Staff Biographies
Our teaching and administrative staff have accrued considerable and varied real-world experiences
Their diverse skill sets facilitate unique connections across disciplines and the development of creative, authentic, engaging curriculum
KORI MCLAIN | Founder, Executive Director, and Educator
Prior to launching LTSA, Ms. McLain was in the commercial design business and excelled as an award-winning designer and project manager. In an entrepreneurial move, she and a couple of friends started a design company which still exists today. As a project manager she was responsible for the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the project. Because of her background and experience in commercial design, she has been able to bring a business acumen and a business sensibility to LTSA which has been her goal.
Ms. McLain was motivated to found Lake Travis STEM academy after her unsuccessful mission to find an appropriate school for her own two children. She tried private schools, public schools and finally homeschooled her children. Pulling from the best of these experiences and her family influences such as her mother who was a college educator/Learning Skills Specialist, her father who is a professional engineer, a brother who is a PhD at the U. of Colorado and Director of the Experiential Science Education Research Collaborative (with which LTSA is affiliated), and another brother who owns and is Co-President of an international company, prepared her to found Lake Travis STEM Academy. Using the best of her own experiences, and relying on the latest research on STEM-based and experiential curricula, Ms. McLain founded LTSA in 2012 with just five elementary students. Since then LTSA has grown to encompass elementary, middle school and highschool levels, and has become accredited through Cognia, the world's largest education community, serving more than 30,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in more than 70 countries that educate over 16 million students. “Cognia Accreditation means that the management and staff are constantly working on maintaining and improving the quality of the services they provide for your child.”
Ms. McLain holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design and Design Technology and was project manager for two nationally recognized Architectural Design firms where her designs won several national awards. Her eclectic and accomplished background provided leadership opportunities and the confidence to start a new kind of school (STEM and Experiential Learning) for her own children -- and the children of Austin. She created an LTSA Advisory Board who offer academic suggestions and assistance with educational decisions and direction. These members are Chairperson Dr. Brad McLain of U of Colorado at Boulder; Dr. Beth Moreno, formerly at UT Austin, and Dorothy Mclain also formerly of UT Austin.
“Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to regularly work from home and take an active part in my children’s education,”said Ms. McLain. “This intimacy with their school experiences – both good ones and bad ones – led me to become dissatisfied with how their education was failing to address their specific needs and potentials. Ultimately, this led to what I consider my most important achievement yet — Lake Travis STEM Academy. Together with an inspiring team of collaborating educators and parents, we constantly seek to innovate and provide the best educational experiences for our children.”
ERIC BENNETT | High School Math, Fine Arts, Technology and Physical Education
Eric Bennett earned his M.Ed. in Physical Education from Texas State University, where he taught courses in badminton, soccer, jogging and conditioning, and lifetime fitness and wellness. His B.A. in Fine Arts from Linfield College included a role as Assistant to the Gallery Director and a minor in Mathematics. Following his undergraduate degree program, Eric completed two terms of service with AmeriCorps, which included a residency as an artist and instructor at the Court Youth Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. At Sri Atmananda Memorial School in Malakkara, India, he studied an approach to teaching based on establishing relationships of trust.
Eric obtained credit by examination for several upper-division math courses while at Texas State en route to a teaching certification in high school mathematics. He has also been certified by the American College of Sports Medicine in Personal Training. Eric has over 15 years of experience teaching at the middle and high school levels, including courses in math, physical education, fine arts and technology. He is the founder and director of Future Set Tech Camp, a project-based summer program with a focus on computer programming and video game development. Eric joined Lake Travis STEM Academy in 2015.
CHRISTINA CARPENTER | Spanish Teacher, STEAM Elective Educator
A product of a culturally-diverse family, Christina Carpenter is a gifted linguist who has lived and worked abroad for much of her life. She brings her love of language and other cultures to bear in her work as a Spanish teacher for Lake Travis STEM Academy students. Her many experiences have added to her teaching knowledge base making her classes very interesting to her students.
Mrs. Carpenter was born in Austin to a French-German, American mother and a Bolivian father, and has always been proud of her diverse cultural heritage. As a child, English was the primary language used in her home, even during the 11 years that she spent living in South America. However, after they moved to La Paz, Bolivia when she was four, she also learned to speak Spanish. Her mother was always impressed by her daughter’s Spanish speaking ability after only a few short months of attending her Spanish-only preschool. She actually surpassed her mother’s college instructed Spanish speaking ability. Mrs. Carpenter’s fluency with Spanish so impressed her parents that they enrolled her in an all French school for kindergarten.
