OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Michelle CusickExecutive Director

Michelle Cusick has been the Executive Director at Seeds of Learning since June 2021.

Michelle and her family have lived in Pagosa Springs for nine years and love our beautiful community. She and her husband have two amazing children, Evan and Kendall. Michelle brings a plethora of experience in education and administration. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Elementary Education specializing in Early Childhood and Special Education and a Master of Early Childhood Education with emphasis in Reading. Michelle has obtained 30 hours towards her PhD in Early Childhood Development and Education. She has 10 years of experience as a Pre-Kindergarten through Third Grade classroom teacher. Before moving to Colorado, she held a faculty position as adjunct lecturer in the Child and Family Studies department at Baylor University. In addition, she served as a full-time Instructor of Education/Early Childhood for two years at Arkansas State University-Heber Springs. She has her Colorado ECE credential- Level 6. Finally, the role that helped her the most both professionally and personally was that of Executive Director and owner of a private child development center that she and her husband built from the ground up. Michelle was involved in every aspect of the program development and operation including building design, financial management, human resources, licensing regulations, curriculum development, staff professional development, family relationships, and facilities management.

Michelle believes early childhood is such a crucial time for a child’s development, and she strives to provide a high-quality preschool program here at Seeds of Learning.

Kathy FaberProgram Director

Kathy became the Program Director in November 2022.

Kathy has lived and taught kindergarten in Pagosa Springs for 34 years from 1983-1989 and from 1994-2022. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. Kathy has many years experience teaching in the public schools, serving on district level committees, and writing/reviewing early childhood curriculum.

She recently retired from teaching kindergarten to help focus on her family. Kathy and her husband, Mark, have three grown children, Ty, Kari Beth, and Jacob. They also have three amazing grandchildren.

After retiring from teaching kindergarten, she feels it is such an honor to now work with children and educators in the preschool environment at Seeds of Learning.

Cory HendersonFund Development Manager

Cory joined Seeds in November 2023.

Cory joined the Seeds of Learning Team in November of 2023 after moving to Durango in September with his wife, Tara, and son, Cooper. While Cory may be a new resident to Durango, he and Tara have spent every summer the last 10 years in Southwest Colorado and have long wanted to make the move. Cory was born and raised along the Texas Coast in Beaumont, Texas before moving to Fort Worth in 2006 where he attended TCU and has lived since. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Sociology in 2010 from Texas Christian University.

Before moving to Durango, Cory spent the last 13 years in the Fort Worth nonprofit community where he successfully grew fundraising revenue for organizations where he worked. He has also led multiple development departments to increase fundraising capacity which helped increase services provided and number of people served. His focus on relationships and people will help positively position Seeds of Learning with our friends and supporters in the community. Cory is passionate about serving others and making sure that every child is given the opportunity to achieve their potential.

Candyce CoombesExecutive Assistant

Candyce has been with Seeds since August 2021.

She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance, and many years experience working in an office setting. She has lived in Pagosa Springs with her husband for about 17 years. Candyce enjoys horseback riding, dancing, and camping in the great outdoors.

One of her favorite things about Seeds is getting to go into the classroom and teach dance to the children. Candyce enjoys being around all of the children and families here everyday. She has even taken a Child Development ECE course through Fort Lewis College and has earned her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0.

MEET OUR TEACHERS

Our teachers are required to meet high quality teaching standards. Lead teachers must hold an associate’s, baccalaureate, or master’s degree in early childhood education, child development, elementary education, or early childhood special education.

OUR BUTTERFLY CLASSROOM

(4.5 to 5.5 Years)

MISS RUBYLead Teacher

Ruby has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Chapman University and worked for the California Alisal School District and Monterey County in Elementary School.

Ruby is passionate about children and play-based learning. She has been with Seeds of Learning since 2009 and is looking forward to many more years with Seeds. Ruby was born in Farmington, NM and has resided in Pagosa Springs for the past 16 years.

She enjoys watching her daughter grow up in the area as she loves the feeling of community in our little town. Ruby knows it takes a village to raise a child and her heart is with the education of our youth.

MISS LEEANNAssistant Teacher

Leeann was born in Monte Vista, Colorado and spent most of her school years in Leadville, Colorado. Leann has one grown son who is currently working and living in Northern Colorado. She enjoys fishing, camping, and hiking in our beautiful mountains and riding her road bike in such events as Ride the Rockies.

Leeann taught in the Archuleta County School District for twenty-nine years before retiring from teaching after 35 total years. After retirement, she decided to try her hand in early childhood education and make an impact! She has always believed that education is the stepping stone to a strong future and looks forward to helping young children achieve success. Leeann has been teaching at Seeds for 4 years. She has obtained her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0.

