Meet our team

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 A leader who leads by example while simultaneously striving towards sustainability and exceptional education services.   

 Waynett is the Executive Director and Inclusion Specialist with P.U.R.E. Excellence, She has also been recognized for her exceptional work in early childhood education as the Anne Laukaitis Champion for Children Award in December 2022.

Waynett leads, listens and advocates for the young child, their families as well as for the child care industry and early education in our county. She promotes and assists all centers in our county in being high quality learning environments for children and staff, she facilitates high standards in teacher preparation and advocates for a living wage for all who enter this field. She consults and provides support for all Cabarrus County child care directors and assists with children with challenging behaviors and other class management issues. She also provides training for all early childhood professionals.

Waynett works tirelessly to improve an industry which she cherishes: early childhood education and those who direct and work in child development centers, thus directly impacting the young children in Cabarrus County.

Working collaboratively with All Saints Episcopal Church, Cabarrus County Government, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and the Cabarrus County Partnership for Children, Waynett formed a public private partnership to create more affordable child care for Cabarrus County employees. After all, our children deserve the best care while their parents are working. Waynett believes that all things are possible. She moves through her day in love, maintaining the dignity of a child, their family and the providers in the child care industry.

Waynett has also served as the program chair for the Early Education Department at RCCC, the chair of the Cabarrus County Partnership for Children, as a charter member of the Cabarrus County Early Childhood Task Force and many other leadership roles. She has been instrumental in writing the first Cabarrus County Early Childhood Action Plan which addresses the needs, and support services for young children and their family. Waynett knows first-hand the importance of early childhood education. She knows the importance of supporting parents and families. She knows well-trained directors, teachers and staff are a must in the child care industry. Waynett is an advocate, teacher, consultant and Champion for our Youngest Children! 

 Performs administrative/clerical support to the executive director, and Board of Directors as needed and provides programmatic support to the staff of P.U.R.E. Excellence. 

 Hi, I am Alia Kenner, Administrative Specialist here at P.U.R.E. Excellence, where we strive to provide exceptional services to educate, train, model, and coach to help others reach their full potential. With six years of experience in the education field, I have worked as a teacher for children (birth-preschool) and as an administrator. Holding an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and an Administrators Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Education, I am currently pursuing my Bachelor in B-K at Catawba College. Let's embark on a transformative learning experience together! 

The Technical Assistance Support staff  - Inclusive Coach provides training, technical assistance/on site coaching and support to early child and education programs and works in collaboration with licensing consultants and other community agency staff working with providers serving young children to improve the quality and availability of childcare.

I am Denee' Hairston, a native of Thomasville, NC and a resident of Lexington, NC.  I am a graduate of Davidson  County Community College  where I work in the Laboratory Child Development School for 20 years.  Upon completing my BK Degree at Catawba College, Salisbury, NC , then went to work for Lexington City Schools where I served as a Preschool teacher and Team lead for 10 years.  I retired from teaching in May of 2022.  

During my retirement I have remained connected to the local education system as a mentor, volunteer and serving on FTO.    coming  out of retirement, to work with this great organization is an exciting new chapter in my life that I look forward to, as we strive to build and enhance the learning foundation for young children.

Carrie Ledbetter worked as an Early Childhood Educator for five years prior to beginning her work at P.U.R.E. Excellence. She obtained a Masters of Science in Higher Education Administration from Drexel University with a concentration in Student Development and Affairs, and she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Immediately following her undergraduate career, Carrie began her tenure with Sylvan Learning Company as a tutor where she was quickly promoted to Director of Education. As a Director of Education, Carrie increased her expertise in academic planning and assessments. Following her graduate career, she entered into primary education and later into Early Childhood Education (ECE). 

In 2019, after working in the K-12 sector for three years, Carrie found her new passion of educating students in early childhood settings. She began her ECE career relying on her past experiences as a Director of Education, Center Director, and Teacher. These past experiences gave her the leadership, interpersonal, and organizational experience necessary to succeed in an ECE setting. She worked closely with colleagues to enhance the students’ experiences in the classroom and continuously sought professional development. Through her tenure as an ECE, she trained and mentored several new educators. Within this five-year tenure she discovered her strengths within advising and training colleagues and it was this knowledge which led her to branch out and work with P.U.R.E Excellence. With over 20 years of educational and administrative experience, she has an extensive pool of resources and tools to help meet the individual, unique needs of any student and educator.