Athletics Staff
Interim Director of Athletics
Mr. Will Cohen was born and raised in Orlando and has been serving at The First Academy since June 2012. Mr. Cohen served three years as the Assistant Director of Athletics and Assistant Baseball Coach. He then served as The First Academy’s Director of Athletics for nine years. Mr. Cohen currently serves as the Assistant Head of School for Campus Operations.
Mr. Cohen spent seven years at TFA as a student, graduating with The First Academy’s Class of 2008. After graduation, Mr. Cohen received his Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration from Samford University in Birmingham, AL.
Assistant Director of Athletics
Trey Tyler serves as an Assistant Director of Athletics and has served on staff at The First Academy for over 15 years. Trey served as our head of Athletic Training from 2010-2021. He is a native of North Alabama and graduated from Troy University with his bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training in 2008. He is married to his wife, Kristin.
Associate Director of Athletics & Football Coach
Jacob Gill serves as an Assosciate Athletic Director and Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator for TFA Football. Coach Gill has been in education and coaching for 14 years in Arkansas and Tennessee. He is a graduate of MidAmerica Nazarene University and Arkansas State University. He is married to his wife, Kala, and they have three boys who all attend The First Academy.
Associate Director of Athletics & Head Girls Basketball Coach
Kevin Hall serves as Associate Director of Athletics and boasts a long career in athletics at both the high school and collegiate levels. He was the Athletic Director at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia from 2016 to 2020 before transitioning into high school athletics. Kevin is also the head coach for our girls’ basketball program. He graduated from the United States Sports Academy with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Sports Management. He is married to his wife, Jamie, and they have five children.
Head Athletic Trainer
Jessica Kenning currently serves as the head athletic trainer, and has been on the athletics staff. for nearly ten years. She is a 2013 graduate of The First Academy who went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2017, and her master’s of Athletic Training from The University of Central Florida in 2021. She is married to her husband, Cory.
Sports Information Coordinator, Director of Football Operations, MS Athletics Coordinator
Bo Burgess serves the Athletics Department as the Athletic Coordinator and Director of Football Operations. He is a 2016 Graduate of The First Academy who went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration from Samford University in 2020.
Athletics Administrative Assistant
Danielle Shelburne serves as the Athletics Administrative Assistant. Before joining the TFA team, Danielle served as Head Women’s Golf Coach at her alma mater, Stetson University, for five years. She graduated from Stetson in 2010 with her bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. She is married to her husband, Michael, and they have two sons.
Athletics Coordinator
Will Pikalow currently serves as Athletics Coordinator after having served as an athletics intern for the 2021-2022 school year. He graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2022 with his bachelor’s degree in Business Management.