Dr. Brian Matney, Principal

Elected as the 2006 VASSP State High School Principal of the Year, Dr. Matney assumed the principalship here at Landstown High School and Technology Academy this summer. A product of our school division and graduate of Kempsville High School, he went on to earn his Phi Beta Kappa key as an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia and his Master’s degree and Ph.D. as a Dean Smith Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at UNC, he won a dissertation fellowship for his research on school desegregation efforts in Charlotte, North Carolina, and received awards for his teaching of undergraduates. Since assuming the principalship in 1998, he has continued his studies at Oxford University in England, as well as Harvard and Princeton.

Dr. Matney currently serves on the board of the directors for the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals (VASSP) and as one of six principals nationwide on the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Honor Society advisory board. He has served on the Governor’s Education Roundtable and just completed his sixth year as the treasurer of the Virginia High School League’s Eastern Region Principals’ Council. This summer, he was appointed by the State Board of Education to serve on its advisory board on teacher education and licensure.

Prior to his arrival on Concert Drive, Dr. Matney served as the principal of Frank W. Cox High School from 2002 until 2011 and at the helm of Lynnhaven Middle School for four years prior to that. In 2008, he was named the Commonwealth’s Outstanding High School Principal by the Curry Foundation at the University of Virginia. He was also named our city’s “Outstanding Young Citizen” by the Virginia Beach Jaycees in 1998 and, a year later, as one of three “Outstanding Young Virginians” by the statewide organization. Dr. Matney has also served as an assistant principal at Ocean Lakes High School and as an advanced placement government teacher at Green Run High School, where he was selected as one of the top 100 new teachers in America in 1988.

He and his wife, an advanced placement chemistry teacher at Tallwood High School, are the proud parents of two sons, an eighth grader at Kempsville Middle School and a fifth grader at Kempsville Elementary.

Mrs. Natasha Christian- Assistant Principal

Mrs. Natasha Christian joined the Landstown administrative team in the summer of 2011 after working for six years in the Virginia Beach School of Practical Nursing as the Nursing Instructor Coordinator and Nursing Instructor.  She is proud of being named the 2006-2007 Virginia Department of Education Health Occupations Outstanding New Nursing Teacher of the Year. She received her Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Georgia, a registered nurse diploma from Riverside School of Professional Nursing, and a Master of Science in Leadership in Educational Administration from Capella University. She is also in the final stages of her doctoral program, preparing to write her dissertation.

Ms. Paula Johnson - Assistant Principal

Paula Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Virginia State University and her Master of Arts in Education from Virginia Tech.  In August of 1989, Ms. Johnson began her teaching career at Ocean Lakes Elementary School where she taught fourth grade. She moved to the middle school level within our division in 1993 to teach mathematics at Salem Middle and later Larkspur Middle. Ms. Johnson was given the opportunity to teach her favorite subject, geometry, at Cox High resulting in her moving to the high school level in 1999.   She later taught algebra and geometry at Landstown High School where she was also the sponsor of the Class of 2005.  In 2003, she joined the Online Geometry Team that launched online learning in our division and eventually taught two courses. In the fall of 2005, Ms. Johnson became the School Improvement Specialist at Lynnhaven Middle.  She returned to Landstown High at the start of the 2006-2007 school year as an assistant principal. In her twenty-two years with VBCPS, Ms. Johnson has worn several hats from grade-level chair to SCA advisor. She has received a number of acknowledgements for her work in and out of the classroom. Her goal is to help as many students as possible see their true potential, “for if they can see it, they can achieve it.”

Mr. George Korte - Assistant Principal

George Korte joined our Landstown High School administrative team this summer. A native of VIrginia Beach, he is a graduate of First Colonial High School who went on to earn his undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and his Master's at Old Dominion. He began his teaching career in Suffolk before returning to VIrginia Beach as a teacher and football coach at Brandon Junior High School. Following one year of service at Brandon, he was hired as a social studies instructor and football coach at Green Run High.

After serving the Commonwealth during the administration of Governor George Allen, Mr. Korte retuned to the Beach as a school administrator, first as an assistant principal at Bayside High and, for the past decade, as as assistant at Kempsville High.

His wife recently retired following a standout teaching career at the Beach. She and Mr. Korte are the proud parents of three adult children, all products of the VIrginia Beach City Public Schools.

Mrs. Amy Sulcer - Assistant Principal

Wanting to cultivate her passion for teaching and love of learning, Mrs. Sulcer earned her Master’s degree in Education from Old Dominion University. Mrs. Sulcer later continued her studies at The George Washington University and earned her Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision. Mrs. Sulcer feels very fortunate to be a part of the Eagle community and is entering her fifth year at Landstown High School. Prior to becoming an assistant principal in 2008, she served as the administrative assistant and the school improvement specialist for LHS. Before entering administration, Mrs. Sulcer developed her knowledge and skills of educational leadership while working at Plaza Middle School over the course of nine years. She served as a lead teacher and staff developer as a member of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program faculty. During this time, she received the “Tagged by the Superintendent” award in 2006 and was named a VBCPS Model Teacher in 2005. Passionate about engaging students both in and out of the classroom, Mrs. Sulcer previously served as the head girls’ soccer coach, SCA advisor, and forensics coach.
Mrs. Sulcer is a true Virginia Beach native, having lived here for more than 30 years and is a product of our school system, graduating from First Colonial High School. She and her husband are proud parents of two sons, an eighth grader at Landstown Middle and a fifth grader at Christopher Farms. The entire family enjoys supporting LHS and showing off their Eagle spirit. Go, Eagles!

