Red Barn Staff Bios
Meghan Croft
Director
Meghan has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Boston College, and a master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Nutrition Education from Framingham State University. Prior to becoming the Director of Red Barn, Meghan was the Associate Director of Red Barn for four years. Meghan started her career at Red Barn as a teacher, teaching in the preschool classroom for seven years. Before joining Red Barn, Meghan taught preschool and pre-kindergarten for four years at The Tobin School in Natick. Meghan enjoys spending time with her family (including her twin brother!), cooking/baking, and camping.
Jackie Athas
Toddler Lead Teacher
Jackie has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Boston University and a master's degree from Regis College in Special Education. Prior to Red Barn, Jackie taught toddlers at Abbott School in Wellesley for seven years and toddlers at Regis College Child Care Center for eleven years. In her spare time, she loves playing with her grandchildren!
Tiffany Blake
Toddler Co-Lead Teacher
Megan Pacheco
Toddler Co-Lead Teacher
Laura Bronisz
Preschool Co-Lead Teacher
Laura has been teaching since 2007. She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Framingham State University and a master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Cambridge College. Laura is a long-time resident of Arlington where she lives with her husband Paul, son Miles, and. When not busy with work or family, Laura enjoys time with friends, hiking, gardening and poking around thrift shops looking for treasures for her classroom.
Kierst Doolittle
Preschool Co-Lead Teacher
Although Kierst went to school for communications, she is now on an education path at Northeastern University. Before Red Barn, she worked at Carlisle Kids' House. Kierst lives in Beacon Hill and enjoys exploring the city and going sailing on the Charles River. She was born in Weston, but grew up in North Carolina and has many family members in Weston, including a couple of Red Barn graduates!
Cori Lapp
Pre-K Lead Teacher
Cori is happy to join the Red Barn community this year! She grew up down the road in Wellesley and currently lives in Westwood with her husband, son (who is a sophomore in high school), daughter (who is a sophomore at UVM), and her dog Caya. Cori has her BS in Child Development from Syracuse University and her Master's in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University. She taught for many years before having her children, and then spent time at home when her children were young. Since returning to teaching, she has taught preschool and pre-K for the past seven years, most recently at Shalom Corner in Westwood. Besides loving to read and spending time at the beach, Cori and her husband are also opening a business (expected early 2026), Wag-a-Brew, which is an indoor and outdoor dog park.
Victoria Casey
Pre-K Assistant Teacher
Victoria is currently studying Elementary Education at Salem State University. In her free time, she enjoys photography, and loves to walk the trails near her house with her two amazing dogs Cooper and Ollie.
Angela Elkins
Pre-K Lead Teacher
Angela has a bachelor's degree in Humanities with a minor in Elementary Education from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, as well as master’s course work in Early Childhood Education and Administration from Lesley University. Angela has more than twenty years of experience teaching and working with children. In the classroom, Angela has a passion for building relationships that create a welcoming community of learners as well as fostering early learning skills and embracing nature.
Jennifer Lee
Pre-K Assistant Teacher
Jen has a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She loves working in a variety of educational settings including Bowen Cooperative Nursery School, Wrentham Elementary School as a third grade teacher, SmarterKids.com, and Newton Academy Soccer as a program manager. Jen enjoys taking walks, visiting the beach and spending time with her husband, three daughters, and two dogs.
Diana Theriault
Float Teacher
Diana holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Lesley University and brings many years of experience working with young children in a variety of educational settings. Before joining Red Barn, she taught first grade at The Meadowbrook School of Weston for ten years. Earlier in her career, Diana worked with infants through preschool-aged children and also served as the director of a childcare center. In her free time, Diana enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to new places, and volunteering.