Board of Trustees
Gary Downing was a co-Founder of Westminster Academy and has served as a Board Member since its inception. He assumed the duties as Chairman in January 2025. He is a strong advocate for Classical Christian Education from Kindergarten through college and has served on the board of Patrick Henry College, one of the few Christian colleges committed to the Classical model, since 2012. Gary has worked in the financial services industry for over 40 years at Raymond James Financial. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from The Wharton School. Gary and his wife, Shannon, have been married for 35 years, have two adult daughters, and are members of Capital Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
Gary Downing, Chairman
Andrew (Andy) Brown is a member of the Board of Trustees at Westminster Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Geneva College where he dual-majored in history and aviation and was on the men’s soccer team. Andy also holds a law degree from Liberty University School of Law and is a licensed member of the Florida Bar. Prior to joining Westminster Academy, he was a civil defense attorney representing a variety of clients in complex aviation products liability, wrongful death, construction defect, and other types of litigation. He is also a licensed Airline Transport Pilot with over 4,000 hours flown for US Airways Express and as a contractor pilot in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He also currently works as an aviation law professor at the graduate and doctoral levels. Andy is a New Hampshire native and spends his free time exercising, reading, volunteering with his church, and spending time with his wife and three children.
Andrew Brown, Secretary
Casey has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2023. A K-12 graduate of a Classical Christian school in Tampa and a Tampa native, he is passionate about advancing the mission and vision of Westminster Academy in our city. Casey received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the Kings College in New York City. He is currently a vice president at Neuberger Berman and has held positions in capital markets and commercial real estate at Morgan Stanley, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Franklin Street. He is a CFA Charterholder. Casey is passionate about connecting people with each other to advance common goals in business, education, and the arts. He and his wife, Clara (a former WA teacher), have two young children ages 3 and 2 and are members of Tampa Covenant Church, where Casey is an ordained deacon.
Casey Crane, Treasurer
Dr. Shannon Downing is a member of the Board of Trustees and is the enrollment coordinator at Westminster Academy. Dr. Downing has a BS in Multinational Business from Florida State University, an MEd in Elementary Education from University of Florida, and most recently, a PhD in Instruction and Curriculum from Liberty University. She has taught for Pinellas County Public Schools, St. Petersburg College, Classical Conversations, and Westminster Academy. Dr. Downing is also a trustee on the Board at College of the Ozarks and serves as a consultant, speaker, and researcher of the influence of classical education on the faith formation of children and parents. She has been married for 35 years to her husband Gary, and together they have two grown daughters and a son-in-law.
Dr. Shannon Downing
Nikki Jenkins is a long time friend of Westminster Academy. She was a parent of a child enrolled at the school during its early years from Pre-K through Grammar School. Nikki also taught at Westminster Academy in roles such as 4th grade, music, and theater. She holds a bachelor's degree from Liberty University in education with a concentration in English. Her passion is making Christ known, and she believes that Westminster Academy's vision and classical learning are important means for this mission. Nikki and her husband, Cheyenne, live in Tampa with their two sons Asher and Noah. They also have one grown son, Josiah, who recently married and currently lives in Tampa.
Nikki Jenkins
Charlie Jackson is a parent of two Westminster Academy students and serves as a pastor at Covenant Life Church in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife, Amy, met through the ministry of Bell Shoals Church in Brandon, Florida and were married in 2012. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Church Ministry from Trinity College of Florida and has also studied at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. After leaving Apple Inc. in 2016, he worked for McKinsey & Company until 2018, when he joined the ministerial staff of Covenant Life Church. In 2025, he was elected as an elder of Covenant Life Church and joined the pastoral staff. Charlie currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Westminster Academy, on the Committee on Nominations for the Southern Baptist Convention, and enjoys coaching his sons’ football teams.
Charlie Jackson
Martha Crane has loved teaching since she was 15 years old when she taught Sunday school at her church. From beloved and influential teachers in her own life, she realized that she wanted to pursue teaching as a calling. Martha graduated from Oral Roberts University with a degree in K-12 education. It was while homeschooling her oldest daughter that she and her husband were approached to help start the first Classical Christian School in Tampa. In the early years there, she taught PE, but as the school grew, she moved into the classroom teaching 3rd, 5th, and 6th grades, culminating her last three years there as the Grammar School Principal. She is thankful that her grandchildren are attending classical schools around the country. Most recently, Martha has served on the Board of Trustees at Westminster Academy since 2020. She has been married to Tom for forty years, and they have three children and nine grandchildren.
Martha Crane, Ex Officio
Samuel Cox has served as an educator for nearly four decades in independent schools as a history teacher, humanities department chair, cross country and track coach, Dean of Students, Upper School Head, and as Head of School at three different Christian classical schools: Faith Christian School in Roanoke, VA and Caldwell Academy in Greensboro, NC, and 2022-2023 as the Interim Head of School at Haw River Christian Academy, Pittsboro, NC. He has consulted with over two dozen other classical Christian schools as well and was a founding board member for The Society for Classical Learning, serving on their Board of Directors from 2002-2012 and again from 2016-2022, and served most of that time as treasurer. He has taught various history and humanities courses at the middle school, upper school, and university levels, and has served on seventeen non-profit and school boards for a total of 70 years. Sam also was an active duty Army officer and is retired from the US Army Reserves. Mr. Cox is the author of the book I Will Give Them an Everlasting Name: Jacksonville’s Stories of the Holocaust (Amsterdam Publishing, 2024).
Sam holds the BS degree from Wake Forest University, the BA from Oregon State University, the MS from the University of South Carolina, and the MA from The College of William & Mary. He has completed additional graduate coursework at Trinity University, the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University, the University of New Hampshire, Regent College Seminary (Canada), Hebrew University (Israel), Yad Vashem (Israel), the US Army Medical Center and School, and the US Army Command and General Staff College. Sam resides in Greensboro, NC with his wonderful wife Erin and they have three adult children--Anna (and husband, Tucker), Avery, and Charlie, along with one grandson and another grandchild due in December 2026.