Teachers & Staff

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Staff
Kristen Elliott
Joined 2019
Kristen Elliott
Director

We welcomed Mrs. Kristen Elliott to our school in November 2019. Kristen has taught in the Fulton County Elementary Schools with experience in First, Second and Third grades, Importantly for us, Kristen taught Pre-K for three years in a Cobb County Primrose School and knows Primrose standards and expectations thoroughly.

Kristen earned her ECE degree from Kennesaw State then completed her Masters in Elementary Education with a Teacher Leadership Endorsement. She twice assumed the Grade Level Chair responsibilities, was elected as Teacher Leader for the Fulton County Superintendent Teacher Council and received Univision’s 2015 “Un Maestro Especial” Award and topped off the year with the 2015 Teacher of the Year Award!

Kristen is married to her husband, Mark, and they have two children.  Both children have attended Primrose since they were infants.  Their daughter, McKenna, is in 1st grade at a Forsyth County School and son, Kaiden, is in the Private Pre-Kindergarten at Primrose.   She enjoys partnering with families, staff and children to create an environment that is warm, welcoming and inspiring!

 

Sandy Waddell
Joined 2012
Sandy Waddell
Assistant Director

Sandy is celebrating twelve years with our Primrose of Cumming East family.  Recently, Ms. Sandy was promoted to Assistant Director.  For the past twelve years, she has been a lead teacher in our Infant classroom.  She has given and continues to give lots of love to the little ones. Her favorite part of teaching in the Infant classroom was “watching the babies learn and grow, as well as getting lots of love!” During her time away from school, she enjoys reading and traveling.

Sandy, who is originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, received her degree from Florida Atlantic University.  She is married to John, who is a Grocery Manager for Publix.  She has two lovely daughters, Amber, who is 25 years old, and Ashley who is 22 years old.

Sandy is hoping that one day soon, she and John will be able to set sail on a river cruise.  She said that she would love to see some of the classic cities of Europe!

Thanks for everything you do, Sandy—we are glad you are part of our family!

 

Belinda Fortenberry
Joined 2018
Belinda Fortenberry
Infant Lead Teacher

Mrs. Belinda Fortenberry is our Lead Teacher in the Infant classroom. She’s also our 2020 Employee of the Year! Belinda’s Lead Teaching experience along with her dedication, good-natured spirit and outstanding work ethic makes her a wonderful asset to our school! When asked what she likes most about her job, Belinda replied “when I get down on the floor and play with the babies.” There isn’t one aspect of her job that Belinda doesn’t care for… with the possible exception missing her babies once they grow up and transition to the next classroom.

Belinda is our hometown gal, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a graduate of Norcross High School.

Belinda’s calm demeanor and special attention to each individual baby believes her intense commitment to giving the very best learning experience and care each day for her young learners.

 

 

Marlene Zuniga
Joined 2022
Marlene Zuniga
Infant Assistant Teacher
Vicki Serrano
Joined 2025
Vicki Serrano
Toddler Lead Teacher

Hi!  Vicki Serrano is the Lead Teacher in the Toddler classroom at Primrose Cumming East.  She received her Child Development Associates (CDA) to become a Lead Teacher in the classroom.  Her education experience began about 10 years ago, with a primary focus in infants and toddlers.  Vicki’s favorite thing about working with young children is watching them grow and blossom!

Ms. Vicki is a hometown girl from Cumming.  She is a proud mom to twins (1 boy and 1 girl) and three lovely cats.   In her personal time, she enjoys shopping, dining at new restaurants and traveling with her children.  Her favorite family tradition is gathering around for the holidays.

Vicki is truly one of the most dedicated teachers.   She takes time to learn each child’s uniqueness and individuality as they showcase their various potentials. We are very thankful to have Ms. Vicki teach our students at Primrose!

 

 

Dalia Cerro
Joined 2025
Dalia Cerro
Toddler Assistant Teacher
Mackenzie Welch
Joined 2024
Mackenzie Welch
Early Preschool 1 Lead Teacher

I’m Mackenzie Welch, and I would like to tell you a little about myself.  My education experience began about 5 years ago, and I recently obtained my Child Development Association (CDA) certificate.   I started my journey at Primrose School of Cumming East on December 2, 2024.  My position began as a Lead Teacher in the Toddler classroom but recently transitioned to Early Preschool 1.

My favorite thing about working with children is when they smile and giggle, and they affectionately give you hugs. I also enjoy helping children learn new things.

In my personal time, I enjoy doing many things, such as walking my dog (Val), shopping for new plants, and getting my nails painted.  One of my hobbies is having a green thumb! I enjoy taking care of sick plants and nourishing them back to life.

Nansi Balcazar
Joined 2005
Nansi Balcazar
Early Preschool 1 Assistant Teacher
Sireesha Atmakuri
Joined 2025
Sireesha Atmakuri
Early Preschool 2 Lead Teacher

Ms. Sireesha Atmakuri is our Lead Teacher in the Early Preschool 2 classroom. Working with young children is more than just a job for her, it is her passion!  Ms. Sireesha enjoys guiding children as they discover the world around them and learning important life skills, such as sharing, kindness and independence.  She believes every child is unique and deserves patience, encouragement and love.  Her goal is to help children feel excited learning and confident with who they are.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Sireesha enjoys gardening and watching her favorite shows on TV.  Sireesha was born and raised in India.  She is bilingual and speaks English and her native language, which is Telugu.  With her family, they enjoy celebrating the holidays together, such as New Years, Diwali, and Pongal (New Harvest Festival).

Sireesha is a dedicated teacher in the classroom.   She is a pleasure to watch as she grabs the attention of her young students with such a calm demeanor. We are very thankful to have Ms. Sireesha teach our students at Primrose!

