DCPC Preschool Committee
- Lauren Clunie – Chairman
- Liz Garry
- Catherine Long
- Wayne Utley
- Kelsey McKillop
- Kimberly Ross
- Sarah Phillips
- Kristin Clark – Staff
- Jan Tevepaugh – Staff
- Denise Binkley – Staff
- Jennifer Swart – Staff
- Dr. John Ryan – Pastor
Staff
Our staff is comprised of Early Childhood Educators who are experienced in their field. These talented professionals have a special interest in children from birth to age five. The Educational Background at DCPC varies with a variety of different experiences including Master’s in Early Childhood Education, Child Development and Elementary Certification. The loving attitudes of our Preschool teachers and staff are reflected in their daily approach to each individual child.
- The staff members participate in professional in-service training.
- Criminal Background Screening
- CPR, First Aid & Child Protection Policy
- Safe Sanctuary, Fire Evacuations, Emergency Procedure
Staff
Our staff is comprised of Early Childhood Educators who are experienced in their field. These talented professionals have a special interest in children from birth to age five. The Educational Background at DCPC varies with a variety of different experiences including Master’s in Early Childhood Education, Child Development and Elementary Certification. The loving attitudes of our Preschool teachers and staff are reflected in their daily approach to each individual child.
- The staff members participate in professional in-service training.
- Criminal Background Screening
- CPR, First Aid & Child Protection Policy
- Safe Sanctuary, Fire Evacuations, Emergency Procedure

Kristin Clark
Director
Kristin has worked in early childhood education for over 27 years, 15 have been at DCPC. She attended Texas Tech University and after helped write & coordinate curriculum for many early childhood centers in Texas. Kristin loves DCPC because each child is celebrated for their unique gifts from God.

Jan Tevepaugh
Assistant Director
Jan, a graduate of NC State University, has been a part of the development of children in various ways her entire career. She began her long- time relationship with DCPC Preschool in 1987, first as a parent, then as a teacher in both the 3’s and 4’s, and currently as the Assistant Director. She did step away for 5 years when her husband took an early retirement, but the joy of the children and this staff remained in her heart, and she couldn’t stay away. Jan is a lifelong member of DCPC and during her 5 years away, she chaired DCPC’s Children’s Ministry Committee and served on the Preschool Board.

Denise Binkley
Office Manager
Denise has worked at DCPC since 2002. She has also taught in various classrooms and is the current preschool office manager. Denise loves being a part of DCPC where children are learning and growing and she in return learns from them.

Marilyn Edmondson
Preschool Teacher
Marilyn has been in early childhood education for 30 years, nineteen of which have been at DCPC. You will find Marilyn at the Welcome Desk where she loves to greet students and families with a warm and friendly face each day.

Lee Kiley
Preschool Teacher
Lee earned a B.A. and M.A.T. in Early Childhood Education from Jacksonville University and has been at DCPC since 2009 as the TK teacher. Lee loves that the children and teachers share experiences and knowledge, to foster their love of learning, and to grow in Christ together.

Clair Fitzgerald
Preschool Teacher
Clair moved to America 24 years ago from Leicester England and has worked in childhood education for the past 14 years. She loves working at DCPC with a great group of woman who love education and teaching children.

Kim Nickell
Preschool Teacher
Kim Earned a B.S degree from Boston University in Elementary Education and has been a teacher for 36 years. Kim loves DCPC because she is part of a teaching community that cherishes, nurtures and challenges children.

Faith Tighe
Preschool Teacher
Faith graduated from Bryant & Stratton College and has lived in the Charlotte area for 20 years. She was a nanny for one family for a decade before she and her husband, Alan welcomed their own children, Davis and Catherine. Faith has been a preschool teacher for the last 6 years in the Charlotte/Davidson area and has such a passion working with children. Faith was grateful to join the DCPC family in 2018 because she loves teaching in an environment that is so nurturing and enriches each child’s spirit.

Megan May
Preschool Teacher
Megan earned a B.A. in French from Davidson College. She served on the preschool board while her three children were at the preschool and was thrilled to join the staff in 2019 once the youngest had graduated. Megan is blessed to be a part of a school that fosters exploration, a love of community, and the nurturing of individuals during the pivotal early childhood years.

Pamela Otatti
Preschool Teacher
Pamela grew up in Virginia and attended college at VCU. She came to Davidson ten years ago and has taught preschool for 25 years. Pamela loves working at DCPC because of the supportive administration, the focus on what is best for preschoolers, and the joy of working with wonderful children.

Marlea Akins
Preschool Teacher
Marlea attended St. Mary’s and UNCW. She began substitute teaching in 2013 and teaching in 2014. Marlea loves the opportunity to watch the children thrive and grow every single day in such a nurturing and caring environment.