After moving back to Austin, Mrs. Carpenter finished high school in AISD and won the National Spanish Exam as a native speaker her sophomore and junior years which is an exceptional achievement. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from UT and began a career in the high tech industry with companies like Motorola/Freescale and Advanced Micro Devices. As a multi-lingual International Marketing Manager for Wayport, Inc., she traveled to countries like Switzerland, Spain, and Mexico affording her many different cultural experiences.
Mrs. Carpenter has excelled in learning in many different areas which gives her a wealth of information to share and inform her students’ learning in many areas. She considers her most important job as that of being Mom to her three children. She continued using her Spanish talents by doing consulting work while being a Mom. She has successfully transitioned her career from international business to education and has taught at several different schools in the area, including Lake Travis STEM Academy.
Mrs. Carpenter says this about her students at LTSA: “ I hope the bright young students at LTSA look forward each week to our time together as we learn about the cultures and language of Hispanic people around the world. I hope I spark their curiosity about foreign cultures in general, and to help them be more worldly citizens. Of course, I also hope to give them a working knowledge of this beautiful romance language, which will be useful as the Hispanic population in the US continues to grow, especially in Texas.”
JESSICA RICE | Academic Advisor
Jessica became LTSA’s Academic Advisor in 2018 after teaching grades K-5 at LTSA. Jessica’s role includes guiding students as they make decisions about annual goals, career possibilities, dual credit college courses and applying to universities. During a student's time at LTSA, Jessica maintains an Individual Achievement Plan to track their success each year.
Jessica’s passion for animals and science led her to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from A&M University. After graduation, she began her professional career with the Houston Humane Society running volunteer and outreach programs to schools and businesses, recruiting volunteers, and educating the public about animal cruelty. She also assisted with animal rescue and animal adoptions. Upon moving to Austin she accepted a job with Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation and was immediately awed by their commitment to animals. The organization aids over 7,000 native wildlife per year and provides a permanent sanctuary for over 6,000 non-native animals. Her job here was to educate the public about the organization’s mission, as well as how to care for native wildlife, and how to advocate for non-native animals in captivity. Mrs. Rice ran the intern program, training and teaching these interns in the organization’s commitment.
After a brief stint in veterinary pharmaceutical sales, she realized that what she loved the most in all of her experiences were teaching and education, whether this was teaching or educating interns, school personnel, company employees, or the general public. She had identified her passion.
Soon she found a teaching position at Pflugerville ISD in Special Ed. where she thrived in teaching students who needed special help in their learning journeys. Her magical way of gaining students’ attention is often through a story about an animal in some situation so that she is able to generate questions and curiosity in her students. She also uses her stories to inspire wonder and concern in her students--both wonderful qualities to learn at a young age. Experiences do have a way of intertwining.
Jessica became LTSA’s Academic Advisor in 2018 after teaching grades K-5 at LTSA. Jessica’s passion for her own experiences fuels her energy to help students navigate opportunities and activities that will help them discover their own passions.
CAROLYN WANZOR | High School Sciences and Project Integration Educator
An accomplished and versatile science educator, Carolyn Wanzor, has the experience and history of driving exceptional student proficiency in multiple disciplines including Honors Physics, Integrated Physics and Chemistry, Biology and STEM-Projects Based Learning. Carolyn brings a strong inquiry-based, design-challenged, student-centered teaching approach to our team!
CHEYENNE MORVAN | STEM Elementary Educator / Communications Director
Cheyenne loves hands on learning/teaching and enjoy seeing her students make great things and challenge themselves in her Science, Project-based Hub, and Technology classes. You will typically find her teaching in the Maker space, as she loves to teach robotics and makerED. Cheyenne is a life-long learner and greatly enjoys seeing students pursue their curiosities.
Cheyenne enjoys traveling and spending time outdoors. My hobbies include reading memoirs/mystery novels, photography, and camping.
JACKIE ROBBINS | Middle School Mathematics/Science Educator
Jackie is a native Texan, originally from the Houston area. After moving to Central Texas she obtained a Bachelor Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas State University. She is a certified teacher and has taught 5th grade for six years in the public school system.
As an avid lifelong learner, Jackie enjoys new challenges and discoveries. She strives to instill this love of learning in every student. She also believes that learning experiences are unique to each individual, and therefore each students’ education should be individualized.
She is a mother to four boys, ages 17, 18, 18, and 27. Her children have been her main focus which has led to a few stops and starts in her education journey. She has held a variety of titles in her professional career, from real estate agent, banker, to travel agent. In every position Jackie truly enjoyed the opportunity to educate others. However, she always comes back to following her true passion; teaching kids.
In her free time Jackie enjoys spending time with family and friends. At home she loves to garden and has an extensive number of plants. She has begun to pursue another passion of hers, traveling, over the past few years.