LEDS Leadership Team
+ Adminstration
Christi taught elementary school for seven years, beginning in 2010. Before that, she earned her undergraduate degree at Marietta College in Early Childhood Education. She went on to obtain her master's degree in special education at the University of Mary Washington. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, two sons, Canyon and Corbin, and daughter Arwen, as well as playing soccer, staying active, reading, and being outdoors.
Christi Gillette
Executive Director
Jess Eustace
Director of Operations,
LEDS South Site Manager
Jess is the Director of Operations and the LEDS South Site Manager at Little Explorers. She studied political science at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, where she did an internship at a local nonprofit and fell in love with public service. Jess has since worked in communications, event planning, and engagement for various nonprofits including a homeless shelter, the creation of a giving program for social services in Denver, CO, Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville, and most recently in the higher education world for the UVA School of Nursing. She is thrilled to be on this journey at LEDS.
In her free time, Jess loves exploring Crozet with her husband, their two children and their dog. She loves exercise, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.
Prior to joining Little Explorers in 2020, Josh worked for 11 years in the public schools as a first grade and a third grade teacher. He graduated from James Madison University in 2009 with his master's degree in education. Josh builds all of the natural equipment for the playgrounds, and uses his carpentry and renovation skills to support our teachers with all of our innovative classroom dreams! Josh enjoys spending time with his wife, Christi, his two sons, Canyon and Corbin, and daughter Arwen, as well as walking in the woods, reading, and being outdoors.
Josh Gillette
Student Experience Director
Ellen is our Assistant Director at LEDS North. Ellen graduated from Texas Christian University with a degree in Kinesiology. She loves to use her knowledge of movement science to help children explore their emotions and personalities through movement. Ellen lives in Crozet with her husband and two daughters.
Ellen Graham
Assistant Director
(LEDS North)
LEDS North
5804 St George Avenue, Crozet, VA 22932
Cortney graduated from Arizona State with her Bachelor’s in English and discovered a love for education, and went on to get her Master’s in Teaching at Mary Baldwin. Cortney has taught students of all ages from 24 months to 18 years old. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, and spending time with friends and family.
Cortney Ballard
Trailblazers Assistant Teacher
Michaila has 15 years of experience in childcare and is passionate about creating a positive and creative learning environment for her students. She loves incorporating music and art into the classroom to help students express themselves and engage with their learning in fun and meaningful ways.
Outside of school, Michaila enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family. She’s a mom to her daughter Margot and loves being with her husband and their four dogs. These activities inspire her teaching and remind her of the importance of creativity and balance in life.
Michaila Baron
Explorers Lead Teacher
Faith Contreras
Trailblazers Lead Teacher
Faith was born and lived in Des Moines, IA until making the big move out east to Virginia in the fall of 2024. She has 8 years of early childhood experience and a Child Development Associate from DMACC with a specialty in Infant and Toddler Development. Faith has worn many hats in the early childhood field including Behavior Intervention Lead, Student Teaching Mentor, Center Director, and Lead Teacher. Faith holds several additional early childhood training certificates on trauma-informed teaching, play-based teaching, and positive behavior interventions. Before moving to the Shenandoah Valley, Faith was serving as Lead Preschool Teacher at a nature and play based early development center in Iowa.
When not making messes and singing songs at school, you can find Faith exploring her new hometown of Staunton with her husband and their 3 little girls. Faith is also an avid reader and loves long walks to the bookstore with a cup of local peppermint tea in hand while planning out a family hike. Faith is excited to learn, grow, and explore alongside the Trailblazers at LEDS!
Christina grew up in California and moved to Virginia in 2018. She has her BA in Communications and 15 units of Early Childhood Education. She also has 15 years of early childhood experience, beginning her career as a nanny and eventually became a preschool teacher. Christina has worked with many age groups but her specialty is 2-3 year olds. In her free time she enjoys reading, wine tasting, thrifting, and spending time with her husband and two children.
Christina Estes
Adventurers Lead Teacher
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Pearl is a second-generation teacher and caregiver. She earned her associate degrees in the fields Early Childhood Development, Child/Adolescent Development, and English in June of 2023. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.
Pearl is looking forward to seeing the growth and personalities of all of the children at LEDS this year. In her free time, she enjoys crafting unique things, hiking near bodies of water, and writing short stories about childhood.
Pearl Houston
Support Teacher
Jennifer has been with Little Explorers since December 2019. She was the lead teacher for our 2-3 year olds for two years. Jennifer previously led our Let's Explore Together class for children ages 0-24 months and was substitute at LEDS. Jennifer spent eight years as a nanny before earning an undergraduate and master's degree in Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management. She was in charge of the programming at Little Planets Playroom and led the Hike it Baby Charlottesville for several years. In her free time she enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking with her husband and two kids.
Jennifer Iyengar
Outdoor Lead Teacher
Laura has had over twenty years of experience working with children before joining the Little Explorers family. These skills have strengthened her ability to create safe, engaging, and supportive environments where children feel valued and encouraged to learn.
Laura graduated from PVCC in 2011 with a certificate in Early Childhood Education. Her hobbies include reading, spending time with family, and watching a good show. She lives in Crozet with her fiancé, son, and their dog.
Laura Layne
Adventurers Lead Teacher
Jaqueline is originally from Brazil, and holds degrees in Mathematics and Sociology. She worked as a teacher in Brazil for 18 years. In 2014, she moved to the United States and continued her career in Early Childhood Education in Florida, where she earned her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. In June 2026, she moved to Virginia, and is excited to continue her journey in Early Childhood Education and be part of the LEDS community.
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and spending time in nature. She believes that children learn best through meaningful experiences, curiosity, play, and caring relationships, and she looks forward to creating a warm and joyful environment where every child can learn and grow.
