Meet our Staff

  • Tremia D. Polk, Program Director 
    ​Tremia Wattree Polk is a graduate of Southern University and A&M College-Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  After graduation, Tremia began her illustrious 30-year career in Early Childhood Intervention in rural East Texas. In 1994, Tremia and her family relocated to Houston, Texas, where she continued to provide her services as an Early Intervention Specialist. In 1998, Tremia accepted an opportunity to work with Katy ISD/ECI Project TYKE. During her tenure with Katy ISD, Tremia had the opportunity to serve as an Early Intervention Specialist, Transition Coordinator, Service Coordinator, Team Lead and her current role as t​he Director. Tremia is passionate about helping children and considers it an honor and privilege to work with ECI families serving birth - three population. Tremia is full of optimism, her motto is "Don't look back – always look forward".

    Tremia and her husband have 3 children. When not working, Tremia loves to cook, shop, play scrabble and enjoys time with her family.   

    Teri Nghiem, Team Lead
    Teri began her career in Early Childhood Intervention in December 2004 in Austin and joined ECI Project TYKE in September 2013. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Family and Child Development from Southwest Texas University, now Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Since 2004, Teri has served in several positions in Early Intervention, including, Early Intervention Specialist, Quality Assurance Coordinator, various Leadership roles, and was named Program Team Leader in February 2021. Teri currently holds the Early Intervention Specialist certificate in Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new cuisines, and spending time with family and friends.

    Carolina Calderon, Translator/Interpreter
    Carolina was born and raised in south Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Her passion has always been working with children and their families. Carolina has been working with the Katy ISD school district for over five years. This is Carolina’s first year working with ECI Project TYKE as a bilingual Interpreter/Translator. She will assist in translation with our Spanish-speaking families during our home visits or sessions provided at the TYKE office.

    In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling with her husband, photography and discovering new coffee shops.

    Carla Hathorn, Accounting Specialist
    Carla recently joined ECI Project TYKE and has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Texas A&M University. She is also a certified teacher in the area of Special Education. She enjoys the unique opportunity of supporting an early intervention program through the financial role. 

    ​Santa Flores, Clerk Bilingual
    Santa has been with ECI since 2007 and serves as our bilingual referral coordinator.  She has worn several hats in the past, from ordering supplies to scheduling clients to keeping us organized. ​Currently, Santa is getting referrals, answering phone calls, greeting you when you first enter our office, and managing supplies.

    Azyadeh Batista, Early Intervention Specialist
    Azyadeh Batista has been with Katy ISD since 2014. Currently, Ms. Batista is an Early Intervention Specialist at ECI Project TYKE.  Ms. Batista holds a Bachelor's in Psychology, with a concentration in Counseling and a Minor in Sociology, from Our Lady of The Lake University. Ms. Batista has more than twenty years of experience in Early Childhood. Azyadeh enjoys working with the children and their families and is very proud of the impact of our program in our community. 

    Stephanie Luchetti , Early Intervention Specialist
    Stephanie Luchetti has over 19 years of industry experience in Early Intervention, and holds multiple degrees from the University of New Mexico. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Communicative Disorders, and has a Master's of Special Education with an emphasis on Multi-Cultural Early Childhood. Stephanie  also holds a post graduate Education Specialist degree in Early Childhood Special Education and Family Studies. Stephanie has been employed by KISD ECI Project TYKE for 11 years as an Early Intervention specialist and currently is the Enrollment Coordinator.  

    Anna Gonzalez, Early Intervention Specialist
    Anna Gonzalez received her Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy from Universidad del Valle de Mexico (Mexico City) and her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Houston Clear Lake. She has been working on ECI Project Tyke since 2017. She is a bilingual Early Intervention Specialist and an Enrollment coordinator. She loves working with little ones and their families.​

    Lacey Molyneux, Early Intervention Specialist
    Lacey Molyneux graduated from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas. She received her Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Development with an emphasis in Child Life. She has been with ECI Project TYKE since 2016. She started out as an Early Intervention Specialist working with families in the home. Now she is an enrollment coordinator.

    Li​nda A Fulgham, Early Intervention Specialist
    Linda earned a Bachelor's Degree from Our Lady of the Lake University San Antonio, and a Master's Degree from the University of Hou​​ston Graduate College of Social Work, with concentrations in Child and Family Dynamics, Attachment Theory, and Infant & Childhood Mental Health. Throughout her career, Linda has supported children and families utilizing a Home Visitation Model, coaching caregivers from a Strengths Based Perspective.   She joined the staff of ECI Project TYKE in 2010, providing client support in several areas, including Dedicated Case Management, Enrollment and Testing, Family Education, Specialized Skills Training and Behavioral Intervention.   Linda currently holds certifications in Texas as an Early Intervention Specialist and Advanced Certified Autism Specialist.  

    Linda spends her free time enjoying her children and grandchildren, attending sporting events and traveling.   

    Jill Garrett, Physical Therapist
    Jill  has worked as a Physical Therapist for over 18 years. She earned her Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree at Texas State University and then earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy degree at Hardin Simmons University. She worked at four Early Childhood Intervention programs throughout Texas prior to moving to Katy and joining Project TYKE. Dr. Garrett has experience in various settings of the therapy field, but especially enjoys the rewards of early intervention.

