Mr. Lauritsen is a product of the Houston County School System. He attended Westside Elementary School, Rumble Junior High, and graduated from Warner Robins High School in 1983. He later graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a Bachelors Degree in History and went on to receive his Masters Degree and Specialists Degree from Georgia College & State University.

Mr. Lauritsen began his career teaching in the 7th grade and later moved to teaching 8th grade. He also coached various middle school and high school sports teams while teaching at Tabor and Bonaire Middle School. Mr. Lauritsen worked at Middle GA Technical College for two years in the Student Services department before coming back to the School System in 2002. He served as assistant principal at Centerville and Miller Elementary for two years and is in his seventh year as principal at Russell Elementary School.

Jo Hall is originally from Conyers, Georgia but now considers Warner Robins her home town. She graduated from Heritage High School in 1984 and went on to graduate in 1988 from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She currently holds a specialists degree in Administration and Supervision from Georgia College and State University. In 1989 Jo moved to Warner Robins to take a job teaching 2nd grade at Miller Elementary. She taught at Miller Elementary, Quail Run Elementary and Feagin Mill Middle School before accepting her current position as Assistant Principal for Instruction here at Russell Elementary.

Jo loves her career and considers it a privilege to work with the students, parents and teachers at Russell. She loves getting to know all of the students and helping them reach their fullest potential while in elementary school. She also loves helping the teachers to be the best teachers that they can be.

Carolyn S. Buford is originally from Chattanooga, TN and a product of the Chattanooga City School System. Upon completing high school, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University and a Fashion Merchandising degree from Bauder Fashion College. She then pursed certification in Early Childhood Education and obtained a Master of Arts from Fort Valley State University. With a greater desire to continue to serve the families of Houston County she earned an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. Mrs. Buford began working for the Houston County School System in 1991. She taught 2nd grade at Morningside Elementary School and served as a Resource Coordinator for the Pre-K Program. She began her administration career as the Assistant Principal at Shirley Hills and Russell Elementary Schools in 2005. Prior to working in the education field, Mrs. Buford worked retail management and for the Department of Defense at Robins Air Force Base.

Brad Burris has lived in several places throughout his life, as a result of being in a military family. After having lived in several locations in the United States and overseas to include: Florida, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Germany and Chile, he eventually returned to Georgia in 1990 to pursue a profession in teaching. Brad initially taught Spanish for several years at the middle school level, both at Warner Robins Middle School and Bonaire Middle School. Subsequently, Brad transitioned into the area of School Counseling. Brad was a School Counselor at Miller Elementary prior to accepting his current position as School Counselor at Russell Elementary School. Brad served as an officer in the U.S. Army for several years and also worked briefly in the private industry sector with Northrop Corp. and EG&G Corp. engaged in government contract activities. Brad’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish, a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resources Development, a Master’s “Add On” Degree in School Counseling, and a Specialist Degree in School Counseling. Brad is also fluent in Spanish.