Our Board

The board would love to hear from you at board@dsca.org!

Deb Palmer

Dripping Springs  has been our home since 1981.  Our two daughters and several of our extended family settled here as well.  After retiring from a 30 year education career in 2009, I began providing daily childcare/homeschooling for our grandkids.

We began researching DSCA in 2013 observing both teaching strategies and student interactions. We wanted a Christian environment where each child would be valued for whom God created them to be and could be encouraged to learn.  DSCA embodied everything we wanted from a school and we began partnering with Mrs. Welborn and her staff to enhance our efforts at home.  As our family grew so did our involvement in DSCA.  We now have three granddaughters, two grandnieces and a grandnephew attending full time with one little one still at home.

We embrace the Christ-centered mission of DSCA and whole-heartedly support its staff and administration.  We are so grateful that the Lord drew us to this special place and has called us to serve Him through this ministry.

Fawna Nelson-Short

Hello DSCA Family! My name is Fawna and it is such a joy for us to be apart of such an amazing school!!!

As a member of our DSCA board, I am committed to prayerfully seeking the Lords will for our school, all for His glory. Let me tell you a little about myself to help you get to know me.

Originally from Northern California, I began my career in Mountain View, studying Microbiology at NASA as an intern. Once I graduated from the program, I attended the University of California, San Diego to graduate with a Biochemistry and Cell Biology degree. I worked in research at the Scripps Institute for several years before deciding on a career change. My heart was aching to pour into the lives of children, and felt the Lord leading us to Ecuador, South America. There, I pursued a teaching degree while working with Elementary and High School students at an International School for 4 years.

The experiences I had in this country shaped my heart so much. I left there feeling a desire to love the Lord more wholeheartedly than ever. He always wants to show us His heart in deeper ways, and I witnessed the Lords goodness beyond what I could have ever imagined while living in Ecuador. It reminds me of His Word in Ephesians 3:20 which says:

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”

I am thrilled to be on this journey with all of you as we watch what the Lord is doing at DSCA, and I am confident that it is even more than what we have envisioned. It is so exciting to follow the Lord! I am so grateful to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of teachers, parents, and students. My husband Vance and I have had our three children, Gianna, Nolan, and Chase, at DSCA for two years now. I can say without hesitation that our experience has exceeded my expectations. We have loved every moment of our time here, and to be a part of the board in order to seek the Lord’s will for DSCA is such an honor and blessing to me!

James McCann – Facilities Chair

Jenny and I have been blessed to live in Dripping Springs and to raise our children with other faithful families at DSCA. We both grew up around Austin, Jenny in the Lake Travis area and I spent my early years mostly in South Austin moving to Elgin before High School. My grandparents lived in the old house that used to sit where the post office sits now.  I remember many holidays and summers spent in Dripping Springs as a child and have always cherished those memories. After we were married and Jenny had graduated from culinary school in New York, we moved back to central Texas. We found a small house north of Dripping Springs and moved here in February 2002. Our family has taken an educational journey including public school, Classical homeschooling, a larger Classical Christian private school in Austin and finally the Lord led us to Dripping Springs Christian Academy. We have been at DSCA going on four years now, with our oldest Kate graduating May 2018; Emily is currently a Junior, and Zechariah is in second grade.

I have a BS in Architectural Engineering from UT Austin, am licensed as a civil engineer specializing in land development, and have my own small business.  We attend the Dripping Springs United Methodist Church and Kate, Emily, and I were baptized in 2007, and Zechariah in 2010 (Jenny was baptized as an infant).  I have served on the Building Subcommittee and helped in getting a Planned Development District approved for the church.  I have served as chairman on the Staff/Parish Relations Committee and Insurance Subcommittee, served as vice-chair and chair of the Wild Game Dinner, and facilitated two years of the Cokesbury Disciple Bible Study.

We are very grateful to have our children in a loving Christian environment with teachers and staff specifically devoted to raising Ambassadors for Christ.  Seeing all these beautiful children learn while enjoying and respecting one another is such a testament to the faithfulness of this wonderful community and the work He is doing in this school.  As such I am grateful and humbled to help this school in its mission and vision and look forward to what He holds for us in the future.

Katia George – Treasurer

I am thankful to have the opportunity to be part of DSCA. I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico; most of my family lives there. In 2009 I met Michael, my husband, in Mexico City. We have lived in the Bee Cave/Austin area since 2011. We have two children: Aleksander (6) and Natasha (4). This is our second year at DSCA. We did a long and careful search and we couldn’t be happier with our school choice; we feel blessed by having found such a great environment for our kids education.  I have a Bachelors degree in Economics (I.T.E.S.M.) and a MBA (IPADE). I worked 13 years in Procter & Gamble in Finance in different countries and 5 years in Dannon as CFO.  Our home is multicultural: American, Mexican and Russian. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, exercising, watching movies and helping others.

Nancy Tuuk – Board Chair

My husband and I moved from Illinois to Austin in 1990.  When we came we had two young children and then God grew our family to include ten children who currently range in age from 31 years old to 7 years old. I spent nearly 25 years homeschooling our children and then we found DSCA. Six of our children are grown and we now have six grandchildren. We attend Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin. Our four youngest children attend DSCA, two in high school, one in middle school, and one in first grade. We are grateful to have found a school, like DSCA, which has the same values and goals we have for our children. It is a great extension of our previous homeschooling which adds all the benefits of a school, providing academic excellence combined with the interaction of peers and loving teachers and staff who pour into the children’s lives.  

I am excited to be able to serve on the board and to help further the mission of DSCA.  As we invest in the children, their families, the staff, and the supporters, we are investing in God’s kingdom here in our community and beyond.

Nicole and Jason Plahy – Bio and Photo coming soon