OUR SUPPORT STAFF
Dawn Darby, MPA; Co-Founder and Executive Director 
Dawn holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina, with an emphasis in Non-Profits and Grants and an undergraduate in media arts, also from USC. She has work experience as the Grants Manager of Richland County, Ready to Learn Coordinator for SC Educational Television, and also served as a Grants Writer/Special Events Coordinator for the Indian Waters Council/Boy Scouts of America. Dawn lives in Forest Acres with her husband, James, their two children, Cooper and Laura, their dog Sophie and 2 chickens Penny and Jessie. Dawn enjoys spending time with family and friends, being at TTP, traveling, her church – TRUMC, reading, and attending her kids’ activities.
Teresa Fleming, Billing Manager
Teresa comes to us with over 30 years of billing and medical clinic experience. Teresa lives in Gilbert with her husband Eric, their daughters Marisa & Eliana, their spoiled black lab Penny, and 5 bunnies. In her free time, Teresa enjoys spending time with her family, music, reading, hula hooping, and gardening.
Brooke Grosh, Office Coordinator
Brooke comes to us from Good Shepherd Day School where she has spent the last 10 years being a smiling face and caring for children and their families. Brooke lives in Columbia with her three children, Alyia, Aubrey, and Bently, and their dog Sofie. In her free time, Brooke enjoys camping, baking, and reading. She also loves to spend time with her family and friends. Brooke’s favorite color is yellow and she has a sunny disposition to match it.
Joye Lee, MPH; Family Services Coordinator
Joye received a Master of Public Health from the University of South Carolina and her Bachelor’s of Science, in Biology, from Charleston Southern University. Before starting her Master’s program, Joye worked in Indonesia for two years teaching English. She has experience with special needs children all over the world. She worked with DHEC’s children and youth with special health care needs program and Camp Burnt Gin. In her free time, you can find Joye at any Gamecock game with her family or spending time with her friends.
OUR PEDIATRIC THERAPISTS
Jackie Buckland, MSP, CCC/SLP; Speech-Language Pathologist
Jackie graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and received a Master’s of Speech Pathology from the University of South Carolina in 2015. She gained clinical experience at The Therapy Place while earning her Master’s degree. Jackie (Griffo) Buckland is recently married to Justin Buckland. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys traveling, kayaking, and reading.
Savannah Houck, DPT – Physical Therapist
Savannah Houck graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2015 with a Bachelor’s in Exercise Science and Georgia Southern University in 2019 with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She enjoys running, reading, and exploring new cities. She’s very excited to be back in Columbia to meet all of the kids and their families!
Kristen James, MS, OTR/L – Occupational Therapist
Kristen graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She received her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from Howard University in Washington, D.C. As a student, Kristen gained additional clinical experience with The Therapy Place during her Master’s level II fieldwork rotation. She currently lives in Columbia, SC with her twin sister Katrina and puppy Rondo. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys shopping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Erin Maltba, MS, OTR/L – Occupational Therapist & Therapy Manager
Erin graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education, Exercise Science. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina to receive her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Erin lives in Columbia with her husband Dennis, daughter Quinn, son Crawford, and German Shepherds Beau and Mack. She has been a pediatric Occupational Therapist since 2005 and has received training and continuing education including infant/child feeding, SOS feeding approach, NDT for infant/toddler, Kinesiotaping, and Interactive Metronome. In her spare time, Erin enjoys hanging out with family and friends, hiking, and traveling.
Mandy Martin, MSR, OTR/L – Occupational Therapist
Mandy graduated from Presbyterian College with her Bachelor’s of Science in Biology. She received her Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina. Mandy has been a pediatric occupational therapist since 2009 and loves working with children and their families. She and her husband Brad have a daughter, Caroline, and son, Henry. They enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and cheering on the Gamecocks!
Haylee McGregor, COTA/L – Certified/Licensed Occupational Therapist
Haylee is from Columbia and graduated from The University of South Carolina Upstate with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communications in 2014. She then decided to go back to school for Occupational Therapy because she loves to help others help themselves and reach new goals! Haylee enjoys exercising, traveling, and hanging out with her friends and family!
Betsy Owen, DPT – Physical Therapist
Betsy grew up in Columbia, then graduated from Washington and Lee University with her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and High Point University with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. She is so excited to be back in Columbia and to meet all the families and kids that make The Therapy Place special!
Melissa Peeples, COTA/L – Certified/Licensed Occupational Therapist and Bridges Aide
Melissa graduated from Cleveland State University with a Bachelor’s of Science with an emphasis in Occupational Therapy and a minor in Psychology. She is a licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and loves her job working with children every day. When not working, she spends her time with her husband, 2 children, and taking care of all her animals at home. She one day plans on incorporating her passion for horses with her work with children to run a Hippotherapy program!
Leah Ziegler, MSP, CCC-SLP; Speech-Language Pathologist
Leah is a South Carolina native with nine years of pediatric speech therapy experience. She graduated from Clemson University with her Bachelor’s of Art in Communication Studies. After working in the non-profit sector for a few years, Leah returned to school and graduated with a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from USC. Leah and her family recently returned from a two year adventure in sunny California. She now resides in the Midlands with her husband Jon, two daughters, and her rescue dog Otto. She has received training and continuing education in childhood Apraxia of Speech, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), LAMP, pediatric feeding, and PROMPT. Leah enjoys playing with her daughters, going on long walks with her dog, leisurely bike rides, and binge-watching Netflix.
OUR BRIDGES THERAPEUTIC PRESCHOOL STAFF
Lindsey Duerr, Bridges Director/Co-Teacher
Lindsey graduated from Tennessee Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a minor in Service Learning. She holds a teaching license in special education and brings 4 years of experience teaching in the public school system. Lindsey lives in Columbia with her husband, Stephen, daughter Madison, and their dogs, Leia and Luke. She loves to travel and visit new cities with her family and friends.
Morgan Tanner, Bridges Assistant Director/Co-Teacher
Morgan graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development and a minor in Psychology. She holds a teaching license in elementary education and brings 5 years of teaching experience in public school. Morgan is recently married to her husband, Willie, and they have two dogs, Precious and Cosmo. In her spare time, she enjoys working out, hanging out with friends, and playing with the dogs.
Summer Oltman, Bridges Aide
Summer graduated from the University of South Carolina where she majored in psychology. She is interested in returning to USC for graduate school. Summer has a passion for working with children and teaches group fitness classes in her free time.
Alexis graduated from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health. She is planning to continue her education at Piedmont Tech in Newberry to become a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant. She always knew she wanted to work with children after growing up in a huge family surrounded by little ones. In her free time, she loves hanging out with her friends and family, along with her cows.
One thought on “Meet the Staff of The Therapy Place”