Meredith Williams, SA Upper School Head
Meredith Williams received her B.A. in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill, as a Morehead Scholar, and her Masters in Education from Wake Forest University. Williams has studied education and how it can be leveraged to impact communities. As such, she taught English at Kanchanaburi Agricultural and Technology College in Thailand, interned for the KIPP Leadership Development Program in San Francisco, and studied nonformal education across the countries of Tanzania and Zambia.
Williams has held positions in the NC public school system for 16 years but considers the last 10 years, serving as an administrator in her home community of Rowan County, as the most significant. As principal at North Rowan High School from 2016 to 2022, Williams led transformation efforts that resulted in the school being identified as an Apple Distinguished School. Williams has been recognized as an Elizabeth Duncan Koontz Humanitarian and a Marvin R. Pittman Champion for Education.
Prior to joining the SA team, Williams taught in the School of Education at Catawba as Assistant Professor of Education for Instructional Design.
Steve Cobb, Geometry-Based Math
Steve Cobb was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. After graduating from a public high school, he earned a BA from Vanderbilt University, followed by an MBA from the University of Chicago.
After several years working for a hospital management company, Steve co-founded The Cobb Group, a publisher of instructional material about computer software. In 1998, he earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Louisville and began teaching mathematics at the middle and upper school levels, first at Louisville Collegiate School, then at Charlotte Country Day School and, most recently, Cannon School.
Since moving to Salisbury, Steve has devoted most of his time to the Historic Salisbury Foundation. He lives in a 1907 house in the West Square with his wife, Jennifer Hubbard (an award-winning author of young adult literature) and their little dog, Lotty.
When he’s not fixing up historic houses or tutoring mathematics, Steve likes to tinker in his wood shop, building and restoring rustic furniture.
Adair Doran, American History and Civics
Born in Bristol, Tennessee, Adair is number six of seven children and the youngest of three girls. She attended Davidson College where she majored in European history with an education certification. Adair went on to earn her masters in European history and general education certification from UNC Greensboro.
Adair has taught for 39 years total, starting at Southwest Randolph High, then South Iredell High, and finally at Salisbury High where she taught for 26 years. She taught a wide range of subjects covering history and the social sciences. At Salisbury High School, Adair taught American History 1 and 2, Civics, U.S. Government and Politics, AP European History, and AP Psychology.
Adair has traveled with students to different places in Europe approximately every two years for over 35 years. She also established a student exchange program with two different high schools in Germany. She loves teaching and cherishes the special interactions she has with her students.
Adair is married to her husband of almost 40 years, Mike Doran. Together they have three wonderful children and two grandchildren. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church where she taught high school Sunday school for years, and she belongs to two book clubs.
Scott Stieg, Algebra-Based Math
With extensive experience in secondary and higher education, Scott Stieg holds Bachelor of Science degrees in criminal justice and mathematics education as well as a Masters of Education in educational counseling.
Scott’s journey in classroom teaching, counseling, administration, and the development and management of educational programs has led him to teach in the Oklahoma and Arizona public school systems for 17 years, manage Title I programs for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, and administer adult education programs for the Oklahoma State Department of Corrections. He currently teaches mathematics at the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. In his spare time Scott enjoys golf, attending St. John’s Lutheran Church, and assisting his wife, Kimberly, with her work as executive director of the Historic Salisbury Foundation.
Allison Doby, Director of Admission and College/Career Counseling
Allison Doby grew up in Salisbury, graduating from East Rowan High
School in 2002. After earning her bachelors degree from UNC-Greensboro and masters degree from UNC-Charlotte, Allison served as a school counselor at West Rowan and Salisbury high schools for nearly a decade before coming to Salisbury Academy.
Active in the community, Allison currently serves on the boards for the Rowan County Literacy Council and Partners In Learning and is a member of the Salisbury Kiwanis Club. Allison enjoys hiking and spending time with her husband, Mark, and two children, Cate and Myers.
Allison's expertise in post-graduation planning benefits our Upper School students with college and career guidance starting in their freshman year. One of her students explains: "Mrs. Doby helped to ease any and all confusion when trying to fill out the many forms required with applying to college. Mrs. Doby was an amazing mentor and resource for any and all things college related, and she was there to answer any questions I might have had when applying for college."