Our ECC Staff
Administration
Alicia Mumma
STAECC Director
Hello, my name is Alicia Mumma, and I am the Director of St. Thomas Aquinas Early Childhood Center. All 3 of my children attended STAECC, and I am so happy to continue to be a part of this school. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Central Florida in 2003 and worked for a few years in the sports and entertainment industry. I recently obtained my Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education and Leadership from the University of North Florida. I thoroughly enjoy every day I get to spend here with our preschoolers. I feel blessed to be a part of such a special place.
Kari Glenny
STAECC Assistant Director
Hi, my name is
Kari Glenny and I am the assistant director at St. Thomas Aquinas Early Childhood Center. I grew up in New Port Richey and attended the University of Central Florida, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in marketing. I also received my Staff and Director credentials a few years ago. My three children all attended preschool at St. Thomas. I loved St. Thomas so much that when an opportunity arose to work at the preschool, I jumped at the chance. I truly love working with our amazing staff and families every day!
Teachers
Deanna Azzue
EC2 Teacher
Hi, my name is Deana Azzue, and I will be teaching in the two year old classroom this year. I have retained my CDA and am always looking forward to continuing my education.I am married to my high school sweetheart, Vincent Azzue, and we have lived in the Pasco area for over twenty five years. We raised our family and opened my husband’s optometric practice in 2002.I look forward to a wonderful year with my colleagues and children of STAECC.
Amanda Brandenburg
EC3 Teacher
Hi, my name is Amanda Brandenburg and I am an EC3 teacher. I was born in South Bend, IN and moved to Florida after graduation from Ball State University in Muncie, IN., with a Bachelors degree. After graduating college, Amanda worked as a pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) technician at a local hospital. After finding the love of her life, Marcus, she married and had three children. Sam, Sara and Paige are all graduates of STAECC. Amanda joined STAECC in 2018 as a teacher assistant to the 3’s class.
Magda Grabowski
EC2 Assistant
My name is
Magda Grabowski, I am the EC2 assistant. It is a blessing and honor to be a part of the STAECC family for the past three years. I obtained my National Child Development Associated in 2023. I have been a catechist for almost ten years, I graduated from the Lay Pastoral Ministry Institute of the Diocese of St. Petersburg with the LPMI Diploma. I have worked in the corporate world, but decided to devote my time to take care of our two children, when they were going to school. I am looking forward to our new school year to learn, play and build new relationships.
“Children are not a distraction from more important work. They ARE the most important work.”-C.S. Lewis
Courtney O’Brien
EC3 Assistant
Hi, my name is Courtney O’Brien, and I am beyond excited to be joining STAECC this year as an assistant in the 3’s classroom!
This will be our family’s fourth year at STAECC. Our oldest is a VPK graduate, our middle son attended the 2’s, 3’s, and completed VPK last year, and our youngest daughter will be starting this fall. My husband and I moved to Florida from New York four years ago and have loved calling it home ever since. We have two sons and one daughter—Willie (7), Jameson (5), and Kennedy (3)—and we love spending time outdoors and taking advantage of the beautiful Florida weather.
I earned my B.S. in Business Administration in 2013 and my MBA in 2015 from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I worked in the aviation industry as a Marketing Manager, traveling internationally to coordinate trade shows and events. When we welcomed our first child, I chose to step away from the corporate world to focus on raising our family.
Watching my children grow and learn has been such a joy, and I have been so grateful for the wonderful experiences they have had at STAECC. I am thrilled to now be part of this amazing community and look forward to a fun-filled year of learning, growing, and making special memories with your little ones!
Janine Penland
EC2 Teacher
Hi! My name is Janine Penland and I am an EC2 teacher. I am looking forward to a year of learning, fun, and adventures. I am a graduate of the University of South Florida. I began my career as a social worker and after seven years I decided to go back to school to become a teacher. I earned my teaching certificate while working as a Special Education Teacher in a middle school. In 2002, I switched gears and began teaching preschool at St. Thomas Aquinas ECC. I earned my National Child Development Associate as well as my Director’s Credential while working here. In 2008 I decided to open my own school in Spring Hill, Florida. I opened with 25 children, and it grew with great success to serving 250 children, annually. Recently, I sold my business to go back to what I love, which is being a teacher in the classroom. I am married and have two children that are graduates of St. Thomas Aquinas ECC. My son and daughter both attend the University of Central Florida. You may see my daughter volunteering here from time to time, as she still remembers wonderful things about being a student here! I am so thankful for my return to St. Thomas and look forward teaching your children to love learning!
Pam Stein
VPK Teacher
Hi, I’m Miss Pam and I’m excited to share with you a little bit about myself as well. I am married and have two boys. My son Michael, who attended STA, graduated from USF with a B.S. in Marketing. He returned for two semesters and earned a B.S. in Economics. My younger son, Adam has an A.S. degree in Computer Programming and Analysis. I am entering my twentieth year teaching at STA. I received my National Child Development Associate in October 2007.
Adrianne Wilson
VPK Teacher
Hi, I’m Miss Adrianne and I’m excited to share with you a little bit about myself. I have two boys, Zachary and Blake. Both boys graduated from Mitchell High School and Blake attended STAECC for two years. I hold a B.A. in Speech Language Pathology from the University of South Florida and have worked in the Pasco County School District as a Speech Therapist at the elementary school level. I am so excited to be teaching VPK again this year!
Andrea Leto
EC3 Teacher
Hello! My name is Andrea Leto, and I’m thrilled to be EC3 teacher this year. This will be my fourth year as part of the STAECC team, and I’m excited to continue growing with this amazing community. I hold an Associate of Arts degree from Pasco-Hernando State College and Staff and Director credentials through the Department of Children and Families. I’m looking forward to working closely with families to support each student’s growth and to create a safe, engaging learning environment for all. My husband, Vincent and I are proud parents of two amazing children who are both STAECC graduates! Dominick is in 8th grade and Elijah is in 2nd grade. We are a busy family who loves to travel, read and stay active with basketball, drumming, piano and soccer!
Emily Moore
VPK Teacher
Hi! I’m Emily Moore and I am so excited to be joining the STAECC family as one of the teachers in the EC3 class. I was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved around the Midwest for 8 years before my parents finally settled us in Lutz, Florida. My husband, Jason and I are parents to three awesome kids and are Starkey Ranch residents. Our daughter, Harper is 8 and our boys, Carson (6) is an STAECC graduate & Walker (4) is a current VPK student. I attended FSU, USF & St. Leo University. I have a Bachelors Degree in Exceptional Student Education (VE) & a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. My previous experience has been in Hillsborough County Public Schools & with the Diocese of St. Petersburg at Tampa Catholic High School, where I am also an alumni. I am so excited to be back in the classroom and to have the opportunity to work with all of the precious students and their families. It’s a team effort & I am very much looking forward to helping your child grow & flourish.
Kristy Gorman
VPK Teacher
My name is Kristy Gorman, and I’m so excited to be teaching VPK again at STAECC! My husband, Matt, and I are proud parents to three wonderful daughters: Kate (11), Ella (9), and Zoey (5). I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Elementary Education and later earned my Master’s Degree in Literacy and Language Instruction. Before joining the STAECC family, I taught kindergarten and first grade in Michigan. This is my second year at STAECC, and I truly believe it’s a special place where children can learn and grow!
Georgette Swinehart
VPK Assistant
Nicole Miller
VPK Assistant
Erin Stroupe
EC3 Assistant
