About Us

For over 3 decades Mindy Towles has served as an educator and leader for inclusion and excellence public and private schools. Her classroom and school leadership experience in private and public schools provides a unique understanding of student, family and school dynamics. As a graduate of The University of Kentucky, Mindy holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Learning and Behavior Disorders. She earned a Masters of Education from Georgetown College and an AMI Montessori Credential I &II through EKOS.

Most recently, Mindy served as Executive Director at The Child Development Center of the Bluegrass at The University of Kentucky. In this role, Mindy was responsible for day-to-day school operations, risk mitigation fundraising, enrollment and waitlist management, staff development and implementing the mission of inclusion for students with and without special needs.

Prior to this role, Mindy served as Admissions Director and VP of Admissions and Enrollment Services at Lexington Catholic for over 11 years. During her tenure, the school reached unpresented enrollment by systematically attracting students through engagement, special academic programs and analysis giving the institution financial health and a name as the flagship private high school in the region.

Mindy attributes her strategic understanding of student and school need to the time she spent teaching in private and public schools. Her work to foster individualized student success and organizational success is rooted in analytics, assessment and a school/parent/ community partnership. She has extensive experience in connecting community resources and stakeholders with schools to develop and extend supports for specific programing and operations. This holistic approach provides value added programing for the schools she guides. Enrollment growth becomes a direct result of this investment.

Brandi Larkey has more than twenty years’ experience in education. As an innovator for an Independent School which serves as the flagship program for the Diocese of Lexington, she forged an extraordinarily successful program for addressing the needs of students who learn differently. 

Recognizing the need for this specific program structured for students who learn differently, she implemented an innovative new program for her school. As Director of the High Marks Program for the last eleven years, Brandi has overseen a team of resource teachers, helped to train faculty and worked with families to build a community of teachers and learners whose goal is to help students understand and ask for what they need for academic success.

For the first time in school history and the entire region, this program provided a formalized process to ensure that the needs of all students, especially those with learning differences, were addressed. All students participate in the full life of the school community while receiving their specific accommodations. 

An expert in Learning Differences and the challenges they bring to students, schools, and families, Brandi takes an empathetic approach in helping schools to decide how to best allocate resources and welcome all students to a community of support.

Educated at Centre College and The University of KY, Brandi uses her degrees in Classical Studies, Theatre, and Education to inspire students to become effective self-advocates and reach for academic excellence. She began her career teaching Latin and continues to promote the extraordinary benefits of this language for students with learning differences. 

Brandi maintains her connection with the Classics Community by volunteering with the KY World Language Association. Brandi has served as President of the KY Classical Association and was Board Director of The KY World Language Association for two years. Brandi was awarded the Amici Linguarum Award for her work related to Second Language and Learning Differences. Brandi was voted by her peers as Teacher of the Year and recognized for her dedication to providing a path for success to all students.

Brandi's passion for helping students overcome Learning Difference is clear in her energy when discussing the possibilities for school and student success. Brandi is the mother of children who learn differently, and this drives her to pursue and promote school environments that nurture all learners, their families, and their teachers. 

Mary Sparks has more than 30 years of experience in the corporate and nonprofit sector. She joins the Edify team after eleven years at Lexington Catholic High School where she was responsible for creating and managing the operational infrastructure for the innovative program for students with learning differences in a private school setting. Focusing on the organization and day-to-day logistics, she has been responsible for managing every aspect related to the accommodation needs of more than 200 students.

She used her management and organizational skill set to benefit a variety of nonprofit organizations. While on the Board of the High Street YMCA for six years, she chaired the Silent Auction Committee each year significantly surpassing goals. Her passion for philanthropy has also benefited the Catholic schools her children attended K-12 from PTO president, to chairing multiple committees and fundraising efforts. When the Catholic elementary school her children attended faced a large deficit, she conceived and chaired a (now annual) event and which continues to be one of the largest monetary enhancements to the school.

Her early career as a production manager at Rawle Murdy Associates (now BGRM), one of the largest marketing firms in South Carolina, prepared her to manage tight deadlines, coordinate with multiple entities and oversee team members to make sure all details of every campaign was on time and on budget.

Originally from Charleston, SC, Mary has a BA in Political Science from the College of Charleston. She and her husband now live in Lexington, KY. They have two adult sons and are beginning to see the benefits and adventures of empty nester life.