Our Team
Our dynamic team members each bring specific knowledge and expertise to the table.
Our Principals
Jeff Andry
Jeff, along with Elizabeth and the Grintons, began operating learning centers in 2019, the year Jeff and Elizabeth's first daughter was born. Since that time, both of their daughters have attended one of our centers and their latest addition, a third baby girl, will soon follow. Jeff knows firsthand how critical preschools are to providing children with the foundational skills they need to thrive in their academic careers. He also recognizes the important role the early learning sector plays in the lives of working parents and the economy at large. He is passionate about ensuring Tailwinds' centers provide the highest-quality learning experience around. Jeff has more than a decade of experience in business and finance and is pleased to be able to use the skills he has acquired in his professional career to ensure our centers make a lasting impression on children's lives for many years to come.
Elizabeth Andry
Elizabeth earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Elementary Education from Louisiana State University and is certified in both Early Elementary Education and Elementary Education. She is currently the director of Southside Child Development Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Elizabeth is an experienced educator who is passionate about providing the highest quality childcare in Baton Rouge. To that end, she is always willing and able to lend her expertise to other directors within the Tailwinds family.
Before becoming the director at Southside, Elizabeth taught for over a decade at Peabody Montessori Magnet School in Alexandria, LA, and in Baton Rouge, at St. George Catholic School and St. Jude Catholic School.
John Grinton
John and his wife, Kellye, met in law school and were working hard to establish their legal careers at the same time they found themselves ready to start a family. With the addition of their first child and experiencing the challenges of new parenthood faced by two young professionals early in their careers, John saw how crucial high quality care and education was for his family firsthand. His three young children spur his continued passion for growth in the early learning center field. He places a high value on early education for young children. He takes pride that Tailwinds’ centers are much more than just daycares – they provide real learning experiences through carefully curated curriculum, activities and cooperative play specifically designed to encourage growth as well as physical, social, and emotional development. He has seen firsthand the positive impact high quality childcare and early learning has had on his own children and how vital of a role it plays in a community, particularly in the lives of many young, working families.
In his law practice, John represents regulated utilities in ratemaking proceedings, mergers and acquisitions, and contractual negotiations. He also has an active workers' compensation defense practice, and represents businesses and business owners, with a focus on daycares and early learning centers, in the drafting and negotiation of a variety of contracts, litigation, and regulatory compliance with the State of Louisiana. John currently serves on the Child Care Association of Louisiana (CCAL) Board. He is also active in the community as a volunteer and spends many Saturdays coaching his son's first grade basketball team.
Kellye Grinton
Kellye is an attorney and as a partner in her firm, juggles a busy insurance defense litigation practice with her first and most important job, being a mother to two very rambunctious little boys and new baby girl. After the birth of her first son, Kellye was determined to find a childcare center that would be almost an extension of their home – a place where her son would be happy, well cared for, make friends, learn to socialize and be given all the tools he needed to be prepared to excel in elementary school. Without reliable childcare, where she could feel confident that her children were getting all that they needed and more throughout the day, she would have been unable to pursue her career as a young mother. This has spurred her passion to help grow the Tailwinds family of centers and to provide the same sense of safety, security and joy to other working parents and families.
Kellye is a member of the Baton Rouge Bar Association Board of Directors.