Our Faculty & Staff
Administration
Nathaniel Beckman
Headmaster
Nathaniel Beckman is the first headmaster of the Chesterton Academy of St. Joseph. He received his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College, an M.S. in Mathematics from Old Dominion University, and an M.A. in History of Philosophy through Holy Apostles College and Seminary. For the last 15 years, he has worked in secondary and post-secondary education both in the U.S. and as a missionary in Central America. He and his wife are currently living out their vocation with five adopted children in the Heart of it All.
Alaina Davis
Development Director
To serve my family and bring as many people to heaven as possible; that is my greatest aspiration.
Although a North Carolina native, Alaina graduated from Wright State University with a Bachelor’s in Marketing in 2018. She has over 8 years' experience in marketing and 4 in fundraising. During her time in college and since, she has truly come to love the Dayton area and community. She lives in Xenia with her beloved husband, John, and their daughter Anastasia. She has a passion for marketing, fundraising, and creating unique Spotify playlists.
Linda Ulmer
Development Officer
Linda Ulmer earned a BA in Communications at Cedarville College where she met her husband David in music ministry. They have been married for 35 years during which they home schooled their 9 children, the youngest of which is now a student at CASJ. Linda enjoys good cheese and chocolate, walks with friends, interesting conversations, learning about the lives of the Saints, and seeing her seven amazing grandchildren.
Frederique Doepker
Office Manager
Frederique and her husband Scot are part of Our Lady of Light family of parishes.
One of her five children, Thomas, is a student at Chesterton Academy.
Suzanne Mehaffie
Finance Officer
For nearly two decades, Suzanne Mehaffie worked in IT, providing financial and business process improvement support at Anthem and the U.S. Air Force. She enjoys working with numbers and designing solutions to make workflows run smoothly.
Suzanne is a Cincinnati native and studied History at the University of Cincinnati but now lives in Lebanon, Ohio with her family. She is a wife and mother of two sons and is deeply rooted in her Catholic faith with a Marian and Divine Mercy devotion.
Elizabeth Emmert
Communications and Admissions Coordinator
Elizabeth is first and foremost a daughter of the King! A Cincinnati native, Elizabeth holds a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Cincinnati. She worked with grades 6-12 for four years in Cincinnati teaching Theology of the Body. She absolutely loves the outdoors, laughing, and learning traditional trades. She detests fluorescent lighting.
Full Time Faculty
Aaron Bates
History and Philosophy
Aaron Bates was born and raised in Sisseton, South Dakota. He received his B.A. in Philosophy in 2005 from the University of St. Thomas and his Juris Doctorate in 2009 from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Prior to teaching at Chesterton, he worked as an attorney in a variety of positions, most notably as a Deputy State's Attorney in Elk Point, South Dakota. In 2023, he moved to the Dayton area to be closer to his brother, sister and ten nieces and nephews. He is currently privileged to teach philosophy and history at Chesterton.
Jaired Birks
History, Choir, Drama, Debate
Raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Ohio Northern University. He is a church music director and previously served as a Methodist pastor before converting to Catholicism. He lives in Lima, Ohio with his wife, Stacy, and their nine children. Mr. Birks is deeply committed to Catholic education, and also possesses experience in public education across all grade levels including as a former elected board member. His personal interests include the study of political history, further developing his conducting and singing skills, and creative writing. Chesterton is the best job he's ever had!
Sarah Davis
History, Literature, Theology
Originally from Pennsylvania, Miss Davis pursued undergraduate studies at Christendom College, where she earned a degree in English with a minor in Theology. Her college experience deepened her love for the Catholic intellectual tradition, and she is overjoyed to share her passion for learning with high school students as a History, Literature, and Theology teacher at Chesterton. In her free time, Miss Davis enjoys reading classic literature, going on long walks, dabbling in music, and cooking and baking.
