Katie (Nimmer) Tsilosani
Owner and Director
Dedicated to teaching children the skills at a very young age to live a happy, healthy, and productive life.
Erin McCray
On-Site Supervisor
“I am from a small, pass-through town in Illinois and originally went to college in Dubuque, IA where I majored in Business and minored in Spanish. From there, I moved to Iowa City where I continued my education by getting a masters degree in marketing. Throughout this education, I participated in multiple teaching opportunities at a spanish-immersion kindergarten, a school in Ecuador, and lots of tutoring. This is where I fell in love with young education. After a few years of working retail in the business world, I’ve decided to step back and pursue a new degree in education. In my free time I love to read, paint, and work photography!”
Alyssa Collier
Stacy Nimmer
Bonnie McNamara (Gillespie)
Lana Hall, Ms Lana is our “joy maker”, food preparer, and office helper. She makes everyone smile!
Early Childhood Education Consultant, Mary Lukas
Mik Dawson, Lead Teacher Infants Room #2
Emma Hickey
Room #1 Bridge and Kindergarten Teacher
“Hello my name is Emma Hickey and I am a recent high school graduate thinking of getting a degree in Early Childhood Education. I’ve worked with children throughout high school and have helped raise my younger siblings. I enjoy spending time with friends & family, especially my newborn son, August! I’m super excited to be part of the Purple Bloom staff and cannot wait to get to know everyone.
Mik Dawson, Lead Teacher Infants Room #2
Megan Ewan
Lead Teacher Infants Room #3
“Hi, I’m Megan! I grew up in a tiny town outside of Oskaloosa, IA. When I finished high school I went straight into child care and eventually found that caring for infants was my calling. Since then I’ve spent about 11 years working with children, mainly with infants and toddlers. I live in North Liberty with my wife, our 8 year old daughter, and our 5 year old son. In my free time I enjoy cross stitch, sewing (and learning to quilt!), Perler beads, and playing video games with my kids.”
Sarah Meyers
Lead Teacher Classroom #4
“I grew up in Davenport but moved back to my hometown (Cedar Rapids) 6 years ago. I have been babysitting since 2014 and take care of my family members too. I am on a break from school but hoping to start up again soon to become a teacher. In my free time I like to hangout with my boyfriend, hike, and paint.”
Lead Teacher #5
Fatima Mohamed
Lead Classroom #6
Leslie Gallegos
Lead Teacher #7
Beatrice Nema
Lead Classroom junior preK #8
Esraa Abdelrahman
Lead Teacher preschool #9
Tori Grossman
Lead Teacher Pre-school Classroom #10
“I grew up in Davenport but moved back to my hometown (Cedar Rapids) 6 years ago. I have been babysitting since 2014 and take care of my family members too. I am on a break from school but hoping to start up again soon to become a teacher. In my free time I like to hangout with my boyfriend, hike, and paint.”
Tracy Jones, Lead teacher #11 After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) Kindergarten to 6th grade
Jenna Uden, Lead teacher #11, After School Enrichment Program (ASEP) Kindergarten to 6th grade
Marwa Abaker
Associate Teacher
“My name is Marwa, I am from Sudan. In Sudan, I taught Early Childhood Education. I am married and have 2 kids, the oldest boy is 7 Ekleil and Izdihar is one years old. My husband’s name is Abdelmajed and in Sudan he taught English and worked in Human Resources. I am currently studying ESL English. I enjoy working at Purple Bloom and enjoy the people here.”
Elsy Solis
Associate Teacher
Ms. Elsy has been with Purple Bloom School for over 5 years.
Jordan Sosa
Associate Teacher
Jessi Estrada
Associate Teacher
Megan Tarbox
Associate Teacher
Elvis Gallegos
Custodian
Elvis, Martha, and the Gallegos family have been working at Purple Bloom since it’s opening in 2018.
Purple Bloom School Substitutes and Part Time Staff Members:
Jolene Erlbacher
Rachel Porter-Adams
Jay Murphy