Co-founders, Jamie and Hannah, have been friends and colleagues since 2008, bringing nearly 40 years of combined experience in private, public, charter, and homeschool education. After earning their multiple-subject teaching credentials, Jamie went on to complete a Master’s degree in Special Education with an emphasis in Autism, while Hannah became a certified Reading Specialist. Each of their roles, along with their continued professional development, has provided them with invaluable insight into effective, research-based teaching methods.

Their time in the classroom affirmed what many educators know: teaching is incredibly demanding, and meeting the individual needs of every student is nearly impossible within a traditional setting. Individual tutoring, remediation, and workshops began as something they did to supplement their teaching income. However, they could not ignore the tremendous growth their students achieved when taught one-on-one and working in small groups. This sparked their passion to find a way to personalize education and to bring joy to learning. Thus, Ignite Learning Center was created in 2018.

Mia worked as an elementary teacher for eight years in both public and private schools in Santa Barbara and San Diego. During her time teaching, she enjoyed working with students during guided reading, Writers' Workshops and math stations. The small group, and one-on-one instruction helped her see first hand the impact of individualized instruction.

Mia then decided to bring her teaching talents to Ignite Learning Center in the spring of 2020. Each day, she has the opportunity to connect with her students and help build their confidence. She believes that this individual support helps her students feel successful and empowered both in and outside of the classroom. 

Rosy Crescitelli is a credentialed elementary education teacher with a master’s degree in education, specializing in early literacy and multisensory learning. She is trained in Orton-Gillingham at the associate level and brings a deep understanding of evidence-based reading instruction to her work with students.

In addition to her academic background, Rosy is a human design specialist and a trauma-informed life and somatic coach. She is passionate about helping students discover their strengths, celebrating every success, and supporting learning through curiosity, compassion, and connection.

Originally from San Diego, Rosy is a Navy wife of 23 years and a proud mother of four children, including two college-aged daughters and twin middle school boys. Outside of work, she enjoys reading Romantasy novels, spending time at the beach, and playing games with her family.

Before joining the Ignite team in 2022, Heather worked as an elementary school teacher for 12 years, teaching at both private and public schools in San Diego and Australia. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia and sees herself as a life long learner.

During her time as a classroom teacher, the importance of individualized learning became very apparent, as Heather noticed the positive impacts of one-on-one and small group instruction. She loves to tailor instruction to meet each of her students’ individual learning styles. She believes that every child has the ability to thrive to the best of their abilities with individualized support and wants to help all of her students succeed, both in and out of the classroom.