PROFESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
Amy Miller, MA, MFA, ICALP
Executive Director
Amy Miller is founder and Executive Director of May Center for Learning. Amy is a nationally Certified Academic Language Practitioner (ICALP) and a certified trainer for the SEE Multi-Sensory Language Teaching Program. She is a frequent professional development provider for the New Mexico Public Education Department, school districts, schools, and nonprofit organizations, focusing on best practices for students with learning differences, the science of teaching structured reading and writing, and the importance of structuring the learning environment to improve executive functioning skills. Amy is currently President of the International Dyslexia Association—Southwest Branch. Amy also founded Dyslexia Justice League, a community that connects students with dyslexia with adult mentors through superhero stories and artistic expression as a vehicle for learning about self-advocacy and their own personal strengths. Where I Come From, a book that Amy co-authored with May Center students, won the 2014 New Mexico/Arizona Young Adult Book of the Year.
Topa Augustine, MS
May School Director
Topa was born and raised in Santa Fe and later returned to the area to raise her family. She earned her Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis from Northeastern University. Her career took her to Abu Dhabi, where she worked as a literary interventionist for the royal family, before returning to the U.S. to serve as a clinical director in various organizations supporting children with autism in California, Michigan, and New Mexico. Additionally, she has taught master’s level students in the College of Exceptional Education at the University of West Florida.
Topa is passionate about working with families and children, focusing on evidence-based, individualized education that fosters joy and trust in the teacher-student relationship. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, two daughters, and a variety of animals.
Leia Branton
Director of Enrollment
Leia recently moved from Texas to Cerrillos to be closer to her son and his fiancée. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education and taught high school English for 22 years before retiring in 2019. In addition to teaching English, Leia taught English as a Second Language (ESL) and coached cross country and track. She loves to explore the outdoors that the Land of Enchantment is known for and looks forward to when her Texas son and two grandchildren visit so she can share the adventure.
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Patty Conway, MA
May School Manager
Before joining The May Center in August 2012, Patty was the Front Office Manager and Student Advisor at Desert Academy in Santa Fe. She completed her Masters in Counseling from Southwestern College in November 2010. She is skilled in facilitating experiential workshops for youth that focus on self-awareness and self-empowerment. Patty is a trained tutor for the Shelton School’s SEE program and is trained in The Hill Center’s HillRAP, HillWrite and HillMath. She has also completed a mindfulness in schools program through mindfulschools.org.
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Angelique (Annie) Kuenstler
Director of Advancement and Marketing
Coming from two generations of public school educators and daycare facilitators, Annie has grown up working with kids of all ages. She has over seven years of nonprofit experience and most recently was Membership and Annual Fund Manager at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Having received a dual BA in Art History and Anthropology from Saint Louis University, Annie is currently an MA candidate in the Cultural Heritage Management program at Johns Hopkins University, which she will complete in December of 2024. She previously served on the American Museum Membership Conference (AMMC) Conference Program Committee and currently serves as a Board Member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals—New Mexico (AFP-NM) Chapter. Outside of work, Annie enjoys reading mystery thrillers, exploring new hiking trails, and traveling around the world eating food.
Megan Rosker
Director of Outreach and Summer Programs
Megan joins us as Director of Outreach and Summer Programs after teaching at The May Center in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, as well as at Manzano Day School, where she implemented May Way™ practices with all of her kindergarten students. She is skilled in guiding families and students through the journey of neurodiverse education and is trained in multi-sensory education through the SEE program, as well as IMSE. She enjoys connecting with other families to facilitate executive function methods that will support students and parents in the classroom, as well as at home. Megan is the mother of four children, three of whom are neurodiverse, and a stepmother to four children. She loves being home with her husband and kids, watching family movies, reading novels on the back porch, walking the dogs each day near the mountains, and cooking for her big family.
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Amy Stanton, MA, ICALP
Director of Teacher Institute
While earning her Master’s Degree in Recreational Therapy, Amy worked with children, teens and adults with mental health disorders. After eight years working in mental health, she earned a teaching certificate and taught first grade. An opportunity to attend the Shelton Sequential English Education (SEE) Teacher Level Training showed Amy that children with dyslexia needed a different instruction model to help them learn at their greatest potential. Amy is a nationally certified multi-sensory language teacher through ALTA and IMSLEC, and she is also trained in the Hill Reading, Writing, and Math programs, as well as in the Mindful Schools program. In addition, Amy is certified in Montessori Applied to Children at Risk. She is a trainer for the Shelton Sequential English Education program.
Get in touch with Amy>>