Our Staff
We are blessed at McMannen to have a loving, experienced teaching team. Our teachers will love and teach your children. Our goal as teachers is to support children to learn and grow in a safe, fun, and exciting atmosphere.
Cheryle Takacs
Cheryle has been teaching at McMannen for over ten years. She teaches the one and two-year-old classes. She has been taking care of children since she was a child herself! She started her career as a babysitter in her teen years. She is the mother of three children, has been the foster parent to 12 children, “Granny Nanny” to four of her grandchildren, and of course, “Mimi” to all children!
Lyndsey Webster
Lyndsey has been serving as a teaching assistant for two years. She has been in the 2s, 3s, and 4s classes. Lyndsey is a very caring, fun, and knowledgeable person. She is amazing with the kids and she is an important asset to McMannen Preschool.
Martha Anne Wright
Martha Anne has been a teacher for over 30 years, including 6 years as a preschool director and 6 years as a librarian. She is an amazing educator and a very warm and caring teacher. She has been serving at McMannen for three years as the three and four-year-old teacher.
Tatiana Braga
​This will be Ms. Tatiana’s 6th year teaching here at McMannen and her third year as lead teacher. Tatiana has three children of her own and has worked in childcare most of her career. She and her family have lived in Durham for over 15 years.
Dana Newton
Dana started as the director of McMannen Preschool in January 2020. Before that, she taught at McMannen as a four-year-old teacher for 8 years. She has also done some work with The Autism Society of North Carolina.
