Meet the Staff

Lee is thrilled to be returning to MPP as the preschool director. She is a Florida Cracker, born and raised in South Florida. She fell in love with North Florida while attending Florida State University, where she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education and met her amazing husband, Allen. She has worked serving young children and their families for more than thirty years in the public and private sectors. Lee’s two, incredible grown children (Allen Jr and Emma) are both MPP graduates, and she was delighted to be able to teach at the preschool while her kids attended.  In her free time, she loves to garden, cook, and spend time with her family. Lee and Allen enjoy hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and other activities that get them outdoors. 

Nikki was born in Boca Raton, FL where she lived all her life, until she moved to St. John’s 5 years ago. Nikki has two boys 6 and 9, both went to MPP. Nikki was been a stay at home Mom for 7 years until this year when she decided to join MPP. She has been married to her husband, Tim, for 16 years. When she is not busy with her boys, she loves the beach, reading, hiking the mountains and watching football.

Elizabeth Clayton is North Carolina native, having graduated from Appalachian State University and University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She and her husband, Ward, have two children who are both graduates of MPP. Daughter, Monica, is a student at FSU, and son, Will, is a student at UNF. Elizabeth is certified to teach K-3 and is also a Speech Language Pathologist. She has held numerous music positions at her church. She is very excited to begin her tenth year as MPP’s music teacher, and loves sharing her joy of music with the children. Elizabeth also enjoys yoga, dancing, visiting the beach and the mountains of North Carolina.

Andjela is originally from Bosnia but has lived in Jacksonville for over 25 years. She earned her Master's Degree at the University of North Florida and has had her Mental Health Counselor license since 2011. Andjela began her counseling career by working with children, and once she was able to assist in the MPP classroom last year, she quickly realized how much she loved it and could not pass up on an opportunity to join the incredible MPP team. Andjela and her husband Jesse have two sweet kids, Destin and Dia (current MPP student). She loves spending her free time with family and friends, traveling, camping, going for walks, reading, and snuggling with her dog Pebbles.

Vania was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico and moved around a lot as a child.  In 1988, Jacksonville, FL became my home.  Vania married Chuck in 1997 J and they have three daughters.  She has worked in Early Childhood Education for over 12 years in the Mandarin area and has volunteered serving with churches from infants to Middle School age children for over 20 years.  In her spare time, she loves sharing a mean around the table with her family, hanging out with 1 of her 3 cats, baking, gardening and hiking.

Though Amy has called Florida home since 1995, she is an original Jersey Girl at heart! Amy graduated Monmouth University where she met her husband Mark and they have been happily married since 1993. Amy is the proud Mom of three, (all three went to MPP) son Zachary, and daughters Dylan, and Kaylee. She has been a 3 year old teacher since 2001 and considers her job a blessing. Where else can you play in the sandbox, build with Legos, color, paint & read Dr. Seuss every day?!? Amy loves to have family game nights, shopping with her 2 daughters, and traveling whenever she gets the chance.

Catherine was born and raised in Montreal, Canada with French as her mother tongue. She graduated from McGill University with a bachelor in management. She moved to the USA in 2006 and married her husband Adam the following year. Together they have 3 boys, Samuel, Walter, and Oliver (all 3 proud MPP graduate). She loved MPP so much that once her boys left, she decided to stay and become a classroom assistant! In her free time, Catherine loves traveling, going to the beach, swimming at the pool, going on bike rides and spending time with family and friends.

Lindsay and her husband Andy both grew up in Gainesville, FL and graduated from the University of Florida. They have been married since 2000 and have four children, Ben 14, Lucy 12, Olivia 9, and Haddie 5.Lindsay taught middle grades English in Duval County before staying at home full-time with her kiddos. Now that the youngest is a kindergartener, Lindsay is thrilled to be an assistant at MPP where three of her four children attended. She loves Jesus, family time (especially on the water!), Gator football, running and watching her children play sports.

Kelli moved to Florida in 1994 and shortly after met her husband Jason.  They have been married for 23 years and have 3 children, Jacob, 21 Taylor, 18 and Abbie 15.  Taylor and Abbie are MPP graduates.  Kelli has been blessed to be a stay at home for the past 21 years and is excited to have the opportunity to be back in the halls of MPP as an assistant.  She enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering and being “crafty”.

