Their colleagues, students and athletes have learned in two weeks what you will learn soon: Durham Academy’s newest faculty and staff members are right at home. They arrive with a slew of moral, happy and productive experiences — and they arrive with an appetite for more.
Meet the incoming cohort of new DA Athletics hires.
New Faces in Athletics
Derek Brunn
Assistant Director of Athletics
Education:
• Randolph-Macon College, B.A. in Communication Studies
• Grand Valley State University, M.S. in Communications
Previously: Assistant Director of Athletics, Georgetown Day School (Washington, D.C.)
Brunn has spent the last six years at Georgetown Day School, where he occupied multiple roles before ascending to assistant director of athletics. In his position, Brunn provided direct administrative support to more than 50 teams, 90 coaches and 400 student-athletes at Georgetown Day. He has worked in schools for 10 years, including as a head secretary with Grand Rapids Public Schools and as an athletics office manager at Grand Rapids Community College.
Kofi Kufuor
Middle School Boys Soccer (A Team) Coach
Education:
• Newberry College (South Carolina), B.S. in Political Science and Government
• North Carolina Central University, J.D.
Currently: Talent Manager, Free Radikal Entertainment LLC
Why I chose Durham Academy: “DA is close to home. I know from close friends who have kids who have been to DA and who go to DA that it's a great school. A friend who works there encouraged me to join the faculty.”
Kufuor manages business affairs on behalf of musical artists. He has previously served as a contract specialist for Thermo Fisher Scientific in Durham and as a document review attorney for the software company Consilio LLC.
The last book I read:The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
My song of the summer: “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz
Best show on streaming right now:Game of Thrones
My favorite obsession: Soccer
One discontinued item I wish were still available: “Whole cuts of a particular livestock at a butcher.”
Hailey Myers
Athletics Intern
Education: Myers is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Why I chose Durham Academy: “I chose Durham Academy because of the school’s high-caliber athletics department. Coaches, athletic directors, trainers, student-athletes: Everyone is held in such high regard, and the respect between one another is amazing. Every kid has an opportunity to play a sport at DA, which I love because sports are so formative and teach people some of the most valuable life lessons. I hold student-athletes in high esteem. I know the workload and the multiple practices per day while balancing a social life can be extremely exhausting some days, so I am so excited to see and help these kids strive in whatever ways I can! I am so excited to see young athletes’ passion for sports develop and foster connections with them, with teams and with coaches!”
My song of the summer: “My song of the summer is Tennis Courts by Lorde. It's just such a fun song and makes me feel like I'm back at the beach!”
Best show on streaming right now: “I will always say the best show on streaming right now is Grey’s Anatomy. I have watched it more times than I will admit here!”
Robby Riesgo
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Education:
• Ohio University, B.S. in Physiology of Exercise
• Ohio University, M.S. in Physiology of Exercise, Human Performance Track
Previously: Sports Science Intern, Clemson University Athletics
Most recently, Riesgo assisted Clemson’s sports science team and performance teams in the collection and storing of performance data. He previously served as a human performance graduate assistant and a strength and conditioning intern at Ohio University, where he worked closely with the men’s basketball, softball and golf programs.
Marisa Scandole
Athletic Trainer
Education:
• University of South Carolina, B.S. in Athletic Training
• San Jose State University, M.A. in Kinesiology
Previously: Associate Athletic Trainer for Football and Women’s Tennis, San Jose State University
Why I chose Durham Academy: “The incredible sense of community I felt here at Durham Academy since the very beginning. The staff seemed truly invested in wanting to give these students the best education and best experience in all aspects of life.”
Scandole’s three-year tenure at San Jose State University featured her creation of a football “playbook” that detailed all pertinent operations and logistics of the university’s football sports medicine program. She had previously served as the school’s head athletic trainer for men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country. During her time as an undergraduate, Scandole worked with the football and beach volleyball programs at the University of South Carolina. She also served as a medical volunteer at the 2019 Boston Marathon.
My song of the summer:Belong Together by Mark Ambor
Best show on streaming right now: Loot
My favorite obsession: “The beach is my favorite place to be. There is nothing like hearing the ocean waves crash and break that makes me so happy.”
Hannah Smith
Athletics Intern
Education: Smith is pursuing two degrees — one in journalism and media and the other in sports administration — as a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Why I chose Durham Academy:“I am excited to join DA to be a part of a new community outside of UNC and to learn more about the high school athletics world.”
The last book I read:The Housemaid series by Freida McFadden
My song of the summer:Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun
Best show on streaming right now:Friends and Grey’s Anatomy
My favorite obsession(s): “College sports, camp, reading and going to the beach.”
Sydney Supica
Varsity Field Hockey Head Coach
Education: • Indiana University, B.A. in Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
• Central Michigan University, M.A. in Sport Administration
Previously: Assistant Field Hockey Coach, Brown University
Why I chose Durham Academy: “I’m thrilled to join Durham Academy because of its outstanding commitment to academic excellence and its vibrant, supportive community. I’m eager to immerse myself in the diverse opportunities for growth and collaboration that the school offers.”
Supica was a three-time Second Team All-Big Ten selection as a field hockey player at Indiana University. Her coaching career has included stops at Central Michigan University, the University of California, Davis, and most recently Brown University. Supica has also coached at the high school and junior level as a head coach at Cherry Creek High School in Denver and as a coach with the Denver Field Hockey Club.
My song of the summer: “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton. “Fun fact: My car is nicknamed ‘Dolly!’”
My favorite obsession: “My pups, Koda and Willow! They’re both rescue dogs that are my entire world.”