    Amy Marsar, Physical Therapist
    Amy received her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from the University of Rhode Island.  She received her Master's of Science in Physical Therapy from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO.  She has almost 20 years experience as a Physical Therapist, with 8 years experience in pediatrics.  She has been providing physical therapy services for the ECI Project TYKE program in Katy ISD since 2014.

    ​​Amy Morehead, Speech Langu​age Pathologist
    ​A​my has worked as a pediatric speech language pathologist for over 25 years.  She received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Tulsa.  Amy worked in multiple private practices in five different states prior to joining ECI Project Tyke in 2015.

    ​Jen​nifer Roose, Occupational Therapist
    Jen has worked in the field of occupational therapy for 23 years.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Gannon University in Occupational Therapy. She has been with ECI Project TYKE for the last 7 years, since moving from Ohio to Katy, TX.  She has served in several Occupational Therapy positions over the years, including both private and school settings. She is a caring Occupational Therapist with strong interpersonal skills and proficiency in patient assessment and therapy program design and execution. 

    ​Mubaraka Rupawalla, Occupational Therapist
    Mubaraka graduated in November 1994 and has worked in most areas of therapy, from adults to children, home health, hospitals,  outpatient and school systems. She has also worked in the UK in Oxford and Cambridge with the NHS system- a socialist system of healthcare. She has been working in pediatrics for the last 15 years and has been with ECI project Tyke since the last 5 years. She loves to work with parents and babies, educating them on how therapy can be incorporated into routines and play, and considers this her true calling, as most of the time it does not feel like work at all. She is married with 2 sons and, as a family, they all share a passion for  travel fostered by living in several countries) She also enjoys hiking, the ocean and is a certified scuba diver. ​

    Beth Lync​​h, Early Intervention Specialist
    Beth is an Early Intervention Specialist and Service Coordinator for Project Tyke. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania in Elementary Education. Beth has worked for more than 22 years in Early intervention in Pennsylvania, California and Texas.

    Angelica Rosas-Torres, Early Intervention Specialist
    Angelica  has worked in ECI as an Early Intervention Specialist (EIS) for 19 years.  She received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Houston - Downtown in Social Sciences.  She received her Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of Houston - Clear Lake.  She worked at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD - ECI program and currently works as an Early Intervention Specialist for Katy ISD ECI Project TYKE.

    Shama Lawji, Occupational Therapist
    Shama has worked as a pediatric Occupational Therapist for 10 years.  Prior to joining TYKE family, she served children in a private pediatric clinic, a home health agency and other Early Intervention program.  She holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Baruch College in New York, and worked in the corporate world for 12 years before pursuing her Masters in Occupational Therapy from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX.​  

    Shama loves working with kids and their families. She believes in empowering parents and encouraging the little ones to reach their highest potential through play and fun activities.   She enjoys reading about evidence-based practices, nature walks, traveling, beaches, and listening to music.  She is married, has ​two daughters, and two spoiled dogs. 

    Karla Ojeda, Early Intervention Specialist
    Karla was born and raised in Southern California. She relocated with her family to Houston, Texas, where she completed her Bachelor's Degree at the University of Houston. Her passion has always been working with children and their development.  Her passion grew when she lived in Cuenca, Ecuador for two years, working with children and families. She joined Early Childhood Intervention Project TYKE in 2007. She is a certified bilingual Early Intervention Specialist and Service Coordinator. She enjoys using all her passions and skills to contribute to the development of children birth to three. She is inspired daily by her husband and two daughters. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her family, photography and cooking. ​

    Sheri Jackson,  Early Intervention Specialist
    Sheri Jackson received her Bachelor's Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA. She enjoys working with children and their families.  This is Sheri's first year working with ECI Project TYKE as an Early Intervention Specialist.

    Rebecca Waronoff,  ​Early Intervention Specialist
    Rebecca Waronoff earned her undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University in Psychology and her Master's Degree from the University of Dallas in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders. She earned her Early Intervention Specialist certification in 2018 and joined ECI Project TYKE in July 2021. She enjoys working with children who have a variety of skill sets and loves to watch children explore, learn, and make progress.

    Yvonne Tiznado, Early Intervention Specialist
    Yvonne Tiznado received her Bachelor's degree in Human Development from California State University, Long Beach and a Master's of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis from National University, San Diego. She currently holds certification as a Licensed Behavior Analyst and has years of experience working with children with Autism. Currently, she is a bilingual Early Intervention Specialist and Service Coordinator for ECI Project Tyke. 

    Magda Martinez, Translator/Interpreter
    I was born in El Mante, Tamaulipas, Mexico. I left my small town to attend college and get my major in Chemical Engineering in San Luis Potosí, S.L.P., Mexico. I did not know how many things San Luis Potosí had planned for me! I got my major, jobs, husband, and two daughters who were born and raised there until we decided to move to the USA in 2015.

    From 1997 to 2015, I worked in the plastic industry. I gained experience in the Production and Supply Chain sector since I worked in different positions like Planner, Purchaser, Logistics, and Warehouse Coordinator.

    In 2015, I started working for Education. I am so blessed because I had the opportunity to work for Victoria Independent School District’s schools in the three levels of education. I worked as an ESL Assistant at West High School, Attendance Clerk at Stroman Middle School, and Intern Bilingual First Grade Teacher at Crain Elementary School.

    I love spending time with my family, discovering new places and food, walking, learning new things, and taking on new challenges. I feel very grateful to be a part of the ECI Project TYKE family.