Our Team

Dr. Googe has over 20 years of experience in early childhood special education and holds a PhD in Special Education from the University of South Carolina, where she is a Research Assistant Professor at the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center. She directs the South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative and serves as Principal Investigator for that project, the Mix EC Project, and the South Carolina Partnerships for Inclusion project. Her career includes work as an early interventionist, an inclusive preschool teacher, a trainer and technical assistance provider for child care programs, and an adjunct instructor in early childhood and early childhood special education.

Her research focuses on expanding access to high-quality inclusive settings for young children with disabilities, through professional development in evidence-based inclusive practices and through cross-sector professional development systems in early childhood. Dr. Googe believes early care and education providers play an important role in supporting children with disabilities and developmental delays and their families. She is passionate about helping providers build the skills and knowledge to include those children in their programs.

Sarah Shaw joined the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in October 2019 as Program Coordinator, where she supports our Inclusion Specialists and coordinates our developmental screening initiatives. She earned a BS in Early Childhood Education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina. Sarah has experience working with children from birth to five years of age.

Sarah spent 10 years as an Early Interventionist, providing service coordination and family training to families of children with disabilities. Before entering early intervention, she taught in child care centers in Albany, NY, and Columbia, SC. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time with her daughter, and together they love the beach, museums, art, dance, and theater.

Nicole Randall joined the Mix-EC: Multi-System Inclusion Expansion for Early Childhood Project in March 2021 as Project Manager. She holds a Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Before joining the Mix-EC team, she supported early childhood professionals in promoting the social-emotional development of young children as an Education Specialist and Behavior Specialist for a Child Care Resource and Referral Agency in North Carolina.

Nicole brings extensive experience in the human services and early childhood education fields, having worked with children, adolescents, and adults as a preschool teacher, job coach, inpatient discharge planner, adjunct instructor, and early learning coach. Outside of work, her favorite activities include playing board games and traveling with her husband and their two children.

NaQuayle Guyton serves as our Referral and Outreach Coordinator, bringing a wealth of knowledge related to children, families, and providers. In this role, she communicates with child care programs, parents, and community partners to spread awareness of SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative programs and initiatives. She also provides administrative support to the director and program staff, including assistance with technology and its management. NaQuayle holds an Associate's degree in Healthcare Administration.

NaQuayle is a wife and mother to three wonderful children. Together they enjoy sports, traveling, singing, and dancing. Outside of family time, she loves to read, write, and create.

Kelly Parker serves as the Business Operations Manager for SCIC and its partner programs, SCPI and Pyramid PIECES, where she oversees personnel and account management, fiscal operations, and administrative support for externally funded projects. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Polk State College and brings more than 20 years of experience in business operations and customer relations.

Throughout her career, Kelly has developed expertise in financial management, accounting, marketing, and organizational administration. As a former small business owner, she built and maintained a loyal customer base, managed and supervised employees, and coordinated marketing initiatives that supported long-term business sustainability.

Suzanne Wingard is the Events Coordinator for SCIC and its sibling programs, SCPI and Pyramid PIECES, where she plans, manages, and organizes functions and events that align with the mission of our externally funded projects. She holds a B.S. in Health Sciences from Clemson University and brings 10 years of experience in training and conference coordination.

Suzanne has worked directly with South Carolina partners to implement multiple state and nationwide conferences providing training, support, and resources to families of children, youth, and young adults with special healthcare needs, as well as the professionals who serve them. As a trainer, she has led sessions for caregivers, professionals, education students, and youth. She is also an appointed member of the SC Developmental Disabilities Council, seated as a parent of a teen with a disability.

Aaron Prince is the Communications Coordinator for SCIC, where he manages all content for SCIC and its partner programs, SCPI and Pyramid PIECES. His work includes website updates, newsletter publishing, social media management, and the creation and execution of content calendars.

Aaron holds an MA in Copywriting and Strategic Design and has spent the past several years working in ad agencies and on in-house teams, creating materials for clients ranging from small startups to multinational conglomerates. He has experience writing, designing, and crafting marketing and communications deliverables for the healthcare, insurance, home building, and retail industries.

