Meet the faculty that makes us great.

 

MARISA GILL, DIRECTOR of school

Marisa graduated summa cum laude from Concordia University. She developed a passion for working with students with autism and has extensive experience in both special education and gifted education. She completed multiple trainings which helped her to establish best practices for students on the autism spectrum, including antecedent-based intervention, pivotal response training, crisis intervention, corrective reading, Orton-Gillingham, suicide prevention, differential reinforcement, response interrupted redirection, structured teaching, and comprehensive program planning for individuals with autism.

Additionally, her knowledge of community and public relations has proven invaluable in promoting the mission of the school. Marisa is driven to increase access and awareness to students in desperate need of a unique school like The Independence Academy. She is a firm believer in teaching the whole student, and strives to incorporate movement and exercise throughout the day to enhance focus and relieve stress.

Marisa and her husband have two children in college.

 

Tabitha McMonagle,
assistant director of school

Tabitha earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Indiana State University with a concentration in Middle School Language Arts. Prior to joining IA in 2015, she worked in Lawrence Township where she and her husband live and are raising their four children. She has a passion for helping students reach their highest level of independence and a gift for listening to understand each student’s unique concerns and needs.

 
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Todd Root, Director of Marketing and Development

Todd Root is board member emerita and director of advancement and marketing for the Independence Academy (IA). He previously served as the Autism Society of Indiana’s Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships for four years, after serving as president and founder of Epiphany Dialogue for 15 years. A prominent authority on improving understanding of autism and autism research and systems, his expertise has been recognized by his membership in the City of Fishers, Indiana’s council on disability. Root advises businesses, human resource leaders, and tech sector organizations around the world, serves as a frequent speaker for autism conferences on utilizing computational cognitive systems, visual analogical systems, and augmented reality as a way to understand more about how neurodiverse populations process information, and is a tireless advocate for change. He is also an autistic individual.

 

Andrea Rondinelli, Director of Admissions

Andrea relocated to Indiana from sunny California. She has a gift for working with students and developing great relationships with them. Andrea loves spending time with her two children when she is not at IA.

 
 
 
 

Robyn Jenkins, Teacher

Robyn Jenkins majored in General Studies at the College of Southern Nevada and Elementary Education at Western Governors University, Indiana. She has worked in Special Education for five years. Prior to coming to the Independence Academy, she taught in Brownsburg on their District Behavior Support Team, working primarily with students with Autism. She has worked with students on the spectrum, providing intense academic and behavioral interventions. Robyn has a passion for finding creative and engaging ways to meet students where they are and believes that when students are provided with the correct tools for success, they will excel. Robyn’s hobbies include gaming, reading, fishing, and spending time with her husband and daughter.

 
 
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Cindy Davies, Substitute Teacher

Cindy earned her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Butler University. While homeschooling her own eight children, she realized her love for teaching and learning. She earned her teaching license from Indiana Wesleyan, became certified in Gifted and Talented Education in 2012, and earned her Master of Science in Education from Purdue University. She has a wealth of experience teaching middle school and high school science and math. Cindy and her husband enjoy traveling to visit their grown children, and hosting international students.

 

aNGELA hADLEY, Teacher

She is excited to be starting her 3rd year of teaching here at IA! She was born and raised in Indiana and graduated from Carmel High School. She graduated from Anderson University with a marketing and management degree and worked many years for Paul Harris Stores. She has an adorable Mini-Goldendoodle and a supportive boyfriend, Tony. She also has two amazing adult daughters. Raegan will be completing her doctorate in occupational therapy at IUPUI in May 2024. Faith lives in Shelbyville and works full time at a company packing medical supplies.

She has a combined total of 13 years in education, from being a classroom assistant to teaching 3rd grade, 1st grade, 6th grade, ELL, Title I, and Reading Strategies. She also works part-time as a pharmacy technician for CVS Health and dog-sits.

She considers herself blessed to partner with the students here at The Independence Academy! Her goal is to help them be as successful as possible and to assist them in becoming responsible citizens of society.

 
 

Melinda Santulli, Teacher

Melinda is thrilled to be joining Independence Academy this year. This is her 6th year of teaching in her own classroom, but she has worked in education in different capacities for over 20 years. When she is not working, she spends her time enjoying local music events and spending time with her family.

Laura Ohms, Teacher

Laura is a licensed clinical social worker and a lifelong music lover. Throughout her career practicing social work across many settings and working with diverse student learners, she has consistently sought to provide musical experiences to the clients she has worked with. Laura truly believes in the power of music as a tool to support the mental and emotional well-being of all people. Prior to moving to Indiana, she founded a music business in Chicago, where she taught both early childhood music and neurodiverse students in the Chicago public school system. Laura is skilled at creating a safe and fun environment for students to engage with music and learn in community together. She is thrilled to be part of the incredible team at IA! Laura stays busy at home with her two children, ages 3 and 5. In her spare time, she can be found swimming, biking, and running her way through triathlons and teaching yoga when she gets the chance!

 

Jennie Stern, teacher

Jennie is licensed in Special Education and Elementary Education from Huntington University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science. Prior to joining IA in 2012, she taught at Fisher Elementary in Speedway. She is passionate about working with the autism community and dedicates her free time to volunteering with the special needs children and youth programs at her church. Jennie’s many gifts include her knack for listening, and sending students and staff notes of encouragement and recognition.

 
Mindy Emler

MindI Emler, Teacher

Mindi Emler graduated with honors from Indiana Wesleyan University.  She has obtained many post-graduate certifications as well, that are related to special needs and education.  Prior to coming IA, She was a virtual and  traveling / in person English teacher for pupils located in China. She is Married with 6 kids and 3 grandkids.  She likes to read, hike with her dog, and spend time with her family. 

 
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Mary Charnley, Substitute Teacher

Mary graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in psychology. Prior to joining the faculty at IA, Mary and her family lived in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, for fourteen years where she taught English and became fluent in Spanish. Mary has taught and assisted many courses at IA, from math to Spanish. She has helped run the school’s robotics club and has a gift for pitching in no matter what the task or project may be. Students also appreciate Mary's warm-hearted nature and willingness to help them understand what they’re learning.

 

Kara Gogolew, Behavior analyst

For seven years, Kara has been working with individuals with autism and their families within a clinic setting. Through this work, Kara found additional interest in increasing mental health awareness across this population and pursued a second master's degree in counseling education from IUPUI in 2022. She believes in a compassionate approach to learning and values getting to work as a part of the Independence Academy team! Kara spends her free time with her two dogs and exploring the outdoors.

 

Zoe Sitzmann, Teacher

Zoe grew up in upstate New York. She attended Barnard College in New York City and graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland with a BA in philosophy. Zoe then earned a teaching certification in English. She really enjoys both the students and the faculty at IA. “I like to figure out how to help people where they are”.

 

Maeci Evans, Speech-Language Pathologist

Bio Coming Soon

 

Lily Zipes, Teacher

Bio Coming Soon