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Board & Staff

Free 2 Teach is Committed to Helping

Meet the Team

Alison Kling

CEO

Alison Kling

Alison Kling is the CEO of Free 2 Teach and is passionate about equipping public school children, classrooms, and educators with supplies and resources. Alison started her career in education as an elementary school teacher in New York City Public Schools with Teach for America. In addition to her undergraduate work, she holds a Master’s in Education (M.S.) from Hunter College and a Master’s of Divinity (M.Div.) from Princeton Theological Seminary as well as a certificate in Forced Migration Studies from Oxford University. She and her husband, David, live in Huntsville with their four children, George, Teddy, Jack and Lucy.

Beth Vest

Director of Operations and Grants

Beth Vest

Beth Vest has been with Free 2 Teach for the past four years and enjoys serving the children and teachers of Madison County. A native of Huntsville, Beth studied at Auburn University, earning a Bachelors of Science in Organization Management. After a 16 year career in the banking industry, Beth directed Covenant Weekday Preschool for 17 years. Beth loves being involved in the Huntsville community. In addition to her role supporting so many aspects of the operations and funding structure of Free 2 Teach, she is involved in her church as well as an officer in her college sorority’s local alumnae association and an active member of the Grace Club. Beth lives in Huntsville with her husband Phillip.

Jennifer Cummings

Director of Programs

Jennifer Cummings

Jennifer Cummings has worked with Free 2 Teach since 2015 and supports all of our volunteers, manages and organizes our warehouse and runs all teacher shopping. Jennifer has worked previously in graphic design and enjoys giving back to the community in her work at Free 2 Teach. Jennifer attended the University of Southern Mississippi to study art and finished her bachelors degree at Athens State University. Jennifer loves to bring her creative energy to all aspects of the store. If you are interested in volunteering with Jennifer and her team, click here. Jennifer has lived in the Huntsville area for over 20 years with her two dogs and her husband Paul. She enjoys golfing, kayaking and gardening.

Ryan Bier

Programs and Grants Coordinator

Ryan Bier

I’m Ryan Bier, and I’m very excited to be joining the Free 2 Teach team as Program Coordinator. I was born in Dallas, Texas in 1999 and moved to Madison, Alabama in 2007, where I attended the Madison City public school system. After graduating from James Clemens High School in 2018, I attended Auburn University, studying political science and history. I graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. I have a passion for history and reading, with a particular interest in America’s political history and England in the late middle ages and early modern periods. I also love movies, and enjoy reading about the history of the industry.

I’ve always had an interest in working in the nonprofit world, and when I learned about Free 2 Teach’s mission I was immediately interested. As Program Coordinator, I look forward to working with the volunteer program and helping to run our teacher shops, as well as managing the Free 2 Teach inventory. I’m also thrilled to begin as a Free 2 Teach Fellow, where I will attend meetings with our Executive Director and meet others in the Huntsville community.

Board Members

Matt Reed

Board President
Co-Founder and COO, DynamicMSSP

Christopher Gregory

Vice President
Senior Voice Architect, Cisco Inc.

Melissa Lang

Secretary
Private Banking RM Associate
First Horizon Bank

Joy Boggs

Treasurer
Senior Relationship Manager, SVP, Trustmark

Melissa Patch

Property Manager Freedom Real Estate & Capital

Missy Ming Smith

Civic Volunteer

Amanda Turnage

Partner
Loftin Holt Hall & Hargett LLP

Rebecca Goodwin

Community & Citizenship Senior Program Specialist
Turner Construction

Merritt McElmurray

Marketing Coordinator
Invariant Corporation