MEET THE STAFF
Our leadership and staff are the heart and soul of IPS.
Our philosophy to implement bigger, worldly ideas at the preschool level is unique, with a curriculum and methodology based on current research in education, psychology, linguistics, and the sciences. Degreed and certified teachers, who are continuously trained in the latest instructional strategies and child development, create a fun, engaging, activity-based learning environment where knowing and growing become synonymous.
Read more about our Leadership team here.
Our philosophy to implement bigger, worldly ideas at the preschool level is unique, with a curriculum and methodology based on current research in education, psychology, linguistics, and the sciences. Degreed and certified teachers, who are continuously trained in the latest instructional strategies and child development, create a fun, engaging, activity-based learning environment where knowing and growing become synonymous.
Read more about our Leadership team here.
IPS Faculty and Staff
Dian Ansley
Ms. Dian is from southeast China. She relocated to the US to pursue her degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Georgia in 2012. Deeply under the influence of her mother who was a preschool director, Ms. Dian likes spending time with young students, teaching them and learning from them. Ms. Dian joined the IPS team as a Language teacher in fall semester of 2016, and she is excited to now embrace and explore teaching her own class. In her spare time, Ms. Dian enjoys spending time with her husband, cooking Asian food, watching movies in the theater, gardening her plants, hiking on Stone Mountain, and video chatting with her parents.
Nikia' Brown
Ms. Nikia’ is originally from Killeen, Texas. She moved to Atlanta 6 years ago to start her career in leadership and Early Childhood Education. In addition to her background in education, Nikia' has received a certification in behavior management and ABA studies from Emory University as well as a Director's license from Bright from the Start. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, hot yoga, watching Sunday Night Football (Go COWBOYS!!) and spending time with friends and family. Her greatest accomplishment so far is working with young students from Beijing, and teaching them language and social skills that will help in the classroom.
Sasha Friedman
Ms. Sasha began her teaching career about 20 years ago. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Theatre and then went on to Mercer University to receive a teaching certification in Early Childhood Education. Due to her theatrical background, she loves to use drama in the classroom. She worked in Dekalb and Gwinnett counties as a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teacher. Sasha has also taught at the International School in Israel for 5 years.
Dia Huszar
Ms. Dia was born in Budapest, Hungary. After getting her BA in English Linguistics, she moved to Austria and got her MA in Language Education at the University of Vienna. She has worked as a teacher in Hungary, Austria, China and Spain, before arriving in Atlanta in 2015. She’s fluent in English, Hungarian and German. She enjoys cooking, hiking, watching movies and reading – but her favorite hobby is traveling! She has been to every continent but one, and Antarctica will just have to wait a bit longer.
Tiffany Jefferson
Ms. Tiffany was born and raised in Georgia, where she developed a love for the natural world at an early age. In 2013, she began her teaching career in environmental education, and quickly realized a passion for teaching young children about the world around them. Tiffany has also
worked as a nanny since 2012, and enjoys developing critical thinking skills, confidence, and creativity in children; while inspiring them to learn through hands-on activities and structured play. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and spending time with her dog, Madison.
Njeri Jolly-Salmon
Ms. Jolly was born on the island of Jamaica but was raised in the hustle and bustle of New York City. Her passion for teaching started at a young age, when she always took delight in being responsible for and nurturing many of her younger cousins as a teenager. This passion continued to develop during her college intern experiences in both public school classrooms and childcare environments. She completed her Bachelors in Psychology at Hunter College in 2006, with two years of training in Elementary Education. She and her family migrated to Atlanta in 2016 and have been enjoying the more suburban and slow paced lifestyle. She is a wife and mother of two beautiful girls. She has been teaching young children for over 15 years and joined the IPS community in 2018.
