Professional Staff

Nicole Griffin
Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education from UAB. She has been teaching at RISE for 9 years and is currently the one year old teacher.

Mary Quitman Holmes
Masters degree in Elementary Education from the University of Alabama. She has 3 year of experience and is currently the four year old teacher.

Music Therapist
Dawn Sandel, MT-BC
Bachelor of Music Therapy degree from the University of Dayton in Ohio. Earned Board Certification in January of 2005 following a 7 month internship at Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, FL.
She provides group music therapy daily for all students. Dawn has worked at Rise for two years and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Special Education at UAB.

Erin Hardaway
Master’s Degree, Early Childhood Special Education from UAB.
Experience includes 3 years preschool special education for two years in the infant class at Rise. She is currently the infant class teacher.

Kim Burke
Nurse 
Associates Degree in Nursing from Shelton State. Experience includes Emergency and Post Anesthesia Recovery.  Certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support, and is a Certified CPR/First Aid Instructor with American Red Cross. She is excited about her new role at Rise as School Nurse.

Kim Potter
Master’s Degree in Special Education with Early Childhood certification from Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. Experience includes 16 years of teaching with 11 years as a special education teacher in the public schools. She currently teaches the three year old group.

Melinda Ingram
Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education from UAB. Experience includes 3 years teaching in an inclusive preschool in Shelby County and 3 years teaching Early Elementary Special Education in the Tuscaloosa County School System. She currently teaches the two year olds at RISE.

Judy Leonard
Masters degree in Special Education from the University of Alabama. Experience includes more than 25 years as a special education teacher. She taught the four year old classroom for five years and is currently teaching the five year olds.