Kim McCollum joined the Inclusion Collaborative in December 2014 as an Inclusion Specialist. Before joining our team, she taught kindergarten and pre-kindergarten for 17 years, served two years on the board of First Steps of Pickens County, spent three years as a child care trainer for Lifelong Learning of Greenville County, and worked three years as a preschool director, giving her experience across private schools, public schools, and child care facilities. Kim earned a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Southern Wesleyan University in 1993 and a Master of Education specializing in Teacher Leadership from Walden University in 2013. She holds a South Carolina Professional Teaching Certificate in Early Childhood and is a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors.

Kim provides training and technical assistance to child care providers in Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee, Laurens, Newberry, Greenwood, McCormick, Abbeville, and Anderson counties. She has been married since 1991 and has four children. In her free time, Kim enjoys spending as much time as possible with her children, family, and friends, going to the movies, and reading.

Megan Smith joined the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in July 2022 as an Inclusion Specialist. Originally from Michigan, she earned her Bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and her Master's in Child Development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Megan worked as a preschool teacher for 10 years and as an Early Interventionist for three years, and along the way she found her passion for working with children who have special needs and supporting their families and schools.

As a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider with SC Endeavors, Megan supports child care programs and teachers' professional development in evidence-based practices for including children with disabilities and developmental delays and for promoting the healthy social and emotional wellbeing of the young children in their care. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their dog, Miggy, as well as reading and traveling.

Sakina Bhagat brings many years of experience in the early childhood field to her role as an Inclusion Specialist for SCIC. Before joining SCIC, she taught children from birth to age five and spent twelve years in leadership positions as an Assistant Director and Director in the Columbia area. She earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina–Columbia.

Sakina is passionate about providing the best early childhood experiences for all children and understands the significant impact these formative years have on their futures, regardless of background. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys traveling with her family, learning about different cultures, and exploring their cuisines.

Samantha joined SCIC in April 2024 as an Inclusion Specialist. She provides coaching, consultation, and training to early child care teachers across the Midlands Region, focusing on evidence-based practices that support the inclusion of children with disabilities, developmental delays, and challenging behaviors. She graduated with honors from the University of South Carolina–Beaufort with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services and earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina–Columbia.

Before joining the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative, Samantha was a supervisor with Temporary Family Assistance (TANF) at South Carolina's Department of Social Services, providing benefits and support to families with young children in need. She also spent six years as a child care provider at Fort Jackson's military base, teaching children from infancy through preschool. While there, she earned her Child Development Associate credential in the competency standards for infants and toddlers.

Karen B. Middleton, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, joined the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in January 2013 as an Inclusion Specialist. She previously spent 22 years in many facets of Head Start, serving as both an Education Specialist and Center Coordinator with Aiken Barnwell Head Start and GLEAMNS Human Resource Commission, and she also worked as a Grantee Performance Support Specialist with STG International, Inc., providing training and technical assistance throughout Head Start Region IV. Today Karen provides training and technical assistance to child care providers in Calhoun, Orangeburg, Allendale, Hampton, Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Dorchester, Berkeley, and Charleston counties.

Karen earned a Master of Arts in Human Behavior and Conflict Management from Columbia College, along with a 40-hour certificate in Civil Mediation Training, a BS in Child and Family Development from Benedict College, where she was a President's Trophy Scholar and earned a Certificate in Child Protective Services, and an A.A. in General Studies from North Greenville College. She is a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider through SC Endeavors, TPOT and TPITOS reliable, a Certified Pre-K CLASS Observer, and a member of NAEYC and the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. Outside of work, Karen enjoys traveling, shopping, photography, and listening to music, especially jazz. Her personal motto is "The sky is the limit and always continue to aim high."

Adrienne is a native of Holly Hill, SC, and graduated from Lander University with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies. She also holds an M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and is a Certified Special Education Teacher with an emphasis on emotional disorders. Adrienne brings over 15 years of teaching experience as a child care teacher, Early Head Start teacher, Head Start teacher, and special education teacher, serving children from birth to age nine with diverse learning abilities and behaviors, along with their families.

