Meet Our Team
From our founders to our talented and passionate instructors, we come from families just like yours.
Marla Kenley
Owner/Teacher
Marla brings over 15 years experience in education to Brain Builders. After teaching in both a classroom and in a remedial setting, Marla saw first-hand the difference she could make with students one-on-one and in small groups. She wanted students to feel like they had a team rooting for them during these sometimes challenging years where school proved to be difficult. Her approach is simple: develop a relationship with the student and then encourage them by teaching them the foundations of learning and skills and strategies to help make learning a positive experience. Marla and her husband Scott have three children and enjoy hiking, boating and camping.
Marla brings over 19 years of experience in education to Brain Builders. After teaching in both a classroom and in a remedial setting, Marla saw first-hand the difference she could make with students, one-on-one and in small groups. She wants students (and parents) to feel like they have a team rooting for them during these sometimes challenging years, where school proves to be difficult. Her approach is simple: develop a positive relationship with her students, then encourage them by teaching them, starting with foundational skills and strategies, to help make learning a positive experience for every student. Marla and her husband Scott have three children and enjoy hiking, boating, and camping.
Marla Kenley
Owner/Director
Kristi Smith
Team Assistant
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Kristi has been in Colorado for most of her life. Kristi and her husband have been married for 15 years. About 3 years ago, they moved to Colorado Springs with their five boys, and love this area! They have been homeschooling their boys for 10 years and are still going strong! Kristi has experience with all ages and various different curriculums. She loves teaching writing and helping kids find a love for learning!
Joanna grew up with a love for learning, as both of her parents were teachers. After college, she served for two years at an international school in Mexico. Since then, she has authored several books for both children and adults, done writing coaching, and taught writing classes. She loves helping students discover the joys of reading and writing. As a certified life coach, she also enjoys equipping students with the tools and confidence they need to grow in executive function, study habits, and reaching their goals. Joanna loves good books, dark chocolate, traveling, and writing in various genres.
Joanna Harris
Tutor
IEW Writing Tutor
Tina Passarelli
Intensive Reading Tutor
Being the child of two teachers, it is second nature to adopt the philosophy of sharing education as an integral part of life. Tina was born, and grew up, in Colorado Springs where she spent most of her time riding horses and learning about them. She was giving lessons to other riders before turning 18. Her professional background revolves around a service oriented industry. She has been helping tutor children at her kids' school for the past several years and loves the spark that sound recognition and phonics create to foster great readers and students.
Brielle is a Colorado native who knew at an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. She taught first grade for five years and loved it! She especially liked teaching her students reading skills. She has recently stepped back from that job to take care of her baby. Brielle enjoyed seeing every one of her students make growth in both reading and math. Now, she is looking forward to connecting with students in a one-on-one setting to watch them learn and grow as well! Brielle enjoys drinking coffee, reading, doing puzzles, and spending time with her husband and son.
Brielle Savage
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Tara Hernandez
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Tara was born and raised in Colorado and, after a few years in Arizona to attend ASU, is excited to be back in her home state! She has five years of teaching experience in general and special education and is currently taking a break to stay home with her two little boys. Tara’s favorite part of teaching is getting to know her students and watch their progress throughout the year. She is always inspired by their determination to overcome any challenges they face. Now, she is looking forward to this opportunity to continue to help students reach their full potential. In her free time, Tara loves soccer, making crafts, and spending time with her family.
Cheryl has lived, attended college, and taught in Michigan, Wyoming, and Colorado. A retired school administrator, Cheryl coaches middle and high school students to develop life skills so they may become better organized, stay focused, and follow through with assignments. She develops relationships with students by helping them connect their background knowledge, behaviors, interests, and learning to their goals. While her expertise lies in improving writing and understanding literature, Cheryl also helps students create functional 2-column notes and mnemonics useful in all subjects. She lives and teaches by the words of L.C. Powell: “Write to be understood, speak to be heard, and read to grow!” Cheryl and her husband Michael have three adult daughters. She enjoys writing, theater, gardening, camping, cooking, reading, and creating memories with her six grandchildren.
Cheryl Lassota
Secondary Tutor
Executive Functioning Tutor
Paula Cooper
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Paula knew from a very early age that teaching was her passion. When she arrived in Colorado Springs 27 years ago, she earned her teaching certificate at Colorado College. She has 23 years of teaching experience in second grade, kindergarten, and preschool. She has also tutored children of various ages during the school year and in the summer. She enjoys the relationships that develop when working one-on-one with a student. It delights her to see the student’s increased confidence once he/she is able to grasp the material. Besides devoting much of her time to teaching or preparing the lessons, she also enjoys paper crafting and the outdoors, like hiking and camping.
