Staff

Our Staff

Administration, Preschool & Kindergarten Teachers and Assistants

Studies have shown that nothing impacts a student’s ability to learn, grow and achieve more than good teachers. This is precisely why we place such an importance on finding the best teachers possible. All of our preschool & kindergarten teachers have received training in early education, elementary education or other closely-related fields. We purposefully select those who have a “gift of teaching” which a certification does not always ensure.
Sue Nelson

Sue Nelson

Preschool & Kindergarten Director

Sue has been in the Early Education field since 1993 where she first started her teaching ministry at Maranatha Christian Preschool in San Diego. Originally from Minnesota, Sue has served as Children’s Ministry Director at Grace Chapel in San Diego, as well as Fellowship of Woodlands in Houston, Texas. She spent 12 year in San Diego before moving to Arizona in 2004. Her passion is to create a love for learning for all children and teaching them about the love of Jesus. She holds credential as a Site Supervisor in Early Education and has been the Director at Family of Christ since 2004. Sue also has had firsthand experience in visiting other countries on mission trips and seeing the world from a new perspective. Her endeavors have taken her to Romania, Thailand and Amsterdam. Sue can be reached at: (480) 759-9004.

Betty Knight

Sandy Hand

Business Administrator

Sandra Hand has recently joined Family of Christ as the Manager of Operations. Before joining Family of Christ, Sandra was an Assistant Teacher and a Lead Teacher in the two-year old class at God’s Garden Preschool for four years.

She also served as the Childcare Coordinator for Foothills Baptist Church for almost 10 years. Concurrent with that position, she was the lead teacher for the Mothers of Preschooler (MOPS) program for 10 years. Sandra also volunteered as a preschool Sunday school teacher, preschool AWANA teacher and a Vacation Bible School volunteer at Foothills Baptist Church.

Before beginning a career in Early Education, Sandra was a Corporate Human Resource Manager for a multinational environmental engineering firm for sixteen years. She is a graduate of New Mexico State University with an BBA and MBA. Sandy can be reached at: (480) 759-4047.

Fred Gerlach

Fred Gerlach

Pastor

Pastor Fred Gerlach, a graduate from Pace University in Westchester, New York started his career on Wall Street and worked for financial institutions and various companies for over 20 years. This included the investment banking firm Solomon Brothers, as well as the City of Yonkers and Pepsi Bottling. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, he was accepted into Immanuel Lutheran Church in Danbury, Connecticut in 1995 through adult confirmation. In September 2001, Pastor entered Concordia Seminary St. Louis and graduated in 2005. He was called to serve Bethany Lutheran Church in Trenton, New Jersey of the English District, and served there for 13 years before coming to Family of Christ in 2018. Pastor Fred and his wife have three daughters. Pastor Fred can be reached at: (480) 759-4047.

5 Year Old, Kindergarten

Karly Jensen

Karly Jensen

Lead Teacher, Kindergarten

4 Year Old, Pre-K

Lydia Armstrong

Lydia Armstrong

Lead Teacher, Pre-K

Lore Borras

Lore Borras

Lead Teacher, Pre-K

Robin Bontrager

Robin Bontrager

Lead Teacher, Pre-K

Kathi Dwyer

Kathi Dwyer

Pre-K Assistant

3 Year Old, Preschool

Jennylyn Amandy

Jennylyn Amandy

Lead Teacher, Preschool

Susie Laiefsky

Susie Laiefsky

Assistant, Preschool

Tera McDonald

Tera McDonald

Lead Teacher, Preschool

Deb Conry

Deb Conry

Assistant, Preschool

2 Year Old, Early Preschool

Carrie DeSouza

Carrie DeSouza

Lead Teacher, Early Preschool

Abby Northup

Abby Northup

Lead Teacher, Early Preschool

Claudine Hart

Claudine Hart

Assistant, Early Preschool

Kids Club

Kathi Dwyer

Kathi Dwyer

Assistant, Kids Club

A Community of Learning

Our dedicated staff with low teacher-to-student ratios create an environment rich with attention and encouragement. We are committed to knowing each student’s strengths, weaknesses and interests. We believe parents are the most important and influential people in a child’s development. For this reason, we provide many opportunities for parents to be involved through the P.I.T. Crew (Parent Involvement Team), volunteering opportunities and special events.

Call to schedule a tour! (480) 759-9004

How to Enroll Your Child in a Class