MISS DEBBIETeacher Aide

Miss Debbie was born and raised in West Virginia. She has degrees in Physical Education and Library Science. Debbie has also taken several ECE courses. She and her husband Dan have been married 40 years. Together they have one daughter and two beautiful grandchildren. Miss Debbie has served as one of our awesome substitute teachers for many years and then joined the Butterfly class permanently as the Teacher’s Aide and hasn’t looked back.

She has been at Seeds since 2011 and feels truly honored to be able to be a part of the kids lives!

OUR LADYBUG CLASSROOM

(3.5 to 4.5 Years)

MISS JENNIFERLead Teacher

Miss Jennifer joined Seeds in August 2023. She moved to Pagosa Springs with her husband in February 2022. Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Arizona State University. She holds a Colorado ECE credential – Level 3. She has worked as a preschool teacher for over 3 years, and has 20 plus years experience working with early intervention and Head start programs. She is knowledgeable about typical and atypical child development, and has used this information to coach teachers and parents in her positions with United Cerebral Palsy and Foundation for Blind Children in Arizona. She continues to advance her knowledge of early childhood by taking college ECE courses.

Jennifer believes every child deserves a safe, happy place to go and learn. She loves being a member of the Seed’s team!

MISS TANARAAssistant Teacher

Miss Tanara has been a teacher’s aide here at Seeds since September 2022. In February 2024, she was promoted to assistant teacher. She has been living in Pagosa for over 3 years now, and has a 10 year old son. Tanara was working as a manager in a restaurant, and decided she wanted a change in careers. She loves children and is excited to learn more about their development. She is currently pursing her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education, and has completed 18 college ECE credits to advance her knowledge of early childhood education. She holds her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0.

MR. CARLTeacher Aide

Mr. Carl started here at Seeds in January 2025. He was born and raised in Arizona. He has been a local for 19 years and recently got married in 2023 and they have a son.

Carl has worked in retail, food service and as a lifeguard/ swim instructor. During his time as a swim instructor, he taught 3 and 4 year olds and simply enjoyed the time spent with the kids. He is an avid disc golfer and loves playing board games and working on puzzles in his free time.

He believes teaching kids will help shape the future and that together we can learn from each other and grow. Carl is very excited to take on this new opportunity and grow as well. He has plans to take ECE courses to further his knowledge about child development.

OUR DRAGONFLY CLASSROOM

(30 months to 3 1/2 years)

MISS ELLENLead Teacher

Miss Ellen started here at Seeds in June 2024 as a sub, and we are excited she will be our new Lead Teacher in the Dragonfly classroom. She moved to Pagosa from Texas. She worked for a year as a teacher at Head Start and has years of nannying experience.

Ellen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Disorders.
She strives to build a strong sense of community to help all children, families, and educators have a feeling of belonging and support. She is excited to be a part of the Seeds team.

MISS MEGANAssistant Teacher

Miss Megan joined our team in August 2024, and was recently promoted to Assistant Teacher after working hard on her education in ECE. She has worked previously in the retail and food service industry in multiple capacities, including manager. She has always had a passion for children and has 3 of her own.
Megan believes that the start of a child’s educational journey is the most important and can dictate how successful they will be in life.

She is happy to join our team and ready to learn more about child development through experience and taking early childhood courses. She has completed 3 ECE credits through Pueblo Community College and is currently working on 2 more courses. She has recently obtained her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0.

MISS MORGANTeacher Aide

Miss Morgan joined our team in February 2025. She recently moved back to Pagosa after completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Family/Consumer Sciences at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. Morgan’s studies focused on nutrition education and public health.

Morgan’s passion for working with children started in high school when she taught at an afterschool program. There, she discovered how rewarding it is to guide young learners. During college, Morgan continued teaching by leading hands-on agriculture lessons for children in her community. These experiences, along with her time working with therapeutic horse riding, shaped her understanding of the importance of patience, empathy, and individualized care in early childhood education.

She is thrilled to be part of this community and can’t wait to get to know the children and help them grow, learn, and thrive!

MISS ALYSSAParaprofessional

Miss Alyssa joined our team as a paraprofessional in January 2025. Alyssa was born and raised in Washington State where she earned her bachelors degree in early childhood education. Since moving to Colorado in 2009, she has taught at Seeds of Learning as well as Pagosa Valor Academy.

Alyssa has three children from age 11 to 3 so mom life keeps her busy! She has a passion for helping others (children and adults alike) and has 20+ years in the dog training world, specifically service dog work. She is excited to join the Dragonfly team as a paraprofessional.