Meet the Team

Dedicated Educators

Diane Jordan

Director

Diane came to our Preschool in June 2021 after serving as the Director of Christian Education for a Methodist Church in South Carolina for 7 years. Diane graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a BA degree in Elementary Education. She is an NC-licensed teacher and earned the highly-qualified designation on her license. Diane has served as a Preschool Director and as a teacher in kindergarten, 4th and 6th grades. Diane and her husband enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren (4, 5 & 9).

Lauren Millner

Administrative Assistant/Science Teacher

Lauren taught the 4-year-olds at Davidson UMC Preschool for over 20 years before “retiring” and taking a position outside of the classroom. She holds a BS in Special Education from Appalachian State University and taught for 7 years in the Public School system. Lauren job shares the Administrative Position with her former co-teacher, Pat Bartley. They also teach a monthly Science class to the 4-year-old students at Davidson UMC Preschool.

Pat Bartley

Administrative Assistant/Science Teacher

A native of Pittsburgh, Pat came to North Carolina with her husband and 4 children in 1992. She came to teach at DUMC Preschool shortly after and spent the next 24 years in 3 and 4-year-old classrooms. After retiring from the classroom, Pat returned to preschool to job share the Administrative Assistant position with her former co-teacher, Lauren Millner. They also teach a monthly science class for the 4-year-old students at DUMC Preschool.

Cindy Forlidas

M/W/F 2's and T/TH Toddler Teacher

Cindy earned a BA in Education at NCSU and M.ED certification in Special Education at Auburn University. She has held various positions in the education field in the last 30 years as a Special Education teacher, Assistant Director and Director of two Montessori schools, and school administrator. She has also had the privilege of being part of the DUMC church staff and a volunteer in many support positions over the past 15 years. She loves working at DUMC preschool and getting to see how her students grow more independent each and every day.

Skye Farnum

3 Day 2's Assistant Teacher (M/W/F) and Playground Aide (T/TH)

Skye is a native of NC and attended Winston Salem State University where she earned a BA in Sociology. She has worked in various childcare positions including at DUMC childcare for 20 years and is a military veteran. Skye and her husband Chet live in Charlotte with their one son, Chase.

Melissa Fuerst

Toddler Teacher Assistant T/TH

Melissa has taught at DUMC for 12 years, 11 of those years teaching in the three-year-old program. Melissa is originally from Louisville, KY, and is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in psychology/sociology and a minor in religion. Melissa enjoys religious education, especially sharing morning Bible stories with the kids! She has been a member of Davidson United Methodist Church since 2006. Melissa has served as a Stephen Minister, Sunday School facilitator, Confirmation teacher and serve on the Administrative council. She has three children -Emily (24), Allison (22), and Joshua (19). She lives in Mooresville with her dogs, Sadie and Otis

Tracey Roper

M/W/F 3 Day 2's Lead Teacher

Tracey is a native of N.JJ. She attended college at the University of Richmond inV.A..A. and receivedB.A..A. in Political Science. She also met her future husband, Marc, during her time there. Upon
graduation, Tracey worked in the Human Resources field until the birth of her daughters, when
she decided to be a stay-at-home mom. She has been happily married to Marc for 25 years and
is the proud mother of Kaitlyn (20), Emerson (17), and Kendall (15). They have the opportunity to
livN.Y.in N.Y., VN.C and N.C. Tracey has spent seven years volunteering in the classroom at Davidson
Elementary and Bailey Middle School while her daughters were in attendance. Tracey has also
spent the past two years as a nanny for two and 4-year-old. She is excited about the
opportunity to use her prior experiences to teach in the two-year-old class.

Holly Roberson

M/W/F 3 Day 2's Assistant Teacher

Holly Roberson moved to the Charlotte area after attending the University of Georgia. She began her teaching career with CMS schools and taught at Cornelius Elementary and Mountain Island Elementary. She taught second grade but spent the majority of her career teaching Kindergarten. She took a break from teaching to raise her two boys- both of whom attended DUMC Preschool. Holly is new to DUMC Preschool this year and has been an active member of DUMC for almost 15 years. She volunteers her time at church including helping with the Children's and Youth Ministries. She is also a member of the DUMC choir.

Margo Nolen

T/TH 2 Day 2's Lead Teacher

Ms. Margo has been a teacher at DUMCP for 23 years and has taught all ages. She has been with the terrific two-year-olds for the last seven years. She has enjoyed watching families grow and has had multiple siblings within the same family.
She also does pet sittings and Senior Care.

Sharon Dawson

T/TH 2 Day 2's Assistant Teacher

Sharon is a native of Concord, NC. She is married to Dene for 27 years and has a son, Davis (24), and a daughter, Lacey (21). I received a B.A. in English from Furman University. I substitute taught in Raleigh and Concord, EC Pre-K through 8th grade. As a stay-at-home mother, I volunteered with Children's Ministries and love children of all ages. I attended church preschool as a child as did both of my children. I love little ones and look forward to guiding them as they grow and learn.

Julie Rapp

M/T/TH 3 Day 3's Lead Teacher

Julie has taught at DUMC since her son was in the two-year-old program. He just turned 26 and got married! She loves being a three-year-old teacher and has been privileged to work with so many wonderful teachers and parents over the years. There is lots of learning, laughter, and song in her room as we seek to make the earliest learning experiences positive, developmentally appropriate, and just plain fun. She and her husband live in Huntersville and have been married for 35 years.