Mr. Jairo Padilla - Administrative Assistant

Mr. Padilla was born in Colombia, South America and moved to the United States with his family when he was three.  He attended high school in our neighboring city of Chesapeake where he graduated from Indian River H.S.  Having grown up in a bilingual household, Mr. Padilla continued his love of Spanish and attended Old Dominion University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Spanish-Education.  Soon after graduating Old Dominion, Mr. Padilla began his teaching career at Princess Anne H.S. where he taught Spanish from 1996-2011. Mr. Padilla continued his studies at the University of Virginia where he earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction followed by an Ed.S. Degree in Supervision and Administration from The George Washington University.  Mr. Padilla used his credentials to successfully run the summer school program at Princess Anne H.S. as an administrative intern during the summer of 2006 and 2011.

Mrs. Lisette Diehl - Technology Academy Coordinator

Mrs. Diehl is serving in her sixth year as the Technology Academy Coordinator at Landstown High School. In her capacity as the Coordinator for this specialized program, she serves as the administrator for the Entrepreneurship Technology, Information Technology, and Pre-Engineering Technology Departments. She is a current member of the Virginia Beach Association of Secondary Administrators and the National School Reform Faculty. She received her Master of Arts in Education in the field of administration and supervision with honors from Austin Peay State University. Mrs. Diehl earned her B.A as a dual major in biology and chemistry (pre-med) cum laude graduate and member of the Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society from Norfolk State University. She has completed additional coursework at the University of Virginia, University of Mary Washington, George Mason University, James Madison University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Prior to her position as the Technology Coordinator, she served as the Director of Students Services and Assistant to the Superintendent of Russellville Independent Schools in Kentucky. In addition, she has served as an elementary school principal and assistant principal in the Kentucky Public Schools. She began her career in education in Fauquier County, Virginia, as a middle and high school science teacher and specialized in the area of gifted education. She was selected as a Master Teacher in Science and as a result was nominated for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching. She was chosen as Science Teacher of the Year and became both a program and department chairperson for science. She is a founding member of the Educational Advisory Committee for the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
As a native of Norfolk, Mrs. Diehl attended Norfolk Collegiate and graduated from Booker T. Washington High School with honors. She participated in the foreign exchange program for high school students, during which time she received instruction in England.

Mr. David Siock - Student Activities Coordinator

Mr. Siock is a native of Vestal, New York, and moved to Virginia Beach after receiving his Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Syracuse University in 1993. Mr. Siock was fortunate enough to attend Syracuse on a full athletic scholarship in basketball. He also received his Master’s degree in Sports Management from Old Dominion University. Prior to coming to Landstown in 2002, Mr. Siock taught mathematics and served as the assistant student activities coordinator at Bayside High School. He is especially proud of our sixth VHSL sportsmanship award won in 2011 and the five VHSL state titles the Eagles have won since our opening. His wife is also a member of the Landstown High School staff as a teacher in the mathematics department. Mr. and Mrs. Siock have two children.

Mrs. Sandra Copeland - Guidance Director

Mrs. Copeland is one of the original Eagles who opened Landstown High School and Technology Academy in September 2001 as one of five school counselors. She is entering her fifth year of service to LHS students and parents as guidance department chair and her thirty-first year of service with Virginia Beach City Public Schools. Prior to becoming a school counselor, Mrs. Copeland taught English. She coached girls’ basketball on the middle school and high school levels, and she earned Teacher of the Year recognition at the Literacy Center, an alternative school that provided intense instruction in reading and math for students who had not passed the Literacy Passport Test. Mrs. Copeland is a product of Virginia Beach City Public Schools. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Virginia Tech and a Masters degree in urban studies with a concentration in school counseling from Norfolk State University.

Mr. Matthew Wallace - School Improvement Specialist

Mr. Wallace joined the leadership team as a school improvement specialist at Landstown High School in the Summer of 2011 after returning to teaching at Landstown in the fall of 2010. Prior to coming to LHS, Mr. Wallace worked for two years as a sales representative and taught social studies for eleven years at First Colonial High School. He earned his undergaduate degree in history and political science from Virginia Wesleyan College, with the goal of teaching at the secondary level. He is also in the final stages of earning a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the George Washington University. During his time in the classroom, Mr. Wallace was awarded the "Outstanding Economics Lesson Plan of the Year" Award in 2007; earned a commendation of distiction from the Virginia Beach School Board; and served on the School Planning Council, Principal's Advisory Council, and several textbook adoption committees.

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Wallace acted as the junior varsity soccer coach at FIrst Colonial High from 1997-2002 and varsity soccer coach 2002 - 2008. During this time, FIrst Colonial won two Beach District titles and back to back Eastern Region appearances including a trip to the VHSL state quaterfinals in 2004. He also served as Director of Coaching for the Virginia Rush Soccer Club from 2003-2005.