Laura Shah
Preschool Teacher
Laura was a pastry chef for 17 years before becoming a stay at home mom. She started substitute teaching for DCPC in 2016 and began teaching full time in 2017. Laura loves working with the children who attend DCPC and enjoys the loving, play-based environment.

Keri Nolan
Preschool Teacher
Originally from New York, Keri has enjoyed expanding her professional development in early childhood. She worked in medical sales for 13 years before joining the DCPC family. Keri loves working at DCPC preschool because it is a magical place filled with love, learning, excitement and faith.

Amanda Cooper
Preschool Teacher
Amanda moved from England to the United States 20 years ago after a career in accounting and teaching horseback riding. She assisted in a Kindergarten classroom where she discovered her love for teaching and has been teaching two year olds for nearly 15 years at DCPC.

Jennifer Slosson
Preschool Teacher
Jennifer has a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill and a MAT from the College of Charleston. She has been teaching at DCPC preschool since 2016. She loves working in an environment that encourages curiosity, exploration and social development through play based learning.

Elena Williams
Preschool Teacher
Elena studied Elementary Education at Jacksonville State University. She began as a substitute teacher and served on the preschool committee. Elena is now a staff teacher and enjoys working with small children where she can help foster self esteem through the play-based curriculum.

Whitney Storey
Preschool Teacher
Whitney earned her degree in Physical Education for elementary school children. She is delighted that she is with the little ones at the very start of their educational journey. She has been with DCPC for 7 years and enjoys inspiring children through music and art.

Stacey Kontos
Preschool Teacher
Stacy is originally from PA and has lived Huntersville since 2004. She graduated from East Stroudsburg University with a BS in Business Management and a BA in Economics. After some time as a stay-at-home mom to her 3 children, she decided to work part time in early childhood. She has been in the world of preschool since 2013 and has loved every minute of it. She started as a sub at DCPC in 2018.

Alex Vassily
Preschool Teacher
Alex grew up in Huntersville and graduated from William A. Hough High School. Since graduation he has been nannying, interning at a music studio, and making his own music. Alex started as a substitute and joined one of our Preschool classes as a Resource Assistant by the end of the year. Early Childhood teaching has quickly became a dream job for Mr. V. He loves being able to see the children learn and grow throughout the year.

Adriana Cadena
Preschool Teacher
Adriana is from Bogota, Columbia and has been teaching in our
PreK-Program and 2’s Program for several years. Mrs. Cadena started our Spanish Program for the entire preschool.
Adriana has taught many of our students over the years and is looking
forward to teaching them more Spanish! Adriana has a Master’s in Business.

Maggie Rodgers
Preschool Teacher
Maggie has been nannying for families in the North Carolina area since she was 12 and received her degree from North Carolina State University. She taught at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte for 4 years and upon moving to Cornelius and getting married, taught one year at Davidson United Methodist Church. After taking a year off to have a baby, she joined the DCPC Preschool staff. She absolutely loves children and helping mold the minds of young ones gives her such joy. Seeing their little faces light up when they learn truly warms her heart.

Christie Dickerson
Preschool Teacher
Christy moved to America about 4 years ago from Hong Kong, China. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. After graduating, she was a professional dancer and Chinese dance teacher, teaching dance for more than 15 years. Christy likes teaching and dancing with kids, and she is so excited to be a part of DCPC. Mrs. Dickerson enjoys teaching the students Mandarin.

Cassie Fincher
Preschool Teacher
Cassie lives in Kannapolis with her husband and two sons. She has spent the past 12 years as a nanny. Mrs. Fincher’s journey at DCPC began in 2017 as a substitute teacher while her oldest son enjoyed his start in the DCPC program. Caring for children has always felt like the purpose in her life. She love’s working in a faith-filled environment that allows children to grow and learn through play!

Lauren Kruse
Preschool Teacher
Lauren earned a B. A. in English Literature from the University of South Florida. She has lived in Davidson since 2017 and is originally from St. Petersburg, Florida. She started as a substitute teacher at DCPC in 2019 when her youngest daughter was in the TK Treehouse and has been a part of the DCPC family ever since. The community and love that surrounds the preschool is what makes this “job” a dream,
.

Bill Edmondson
Crossing Guard
Retired pharmacist and senior executive at Glaxo Pharmaceuticals, Dr. William Edmondson or “Mr. Bill”, as he is fondly known, has served as DCPC’s crossing guard for the last two years. Ensuring the safety and well being of our children and parents is one of Mr. Bill’s greatest joys, along with seeing their smiles at his never ending hat creations.