Vicki Baker

M/T/TH 3 Day 3's Assistant Teacher

Vicki Baker is a native of Charlotte, NC. She is an experienced teacher with 8 years teaching preschool and 26 years teaching in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system. Vicki is a National Board-Certified Teacher with experience in grades K-5. Second grade was her favorite, so she spent most of her years teaching second grade. She has always loved children and teaching children. Vicki came to DUMC in 2019 until March 2020, when the pandemic caused schools to close. It has been a joy going back to DUMC to teach after the pandemic. The children are so excited to learn and to be in school to interact with other children. She is so happy to be a part of their learning experience.

Wendy Bolick

M/W/F 3 Day 3's Lead Teacher

Wendy graduated from Miami University in 1992 and earned her Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Columbia College in 1998. Wendy has over 25 years of experience teaching children ranging in age from 2 through 3rd grade and is also Title One Reading Recovery certified. She was named Teacher of the Year early in her eight-year elementary education career, prior to focusing on preschool-aged children. Wendy's passion lies in early childhood, with a true love of teaching preschoolers. She also enjoys helping children who are struggling readers, and spending time tutoring elementary-age children after school hours.

Andrea Hausler

M/W/F 3 Day 3's Assistant Teacher

Andrea has 25+ years of experience teaching children in various school settings. She received her BS in Speech Pathology and Audiology from SUNY Cortland and obtained a Masters Degree in Special Education from Hunter College in Manhattan. Early in her career, Andrea worked as a speech therapist for elementary and middle school students and was a valued member of the Committee on Special Education where she evaluated students and created individualized education programs. After relocating to North Carolina in 2005, Andrea returned to the classroom and has been teaching at Davidson United Methodist Preschool since 2007.

Alyssa Schuchard

T/W/TH/F 4 Day 4's Lead Teacher

Alyssa joined the DUMCP staff in the Fall of 2021, but was a parent at the preschool for four years, as both her children went through the program. She also served on the preschool board while her son was a student. Prior to moving to North Carolina in 2010, Alyssa taught public and private kindergarten and preschool in New Jersey for 10 years. She has her BS in Early Childhood Education and has led many parent and teacher workshops.

Misty Parrish

T/W/TH/F 4 Day 4's Assistant Teacher

Misty has been with the DUMC Preschool for the past 7 years. She has worked in the 2-year-old program for 4 years and now calls the 4-year-old program home for the past 3 years as a teacher's assistant. She loves working at DUMC Preschool. She lives in Concord, NC with her husband and son. When she's not at the preschool, you can find her on a ball field!!

Chris Joseph

Monday Enrichment Lead Teacher

Chris has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She has taught at DUMC Preschool for twelve years, even structuring a program for a group of DUMC children in a private home during the pandemic. Although tempted with retirement, Chris' love of children keeps her engaged in our program. She brings a level of enthusiasm and excitement that inspires her class.

Chrissy Wells

Monday Enrichment Assistant Teacher

Chrissy earned a bachelor of science degree in Special Education (K-12) at Ohio University. She has held various positions in the education field in the last 15 years as a Special Education teacher, Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center, and Director of an educational nonprofit organization that served the Lake Norman communities. She has also had the privilege of being part of DUMC and a volunteer in many support positions in the Children's Music Ministries. DUMC Preschool holds a special place in her heart, beginning her partnership as a parent to now as a teacher. Chrissy lives in Concord, NC with her husband, Todd, daughter, Olivia (18), and son, Everett (14).

Jennifer Jones

M/T/W/TH/F TK Lead Teacher

Jennifer is a North Carolina native and has taught Kindergarten for CMS for 31 years and just retired in June. She graduated from Western Carolina University and has a masters in Curriculum & Instruction as well as a National Board Certification in Early Childhood Education. She and her husband live in Huntersville and have a wonderful daughter, Savannah, who is a junior at UNCW. They share their home with a new rescue dog, Riley, and a hamster, Jelly Bean! She LOVES teaching and looks forward to watching her TK students learn and grow!

Marlene Gregg

M/T/W/TH/F TK Assistant Teacher

Marlene came to DUMCP in the Spring of 2022 from another local preschool. She attended Howard Community College in Maryland where she earned her Medical Assistant Certification. After completing her clinical studies, she discovered a passion for working with children and joined John's Hopkins University Hospital Pediatrics department. In 2005, she and her husband, Jess, relocated to Huntersville, NC where they currently reside with their 3 children. Away from the classroom, Marlene enjoys gardening, exploring hiking trails with her dog, photography, and spending time with family and friends.

Stephanie Moran

M/W/F Playground Aide

Stephanie is a native of upstate South Carolina. Upon graduating from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a minor in Business Administration and Management, she moved to Pittsburg, PA, Arden, NC, and Ranco Cucamonga, CA with her husband before they settled down in North Carolina. She has lived in the North Charlotte area for the last 10 years. After more than a decade working in commercial architectural design and project management, Stephanie transitioned to staying home to raise their two sons, two years ago. Their oldest son is a graduate of our program, while the youngest is a current student. Stephanie is currently serving her third year as a member of the Preschool Committee and second year as Chairperson

Jessica Cavassini

T/TH Playground Aide

Jessica is originally from Erie, PA but has lived in Charlotte, NC for over 15 years. Her daughter attended DUMC Preschool last year and could not have been happier! She has worked in childcare for years in numerous positions, including DUMC for the past seven years. Jessica is happily married to her best friend, Joey, and they have 4 children together.

Andrea Venus

Preschool Bookkeeper

Andrea Venus grew up in Raleigh NC and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in Business and a Master's of Accounting. After five years in public accounting at Deloitte, Andrea stayed home to raise her three kids, all of whom enjoyed DUMC Preschool! Andrea now provides financial reporting & accounting services for several non-profits and small businesses.