Jaqueline Moniz
Afternoon Support Teacher
Erica is so thrilled to be a part of LEDS and this wonderful community. She was born and raised in Charlottesville, and grew up in a very cultural home. She always knew she loved working with children, and after having her own, she began providing continuity care. She has over ten years of experience with children and is eager to learn and grow along with all of the Little Explorers.
Erica enjoys spending time with her family at sporting events and adventuring in the outdoors.
Erica Sanchez
Trailblazers Lead Teacher
LEDS South
5762 Tabor Street, Crozet, VA 22932
Rita joined the LEDS team in 2019. She has 17+ years of experience in childcare. This year, she joins the Explorers class as a co-lead teacher. Rita is also the Aftercare Manager. She enjoys spending time with the children, helping with the logistics of the days, and engaging in creative new ways of reaching the needs of the children. Rita is beloved by all her students and coworkers. We're lucky to have her on our team!
Rita Baron
Support Teacher
Aftercare Floor Manager
Ms. Marlyn is so excited to get to work with your child this upcoming year. She was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She has also lived in New York for 10 years, and moved down to Virginia in September 2016.
As a child growing up in a family of educators, she knew at a young age that teaching was her passion. She has been working in early childhood education for over 10 years and is extremely excited for this upcoming school year.
Marlyn Cruz
Adventurers Lead Teacher
Rachael is our lead teacher in the Wanderers class. Prior to coming to Little Explorers, she worked for three years with 0-16 month olds at another preschool in Crozet. At the end of 2022, she decided to take a change of pace with a career that was completely outside of early childhood education. She learned shortly after that that teaching is her calling and applied to Little Explorers. After one summer with LEDs, she has found that this is her HOME. Rachael has completed many hours of training online and has her CDA certification.
Rachael is married to her best friend, Ashley. They have a daughter named Tinley! As a family, they enjoy taking long walks on trails in the area. Spending time with her family is her happy place.
Rachael Dunbar
Wanderers Lead Teacher
Adam is new to Little Explorers this year and excited to make a positive impact in the lives of the Trailblazers. He has three kids (ages 13, 11, and 9) and has lived in picturesque Staunton for three years. He has a varied professional background of teaching college, working in libraries, and publishing, to name a few.
Adam has experience with nature-based play, having frequently volunteered at the Community Cooperative Nature School in Salt Lake City during the six years his kids went there and homeschooling them at the height of the pandemic using the Blossom and Root curriculum. In his free time, Adam likes reading, tabletop games, hiking, camping, taking in a play or movie, and exploring places near or far.
Adam Hancock
Trailblazers Assistant Teacher
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Teresa was born and raised in Nelson County, VA. Along with raising her four children, she worked as an administrator in the medical field for many years. She also cared for her grandchildren for several years during their infant and early toddler years. Teresa spends most of her time at LEDS with the Adventurers and Wanderers classes, and loves singing, dancing, playing, and laughing with the kiddos.
In her free time, Teresa enjoys caring for her backyard flower garden, listening to music (especially anything Motown), going to the beach whenever she can, and spending time with her grandchildren. She loves being a part of the LEDS family!
Teresa Harris
Support Teacher
Mercedes has spent over 10 years doing what she loves most—working with young children. Originally from Querétaro, Mexico, she earned her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education before moving to the U.S. in 2000 with her husband and three children. She's worked in preschools in Charlottesville and Vienna, VA, bringing warmth and creativity to every classroom.
Growing up in a family of six, Mercedes has always loved the energy and joy that children bring. She delights in singing with her students, exploring learning through art, music, and literature, and sharing her native Spanish through songs and stories. When she's not teaching, you'll find her traveling or enjoying walks with her family.
Mercedes Lopez-Herrera
Wanderers Lead Teacher
Bunny Patterson
Aftercare Teacher
Bunny grew up in Crozet, graduating from WAHS, then moved away for 16 years. She has been back in her hometown now for 16 years. She has 7 children, from ages 27 down to 13, and 3 grandchildren. She loves babies and children, she became a doula, too!
She spends most of her free time with her husband doing fun things with the children. She also shares her home with a 29-year-old African Grey, a cat, a bulldog, and some house rabbits. She spends as much time as she can outside in her yard planting and caring for vegetables and herbs. Her family is passionate about playing pickleball, and play several times a week! Bunny is enjoying getting to know the LEDS children and getting back down on the ground and in the dirt with every kiddo here!
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Jadah is thrilled to be joining the LEDS team again! Over the years, she’s gained experience with preschool, elementary, and middle school-aged groups. She loves getting to know each child personally and helping them grow in a joyful, encouraging, loving environment.
Jadah strives to make learning an enjoyable and memorable experience for each child and always finds herself learning right along with and from them. She also loves spending time with her big family, teaching American history in the homeschool community, and getting lost in a good book.
Jadah Temple
Afternoon Support Teacher
Rekha Wright
Adventurers Lead Teacher
Rekha is the Lead Teacher in the Adventurers class at LEDS, where she has been teaching since 2021. She has a deep passion for early childhood education and especially enjoys working with the curious and energetic 2-year-old group. Rekha holds an Early Childhood Development Career Studies Certificate from PVCC and an Early Childhood Development Certificate from NOVA. She is currently continuing her education and working toward her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development.
Rekha is committed to creating a nurturing, engaging environment where children feel supported, encouraged, and excited to learn. She enjoys using a play-based and Reggio-inspired approach to help children explore the world around them, build independence, and express themselves in meaningful ways. Some of her favorite classroom moments include exploring creativity through art, inspiring imagination and curiosity through open-ended play, and watching her students grow in confidence each day.