Shannon grew up in North Dakota, spent ten years living in Arizona and then found her forever home in Colorado. Her and her husband Jeremy have five kids which include two sets of twins!
Shannon got her elementary education degree while in Arizona and taught a self contained special education class. After having her own kids, she decided to stay home. Since then, she has homeschooled her own kids for 12 years, is the Children’s Ministry Director of her church, teaches classes at High Country Home Educators and she also teaches 2nd grade at the Homeschool Enrichment Academy in District 38. Shannon strives to build relationships with her students as she believes that’s what makes all the difference (all while having FUN)!!
She loves to spend time on her farm with her goats, bunnies, chickens, cats, etc. She loves camping, reading, and coffee.
Shannon Schossow
Tutor
Samantha Ross
Tutor
Samantha is a native to Colorado Springs. She has 12 years of teaching experience in various positions from assistant teacher, first grade teacher and preschool teacher. She has a Masters degree in Education from UCCS and a BA from the University of Northern Colorado. She loved her role as a first grade teacher and made it her goal to ensure every student in her class had their needs met. When her second son was born, she stepped away from teaching to focus on her family. When she returned to teaching, it was in the preschool setting. She loves teaching the youngest of learners. The growth she sees from them in a year is amazing. Samantha believes that the relationship she makes with her students sets the stage for their success.
Samantha has three sons; 15, 13, and 9. She and her husband have been married for 21 years. She enjoys hiking, biking, traveling with her family, and attending her sons’ basketball games, soccer games and band competitions.
Jessica has been in education for over twenty years and has served in private, public, and homeschool settings. She has an undergraduate degree from The University of Texas and a graduate degree in library science from The University of North Texas. She wants young people to feel equipped and encouraged as they grow and learn.
She and her husband have four children ages eight to sixteen and have lived in the Springs for nearly two decades. In her spare time, she enjoys laughing with friends, a good book, and watching a movie with her family. She's also working on honing her gardening skills!
"Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them."
-Lady Bird Johnson
Jessica Williams
Tutor
Jenni Deiderich
Intermediate & Beyond Math Tutor
Jenni is a military spouse of 20+ years, and a mom to two teenage boys. She has lived in 7 states, 1 US territory, and Japan. She is a secondary math tutor, with a special place in her heart for algebra and geometry. Her Master’s of Arts in Teaching is from Western Governor’s University, which she earned in 2022 after a lifelong dream of becoming an educator. For now, life’s demands (a spouse who is often gone, two active teens, and frequent moves) make being a classroom teacher unrealistic. In the meantime, substitute teaching and tutoring are keeping Jenni’s skills sharp. She enjoys getting students through their toughest subjects and making sure they truly understand a concept before moving on. In her free time, Jenni is an avid reader, and she loves coffee, her dogs, and traveling.
Sandy has been in the education field for over 31 years. Her primary teaching responsibilities have been at the elementary level. She currently works for BOCES part time in the alternative licensure program, coaching new teachers. Education has always been her niche, and she loves working with teachers and students. Her educational philosophy is simple: children are unique learners and must be challenged to progress to the best of their ability. They should be educated as individuals, in a comfortable, creative and caring environment where they can feel successful according to their own individual needs and learning styles. They must become inquirers, thinkers, communicators, risk-takers, and valuable, productive members of society. At home, Sandy spends a lot of time with her furry babies! They love to walk around the neighborhood and meet new friends. Sandy has two great nieces and one great nephew that she spends as much time with as possible. She and her sisters work very hard at staying close since losing their parents. Family is everything!
Sandra Hawk
Primary Math Tutor
Holly Gabriel
Math Tutor
Holly is a Colorado native. She values building relationships to meet each student's unique learning needs. From her healthcare background, Holly brings an approach to education that helps students learn how their brains take in new information, make connections to real world situations, and apply strategies to solve a problem. In each student session, she aims to build the student's confidence in their learning journey by explicit instruction for knowledge gaps, practice with reinforcement and fun games, and talking about study skills or strategies to help the student succeed. Holly is currently a classroom teacher with high school diverse learners (students with specific learning disabilities and behavioral support needs) in the content area of math. Her current students at Brain Builders Tutoring range from 3rd grade through 9th grade. Holly meets current students at the South Academy office and at a library near Fountain. Outside the classroom, Holly and her husband (who is also an Educator!) are Star Wars fans with a dog named Chewbacca. We enjoy being outside and traveling.
