instructing English grammar, literature, written composition, and ACT/LEAP prep, she is enjoying her journey of educating young learners at QuesTECH Learning. She shares her passion for reading and writing with students and experiences the broadening of young minds. For Ms. Jungina, the ultimate reward of teaching is seeing students embrace the joy of the written word.

Sandra Rousseau Teacher

Sandra Rousseau, a graduate of Louisiana Tech, taught in the public system for almost thirty years before joining the QuesTECH Learning family in 2008 to teach reading and enrichment classes.  After public school retirement, Sandra traveled with her husband and decided she still had much more to give today’s youth.  Her school choice was QuesTECH Learning. She has been an invaluable reading educator to QTL learners.

Judy Riley Teacher

Judy Riley, a language and reading educator with over 35 years of experience joined QuesTECH Learning this school year. Previously teaching at Grace Episcopal, she teaches language for grades, 3-6. When asked about why she chose Quest, Mrs. Riley stated, “I’ve always known from the outside how wonderful of a school QuesTECH Learning was, but when I came to observe, the students impressed me. Seeing how comfortable they are here and how they feel about their school made me want to make this school my new teaching home. I am thrilled to have an opportunity to teach here!” Through her high expectations and fun learning environment, Mrs. Judy helps her learners to find their passion for learning.

Morgan Yelton Teacher

Ms. Morgan is our newest edition here at QuesTECH Learning, and she will be teaching our learning lab for grades fourth through eighth. She graduated from ULM in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, with a minor in Communication. Ms. Morgan is most excited about building relationships with our learners and be apart of their academic success story! For fun, she enjoys playing softball with local churches and plays with her dog, Georgia.

Tiffany Weiss Teacher/ Social Media Coordinator

Mrs. Tiffany, a graduate of ULM with a Bachelor’s in Communication, Advocacy, began her teaching career at QuesTECH Learning in 2019. She currently teaches second-grade learners reading, language, and math. In 2022, she obtained her certification as an Orton-Gillingham Practitioner at the Associate Level. This certification enables her to work with individuals who may have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, to help them with their reading and literacy struggles with the Orton-Gillingham Approach. Also, Mrs. Tiffany serves as our social media coordinator. When she’s not at school, Mrs. Tiffany loves to spend time with her husband Kyle and two puppies!

QuesTECH -Higher- Learning

Mary Katherine Murphy Teacher

Mary Katherine Murphy has been teaching and tutoring at QuesTECH Learning since 2003. She graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering and from ULM with a Master’s in teaching. She instructs math and science at QuesTECH Higher Learning. With Donna Underwood, Mary Katherine teaches ACT preparation workshops throughout Northeast Louisiana. Additionally, she tutors high school and college students in math and science. “I love watching students’ faces light up when all the pieces fall into place, and the concept that once confused them finally becomes clear.”

Enaya Kouhany Mentor

Enaya Kouhany has been an invaluable member of the QuesTECH Learning family for eighteen years as an instructor/tutor in high school math and science courses as well as in ACT, HiSET, and ASVAB test preparation. Currently, he is a mentor in the blended learning environment of QuesTECH Higher Learning.

Board of Directors

Guina Elliot - President
Tom Kennen - Treasurer
Kim Sherril - Secretary Kevin Branson Amanda Lyon
Valerie Finley
Christi Howard, M.A., CCC-SLP
Kevin Branson
Dr. Terry Thomas
Mike Walsworth

QuesTECH Learning is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization governed by a board of directors comprised of respected community members.