Meet Our Staff
Owner, Director
Marsha Wesley
Marsha is the owner of Reading Friends Keller and knows firsthand how important it is for children to develop a strong foundation and love for learning at a young age. After her two youngest children attended preschool at Reading Friends in Fort Worth, she and her husband, Lyn, were amazed at how well prepared their children were academically and developmentally. Marsha was so impressed with the program that she jumped at the opportunity to open her own Reading Friends location when the owner, Nancy Spencer, decided to franchise her business. She opened the doors to her first Reading Friends in 2002 in Colleyville, and opened the Keller location in 2008. Marsha graduated from Texas Tech University with a BBA in Marketing and spent most of her career in yellow page sales and publishing. She and Lyn have been married over 30 years and have four children, three children-in-law, and eight grandchildren.
K1 Kindergarten Teacher
Mallory Pruneau
Mallory’s childhood dream was to become a teacher. She graduated from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and licenses in Early Childhood and Special Education K-12. Mallory completed her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Northern Colorado. She also has graduate certificates in Autism and Educational Diagnostician. Mallory has experience teaching special education to students in K-7th grade with learning disabilities, Autism, and behavior disorders. She is trained to use the Multi-sensory Teaching Approach (MTA) for students with dyslexia. Mallory and her husband, Michael, live in Keller ISD with their three sons, Patrick, Tyler, and Luke, all of whom have attended Reading Friends! They also have a goldendoodle named Copper.
Pre-K Language Teacher
Maci James
Maci James is our Pre-K Language teacher. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Oklahoma State and then obtained her teaching license in Oklahoma. She worked as a preschool teacher before she had children and her family moved back to Texas. Her children, Graham and Maggie, have both attended Reading Friends since they were 2, and Maci was a longterm substitute for the school before she joined the staff. Maci and her family live in Grapevine with their dog, Cooper.
Hasnaa Zemmouj
MWF Primary Teacher
Hasnaa moved to Keller, Texas from Morocco in 2005 to join her husband. In 2009, they started looking for a preschool for their oldest daughter. They learned of Reading Friends through a friend who was one of the Pre-K teachers at the time. They visited the school, loved it, and enrolled their daughter that year, and their youngest followed her sister's steps the following year. Reading Friends was more than a preschool, it felt like a family. So, when Hasnaa learned that Reading Friends had an opening for a substitute teacher position in December 2022, she was happy to join their team. She loves working with kids, spending time with them, playing a part in their learning, and watching as their growth and confidence develop. When Hasnaa is not working, you will find her driving her two daughters to and from Keller High School band events and volunteering with the band. She enjoys cooking, taking long walks at the park, reading, and traveling with her family.
Stephanie Laughlin
MWF Primary Teacher
Stephanie came to Reading Friends after working in HEBISD for 28 years. She spent her years teaching Pre-K and 2nd grade and helping write the ELA curriculum for her district. She has a Masters in Early Childhood Education with mid-management leadership from TCU. When it came time to retire from the school district, she knew wanted to continue working with children. After hearing wonderful things about Reading Friends, she decided to join our team! She loves that she has the opportunity to help lay the foundation for a child's educational journey. Stephanie and her husband, Terry, have two grown children that live in the metroplex and a dog named Maybelle.
Natalie Sartell
Developmental Teacher
As the oldest of Marsha's daughters, Natalie has been involved in Reading Friends in some capacity since the beginning. After her children graduated from our Kindergarten program, she took the opportunity to work in our Older Developmental classroom. She loves kids, being silly with them, and watching them learn and grow. When she isn't at Reading Friends, she is chauffeuring her 2 kids around to their various activities or at home playing with their dogs and cat.
Christy Favier
Developmental Teacher
Christy is a wife and mom who chose to stay home with her girls during their early years of life. When she was ready to come back to work, she came to Reading Friends. She has a huge heart for kids and especially loves working in our Developmental program. When she's not at Reading Friends, you can find her volunteering at the girls' schools and spending time with her family. She lives in Keller with her husband and 2 daughters.
Mackensie Chaffin, CALT
Director
As Marsha’s middle daughter, Mackensie has been part of the Reading Friends family since its beginning, but returned to work in 2017 after her family moved back to Texas. Mackensie serves as the Director and helps Marsha run the office. Mackensie is a Certified Academic Language Therapist with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a minor in Child Development from TCU. She worked at Reading Friends during her time at TCU and then at the Read Write Center in Oklahoma City, where she taught dyslexic students to read. Mackensie and her husband, Spencer, live in Grapevine with their 3 children: Lawrence, Annabelle, and Susanna.
Jacqueline Malatesta
K1 Kindergarten Teacher
Jacqueline has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Speech and Hearing from The University of Arizona and a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Pace University. Jacqueline began her teaching career in a Kindergarten and First grade co-taught classroom in Chappaqua, NY. She and her husband Giovanni moved to Connecticut where she continued working as an educator with Pre-school and Kindergarten children. Jacqueline also began tutorial services specializing in reading and writing development with early elementary children. She and her family moved to Southlake in 2011. Her first son Mitchell began attending Reading Friends in the Primary class with Ms. Yayi and then Pre-K with Ms.Laurie. Her son, Christian, is following his big brother’s footsteps attending Reading Friends as well. Jacqueline and her family are now living in Argyle with their beloved ragdoll cat Leia.
Melissa Butler
Pre-K Art and Discovery Teacher
Melissa teaches Pre-K Art and Discovery. Melissa joined the Reading Friends family in 2012, after working at Fidelity for 10 years. She has a BBA in Finance from UTA. Melissa has a love for art, finding random animals, and instilling a love for the natural world with the students. Melissa and Blake have two children, three dogs, and a fish.
Kim Owens
Pre-K Math and Gross Motor Teacher
Kim teaches our Pre-K Math and Gross Motor. She first joined Reading Friends several years back as a substitute teacher. When a position opened on our Pre-K team in 2020, she was ready for the opportunity to join our staff full-time. Kim is known to tend to any scrapes, bumps, bruises, or wiggly teeth here at school. Kim and her husband have two daughters (both of whom frequently volunteer at our summer camps) and a son. Kim is a proud military wife, but is happy to have set down roots here in Keller after her husband's career with the U.S. Navy.
Yayi Polanco
Primary 5-Day
Yayi teaches in our Primary program. Yayi joined the Reading Friends family in 2008 after teaching in KISD and BET home groups. She also co-directed at Spanish School House for a year. Yayi has a BA in Elementary Education with certificates in Spanish and early childhood education. She is one of eight children in her family. Yayi and her husband have been married for over 25 years and have five children and three grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family and friends enjoys the outdoors, going to the gym, listening to music, and sewing for fun.
Ashley Harris
Kindergarten Aide
Ms. Ashley first came to Reading Friends as a parent! Two of her children attended our program and she fell in love. With a background in Montessori education, she helped implement some of our teaching strategies in our Kindergarten program. She served many years as a substitute teacher, but she also taught in our Primary program for a year. Her current teaching home is in our Kindergarten program as an aide. Ms. Ashley lives in Southlake with her family.
Emily Thornton
Developmental Aide
Ms. Emily has always loved working with children! With a heart of gold, she is quick to serve wherever she is needed. She currently serves in the classroom with our youngest students, and they love having her to teach them and play with them. Ms. Emily lives with her husband and she loves to play pickleball!
Jillian Millsap
Developmental Teacher Aide
Jillian is a California native who transplanted to Texas for college. She is a senior at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She will soon graduate with a degree in Communications and a Child Development minor. She has a heart for children and is excited to help teach and love on our Developmental children this year.