Family isn't a slogan here
Family-owned since 1981, sister-run since 2003, and small enough that the owners know every student's name. “Welcome to the family” shows up in the testimonials because students say it first.
About us
Two sisters.
Two campuses.
Since 1981.
Hays Academy of Hair Design opened its doors in Hays on April 1st, 1981. In January 2003, sisters Summer Melvin and Danielle Markley bought the school — and they still run it, one as Financial Aid Director, one as Director of Education. In 2012 the family grew a second campus in Salina.
The goal, in the owners' words
“Our goal is to produce the most hire-able, financially responsible graduates in the country!”
That's the actual vision statement, and it's unusually specific for a beauty school: not the most artistic, not the most famous — hire-able and financially responsible. It's why business and money classes sit next to color theory, and why the school measures itself in licensure and placement rates, published for anyone to read.
What we're about
Four things we'd say on the tour anyway.
Money is part of the curriculum
The MONEY by Qnity financial-literacy program — 8 modules, 40 lessons — is bundled into enrollment. Pricing, saving, and the math of self-employment are homework, not an afterthought.
Craft with receipts
First school in the world to teach the Wella Cut Craft cutting curriculum, a Dermalogica partner school, and 17 years of documented national competition wins.
Western Kansas, on purpose
Two campuses, Hays and Salina, serving the towns around them — with FHSU dorm housing for Hays students who need a place to live.
The team
All sixteen of us.
Owners, instructors, coordinators — every one of them reachable by a direct email, because that's how a family business answers questions.
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Summer Melvin
Owner/Financial Aid Director · Hays
Co-owner since 2003, when she and her sister Danielle bought the school they now run together. Summer is the person who sits down with every family and turns the cost question into an actual plan — FAFSA, aid, and payments.
summer@haysacademy.com -
Danielle Markley
Owner/Director of Education · Hays
Wella Regional Trend Vision Educator of the Year 2016
Co-owner since 2003 and the architect of the curriculum — including the Wella Cut Craft program the school was first in the world to teach. Named Wella Regional Trend Vision Educator of the Year in 2016.
danielle@haysacademy.com -
Eric Markley
Instructor Hays and Salina Campus · Hays & Salina
The instructor who teaches at both campuses — which means every student gets his cutting fundamentals, and he knows every cohort by name.
eric@haysacademy.com -
Len Melvin
Marketing Director · Hays
Keeps the school's name in front of western Kansas — and keeps the competition wins from staying a secret.
len@haysacademy.com -
Ashley Paulson
Salina Campus Manager · Salina
Runs the Salina campus day to day — schedules, the salon floor, and the small stuff that makes school feel handled instead of hard.
ashley@haysacademy.com -
Randi Gerstner
Admissions Director · Hays
The first person most students meet — she answers the texts, runs the tours, and walks you from "thinking about it" to a start date without pressure.
randi@haysacademy.com -
Nicole Kroeger
Hays Campus Manager · Hays
Runs the Hays campus — the original one, open since 1981 — and keeps the floor, the schedule, and the coffee all working.
nicole@haysacademy.com -
Brandy Mauldin
Instructor–Salina Campus · Salina
Salina instructor and the nail program's biggest advocate — acrylics, gel systems, and the art side that turns a service into a signature.
brandymauldin@haysacademy.com -
Faith Mersch
Instructor–Hays Campus · Hays
Hays instructor with a soft spot for event work — if a student's first bridal updo goes well, it's usually because Faith drilled it first.
faithmersch@haysacademy.com -
Lauren Goebel
Salon Coordinator Hays Campus · Hays
Coordinates the Hays student salon — she matches guests with students, keeps appointments moving, and makes first-time guests feel expected.
lauren@haysacademy.com -
Kirstin Bertram
Instructor–Salina Campus · Salina
Salina instructor on the color side — the balayage and dimensional work in the student gallery has her fingerprints on the technique.
kirstin@haysacademy.com -
Brooke Martens
Instructor–Salina Campus · Salina
Salina instructor who teaches students to love a consultation as much as a transformation — the listening comes before the shears.
brooke@haysacademy.com -
Sarah Weimer
Instructor–Hays Campus · Hays
Hays instructor who leads the Dermalogica skin curriculum — facials, skin theory, and the professional-kit training that comes with a partner school.
sarahweimer@haysacademy.com -
Patience Dickerman
Instructor–Hays Campus · Hays
Hays instructor whose name is also her teaching style — she's the one drilling state-board prep until the exam feels like a review day.
patiencedickerman@haysacademy.com -
Kellie Brown
Salon Coordinator · Hays
Salon coordinator keeping the public-facing side of the school warm and on time — repeat guests ask for her by name.
kellie@haysacademy.com -
Daya Hernandez
Asst. Salon Coordinator – Salina Campus · Salina
Assistant coordinator on the Salina salon floor — scheduling, check-ins, and the reason walk-in questions get answered fast.
dayahernandez@haysacademy.com
The receipts
Accredited, regulated, partnered.
The oversight bodies and brand partnerships behind the diploma — every one of them checkable.
- NACCAS accredited
- Kansas Board of Cosmetology
- American Association of Cosmetology Schools
- Wella Signature School
- Dermalogica Partner School
- Fort Hays State University partnership
Come meet the family.
Tell us what you're into and we'll text you cost, start dates, and a tour invite — from a real person on this page.
Ok — check your texts. 💌
Randi will text you real answers — cost, start dates, and a tour invite. No spam, no pressure.
Randi Gerstner
Admissions Director — she's the one texting you.
Skip the wait: call Hays at (785) 628-6624 or Salina at (785) 833-2280.
- Hays Campus: (785) 628-6624 · text us
- Salina Campus: (785) 833-2280 · text us
“They made me feel like one of their own. I can definitely see why they say “Welcome to the family”.”