OUR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Emily MartinezExecutive Director

Your Content Goes Here

Emily Martinez has been the Executive Director at Seeds of Learning since July 2025.

Emily is the new Executive Director at Seeds of Learning. She is a 5th-generation Pagosa resident and has lived in Pagosa her entire life, except for the few years she attended college at Fort Lewis in Durango, Colorado. While in high school and college she worked at various City Markets, here in Pagosa and in Durango. In 2016, she joined the team at Seeds of Learning as a teacher’s aide and found her love of teaching. After moving up to an assistant teacher position, she decided that she wanted to get her Large Center Director certificate. She left Seeds of Learning in 2019 to attend college where she received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Secondary Language Learning. She taught the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders at Our Savior Lutheran School after she graduated and became the Preschool Director for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years. She is currently the Fair Board President for the local Archuleta County Fair and enjoys helping two of her close friends on their local food trucks for events. When she has some downtime, she enjoys spending time with her family and one-year-old niece. She also enjoys lake days and collecting and reading books. Early Childhood Education is where her passion lies, and she is looking forward to working with the families and staff members 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 five 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 LINDALead Teacher

Linda was born and raised along the west coast (Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and Idaho) prior to joining the military in 2008. After 7 years in the military, she left in 2015 to be able to spend more time raising her son and to go back to school. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in 2017, and her Master’s degree in Psychology in 2020. Linda moved to Pagosa with her son in 2018, and married her husband who also works for Seeds in 2023.

She has worked all over the country (and world for deployments) and in several different occupations, including retail, serving, IT, domestic violence advocating, CPS, and elementary school tutoring. Nothing else has brought her as much joy as working with children and helping guide them to growing into the amazing people they will become. Linda spent 2024-2025 student teaching at PPOS and finishing her Colorado teaching licensure in early childhood education, a field she hopes to work in for many years to come.

MISS DEBBIEAssistant Teacher

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!

MISS FRANCESTeacher Aide

Ms. Frances just started at Seeds of Learning and is from Dulce, New Mexico, where she was raised her whole life. She has been married to her husband for eleven years. They have three beautiful children. As a family, they enjoy traveling, going to concerts, fishing, camping, and recently started hiking. In her free time, she likes to read books, play volleyball, and spend time with her family. “Family is a huge thing for me, being that I come from such a small family”, she says. “I have worked with children in the past for two years right out of high school. Working with children was something that I liked doing. Now, I have more experience raising my three children. Watching children grow, reaching their milestones, and finding out their personalities is so exciting.” She is currently taking an Early Childhood Education college course and will continue to further her education in ECE.

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!

MR. CARLAssistant Teacher

Teacher Aide

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 Seeds team as a paraprofessional.

OUR DRAGONFLY CLASSROOM

(2.5 to 3.5 Years)

MISS TANARACo-Lead Teacher

Miss Tanara has been an educator 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 13-year-old son. Tanara was working as a manager in a restaurant, and decided she wanted a change in careers. She loves children and has been excited to learn more about their development. She is working toward an associate’s degree in early childhood education and has earned 18 ECE college credits. She holds her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0. While Miss Ellen is out on maternity leave, Tanara will be a Co-Lead teacher with Miss Megan

MISS MEGANCo-Lead 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 courses through Pueblo Community College and Adams State University. She has recently obtained her Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential 3.0.