Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, Kayla holds a degree in psychology and a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She currently serves as Director of Scoring and Education for Deep South Spirit, where she hires and trains judges across the United States and partners with the Open Championship Series to train judges for all its partner brands. With more than 20 years of experience judging for multiple event producers and scoring systems, Kayla has extensive expertise in panel judging, score review, and education.

During the off-season, Kayla travels the world judging events and leading training sessions for athletes, judges, and choreographers in places including Australia, Mexico, London, Bermuda, and Costa Rica.

A former Division I cheerleader at Liberty University, she has also owned a competitive cheer gym, coached at the collegiate level, and worked in apparel sales. Having experienced nearly every aspect of the competitive cheerleading industry at almost every level, she considers her role with Deep South Spirit the most rewarding chapter of her cheerleading career.

Now living in Georgia, Kayla shares her expertise at Studio South in Waynesboro, where she teaches tumbling and acro dance classes. While she has worked with athletes at every level, her true passion is beginner tumbling—helping kids fall in love with the sport while discovering the strength of their bodies and minds.