About Our Staff
Executive Director/Co-Founder
Stacey Bell, M.Ed. is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Emerson Foundation. Stacey, one of the founders of Emerson Academy, has returned to the organization after a five year hiatus. Stacey has been working with people with special needs for over 30 years in a variety of capacities. Under her leadership, The Emerson Foundation hopes to expand our services to the community while continuing to provide excellent early childhood education to the children and families we currently serve and hope to serve in the future.
Program Director
Yvonne Gomez- Brown is currently the Program Director at Emerson Academy and has been here for a little over 2 years. She has been in childcare for over 10 years and truly has a passion for working with children. Yvonne was Born is Austin, Texas and raised here in Round Rock. She has 5 beautiful kids and a dog named Luna. She has been with her husband, Dominic for over 10 years. In their free time, her family enjoys hosting BBQ’s, camping and watching movies together. Her favorite part of being a part of The Emerson Academy family is watching our students reach their goals and having the ability to help families at our center.
Infants 6 weeks -12 Months
Melva Zapata – Melva was born in Del Rio and moved to Round Rock in 2013. Melva is deaf and uses ASL (American Sign Language) as her primary method of communication. She started working at Emerson Academy in 2013 and her favorite age group is the infants. Melva obtained her Child Development Associate Credential in 2015 and has participated in many trainings such as Conscious Discipline, curriculum development, Emotional Mayhem, Infant, Toddler & Pre-school Early Learning Guidelines and Frog Street Infant Curriculum. She really enjoys working with infants and their families. It lights up her day to see the babies smile and watch her ASL signs. When not teaching at Emerson Academy, Melva likes to spend time with her family, watch movies, and traveling and exploring different states.
Codi Hartzler– Cody was born in California and moved to Texas at a young age. She has two sons, Andrew and Anthony, who are the light of her life. Cody received her Child Development Associate Credential in 2017. She has an affinity for toddlers, especially one year-olds, because she loves teaching them new things. She loves seeing their faces light up when they have learned a new skill or word. Cody has over 5 years experience in licensed child care. She has recently returned to college in order to obtain a degree in Child Psychology. In her free time, she enjoys doing anything outdoors and exploring Austin.
Toddlers 12 months-24 months
Margarita Gudino – I was born in Escondido, California. My family and I moved to Texas when I was 6 years old. I have a 5 year old daughter named Genesis. She is truly my biggest blessing. I am currently taking classes to obtain my Child Development Associate. I want to become a better teacher. I enjoy working with children because I get to make an impact in their lives. I also get to help each child reach their development milestones.
Connie Bishop – Connie has many years experience working with children and their families. She currently holds a in Child Development Associate Credential in Infant and Toddler Early Childhood Education. She recently moved to Hutto from Fort Hood, Texas, where I worked for the military at the Ft. Hood Child Development Center. Connie loves working with the one year-olds and finds joy in their daily achievements.
Toddlers 2 years – 3 years
Pamala Smith – Pamala is from Amarillo Texas and moved to Austin in July 2015. Her family nickname is “Hunni”. Pamela has over 20 years of experience in Childcare. She has been married for 10 years and is the grandmother of two beautiful kids. In her free time Pamela enjoys shopping with my daughters and planning trips with her family. Pamela teaches in the older toddler class and, according to her, her students are amazing and each has a place in her heart. Connie’s favorite thing about Emerson Academy is that every day is different! One of her goals is to travel the world when she retires.
Toddlers/Pre-K 2 1/2 years – 4 years
Dragonfly Class
Marisa Sembrano I’m looking forward to starting off the new school year with everyone. We have a lot of fun activities planned! My favorite activities with our class are art and science. I love messy sensory centers! I’ve experiences all age groups from preschool teacher to being a nanny for a span of 10 years. This age group is my absolute favorite. When I’m not in a classroom, I’m usually outdoors: hiking, kayaking or on the lake. I also enjoy cooking and photography in my spare time. I look forward to getting to know our new friends and their families
Ladybug Class
Neishai Gregory Hello my name is Neishai I have been working in the childcare field for over 14 years. I absolutely love to teach! Being able to teach the next generation is a blessing and extremely rewarding. I have five beautiful children of my own and we love traveling together for their sport events and making memories. In my free time I enjoy writing, crafting, and working as an advocate for women.
Bumblebee Class
Aracely Ahuja Hello families! My name is Aracely but everyone calls me Cely. I am 26 years old and I currently work in Bumblebees class. I am working towards getting my child development associates credentials and hope to achieve that goal this year. Working with children has always been my passion.I love to teach them Spanish and watch them learn new things, I feel that it is a gift to me to help them explore the world around them. I love to spend time outdoors with my two amazing dogs and I enjoy walks in the park and swimming.
Bumblebee Class
Yvette Gomez – Yvette was born and raised in Austin and currently lives in Hutto. She has a daughter, Ciara, who is in Kindergarten. Yvette has been working in childcare for a little over 4 years and has been at Emerson Academy for 2 years. Yvette is working toward her Child Development Associate Credentials and hopes to achieve her goal this year. Yvette loves spending time with her daughter and making memories that will last a lifetime.
Ladybug Class
Gabbi Valdez Hello! I have been in childcare for five years and have enjoyed every minute. Since I was young, I knew that my passion would be to help guide and teach young children. I am having my first child this year and cannot wait to meet him!
Pre-K 4 years to 6 years
Firefly Class
Alison “Ali” Santos – Ali is excited to be a part of your child’s growth and development. She have been working in the Early Childhood Development for over a decade, including raising two children of her own. Aubrey is 10 years old and Adam is 8 years old. Ali has Child Development Associate’s Degree from Penn Foster University. In my spare time she coaches my children’s softball and basketball teams. She loves teaching through experiences and learns to grow and learn along side her students.
Firefly Class
Priscilla Martinez – My name is Priscilla. I am 23 years old and have been in childcare for 3 years. I have lived in Texas my entire life. From a young age I knew working with children is something that I wanted to do. In my classes, I enjoy letting the children explore through art and sensory. I recently started my fitness journey, so I have been enjoying learning new ways to better my health. My favorite thing about working at Emerson Academy is being able to give children new things to explore and helping them find words to better express their needs.
After School and Summer Camp
Kathy Dieteman was born in Maryland. Her family and I moved to Texas when she was 13 years old. Kathy has been teaching at Emerson for 5 years. She has received my Child Development Associates in 2016. Her favorite things are my family, reading, baking and movies. She is super excited to be working with school aged children helping them engage and succeed in virtual education.
Blanca Navarro-Gutierrez Hello, my name is Blanca. I am 26 years old. I have been working at Emerson Academy for about a year. I am working towards getting my Child Development Associates Credentials and hope to achieve that goal this year. During my free time I love spending time with my husband and making memories with him. I enjoy working with the school aged children and campers, helping them learn to better express themselves through play and experiences.
Support Staff
Pedro Chapa – Hello, my name is Pedro. I have many years of experience working in restaurants, child development centers and commercial food preparation. I love to cook good, healthy food for people to enjoy. I have a great deal of experience with the federal food program and I am proud to be helping families feed their kids while learning at Emerson Academy.
Quincy James is a 7 year old Golden Retriever who was rescued from the Gold Ribbon Rescue (GRR) , (opens in a new window) group in Austin. He has been at Emerson Academy for four years and works with all ages and classes. Quincy is a patient, easy-going and loving dog who has never met a child he doesn’t love. His relationships with the children, especially children with special needs, is remarkable. Quincy is one of Emerson’s most beloved icons and makes many a day for children and parents alike.