She has also worked as a service coordinator for the Special Needs and Disabilities Board in Orangeburg, SC, and as a teacher mentor for SC First Steps. Outside of work, Adrienne enjoys going to the beach, spending time with family and friends, reading, and journaling.

Phines J. Black, a native of Florence, South Carolina, joined the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative in January 2018 as an Inclusion Specialist. Before joining the Inclusion Collaborative, she spent three years as a 4K Preschool Lead Teacher with South Carolina First Steps, where she was named 4K Teacher of the Year for her regional area in 2016. She currently provides training and technical assistance to child care providers in Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Horry, Florence, Marion, and Dillon counties, and she also serves as a proposal reviewer for the Division for Early Childhood (DEC).

Phines received her BS in Elementary Education with a dual major in Special Education from Grand Canyon University, along with a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and she is a Certified Trainer and Technical Assistance Provider through SC Endeavors. She is a member of the South Carolina Early Childhood Association and the South Carolina Education Association. Phines believes that as educators, "we are a part of the brick and mortar that builds that sturdy foundation for our children." Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with family.

Susan Kenny attended Coastal Carolina University, earning a bachelor's degree in early childhood education and a master's degree in elementary education. Before joining the SC Child Care Inclusion Collaborative, she spent 16 years working with a range of age groups, teaching two- and three-year-olds as well as kindergarten before moving into the role of Assistant Director, where she helped shape the educational environment for young learners while supporting staff and families. Susan understands how early childhood education lays the groundwork for a lifetime of learning and success, and she is committed to recognizing and nurturing the individuality of each child so that every student is included and supported.

Her passion for the field shows in the strong relationships she has built with former students, their families, and her colleagues. Outside of work, Susan enjoys reading, cheering on her sons at sporting and scholastic events, exercising, and spending time at the beach with family and friends.

Mallory brings over a decade of experience working with children in a variety of settings, including school districts, children's homes, and work as an early interventionist, with a particular passion for serving children with disabilities. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of South Carolina and holds a Recreation Specialist Certificate through the National Inclusion Project, which strengthens her ability to support inclusive practices in recreational settings. With the South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative, Mallory provides training and coaching to school-age providers across the state, including after-school programs and summer camps.

Her diverse experience has reinforced her belief in the power of strong partnerships, and she is committed to fostering collaboration among families, educators, and service providers to help children reach their full potential. Mallory is the proud mother of two daughters, and in her free time she enjoys traveling, reading, shopping, and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Kate Chappell is a Clinical Associate Professor with the University of South Carolina College of Nursing and practices as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She received her Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of South Carolina and has been nursing faculty since 2007, teaching in didactic, clinical, and simulation settings across the BSN and Nurse Practitioner programs.

Her research and practice interests include caregiver vigilance for child sexual abuse, creating equitable access to resources that address trauma, integrating social determinants of health across nursing curricula, and resource support for children with significant healthcare needs. Dr. Chappell is a member of several professional organizations, including the South Carolina Nurses Association, and serves as the Advocacy and Policy Chair for the Developmental, Behavioral, and Mental Health Special Interest Group of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Victoria Davis is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of South Carolina College of Nursing and practices as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from the University of Florida and has been a nurse educator since 2015, teaching in didactic, clinical, and simulation settings across the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.

Her research interests include preventive and accessible care for the school-age population and the integration of social determinants of health across nursing curricula. Dr. Davis is a member of several professional organizations, including the South Carolina Nurses Association, and serves as a state board member for the South Carolina National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

Amy Shapley has been a nonprofit professional for over 15 years, working in the fields of maternal-infant health, trauma recovery, disability, and child welfare. She received her MA in Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University and has continued her education with certificates in nonprofit management, conflict resolution, project management, and staff development. Amy is a seasoned trainer on topics related to family strengthening and program improvement.

As a program director, she has created structures and procedures for service delivery, collective impact, and community education. She has also consulted with nonprofit organizations to develop programs and secure federal, state, and local funding that expands resources and improves outcomes for program participants.