Aoife Flieder
Literature
Aoife Flieder holds an MFA in Poetry from the University of Oregon, where she taught English and Creative Writing from 2022 to 2024. Before her graduate studies, she trained as a classical musician and earned a Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Eric Lafferty
Theology
Dr. Lafferty teaches Theology, Philosophy, and History. He has great love for the history of the Catholic Church and Marian devotion. Received into the Church in 2010, he has since completed a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Duquesne University, a M.A. in Historical Theology at Saint Louis University, and a M.A. in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas. He also holds a B.S. in Computer Science. Dr. Lafferty has previously taught Scripture and theology courses to undergraduates and is excited to be part of a community that integrates learning and the Faith.
Emmie Scarborough
Geometry, Algebra, Precalculus, Philosophy
Born and raised in southern California, Emmie Scarborough herself enjoyed attending a classical high school, converting to the Catholic Church in large part because of that formation. She later went on to earn a B.S. in Mathematics from Biola University and an M.A. in Philosophy from Franciscan University. Now in her third year at CASJ, Emmie currently teaches Geometry, Algebra 1, Senior Precalculus, and Philosophy 2. Outside of teaching, she enjoys baking, having deep conversations, and reading Father Brown stories. Emmie and her husband Samuel were married in spring 2026 and are now expecting their first child. She is delighted to be a part of the CASJ community and hopes to foster joy and excellence in the classroom.
Matthew Young
Latin and Biology
A native of New Orleans, he earned his Bachelor's degree in 2016 from the University of Alabama, where he majored in English Literature and Latin. He moved to Ohio in 2018 where he served the Archdiocese of Cincinnati as a VIA Missionary alongside his lovely wife, Emily. Together they have two wonderful daughters, Maria and Sophia, as well as an infant son. He has various interests including watching college football, learning about strange animals, and gaming of all varieties. Mr. Young is beyond excited to share his love of learning with the brilliant minds at Chesterton.
Part Time Faculty
Mitchell Clune
Chemistry
Mitchell Clune (KLOO-nee) earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Soon after graduation, he married his high school sweetheart, Brooke. Currently, the two have 3 young children. After a few years of living in Indiana, he moved to the Dayton area and works full-time as an R&D Scientist for a government contractor.
Mr. Clune enjoys being competitive in his free-time which usually takes the form of watching college football, playing board games, or playing sports.
Dr. Drew Flieder
Algebra and Physics
Drew Flieder teaches Algebra II and Physics. He earned a Bachelor of Music in composition from the Eastman School of Music, then completed an MA and PhD in music composition at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Flieder has taught undergraduate courses in music and is active in the mathematical music theory research community. He is excited to share in the Chesterton Academy's vision of education.
Adam Matthews
Precalculus
Raised in southwest Ohio, Mr. Adam Mathews earned a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He gained experience with P&G in their BabyCare division, before going to do civilian work for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. He returned to Notre Dame for law school, and now practices intellectual property and data security law in private practice and for a pro-life non-profit. He and his wife Amanda live in Lebanon with their five kids. In his free time, he is very involved in his parish and community.
Stephanie Schutte
Latin
Many moons ago, Stephanie Schutte received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy from the University of Dayton. It was there that she met her husband, Greg. They have lived in Dayton for most of their 32 years of marriage, during which they have raised seven children. After homeschooling for over 25 years, she managed to pick up enough Latin so that now, as her two youngest children are students at CASJ, she has the privilege of teaching Latin I at the school. Mrs. Schutte also has numerous piano students, and on the rare occasion that she isn’t teaching someone something, she’s probably out looking for birds.
Melissa Stange
Art
Melissa Stange is a design and art history graduate of Mount St. Joseph University. She and her husband, Jacob, moved to Dayton following college. They reside in Huber Heights with their five children.
Melissa enjoys creating and teaching art as a way to cultivate participation in God's beauty. In her resting time, she enjoys sewing, sketching, painting, and time with family and friends.