Faculty

Lorie and Cooper are not native Charlotteans, but they are not far from it. They have both lived here in the area since they were in Elementary and Jr High School. Lorie graduated from Myers Park High and Cooper from East Meck. They both attended and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill. Lorie with a BS in Business Administration and Cooper with both a BS in Industrial Relations and a BS in Psychology. Lorie also obtained her master’s degree from Pfieffer University in Christian Education.
Lorie will be the new face of Ballantyne Reading Academy. Her background in banking, and for the last 25 years, leading staff and volunteers teaching children, makes her a great fit. Cooper will be involved on the business and operational side of things. His background spans building and selling a family business, international software training, and 20 years of coaching and developing financial professionals. They have 2 adult children, Courtney, a former first-grade teacher, and William, a financial advisor.

Adina received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Tampa, and her masters degree in literacy from Mercy College in her home state of New York. She has over 15 years classroom experience teaching children from kindergarten through 5th grade. After relocating to Charlotte from NY with her husband, Adina began private tutoring, and originally joined BRA faculty in 2014, where her love of teaching preschoolers began.

Adina loves spending time with her husband, two boys (ages 6 and 3), and her first-born baby (a mini golden doodle named Mickey Mantle). In her spare time, she loves to read, exercise, or just sit in the sun drinking Starbucks!

Cherie grew up in Bloomington, IN and is a graduate of DePauw University with a BA in Elementary Ed and a minor in Language Arts. She has two girls. Cate, who is a sophomore in college at Davidson, and Anna Wade, who is a senior at MP. In her free time, cherie enjoys reading, working in the yard and is an avid college basketball fan.

Cherie has taught ages 4 and 5 in preschool and grades K-2 in the public schools. She specializes in literacy skills and phonics to help readers become more fluent. Cherie is currently getting certified in Orton Gillingham. In the mornings, she works as a curriculum specialist at Christ Church Kindergarten where she pulls small groups focusing on fine motor development, handwriting skills, as well as literacy skills.

Having recently become an empty nester, Esther is doing more of what she loves – teaching children! She graduated with a BS in Elementary Education from Louisiana State University and later earned her Masters of Early Childhood Education from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Esther has taught in Louisiana, Georgia and North Carolina in both public and private school settings. During her 12+ years of classroom experience, Esther served as Grade Level Chair and as a supervisor of a student teacher. While her children were in school, Esther substituted at Charlotte Christian School on a regular basis and is an experienced tutor. She currently teaches Sunday School to children 4 – 7 years old. Esther enjoys her weekly volunteer work with two non-profit organizations and is currently a certified Augustine Literacy Tutor for the Augustine Literacy Project. In her spare time she enjoys reading, gardening, knitting and sewing. Esther is looking forward to working with the children at Ballantyne Reading Academy!

Jackie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York with a degree in Psychology and Elementary Education. She began teaching at Liberty Elementary School in Nyack, New York and taught there for four years. She re-located to Charlotte 27 years ago and has been employed by CMS as a Kindergarten teacher, a school tutor, and a substitute teacher. Jackie has also worked in several local preschools teaching Pre-K curriculum. The past several years, Jackie has been self-employed as a private tutor.

In her spare time, she loves doing floral arrangements for friends, playing her guitar, taking photos of nature, and walking her little dog Bentley! She also enjoys spending time with her adult daughter. She is very excited to be a member of the staff here at Ballantyne Reading Academy!

Jessica fell in love with Ballantyne Reading Academy after her daughters attended enrichment classes at our location! Born and raised in Chicago, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (K-6) from DePaul University, with a middle school endorsement in social science. She has a background in psychology and was a mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program of Chicago, and a tutor at Lawrence Hall Youth Services of Chicago. Her love of reading and writing began at an early age, as she would make her own books as a child, and briefly wrote movie reviews for her school newspaper in college. Teaching K/1 in the past, she loves to make learning FUN and bring the subject matter to life! This installs a passion for learning, and she believes anything can be made into a teachable moment! She resides in Waxhaw with her husband, 2 daughters, and 2 imperial shih tzus. Jessica loves to stay active and is a regular at Barre3 and is also an avid snorkeler.

Lisa graduated magna cum laude from Stonehill College in North Easton, MA with a BA in Elementary Education and a concentration in Reading Instruction. In addition to teaching second grade in the Walpole, MA school system, Lisa chaired an after-school intramural program for over 700 students and served on the Superintendent’s Literacy Committee, at the personal request of the Superintendent. Lisa’s distinctive approach to combining phonics with language-oriented activities led her to co-author a teacher’s guide to Whole Language instruction and present at regional professional development workshops on the benefits of her integrative classroom reading strategies. Lisa also has experience in teaching kindergarten through fifth grade with the Charlotte-Mecklenberg School System. Prior to founding Ballantyne Reading Academy for the Very Young, Lisa served as Director of Early Childhood Education for a private performing arts school.