Kelly is a Jacksonville native who earned her Bachelor's Degree in Child Development at Florida State University. She has her husband JJ (John), have two children, Harrison and Annsley, former MPP students. Kelly is so thankful for the 5+ years she has had at MPP and loves teaching at the very same preschool she attended as a child! In her free time Kelly enjoys reading, watching college football, running and sleeping!

Susan started working at MPP as a VPK assistant, and has now joined Mellanie in the office as an Admin Assistant.  She has seen 3 of her 4 kids go through MPP, and loved every minute of it.  She attended and swam for the University of Florida (Go Gators!) and graduated with a degree in Finance.  Her husband, John, is in the Navy, and with all the moves and kids, she was blessed to be able to a stay at home mom for 14 years with their kids Ethan, Connor, Brendan and Ainsley.  The next chapter after being home with the kids brought her to MPP, and she is loving every minute with this amazing, loving, and fun faith-based preschool.  She also enjoys spending time with her family, reading, working out, playing Pickleball, coaching swimming, cooking, and watching home improvement shows!

Terry recently retired from Duval County Public Schools where she worked as a Speech Language Pathologist. Terry and her husband, Bruce, have one son, Colin, who attended MPP, beginning in Ms. Mary’s “Mom’s Morning Out” and stayed an “extra” year in the pre-kindergarten class. He graduated from Christ’s Church Academy and from FSU and now is a pilot in the United States Air Force stationed in Japan. Terry loved MPP (and still does!) and could not bear to leave.  She volunteered, substituted, and eventually gained employment. She has been at MPP a long time! She enjoys sewing, “Cricut-ing”, reading, shopping, traveling and hanging out with her family and friends.

Candace and her husband Tim have been married since 1997 and moved south to Florida in 2012. They have two sons, Tyler and Chace (who is a MPP graduate.) She also has 3 sweet dog rescue pups, Ani, Obi, & Finn. Candace graduated from Stevenson University in Maryland. She enjoys working with children, watching football (Go Knights! Go Ravens!), going to the beach, Disney, photography and music. Candace feels very blessed to be a part of the MPP team as an Assistant Teacher!

Cassie was born in Annapolis, Maryland, but moved to Jacksonville at just 2 years old, so she proudly considers herself a Jacksonville native. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Health Education.  Cassie and her husband of 13 years have two children, Lilia and Frank, both proud MPP graduates. She cherished the years she spent as a stay-at-home mom, and when her youngest started kindergarten, she felt called to join the MPP family. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a special community. When she’s not at MPP, you’ll likely find Cassie supporting her daughter at dance recitals, cheering on her son’s sports teams, volunteering in their classrooms, or helping with PTA events. Above all, she loves spending quality time with her family and friends—they are her greatest joy.

Kelley grew up in Destin, FL and graduated from The University of Alabama with a degree in Advertising (Roll Tide!) After working in Birmingham, AL she moved to Jacksonville where she met her husband and has lived for the last 20 years. They have three boys and a senior dog (Savannah) who loves riding in the carline at MPP where her youngest son recently graduated from VPK!  Kelley enjoys eating really spicy food, fishing, boating, catching sand fleas at the beach, working in the yard, running, walking various golf courses while her oldest son plays in tournaments, watching her boys play different sports and cheering for Bama and the Jags with her family!

Dottie has lived in Jacksonville for 9 years. She is formerly from Maryland where we worked for 22 years in the school system as an Administrative Assistant.  Dottie has 5 adult children, 3 of which live in Jacksonville with their families.  She is a proud ‘Nana’ of 5 grandchildren from the age of 3 to 7.  Two of her grandchildren attended MPP and are now in K and 2^nd grade!  Dottie loves spending time with her family, going to the beach, exploring new places and reading.  She feels so blessed to be a part of the MPP family.  She loves spending time with MPP children as much as her own grandkids!

Prior to discovering the many joys of Pre-K, Jeanne taught both middle and elementary school. As Pete the Cat says, “It’s all good!” (meaning she liked every grade level— yes, even middle school!). In addition to teaching our fantastic four year olds, she serves as the curriculum coordinator for MPP.  She attended Indiana University (MA) and University of Evansville/University of Illinois (BS). She and her husband, Steve, raised their two boys, Christopher and Patrick, in Jacksonville. Her youngest son, Patrick, who once went to MPP, lives and works in town, while her oldest son, Chris and his wife Beth, reside in Charleston with their two little precious boys. Jeanne enjoys trying new recipes, entertaining and gathering with friends and family whenever possible. She attends MPC, belongs to a Pilates class, two book clubs, a women’s philanthropic group and has many hobbies. She cheers for the Gators and the Illini…the Gamecocks…the Seminoles…Clemson Tigers—  she strives to embrace ALL the family teams! 

