Mark Merrill is the President of Briarcrest Christian School. He previously served as a board member, Vice President of Business Affairs and Interim President. Prior to joining Briarcrest, Mark was Vice President and Treasurer of Sofamor Danek Group and worked in public finance and public accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant and received his Bachelor's degree from Christian Brothers University and his MBA from the University of Memphis. Mark and his wife, Ripple, are native Memphians and have a daughter and two sons, all of whom graduated from Briarcrest. He is a former deacon and treasurer at First Evangelical Church.  Mark and his wife are members of St. Patrick Presbyterian Church (EPC) in Collierville.

Stephen R. “Steve” Simpson grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Union University before graduating from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. He earned a Master's of Education in Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Memphis. He has been principal of Snowden School, Overton High School, White Station High School, and Hernando (Mississippi) High School. He has served as principal of Briarcrest Christian High School for the past eight years before being named Headmaster in 2009. Steve has been married to Dianna, his college sweetheart, for 40 years. He has three grown children and three precious grandchildren.

Josh Davis is the Director of Development for Briarcrest. Mr. Davis, his wife Jan, and their two daughters are all alumni of Briarcrest. He has been an active member of the Briarcrest community for many years. Mr. Davis has announced Briarcrest football games on the radio and has served on the Briarcrest Board of Trustees. He and his family are active members of Independent Presbyterian Church.

Patricia Whitley is the Director of Business Affairs for Briarcrest Christian School.  Patricia has been an employee for Briarcrest for the past 22 years in the accounting department.  She began her career working for East Park Baptist Church, the church that first began Briarcrest. 

She has been married to her husband, Terry, for 37 years and has two sons, Jeffery and Justin who both are alumni of Briarcrest. Her greatest joy has been to see how the Lord has allowed Briarcrest to grow and how members of a small church with faith and vision started a school that has blossomed into what Briarcrest is today. Patricia is an active member and treasurer of Kirk Baptist Church in Eads, Tennessee. 

Beth Rooks is the Director of Communications at Briarcrest. She manages and directs all Marketing/Communications and Advertising for the school.  She is happily married to her husband, Ed and has two sons, Heath and Hayden that attend Briarcrest.

She received a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Memphis before working as Director of Brand Communications and Marketing for The Promus Companies (now Hilton Hotels) for 17 years. She has won several Golden Bell and Silver Anvil Awards for Excellence in Communications and Public Relations.  She and her family attend Grace Evangelical Church. 

Eric Sullivan joins Briarcrest as the High School Principal after working in education for more than 15 years. He grew up in Brownsville, Tennessee and attended the University of Memphis. He holds a Bachelor's of Science in Education and a Master's of Science in Leadership and Policy Studies. He and his wife, Amy, have two children, Drew and Taylor. They attend Faith Baptist Church in Bartlett, TN. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, running, golf , water sports and spending time with his family. His favorite bible verse is Philippians 1:6, "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Sharon Watson earned her Bachelors, Masters, and Educational Specialist Degrees at the University of Memphis where she proudly wore the blue and gray as a U of M Lady Tiger. She began her teaching career at Briarcrest in 1976 as a science instructor and coach. Her coaching career was marked by state volleyball championships in 1981, 1987, 1989, and 1990. Ms. Watson began her tenure as the Principal of Briarcrest Christian Middle School in 2002. She is an active member of Grace Evangelical Church where she plays percussion in the praise band.

Barbara Harris
Elementary Principal (Houston Levee Campus)

Dr. Barbara Harris received her undergraduate degree from University of Tennessee at Martin and completed her Master’s and doctoral work at University of Memphis. Dr. Harris began her career teaching in the Memphis City Schools. In 1995, she was appointed Principal at Presbyterian Day School and then promoted to Associate Headmaster in 2000. She served at PDS until 2004. Dr. Harris has served as the Elementary Principal at the Ridge Lake campus of Evangelical Christian School since 2004. 

Dr. Harris is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. She and her husband, Dr. Joe Harris, have three sons, live in Germantown and attends Covenant Baptist Church.

Dr. Bryan Williams is the elementary principal at the East Memphis campus. He is happily married to his wife Amanda and has three elementary age children. Dr. Williams greatest joy is being able to have an impact on young students in a way that directs them to Jesus Christ and helps shape them into men and women that will be leaders in their communities. He has been at Briarcrest Christian School for over ten years serving as a middle school English teacher and elementary administrator. He received his Bachelor’s in History and English from the University of Memphis, his Master’s degree from Christian Brothers University, and his doctorate from Union University.

Nancy Blaylock, Director of Admissions, has been with the Briarcrest family since August of 2005. Growing up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Nancy graduated from Lee Academy in 1979. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in social work from Delta State University in 1983. Two Bible verses hold a special place in Nancy’s life – Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Also Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the Lord you God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”

Cathy came to Briarcrest in 1999 and currently teaches math and serves as the Math Department Chair and the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. She has a B. S. in Computer Science, Secondary Math Certification from East Carolina University, and her Masters of Education from Union University. She has worked in the private sector as a Software Systems Analyst. Cathy began teaching in the Department of Defense schools as an elementary computer science teacher. More recently, Cathy taught both middle school and high school math. Cathy has taught in both the public system and private systems in three states and in the U.S. schools in Japan.

Barry Dewitt is the Director of Information Technology for Briarcrest. He manages and directs all Technology for the school. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from University of Atlanta and is currently pursuing a second Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Fort Hays State University, in preparation for his MBA with the University of Arkansas. He has been in the IT field for more than 13 years in various roles and organizations and has been with Briarcrest since 2006.

Barry is happily married to Pennie and has 4 children. He and his family attend Bellevue Baptist Church.