Brandi Hallmark - Founder

Mrs. Dunn graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from New Mexico State University.  Her experience ranges from private school Kindergarten to 3rd grade public school.  She also taught  English to students in China via the online platform VIPKid.

Debbie and her husband Kelly, originally from Southern Colorado, moved to Anderson in 2020.  They  have 2 children, and she was  afforded the opportunity to homeschool them for six years.

Andrea is a graduate of Clemson University with Bachelor's degrees in History and Education.  

After college, she worked with Anderson District One in several capacities, from Kindergarten to Middle School.  She also has experience teaching at Trinity Methodist Preschool in the PreK program.  She has been with Learn Upstate since the fall of 2020 where she has taught K - 2nd grade.

Andrea is mom to Finley and Adalynn, and her furry, four-legged Golden, Max.  She is a huge Clemson fan, a lover of all things PINK, and cookie dough is her Jam!

She is looking forward to start the 2022-2023 school year at Learn Upstate.

This is Dana McElreath’s first year at LU and she says, “there is no other place I would rather be.”  

She has a degree in Elementary Education from Lander University, and she used her degree in several different settings. She's taught in public school, homeschooled her own children, and taught Theater for Co-op classes. Further, she spent six years as the Office Manager at Electric City Playhouse, while also assisting with youth theater. Most importantly for this role, she has been involved in various aspects of theater, both on and offstage, for 20 years. 

She is excited to get to know, and work, with her students.  “We are going to have a fun year!”

Marcia has an Associates Degree in Business/Marketing, a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Winthrop University, and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston.  Her Masters Degree had special emphasis toward History, Language Arts, and Gifted Education.

Mrs. Whaley taught in the public school system in Summerville for 30 years.  She then "retired", moved to the Upstate, and taught another five years in Greenville, SC.  Next, she began working with an equestrian coach at Virginia Tech, and soon after started training horses and teaching horseback lessons.  

If she can find spare time, she enjoys working in her yard, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, restoring her 93 year old home, and designing fiber arts.

Mrs. Henderson is a graduate of Ball State University with Bachelor’s degrees in Elementary and Special Education.  She brings with her 18 years of classroom experience, having taught in Illinois, Indiana and  South Carolina.  Most recently she taught an Upper Elementary  classroom for a Montessori school.  

Jeanie has been married to her husband Bud for 16 years and they have twins, Greyson and Thomas, who are starting middle school this fall.  She loves working in her garden and with all of her plants, reading way past her bedtime, traveling and spending time with her people.  

She is looking forward to an exciting year being back in the classroom at Learn Upstate.

Mrs. Coker has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from Erskine College and a Masters in Teaching from Clemson University.  She has been teaching for 39 years, with 36 of those years spent teaching in Anderson District 5.  The last three were spent at New Covenant in Anderson.   

Mrs. Coker and her husband Buddy, lifelong residents of Anderson, have been married for 37 years.  They have two grown children, Chas and Molly.  They have four amazing grandchildren: Jude (6), Clark (4), Kennedy (4) and Mary Allen (2).  Mrs. Coker enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren in her spare time. 

 Viviana was born in Lima, Peru, and she was educated in a British/English School. She also studied Psychology in Lima Peru for four years before I arrived in the United States. She completed her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from The University of South Carolina and received a Master's degree in psychology with specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from Kaplan University.

More importantly she comes with many years of hands-on experience. For the past 20 years, she worked with thousands of children over the years providing ABA therapy services, early Intervention services and teaching in a variety of settings and with children of all ages. She worked with many different professionals and families to create and develop individualized learning programs for children with all abilities, addressing each child's specific needs. 

Further, she also coached and helped hundreds of families on how to deal with the difficulties of raising children with disabilities. Watching children and families increase their quality of life and helping them reach their full potential is amazing to experience together. After all, to have quality of life and be as independent as possible is what it's all about 

  Amy Rexrode graduated from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Business Administration (major in Accounting), and from Virginia Tech with a Master’s in Business Administration (major in Human Resources).  

She worked for several years as a Human Resource Manager and Corporate Recruiter before feeling led to become a stay-at-home wife and mom.  Mrs. Rexrode has always been a teacher at heart.  Even in business, her passion was Training & Development, and throughout her life she has taught children, or teens, in a variety of church and community activities.  She taught preschool for several years at a local Christian school before deciding to homeschool her two children.  

Mrs. Rexrode loves providing an engaging learning environment where children are inspired to explore the world around them.  She currently serves as the Learn Upstate Elementary Science teacher.

Chrissy Cox attended Toccoa Falls College to study Missions. She has worked with children for over 20 years in different capacities including teaching preschool, Co-Director for after school care, and Elementary Aide for the last 6 years. 

Chrissy is originally from Florida and has lived in Anderson for 24 years. She is married to Mike and they have 4 children & a son-in-law; Sophia (22) & her husband, Grayson (22), Kellett (19), Mary Eva (13), and Whit (12). They also have several pets, including a cocker spaniel, 2 cats, and a horse. 

Chrissy home-schooled her oldest 2 children for several years when they were younger, and she is excited to be back in the homeschooling community with her younger 2 children who will be joining Learn Upstate this year as well. 

In her spare time, she loves to read, go to the beach, watch old movies, and shop for antiques. 

Renee is a retired Special Education teacher with 29 years of classroom experience. 

She graduated from the University of Georgia with a  bachelor's degree in Special Education. She later earned her master's degree in Divergent Learning from Columbia College.

Renee  is married to Brad, and they have one son, Eli. They also have a crazy  Boston terrier, Blueberry, and a sweet cat, Kitty. Renee loves to read, to the point that Brad and Eli get a little nervous when they see that  she's nearing the end of her current book. She also loves spending time outdoors, enjoying God's awesome creation. She especially enjoys her  backyard birds.

Renee feels blessed to be part of the Learn Upstate team, and looks forward to seeing how many ways she can help!