Faculty & Staff

Teacher

Andrea has enjoyed being a part of the Allen Creek community since 2018. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Michigan. After many years working in the film business, her focus shifted to motherhood, learning about child development, and early childhood education. She went back to school and earned her associates degrees in Early Childhood Education. Andrea feels privileged to work at Allen Creek where relationships are at the heart of everything we do.

Teacher

Rema graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education, specializing in Learning Disabilities. She has a strong background working with children with autism and other unique learning and developmental needs. After teaching in a public school and serving as an Early Intervention Coordinator at a preschool, Rema discovered her passion for early childhood education. She loves creating a warm, engaging environment where children feel supported, confident, and excited to learn each day.

Teacher

Early childhood education has been the joy and focus of Betsy’s adult life, from working in childcare centers, teaching in an Early Childhood Developmentally Delayed classroom and Infant/Toddler Intervention program, providing at-home child care, to raising her six children. Betsy graduated from Eastern Michigan University with degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education (Cognitively Impaired) with an Early Childhood (ZA) Endorsement. After teaching at Lincoln Consolidated Schools, she continued providing at-home child care while raising her children. She has called Ann Arbor home for over 30 years, only recently moving to Chelsea to (sort of!) homestead and renovate their 1890 farmhouse. She is thrilled to be a part of the collaborative, early childhood-focused team at Allen Creek.

Teacher

Em has been working with children and families since 2016. They graduated from Eastern Michigan University with bachelor degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education, and they’ve had a variety of roles teaching and nurturing children in toddler classrooms, preschool classrooms, and family households since. Most recently, they’ve worked at Green Apple Playschools in Ann Arbor and have spent the past 2 years nannying for one of their Green Apple families. Em has a special focus on teaching through building relationships with children, and feels most drawn to the social-emotional aspects of development. They also love working with art, nature, and sensory play, both in the classroom with children and by themselves as an adult. Em is very excited to be joining a school that includes families, educates care-givers, and prioritizes spaciousness and a secure attachment in children as they transition into school.

Teacher

Kumiko was born and raised in Japan where she developed her passion and love for nature. Kumiko holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with minors in Early Childhood Education, Science and Math and Integrated Creative Arts from Western Michigan University. She has worked in infant, early childhood, and K-6 settings prior to joining Allen Creek teaching staff. Kumiko is a part of the MSU extension community as a Master Gardener and volunteers in a local children’s garden. One of her focuses is to provide the opportunity for young children to reconnect with nature in and out of her classroom. Kumiko enjoys seeing the partnerships and relationships among the families, teachers and children as equal collaborators being created at Allen Creek Preschool.

Teacher

Lorna graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2000 with a BS in Elementary Education and concentrations in Early Childhood and Children’s Literature and Drama. She first taught at Allen Creek from 2002 to 2008. She went on to teach at two other preschool programs then stayed home for two years after the birth of her son. She returned to Allen Creek in the fall of 2015 and has since taught in the Yellow, Green and Red rooms. Lorna enjoys working at Allen Creek because the collaborative approach with staff and parents gives her the resources to be the best teacher she can be.

Teacher

Robyn is a dedicated interdisciplinary learner and teacher who comes to Allen Creek after working at Northstar Montessori in Saline. It was at Northstar where his passion for teaching and learning from small children was ignited. Robyn graduated from Grinnell College, where he explored art, sociology/anthropology, environmental studies and language. His interest in sustainability brought him to the value-driven field of small-scale organic agriculture, in which he continues to work. Robyn is very excited to join the Allen Creek community and to continue his studies in Early Childhood Education.

Teacher

After being a parent in all four classrooms at Allen Creek, Paula is now working alongside the educators who helped foster and grow her own approach to parenting and teaching. While initially focusing her career on improving children’s and family lives through a child care policy non-profit and later an immigration law firm, she couldn’t ignore the call to work directly with children. She enrolled at New York University’s Steinhardt School, where she graduated with a Masters in Childhood Education and Childhood Special Education. She taught 2nd and 3rd grade in New York’s East Harlem neighborhood, where her primary focus was bringing the vibrant outside community into the classroom. She and her husband credit Allen Creek with helping cultivate a sense of wonder and curiosity in their children.

Child Development Director and Family Consultant

Susannah received her M. Ed. from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education with a concentration in child development and risk and preventative factors in early childhood. She spent the first decade of her career working in the early childhood mental health field in San Francisco, supporting children, parents, and educators in a variety of settings. Susannah spent the next decade teaching parent/child classes, including at First Steps-Ann Arbor. Susannah’s introduction to Allen Creek was as a parent, and she has been thrilled to return first as a teacher in the Purple Room and now as a Family Consultant. Susannah loves working with parents and teachers to create a rich shared understanding of children’s inner worlds.

Family Consultant

Hannah holds both an undergraduate and graduate degree in social work, receiving her Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Hannah has spent her career working with children, teens and families in a variety of settings, including nonprofit organizations and schools. She currently works as a psychotherapist in Ann Arbor, where her clinical practice is rooted in connection and collaboration. Hannah has a particular interest in supporting parents as they learn, grow and adapt alongside their children.

Family Consultant

Alexa holds her undergraduate degree in Social work from EMU and her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. Alexa spent the first part of her professional career doing nonprofit work supporting families, kids, and teens navigating grief through group work and within schools. Alexa has since shifted her focus to individual work as a psychotherapist in Saline, where she focuses on using the therapeutic relationship to support kids, teens, and adults navigating individual stressors.

Family Consultant

Holger is a developmental psychologist and professor at Albion College. Originally from Germany, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a post-doc at the National Institutes of Health, but he’s called Ann Arbor home for twenty years. His academic work has focused on young children’s cognitive development, especially memory and suggestibility, as well as on children and adolescents with diverse gender identities. Starting his phased retirement from Albion is allowing him to return to Allen Creek this year.

Executive Director

Meghan has taught in a variety of preschool settings, including many years at Allen Creek, a special education inclusion classroom in Colorado, and a wonderful cooperative nursery school in Chicago. She holds a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Leadership and Advocacy from Erikson Institute in Chicago. Additionally, she holds a Master of Science degree in Speech/Language Pathology from Purdue University, and is a licensed Speech/Language Pathologist. Meghan is deeply committed to the mission and vision of Allen Creek, which is to support the healthy growth of children and families in our community. She is a steadfast advocate for educational programs that are empathic, progressive, and inclusive.

Office Manager

Tara is a former Allen Creek parent and mom of 3. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Psychology and Creative Writing, where she spent some time helping out at the Pound House Preschool as part of her Developmental Psychology class. She went on to work as the Operations Manager at the People’s food Co-op in Ann Arbor and then later as a Certification Project Manager for NSF International before having the privilege of being a stay-at-home parent. She has spent the last 12 years raising her children and volunteering in school settings as well as for a local running events company. She is incredibly excited to come out of “retirement” to join the Allen Creek team as Business Manager.