Whitney is a Jacksonville native and she earned her bachelor’s degree from UNF. She and her husband, Craig, have three beautiful daughters: Hadley, Olivia and Marleigh.  Marleigh is a proud MPP graduate! Whitney enjoys spending time with family and friends, watching her children participate in sports and theater, and loves spending time on the water. Whitney feels blessed to be a part of the loving MPP family!

Carolyn, though originally from New Jersey, has lived in Jacksonville for over 30 years, so really considers herself a southerner! She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University. Carolyn and her husband, Steven have two children, Andrew and Stefanie (a former MPP student!) She has been at MPP for over ten years and is one of the VPK teachers. With two older children, she adores getting to spend time teaching her preschoolers! She also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, shopping with her teenage daughter, going to the beach and Florida State Football!

Maria was born in Jacksonville but was raised in Ormond Beach. After marrying her high school sweetheart, Charles in 2002, they returned to Jacksonville. They have 3 wonderful children (twins) Michael and Anna and their youngest Abby. When she isn’t running kids around to sporting events, she enjoys cooking, shopping with her girls, spending time with family, and walking their yellow Labrador, Daisy. After being a stay at home mother for the past 15 years, she feels very blessed to have become a part of the MPP family.

Kaity is a Jacksonville native.  She married her husband Daniel in 2016 and they have been blessed with two amazing daughters.  She enjoys hiking, reading, baking, gardening, and taking her Girl Scout troop on new adventures.  Although also experienced in Retail Management, Kaity is passionate about young children and has the best time serving our two-year-olds as the lead teacher in MPP’s Twos Program.

Haley now calls the Sunshine State home, but was born & raised in a small town outside of Nashville, TN. It was there where she earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Lipscomb University, and has had a heart for teaching ever since. She and her husband, Austin, have three children– each of whom has attended MPP– who truly are the greatest joys of their lives! Alongside her husband, Haley has served in the children’s ministry of her church for over ten years, with five of those years activity serving as the Children’s Ministry Directors. Working with children is one of Haley’s greatest passions, and she feels incredibly grateful to pour into little hearts both inside & outside the classroom. When she’s not teaching, you can find her cooking, spending time with her family, or cheering on the Tennessee Volunteers every football season!

Laura was born and raised in Yorktown Heights, NY. She graduated from Quinnipiac University with her bachelor’s degree and Louisiana Tech University with a Masters degree in Guidance and Counseling. Laura resides in St. John’s County with her husband Allen and their two boys, Christian and Gabriel (who is a proud MPP graduate). Their dog, Diva, is very much part of their family too! Outside of working with children, Laura loves shopping, delicious food, cheering for the Jacksonville Jaguars, going to the beach, watching her boys play sports, working out and spending time in St. Augustine.

Maria was born in Cuba and due to political unrest in the country her family moved to Spain when she was four years old. Maria lived in Spain for 5 years before coming to the United States. Having lived in Cuba, Spain and Miami, Maria is fluent in Spanish. She feels blessed that it was in Miami that she met her husband, Erik. In 1997, Maria and Erik moved to Jacksonville. Their children, Cassandra and Jake are both alumni of MPP. Maria has been a classroom assistant at MPP since 2005 and works for Mandarin Presbyterian Church in the nursery as well.  She enjoys working with kids, spending time with family, traveling, cooking, gardening, shopping and having coffee with friends.

Becky spent multiple years teaching in MPP’s VPK program and returned as our chapel leader.  We are delighted to have her in this role!  She is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus with children.  She and her husband Rob are big Gator fans.  Ins her spare time Becky enjoys gardening and birding and volunteering with Isaiah 117 House.

Tiffany was born and raised in Michigan, but has been a Floridian since 2006, spending the last 8 years in Jacksonville. She and Jake married in June 2008 and have three beautiful daughters: Olivia, Alaina and Isabella. All three girls are proud MPP graduates! Tiffany loves spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, playing tennis, golfing, relaxing poolside, going to the beach and shopping with her girls! Tiffany feels blessed to be part of the MPP family.