Tonya is a Colorado Springs native who graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. She is the proud mother of two adult children. Tonya has 13 years of experience working in elementary special education, with an emphasis in handwriting for the past 3 years. She strives to help kids reach their fullest potential and works to solve the individual needs of each student. She loves the impact she sees working one-on-one with students and the gains that come with that level of support.
Tonya Onken
Intensive Reading Tutor
Amy Little
Tutor
Amy grew up in Washington state before moving to Colorado in 2015 with her husband and three children. She has homeschooled for the past eight years, and enjoys finding fun, creative ways to encourage others to develop a love of learning at all ages. She values building relationships with students to motivate them to successfully achieve their goals while having fun. Outside of teaching, Amy enjoys hiking, a rich cup of coffee (her husband makes the best!), family game nights with homemade cookies, and watching her kids in their various sports and activities.
Annie grew up in Minnesota and moved to Colorado three years ago with her husband, and loves this beautiful area. With a B.S. in Child Psychology, she started her career in children's mental health and child advocacy, supporting youth and families in mental health crises in clinical settings. After a decade, she decided to go back to school and follow her heart to become a teacher, and obtained her Master of Arts in Education with a specialty in English as a Second Language, and has enjoyed teaching students in kindergarten through 8th grade. As both a Reading Intervention and English Language Development teacher, she found it vital to use students' background knowledge, familial and cultural traditions, and student interests in order to enable learners to make meaningful connections to content. Outside of teaching, Annie loves to hike, camp, run, and explore all things outdoors with her husband and newly adopted dog, Sunny!
Annie Dunaye
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Amber Green
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Amber has been married to her high school sweetheart for 25 years. They have one daughter who is completing her second year of college in Nebraska, working on her civil engineering degree. She has had the opportunity to work in the education field for fifteen years. This has included special education, title one reading and math intervention, teaching second grade and kindergarten. She has a Bachelors of Arts degree from WGU and have also served as a UCCS teacher mentor for several years. Helping students at all levels achieve their goal is why Amber became a teacher. She believes that everyday is an opportunity to learn and explore new skills and ideas.
Jaimie has a husband and 4 sons, and she loves spending time with her family. They love camping and paddle boarding, as well as spending time at the pool! She has been a teacher in some capacity for 19 years, and loves working with kids! Her favorite thing is getting students excited about reading, because there are so many adventures to be had that you could never do outside of a good book! She is excited to learn together!
Jaimie Wolverton
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Meghan Stewart
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Meghan is a dedicated educator with over 10 years of experience teaching elementary-aged students. She has experience teaching students with diverse learning needs, and holds teaching certifications in General Education, Special Education and English as a Second Language. During her time as a classroom teacher, Meghan primarily taught 2nd and 3rd grade students in Texas. Having a strong passion for inspiring young readers, she later became a Reading Specialist, serving students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, by providing targeted reading interventions to help them build essential reading skills. Meghan aims to obtain additional certification to teach students with dyslexia in the future. In late 2023, Meghan relocated from Texas to Colorado Springs with her husband, Jarrod, and their three beloved shih tzus: Sammi, Chewie, and CeCe. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, fishing, watching football, and exploring the natural beauty of Colorado.
Catherine grew up in Colorado and has been here for most of her adult life where she attended UCCS to receive her undergraduate degree in English with her teaching license and master's in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in math. She taught fourth grade for nine years before taking time off to stay home with her baby (and currently has another on the way). Catherine's passion is to help students love learning, especially math! She believes that building relationships with her students helps to create a supportive environment where they can gain confidence in their own abilities and thrive. She enjoys hikes with her dogs, exploring new places with her husband and family, and finding great coffee shops or restaurants around the city.
Catherine David
Tutor
Intensive Reading Tutor
Meghan Leach
Support Staff
Meghan taught third grade at Monument Academy, but has previously taught first grade as well. She has tutored in the summers with Brain Builders, but also edits the BB website.
Meghan believes in an engaging, motivating, and different approach to instruction. She enjoys thinking outside of the box when it comes to planning lessons and hopes to teach her students to do the same. All children can learn; all are valued and loved.
Aside from teaching, Meghan enjoys doing all things outside with her husband, Jared, and son, EJ. Her favorite pastimes are creating and crafting.
