Leadership Team

Norma W. Honeycutt is an expert, international award-winning Early Childhood trainer and consultant. She is the Executive Director of Partners In Learning Child Development and Family Resource Center and a state-wide advocate in Early Care, Education, and Intervention.

She is certified to provide Triple-P, Special Instruction for Infants and Toddlers, and holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Child and Family Development from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte and a Master’s Degree in Birth through Kindergarten.  For more than three decades Norma has used her skills to support children and their families. She is a highly regarded and popular trainer and speaker.  She is passionate about quality in Early Childhood, making sure that children receive the best possible care and education to help them reach their full potential. She has worked within the education, health and social services sectors, performing a wide range of roles such as teacher, director, education consultant, and child care commissioner.

Norma is married and is the mother of five adult children, which is why she is able to speak from the heart to parents and all those who care for or educate children.

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Amy received her B.S. in Psychology from Appalachian State University. She also has completed courses in Behavior Analysis through Florida Institute of Technology. In her career, she has served as an Interim Director of Development, and has directed summer programs and community service programs for single mothers of children with Autism. Amy has worked in the field of early intervention for over a decade with a special concentration for children with autism. Through her experience, she has worked in public and private non-for-profit school settings, as well as provided in home aid to families. She utilizes evidence-based practices within her instruction. She also believes tailoring a program that best suits the family’s needs and desires is what allows for the family to successfully achieve their goals. Amy focuses on providing parent education and sharing resources so parents can be their child’s best advocate and teacher. She is passionate about doing whatever is necessary to ensure that these resources are available.

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Dan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Appalachian State University and a Master of Science degree in Education from N.C. A & T State University. He has an extensive background in both Education and Business. In addition to working with high school students, he has experience working in the insurance industry as a corporate business analyst, and as the operation manager of residential development company. Dan is married and has two adult children and one grandchild.

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Heather has 3 daughters who keep her on her toes. They are her pride and joy and together they enjoy playing outside, exploring nature, and traveling home to Pennsylvania and New York to see their family. Growing up, Heather lived all over the country as her father was a Chief in the United States Navy.

Heather has an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education and History from Elmira College in Elmira, NY. She has worked with children of all ages, including teaching high school in the private sector for 5 years, and over 20 years’ experience working with preschool age children.

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Jennifer Misenheimer had always known that she wanted to work with children and decided to join our team after enrolling her infant 19 years ago.  Jennifer began as a full time flexible assistant and fell in love with our program; working her way up to director.

Jennifer completed her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from Rowan Cabarrus Community College in 2012.  In May 2019, she graduated from Catawba College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Birth-Kindergarten Education. Her plans are to continue her education to obtain a Master’s degree in the future.

Jennifer believes that children learn best, when doing activities through play. Children are master teachers, and as professionals we should follow their lead. Jennifer enjoys being with children and adults of all ages and thrives on building relationships. Her passion is to be present in families lives, as they are their child’s first teacher.

Jennifer is married with 3 beautiful children.  In her spare time she enjoys journaling, crafting, reading, singing karaoke, and being by the pool. Jennifer loves spending time with her husband and children on the weekends making new memories. 

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Aleshya Spruill began her early childhood career in 2006 when she was a senior in high school. She always knew that she wanted to work closely with children and was waiting for the right chance to do so.

Aleshya is married with 3 beautiful and amazing children. She started working at Partners In Learning at 18 years old, and received her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education from RCCC. In May 2020, Aleshya will graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree in Birth-Kindergarten Education.

While being at Partners In Learning, Aleshya has fulfilled several roles including afternoon staff, flexible teacher, assistant teacher, lead teacher, afternoon supervisor, school-age coordinator and now, Assistant Director.

Aleshya’s philosophy on life is to simply have fun, make memories and form bonds. Without this, you have a regular day that lacks zeal.  She thrives off of positivity and great work ethics and strives to be better daily.

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Katie Miller joined the Partners In Learning family in August 2009 as a part-time afternoon teacher. She has also worked as a flexible teacher, summer camp teacher, and community inclusion assistant. After graduating from Catawba College with her Psychology degree in 2012, she started working as an Early Intervention Developmental Therapist through Partners In Learning doing CBRS with infants and toddlers in both homes and child care centers in Rowan County and the surrounding areas. She also has experience working with a local courthouse drop-in child care center, which gave her experience working with children who have gone through various levels of trauma. Currently, Katie provides CBRS, Triple P, and Early Intervention services. In her spare time, she loves going on adventures with her husband, Jason, and her son, Reed and enjoys thrifting and crafting.

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Hello, Partners In Learning Family!  My name is Crystal Drye, and I am thrilled to be returning home, back to Partners in Learning this December! I previously served at PIL in the Panthers classroom in NC PreK, and cannot express how excited I am to be returning to an organization that means so much to our community.  

I studied birth through kindergarten education at Stanly Community College, as well as UNC Greensboro, and have worked in early care and education for nearly 20 years now.  My approach and philosophies to education have been influenced by the teachers I have been blessed to work with as well as my personal experiences with my own children.  I believe in a whole child approach to education, which ensures that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged both with experiences and a developmentally appropriate, enriching environment. 

I have three fantastic sons-ages 19, 15, and 8.  When I’m not at work, my time is largely dedicated to them.  We are members at Grace Bible Church in Rockwell and I serve in the children’s ministry there as well.  My youngest son is involved in lots of different sports so when we aren’t at home or church, we are typically either at practice or a game.  In my free time I enjoy cooking and baking and having game nights with my family.  

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Cassie Karriker has worked at Partners In Learning since 2011. She has worked as the lead teacher in the toddler classroom and the afternoon mentor for staff. As a lead teacher, Cassie learned that her passion was working with children with special needs, and making sure the classroom was inclusive for children with all abilities, including making sure that children are receiving the support that they need to be successful. Cassie has a great passion for early intervention and making sure that delays are caught quickly so that services can be put in place to help every child be who they were meant to be.

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Tonya Jenkins is a Rowan County native and currently lives in the West Rowan area with my husband Randall, daughter, and two sons. She is excited about the opportunity to empower children and their families to reach their fullest potential by accessing resources within themselves, their own homes and their communities through the position of Family Support Specialist.

Tonya has served the families and children in her community for over twenty years, serving in many different ways. The foundations of her career were as a classroom teacher, and later, a social worker in the field of abuse and neglect. Currently, Tonya serves as a professor in the Education Department at Catawba College and provides special instruction as an Infant and Toddler Specialist with Partners In Learning. She holds a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning: Early Childhood Education and a North Carolina Birth through Kindergarten Teaching License. Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services with a concentration in Child and Family Development with a minor in Criminal Justice.

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