Jignasha Lakhani
Joined 2025
Jignasha Lakhani
Early Preschool 2 Assistant Teacher
Sapna Metha
Joined 2022
Sapna Metha
Preschool Lead Teacher

Ms. Sapna Mehta is the Lead Teacher in our Preschool classroom. Sapna was born in India and moved to Georgia in 2013. Sapna resides in Cumming with her husband, Krunal, and their son, Pratham.

Sapna graduated from Nootan College in 2010. She continued with school and graduated in 2012 with her Master’s Degree in Biotechnology. Beyond the classroom, Sapna teaches an Indian dance at her home called Bharatnatyam. She has an additional Bachelor’s degree in this dance.

Sapna is an enthusiastic teacher in the classroom. She is a joy to watch as she grabs the attention of her young students with her FUN personality. We are very thankful to have Ms. Sapna teach our young students at Primrose!

 

Preetha Jeyaguru
Joined 2025
Preetha Jeyaguru
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Archana Srivastava
Joined 2023
Archana Srivastava
Private Pre-Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Ms. Archana Srivastav is our Lead Teacher in the Private Pre-Kindergarten classroom. She brings an energetic attitude to her classroom everyday.  Her teaching experience along with her dedication makes her a wonderful asset to our school!

Archana was born in Varanasi City, India.  She graduated from Agrasen Autonomous College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science.  In 2004, she received her Master’s Degree in Business.  After college she worked in Human Resources and owned a business in coaching Elementary and Middle School children in academics.  In 2015, Archana and her husband left India and moved to the United States.  They have two beautiful children, a son, Divik and daughter, Mishka.

Archana is a very dedicated teacher in her classroom.   When asked what she loves about teaching, it is her students.  She loves teaching the developmental skills in a meaningful way. We are very thankful to have Ms. Archana teach our Pre-K students at Primrose!

 

Mariana Angeles
Joined 2025
Mariana Angeles
Private Pre-Kindergarten Assistant Teacher
Lisa Furth
Joined 2022
Lisa Furth
Explorers Lead Teacher

Ms. Lisa Furth is our Lead Teacher in the Explorers classroom.  She enjoys teaching the older children and completing art projects with them.  Her knack for creativity is what makes her teaching style unique!

Lisa was born in Long Island, New York.  She lived in Coral Springs, Florida through her childhood and then moved to Georgia in 2001. Lisa currently resides in Sugar Hill.  She has two sons, Trevor and Justin, and three pets, a cat named Jade and two dogs named Bella Blue and Sky.

Lisa is a wonderful teacher in the classroom.   She truly adores her students and loves to see them accomplish things when they put their minds to it. We are very thankful to have Ms. Lisa teach our students at Primrose!

 

Kim Allen
Joined 2022
Kim Allen
Floater/Closing Manager
Primrose Staff Member Photo
Joined 2022
Ansley Kate Allen
Floater
Ms. Gayatri Amarneni
Joined 2024
Ms. Gayatri Amarneni
Floater
Primrose Staff Member Photo
Joined 2025
Chloe Goulding
Floater
Primrose Staff Member Photo
Joined 2025
Anoushka Majumdar
Floater
Primrose Staff Member Photo
Joined 2025
Keerthana "Grace" Vinayag
Floater
Neetu Malhotra
Joined 2024
Neetu Malhotra
Substitute

Franchise Owners

Joe & Marilynn Andrews and Cory & Heather Durden

Meet Joe and Marilynn Andrews and Cory and Heather Durden, proud owners of Primrose School of Cumming East.

Joe and Marilynn have been a part of Primrose since 2008 when they acquired Primrose School of Suwanee and then in 2011 acquired Primrose School of Providence Pavilion.  They left Primrose in late 2019 but decided there wasn’t another business or profession that they were as passionate about than Primrose Schools.  The opportunity to educate young children, ready them for school, partner with parents and be involved in their community is very gratifying to them. 

Joe has an engineering degree and worked in corporate America for many years before coming to Primrose.  He also was in the USAF and an officer in the GA Air Guard for over 22 years.  Marilynn worked in corporate America for over 20 years before coming to Primrose.  They have two sons, Austin and Chad.  Austin has graduated college with his master’s degree and works in the sales field.  Chad is a student at University of GA and he is planning a career in Risk Management.

Cory and Heather have been a part of the Primrose family for 18 years. Cory was the Director of Franchise Development at Primrose School Franchising Company from 2007 – 2015.   One of Cory’s favorite aspects of his position was meeting new people and introducing the Primrose brand to new communities.  In their most recent journey in life, they were the franchise owners of Primrose School of Smyrna West from 2015 – 2021.  They have two children, Clair and Will, who both attended Primrose.   Clair attended the summer camps and Will is a Primrose Graduate. 

We understand and value the importance of installing a love of learning by developing a strong academic and social foundation at an early age.  We have seen the Primrose difference in our own children with their character development and performance in school.  We are passionate about growing children and offering them the very best.

We look forward to partnering with you and are committed to delivering the best in early education and care!

Our family would love to meet yours.

Contact us to schedule a tour.
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© 2026 Primrose School Franchising SPE, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. We will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. Contact Primrose School Franchising SPE, LLC, 3200 Windy Hill Road SE, Suite 1200E, Atlanta, GA 30339, to request a copy of our FDD.

*Study was conducted on a representative sample of Primrose Pre-Kindergarten students across twelve Primrose schools in nine states in the Spring of 2024. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment 4th Edition assesses children’s school readiness in terms of their understanding of concepts that are strongly related to early childhood cognitive and language development as well as early academic achievement.

**Based upon recent assessments of approximately 3,900 Primrose students aged 4 screened using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition during the 2024-2025 school year. Ages & Stages Questionnaires® and ASQ® are registered trademarks of Paul H Brookes Publishing Co, Inc.