Roonu Rizavi – Executive Director
Roonu is the founding director and active administrator of Willow Bend Learning Center since its inception in 1999. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry and a master’s degree in English literature. She is also trained and certified by the American Montessori Society. Apart from her own two, Roonu has a long association with children. She has taught science, math, and English to middle school students and has been the assistant principal at an elementary school. She is involved in each and every aspect of the school; however, curriculum development and enhancement is her passion.
Originally from India, Roonu has lived in Plano with her family for over 30 years. Her daughter Alyssa, a graduate from Saint Louis University, is an ESL teacher in Madrid. Her son Arthur is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and currently lives in the Dallas area.
Maria Rizavi – Operations Director
Maria is the Director of Operations and Personnel at Willow Bend. Maria is a Montessori-certified teacher and has worked with all ages, from toddlers to after-school. She is one of our most loved teachers and certainly one of the most dedicated ones. Added to her 9 years of experience in early childhood education is her director training and certification, which enhance her administrative expertise in childcare management, teacher training, curriculum development, and event coordination. As the Operations Director, Maria is committed to maintaining Willow Bend’s reputation as one of the top-notch preschools in North Texas. Among her multitude of responsibilities, exceeding standards is her top priority, as is evident in the facility’s A+ compliance history with the Department of Childcare Licensing, a high honor that very few other institutions can boast of.
Maria is originally from Bolivia and lives in the Dallas area with her husband Arthur and children Nico and Kiara.
Annie Dobani – Admissions Director
Annie is the Admissions Director at Willow Bend. Annie has a long association with Willow Bend. She is the first face you will see when you come for your tour, and in her pleasant and friendly way she will answer all your questions and dispel your concerns. Annie has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and has spent many years in the classroom with infants, toddlers, preschoolers, as well as summer campers. She is loved by parents and children alike and has a single-minded commitment—to make sure we are always delivering what she promises parents during their initial tour.
Annie is originally from Pakistan, but she has spent most of her life in Canada and the US. She lives in the Dallas area with her husband Nazeem. She has two grown-up children, a son and daughter, who live in the Dallas area.
Betty Benard
Betty is the senior-most member of our staff and has seen Willow Bend go through all of its teething pains to achieve the reputation and accolades of excellence that it enjoys today. Ms. Betty can be seen all over the center, diligently ensuring that all safety standards are being met, followed, and exceeded. She is also the Infant Team Leader and is responsible for implementing and maintaining all standards relating to infants six weeks through 18 months old and keeping everyone else on their toes! Hundreds of students have passed through her classes, and they come back to see her all the time. Needless to add, she enjoys the extreme confidence of parents.
Ms. Betty is a longtime Plano resident, along with her children and grandchildren.
Amy Murphy
Amy is our amazing teacher trainer and has been with Willow Bend for over 7 years. Her responsibilities include curriculum implementation, classroom management, and professional development. With her boundless energy and enthusiasm, Amy motivates the staff to follow the ‘Willow Bend’ way, guiding them to deal with a variety of classroom management situations while ensuring that the children are always on target for their individual learning goals.
The multi-talented Amy is a speaker, author, and singer with a beautiful voice. She lives in Plano with her husband, Doc.
Our Teachers
Our teachers go through a tough selection process, and several criteria are evaluated, like education, qualification, experience, certification, references, classroom management skills, and interaction with children. The staff of WBLC has a commitment to excellence, and more than 50% of our teachers have been with us for over 2–10 years. They are experienced, trained, and dedicated to promoting an environment filled with learning and fun. We boast some of the lowest teacher-child ratios in the industry.
