Professional development fund honors beloved educator

“Mari moved through life guided by empathy,” says Jackie Weller and Teresea Looman, two former colleagues of Mari Potter. “She loved yoga, not just as a practice, but as a way of being grounded, peaceful, and full of compassion. That sense of calm stayed with her and spread to everyone around her.”

An alumna of Central Michigan University, Potter served as a Lead Teacher at the Child Development and Learning Laboratory (CDLL) from 2010 until her untimely death in 2017.

To honor her dedication to childhood education, Dr. Susan C. Griffith, ’73, and Mr. Raymond J. Davies established the Mari Potter Professional Development Fund in 2026. This fund will be used for professional development for faculty, staff and teachers at the CDLL, honoring Potter’s legacy.

After earning her degree in Child Development from CMU in 1996, Potter worked with head Start programs throughout mid-Michigan for 22 years. Eventually, she would find her way back to CMU, working as a Lead Teacher for the CDLL, a state-of-the-art preschool located on the first floor of the Education & Human Services Building. Lead by their Director, Weller, The CDLL not only provides a rich learning environment for young children ages 3-4 years old but also serves as a facility for students and faculty to research early childhood development and learning. The CDLL serves anywhere between 55-75 children every year throughout Isabella County, with approximately 60% of these spots allocated for Head Start eligible children.

During her seven years as a Lead Teacher, Potter worked alongside children and guided future teachers—as her friends described, Mari’s “dream job.” In collaboration with CMU’s Study Abroad Program and through her own initiative, she cared for children in educational programs in Mexico and Nepal. “Mari was kind at heart,” says Weller and Looman. “She cared deeply for others and consistently showed compassion in both her personal and professional life.”

The Mari Potter Professional Development Fund recognizes the value of professional development to individuals’ careers at the CDLL, its programs and resources, along with the children and families served by the CDLL and the greater CMU community.

“As a life-long learner, Mari knew that her own development was critical to the growth and well-being of the children she taught,” says Susan Griffith and Raymond Davies. “It is our pleasure to create a fund that honors her dedication to the children and families served by the CDLL.”

Weller and Looman add, “Mari’s legacy of kindness, service, and love will continue to be felt by those who knew her and by the many lives she touched, especially in [her children] Mya and Shane. Mari is deeply missed and will always be remembered.”

More information can be found, and additional contributions may be made to the Mari Potter Professional Development Fund online.