Leadership
Brett Hardin, PhD
Brett has over 30 years of experience in educational non-profits, public education, and independent schools. He was previously the High School Principal at Paideia School, a co-ed, nonsectarian, independent school in Atlanta serving 1000+ students PreK through 12th grade.
During his tenure at Paideia, Brett has worked across all areas of an independent school: administration, faculty, admissions, finance, development, and buildings and grounds. He is an alum of Leadership Atlanta and served on the board of Intown Collaborative Ministries, a non-profit working to prevent and reverse homelessness and hunger in intown Atlanta.
Prior to Paideia, Brett worked for the Georgia Council on Economic Education, where he led professional development for K12 economics teachers statewide. He has also taught High School economics and U.S. history in Atlanta Public Schools and Cobb County.
Having competed in college and High School athletics as a runner, Brett coached cross country and track, as well as Academic Bowl. He began his teaching career in Washington, D.C., working for the Close Up Foundation, a nonpartisan, civic, education organization serving over 22,000 High School juniors and seniors annually.
Brett has a B.A. in History from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, an M.S. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from Georgia State University.
Brett is married to Lisanne Farach Hardin, also an educator, and they have three children.
In his free time, Brett can be found on the sidelines of his kids’ ultimate frisbee, basketball, and soccer games. He enjoys hiking, outdoor concerts, board games like Catan and Mahjong, and reading historical and economics non-fiction.
Head of School
Nicole Bettis
Nicole joined Terra School at Serenbe in 2021 and now serves as the Director of Education for learners ranging from eight weeks to six years old. Guided by a vision of education as a living, interconnected ecosystem, she coaches and develops guides to deepen the Montessori framework and oversees curriculum design and development that honors the wholeness of each child.
With over 18 years of experience, Nicole is a Positive Discipline parent educator and coach, an American Montessori Society (AMS) certified Early Childhood guide, and a North American Montessori Center (NAMC) certified instructor. She holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology and an M.A. in Humanistic Psychology. Nicole has completed the West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program, earning her Montessori Inclusion Endorsement (MIE) - an AMS special education certification. She also holds a Certificate in Early Education Leadership (CEEL) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Nicole is currently enrolled at the Montessori Teacher Education Institute of Atlanta, finishing her Infant Toddler Certification, and at Playmaker University, continuing her commitment to cultivating learning environments rooted in relationship, wonder, and connection.
Nicole began her academic journey at the University of West Georgia, earning both a B.A. in Psychology and a BFA in sculpture. She merged her passion for creativity and developmental psychology by founding several art healing groups in the West Georgia community, focused on supporting young people and nurturing the emergence of their unique gifts.
Most interested in constructivist educational theories and inclusive methodology, Nicole believes the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori best serve children's needs and potential in a world that thrives on interconnectedness and belonging. Early childhood literacy is also close to her heart, with many of her projects focused on evidence-based approaches for emergent readers and building strong early reading foundations.
Nicole is married and has two young children enrolled at Terra. She enjoys spending time outdoors, finding inspiration in the patterns and rhythms of the natural world. At her home in Carrollton, her cuddly husky dog, Kodak, is always by her side while she reads, knits, and watches the birds outside her window.
Director of Education, Lower School
Larisa Wilson
Larisa Wilson is an interdisciplinary educator with over 13 years experience helping students solve real world challenges. Her journey started as a researcher in chemical ecology and behavior at The Georgia Institute of Technology, where she built a successful research laboratory by creating a culture of undergrads that could lead the trajectory of the work. Following an M.S. in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Marine Biology from University of California at Los Angeles, Larisa's passion for scientific research became overshadowed by her love for teaching youth how to solve problems.
In 2016, Larisa joined The Mount Vernon School's Innovation Diploma program, a 4-year "school within a school" model where learners solve real world problems with a focus on design thinking practices. The end goal of this program is for students to solve problems for external clients such as Chick-fil-a and Mercedes Benz, as well as nonprofits and local businesses. Since then, Larisa became known as the science teacher that transformed the middle and high school sciences at The Mount Vernon School.
Larisa has also designed and facilitated several courses rooted in Problem Based Learning, a student-centered approach to learning where students work collaboratively to drive the learning in order to solve an open-ended problem.
In 2023, Larisa joined Terra School at Serenbe as the Director of Education for the Upper School. She will focus on learners ranging from seven to eighteen years old, overseeing curriculum design and development for this age group.
Outside of work, Larisa takes great joy in being a mother to her three-year-old son, Dean, and nine-year-old step daughter, Blakely. She works alongside her loving husband to create a fulfilling and beautiful life on their property, Tommy Lee Cook Farm. Larisa is excited about the opportunity to live, work, and pursue her passions closer to home.
Director of Education, Upper School