Teachers & Therapists

Joylyn Boggs – Teacher
Joylyn is from a very small town called Alpine in central Alabama. She received her Bachelor and Master’s degrees from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Previously she worked at The Stallings Center, home of the Rise Program.
Teacher Assistant: Sindey Brown
Teacher Assistant: Joy Emery

Meghan Klassen – Teacher
Meghan earned her Bachelor's degree from Creighton University in Omaha, NE, in 1999. Through Creighton, she did a semester of service at an orphanage for children with disabilities in the Dominican Republic, which piqued her interest in special education.  She later joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC), leading a Mothers' Day Out program in San Antonio for low-income families who had children with disabilities. She earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Texas and did her practicum work at The Rise School of Austin.  She is also certified as a bilingual first grade teacher in Texas.
Teacher Assistant: Christine Graves
Teacher Assistant: Holly Sietsema

Julie Melton – Teacher
Julie is originally from Edna, a small town near Victoria in Southeast Texas.  Julie received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in Interdisciplinary Studies/Special Education and a Master of Education from TAMU in Educational Psychology/Low-incidence disabilities.  Julie taught the Pre-k class at The Rise School of Dallas before moving to Austin.
Teacher Assistant: Katie Pankey
Teacher Assistant: Jon Richard

Andrea Rosenberger – Teacher
Andrea grew up in Montclair, New Jersey, a small town close to New York City.  She received a Bachelor of Arts from Connecticut College in Psychology-based Human Relations and a Master of Education from The University of Texas at Austin in Special Education/Autism and Developmental Disabilities.  Andrea worked as a private ABA therapist and as an Assistant Behavior Specialist before teaching at Rise.
Teacher Assistant: Heather Riley

Gayle Covington – Physical Therapist
Gayle received her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.  She has 29 years of experience in Physical Therapy, having worked at Seton Medical Center as the staff physical therapist and neonatal specialist.  There she helped develop a physical therapy program for the neonatal intensive care unit.  She has also worked with Kimberly Quality Care, Seton Pediatric Home Health, Rehability Center, and Eanes Independent School District.  Gayle comes to Rise Austin from From the Heart Therapy Services, where she provided physical therapy to children and adolescents with varied neurological, sensorimotor, and orthopedic disabilities in a school setting.

Brenda Davis – Speech Language Pathologist
Brenda received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Master of Science degree in Speech/Language Pathology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She holds a current Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  Brenda has worked with young children for more than 17 years and has experience in a variety of settings, including a public school preschool program, university research project, craniofacial center, public school special needs classes, Head Start and private practice.  Her work experience has allowed her to enjoy children as they learn language, articulation, fluency strategies, augmentative communication device use, and social use of language.

Emily Greer – Speech Language Pathologist
Emily is originally from Houston and received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Communication Science Disorders and went on to attain her Master’s of Speech Language Pathology from Texas Woman’s University in Denton.  Emily has over 11 years experience working with early childhood and special needs children, including seven years spent working in the public schools system in Houston and Hays, Texas.  Emily holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence designation and is a member of ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association).  She has worked at the Rise School of Austin since its inception. 

Danielle Saunders – Music Therapist
Danielle received her Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts.  Her professional background includes five years as a music therapist in inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.  She has worked on interdisciplinary teams to plan and coordinate programs for individuals with development disabilities and mental health diagnoses. 

Sarah Sweeney – Occupational Therapist
Sarah received her Bachelor of Science at The University of Texas and her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at Texas Woman’s University.  She has worked with children with various special needs, including Sensory Processing Disorders, Autism, and Attention Deficit Disorders at From the Heart Therapy from 2000 to the present.  She is currently working toward her SIPT (Sensory Integration Praxis Test) certification.  Sarah has worked at The Rise School since the doors opened in 2003.