Savanna Keo
Ms. Savanna grew up right outside of Washington, D.C. and has been living in Atlanta for the past 15 years. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Literature from Georgia State University and works creatively within the mediums of writing/poetry, paint, photography, and more! She is passionate about cultivating emotional intelligence as well as intellectual & social development in children and strives to use art in her classroom as a means of understanding the self and the world around us. Ms. Savanna is the founder of MoodRing, an afterschool program dedicated to teaching children mindfulness skills and healthy coping mechanisms through self-reflection and therapeutic arts. She has previously taught students within programs at the Atlanta International School, the Suzuki School, in various volunteer positions, and also as an English Tutor at the high school and college levels.
Kirsten Krehbiel
Ms. Kirsten was born and raised in small town Kansas. She has a Performing Arts degree from Tabor College. Her passion for acting is coupled with her passion for children as seen through song, dance, and story telling. In 2011 she went abroad to teach English to kids in South Korea.
She enjoyed being a teacher and continues to teach ESL online in the mornings. When she is not teaching or acting, you can find her reading on her back porch with her cat Dobby.
Ashley McAdoo
My name is Ashley Mcadoo and I was born in North Carolina and raised in Marietta, Ga. I have a Bachelor of science in Sociology. I have 15 years of experience working in formal childcare settings and have worked with all ages at IPS. I enjoy fishing, putting together puzzles, and, traveling. My favorite part of working with young children is seeing the world through their eyes because their imaginations are limitless!
Angela Robinson
Ms. Angela joined International Preschools in Spring 2006. She now has 32 years of teaching experience and has over 60 education and child development certificates. Ms. Angela and her husband Ray have two children: her son Jamario and her daughter Shatara. In her spare time Ms. Angela enjoys shopping, reading, going to movies, and sometimes babysitting. When she gets time off from work, she loves to vacation at Disney World.
Tyler Sellers
My name is Tyler Sellers. I am from Atlanta, GA. I graduated from The University of Alabama majoring in Exercise and Sport Science. ROLL TIDE! I worked as a Pre-K Teacher Assistant, High School Cheer Coach, Physical Therapist Intern, 2nd Grade Leader for Barnes YMCA, and a Tour Guide for the Children’s Hands on Museum while completing my undergrad at Bama. My hobbies are spending time with my family, shopping, exercising, and blogging.
Janay Smith
Ms. Janay grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. She has a background in Early Childhood Education and a long history of teaching kids of all ages. She recently moved back to Atlanta and was excited to join IPS as a 2K teacher. She loves to read, shop, listen to music, play board games, and spend time with her family. Her passion lies in teaching and spending time with children, and loves to be energetic and outgoing. Unique quality? She is a twin!
Susan Thomas
Ms. Susan joined the teaching team at IPS in 2014. She was born in Birmingham, MI and after spending her childhood there, her family moved to Roswell, Georgia. She attended Georgia Southern University where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development in 2005. What she loves most about teaching is that there is never a dull moment! She loves to take advantage of every teachable moment that arises during the day. Her goal as a teacher is to provide children with a rich environment where they feel safe to explore, initiate learning, and feel free to express themselves. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, gardening, photography, and playing with her dog, Murphy. She also likes to visit family in Seattle, WA as often as possible!
Maia Vernon
Ms. Maia is a native of Atlanta and a graduate from Georgia Southern University with a B.B.A. in Computer Information Systems. She began her teaching career as a substitute teacher for Atlanta Public Schools and was then a Kindergarten Teacher's Assistant at Garden Hills Elementary School. After studying teaching techniques and mental development of children through United Way, she obtained a national certification as a Child Development Associate. During her time at IPS, she has taught 3K, 4K and 5K.
Joy Fredericks Winslow
Ms. Joy is a graduate of Atlanta Christian college, where she majored in Music. She has been teaching private music and theatre lessons for 6 years and was previously a dance and music instructor for ages 3-adult. She has experience working with all types of learners through music, art, dance, and tutoring, and especially loves the fun, energy, and creativity of working with toddlers. She felt a pull to the classroom and joined IPS in 2015 as a 2K teacher.