Suzanne English, Founder

Suzanne’s passion is working with children who are medically involved. “I like seeing them do things that people said they couldn’t do. I like seeing their abilities, not their disabilities,” she says. Suzanne is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Social Work. Later she earned her Master’s degree in Counseling. Suzanne worked for DSS as a Child Protective Investigator for six years. For over a decade, she has been an Early Interventionist. She is the proud mother of two; one of her children was diagnosed with ADD and the other with dyslexia. She is an active community member with her local church.

Brantley Jenkinson, Chief Operating Officer

Brantley has over twenty years of experience on the service provider side of the business. She is a graduate of Greenville Technical College, where she majored in Early Childhood Development. She worked as a preschool teacher for two years. She began her career as an administrative assistant for early intervention providers in the area. A few years later, she became Respite Coordinator and Companion Trainer. She enjoys overseeing the tasks that allow Beyond Early Intervention to function smoothly. Since 2014, Brantley has been serving on the Human Rights Committee for United Cerebral Palsy of SC. Brantley has one daughter, who graduated from Clemson University. Go Tigers! In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and running her dog rescue.

Kelly Oswald, Quality Assurance Coordinator

Kelly is a graduate of Winthrop University where she majored in education. She then went on to receive her Masters degree in Divergent Learning from Columbia College. Kelly has had a long career in the fields of education and Early Intervention. She loved finding strengths and potential in the children she worked within the classroom as well as the home setting. She now enjoys helping the EI staff fine-tune their skills and offer them support to make sure we are in compliance with file reviews. Being the mom of two very active children keeps Kelly busy outside of work. She is very involved in their sports and having family adventures in the great outdoors.

Whitney Starling, Supervisor
Midlands

Whitney is a graduate of Winthrop University. She has been an Early Interventionist for over 10 years and most recently served as a Care Coordinator for a pediatric company in the Midlands area. Whitney loves working with all children with special needs but loves educating parents on Sensory Processing Disorder. She received her certification to complete the Screening Tool for Autism Testing (STAT) through Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Whitney and her husband live in West Columbia with their three children. They love going to the beach, the park, family game nights and tailgating for USC games! 

LeeAnne Couture, Early Interventionist
Midlands

LeeAnne is a graduate of East Carolina University where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work. She worked for the Department of Social Services upon graduation, and has been a preschool teacher for many years. LeeAnne feels that her calling is working with young children. She has worked with children for over 15 years. LeeAnne believes “there is nothing more fulfilling than having a positive influence in the life of a child.” In her spare time you can find her spending time at the beach and traveling with her husband and children.

Lindsey Durrer, Training Assistant/Early Interventionist
Midlands

Lindsey graduated from the University of South Carolina with an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and also a Masters in Special Education. She taught for 14 years, 9 years teaching 2nd grade and 5 years in Special Education. Lindsey enjoys working directly with families to help empower them, provide resources, and watching their child meeting meaningful milestones and grow as an individual. In her spare time Lindsey enjoys cheering on the Gamecocks, crocheting, and spending time with her family.

Rebecca Rivas, Early Interventionist
Midlands

Rebecca has been supporting children with developmental delays and their families for over 10 years in the classroom and home settings. She believes helping parents and caregivers discover new ways to connect with their child is an essential goal of early intervention. She particularly enjoys working with children with Autism. Rebecca received her Masters degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina. She currently lives in the Columbia area with her husband and two daughters. A few of her favorite things include her kindle, label maker, and KitchenAid mixer.

Sarah Hodge, Early Interventionist
Midlands

Sarah Hodge is a native of SC and Alumni of South Carolina State University. She has a love of children and is very enthusiastic in her approach with them. She is committed to helping children and the families adjust smoothly through the journey of Early Intervention. Sarah is married and has 2 cats. She enjoys dancing, singing and serving at church as well as in her community. 

KelLeigh Dantzler, Early Interventionist
Midlands

At Columbia College, KelLeigh was given the gift of working with a young girl with autism doing ABA. She fell in love with watching her grow and learn her new skills. After completing her Master of Rehabilitation Counseling at USC School of Medicine, she was given the opportunity to do an internship at Midlands Autism Division, which led to meeting leaders in Early Intervention in the Columbia community. Since 2000, KelLeigh has provided Family Training and Service Coordination to hundreds of families throughout the Midlands of SC. She continues to feel passionate about helping families with accessing resources to help their children grow.

Heather Williams, Early Interventionist
Midlands

Heather is a graduate from the University of South Carolina with an undergraduate degree and a Masters degree in Social Work. Heather interned for Children’s Trust during her graduate career and that’s where she fell in love with early intervention. She has always had a passion for working with children and believes that development during childhood is very important. She loves early intervention because she is able to make learning fun and be that support for families to count on. Heather enjoys watching Gamecock football, spending time with friends and family, and loves being on the water!

Alicia Owens, Early Interventionist
Midlands

Alicia is a graduate of Winthrop University. She has been working with children since 2012 and has been an Early Interventionist since 2019. Alicia has a passion of working with children, inspired by watching her mother teach for over 30 years. Working in Early Intervention has allowed her to see so much progress with each child and their family over time.  Alicia enjoys spending time with her son and family and attending various sporting events. 

Cole Weiner, Training Director

Cole is a graduate from the University of South Carolina with an undergraduate degree and a Master’s degree in Social Work. She has over 5 years of experience working with children of all ages and 2 years of working with young children. Cole loves the field of Early Intervention because she loves celebrating the wins, big and small. In her spare time you can find her volunteering in the student ministry at her church, spending time with friends and family and cheering on the Gamecocks!

Grayson Lowe, Early Interventionist
Upstate

Grayson graduated from Brevard College in 2019 with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. Upon graduation, she taught preschool and kindergarten before entering the field of Early Intervention. Her love and passion for children grew in college when she learned all about child development. Grayson has 10 years experience working with children from birth up until 6 years old. In her spare time she likes visiting friends from North Carolina, going shopping or to the gym!

Alexis Godwin, Florence Supervisor
Florence

Alexis is a graduate of Columbia College with a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Family Studies. She has over nine years of experience working with children of various ages. Alexis has a passion for helping others, especially children. She enjoys having the opportunity to assist them in achieving their developmental milestones. Alexis volunteers regularly in the preschool department at her church. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, exercising and competing in races.