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
Store Manager
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
Program Coordinator and Free 2 Teach Fellow
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, Client Specialist Manager, First Horizon Bank

Joy Boggs
Treasurer
Senior Relationship Manager, FirstBank
Johnathan Draper
Senior Planner
High Class Labs
Jacqueline Egbujo
Executive Operations Manager
Huntsville Housing Authority
Aaron Friesen
Spacecraft Coatings Specialist
AZ Technology
Rebecca Goodwin
Community & Citizen Program Specialist
Turner Construction
Merritt Malone
Marketing Coordinator
Invariant Corporation
Samantha Nielsen
Marketing and PR Manager
Von Braun Center
Melissa Patch
Property Manager
Freedom Real Estate & Capital
Missy Ming Smith
Civic Volunteer
Amanda Turnage
Partner
Loftin Holt Hall & Hargett LLP
Joanna White
Consultant
Barbara Williams
Civic Volunteer