Our Staff

 Ms. Teresa Gambrell is our interim director for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year.
Ms. Teresa taught here for 17 years until retiring in 2018. She has continued to sub over the years in many classrooms and her grandson, Lachlan, is in our Moonbeams class. She has a Masters in Child Life Development and worked for years as a Child Life Specialist at Tulane Hospital in New Orleans, LA. She also spent several years working with TN Early Intervention Services locally.
Her husband, Richard, is Director of Enterprise Applications for Purdue Global University. They have 3 grown children and 10 grandchildren, 6 boys and 4 girls, ranging in age from 2months to 12 years old! In her spare time she enjoys gardening and traveling. 

Ms Marcia Harris has worked at HPUMP since 2015.  During her first three years, she worked as a substitute teacher and then moved to the position of co-teacher of the Twinklers class. She has worked in the childcare field for over 30 years in multiple positions. She has operated in home daycares as well as PDO programs, been the director of the Children’s Ministries at HUMC and director of the Aftercare/Summer care Program at St. Jude School.

She has been married 40+ years to her husband Cornelius. Her family consists of son Brandon, his wife Stephanie, granddaughter Lena, and our daughter Brittany. We have been active members of HUMC for 30+ years. 

When she is not caring for children Ms. Marcia spends her time in her sewing room doing alterations or reading a good book on the deck..

Ms. Lisi Phillips is so blessed to be part of the HPUMP team for her third year as co-teacher of the Starshine Friends!  HPUMP Has been one of her favorite places since she first visited before her daughter Acadia started as a Twinkler in 2008.  She fell in love with the Reggio Emilia principles, as they align beautifully with her personal thoughts on learning and her research and experience in pediatric physical therapy.  

Lisi has a B.S. degree in physical therapy from the University of South Alabama.  She has worked with children in that aspect, as well as being a kindergarten assistant at the Bright School for 4 years.  She is a member of Hixson United Methodist Church where she enjoys volunteering with children from infants to high schoolers.  Lisi enjoys dancing, creating, and spending as much time as she can with her family.  She has 2 daughters, Acadia and Trinity.  They both attend Boyd-Buchanan School.  Her husband, Wade, is a pharmacist at Memorial Hospital. 

Ms. Anna Kirk returns to our team for her seventh year. She is a co-teacher in the Moonbeams class. She has also worked several years with the Twinklers. Anna holds her associates degree in Early Childhood Education, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She currently is finishing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education through Western Governors University.

Anna has been working in the early childhood field now for over ten years working previously as a preschool teacher, and in the PMO department at Burks U.M. church and CDC. She is originally from Asheville, NC, and realized her passion for working with children when volunteering in the children’s department where her father pastored. She is an active member at Red Bank Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Anna and her husband Brandon, have two daughters Sarah Grace and Katie Beth. You can find her on Friday nights watching her oldest perform in the Soddy Daisy High School Trojan marching band or watching her youngest play volleyball who attends Loftis Middle School. Anna also in her spare time enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, and spending time with her family and friends.

Anna loves working with children in the Reggio-Inspired philosophy so she can help them become co-collaborators to their own learning and plant the seeds to becoming lifetime learners.

 Ms Jessica Smith is new to HPUMP this year and will be co-teaching in the Sunbeam class. She first obtained her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and then transferred to UTC where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Exceptional Education. She worked at Jones Memorial Child Development Center, starting in the two year old room and eventually floating to every classroom from the nursery to Pre-K. After graduation she taught at Skyuka Hall, a private school for students with learning disabilities before taking a job in Hamilton County. She’s worked in several special education classrooms working with children with differing abilities ranging from moderate to severe. Her passion is helping children learn self-advocacy skills in a way that makes learning accessible for them. She also values helping children learn coping strategies that will help children regulate their emotions and solve problems. She is excited to start this new journey at HPUMP and ignite a fire for exploring and learning in your children.

Jessica lives in Hixson with her partner David and their dog Brownie. They love exploring the nature around the city and going for walks in the park, rain or shine. They share a passion for cooking and experimenting with new recipes. They attend City Church where they enjoy strengthening their faith and fellowshipping with friends. They love spending time with family and building that community of support.  

Ms. Freya is thrilled to rejoin the HPUMP family this year in Rainbow Kids! She spent 2018-2020 co-teaching in the Twinklers classroom until she had to step away in 2020 to stay home with her family.  Ms. Freya has worked with children for 20 years in various settings including: nannying, daycare, and teaching financial literacy to 4th and 5th graders at Junior Achievement. Most recently, she brought her passion for the Reggio approach to her life in a new way by teaching 4 preschoolers from her home. Ms. Freya majored in psychology in college and hopes to go back to school for a degree in early childhood education! 

Ms. Freya lives in Highland Park with her partner Iggy and their two children, Addison and Aurora, who both attended HPUMP and whom she now homeschools. Iggy is an artist and a graphic designer.   

When she’s not teaching, Ms. Freya is probably either reading, baking, practicing yoga, listening to podcasts, learning Swedish, or watering her nearly 70 house plants. She is also a multimedia artist and a trained birth doula. She loves to travel and has spent time in almost every state!