Leadership, Faculty & Staff

Ashley Yuan has served as the President of Springdale Preparatory School since the 2018-19 school year. In this role, she oversees all operations and programs for the school, including curriculum, pedagogy, marketing, development, and business operations. She is supported in this work by a senior leadership team of experienced educators, who assists Ms. Yuan on curricular questions and the daily issues of the school.

Ms. Yuan’s deep and wide-ranging experience in businesses and schools in different cultures make her especially well-suited to oversee the Springdale experience for students and faculty alike. Ms. Yuan has a diverse and impressive professional background. Since 2016, she has been the CEO of Yulun Education and Technology Development, the majority owner of Springdale Prep, which is how she came to serve the school as President. She has also been the managing partner and founder of the first Chinese American owned real estate development company in Washington, DC, and developed many residential and commercial properties. Ms. Yuan has additional experience in financial management consulting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting firms. While at PWC, she assisted many organizations and corporations with their business issues.

A graduate of the prestigious and highly selective Peking University in Beijing, Ms. Yuan received her B.S. in Chemistry, before earning a Master’s degree (also in Chemistry) from the University of Maryland at College Park. Following those studies, she earned her MBA from Cornell University where she was awarded a Merit Fellowship. Ms. Yuan lives near the Springdale campus and is the mother of three school-age children.

Dr. Fulton has a long and distinguished career as an educational leader in Maryland. She played an instrumental role in the development and success of Gerstell Academy, as Head of Middle School and Vice President for Curriculum and Instruction, rising to the level of President of the school. In her 32-year tenure as a leading Maryland school educator, Dr. Fulton has served as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction with Carroll County Public Schools and Deputy Superintendent of Schools in St. Mary’s County Public Schools. She began her career in Halifax, Nova Scotia before serving as Supervisor of Fine Arts and Gifted and Talented Education for Wicomico County Public Schools.

Dr. Fulton’s undergraduate degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design was followed by two Masters degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction, with Administrative Leadership and a second in School Guidance. Her Doctoral work was completed at the University of Maryland. Among her leadership responsibilities for overall school advancement, Dr. Fulton will lead the Springdale Preparatory School accreditation process.

Dr. Fulton highly values the opportunities she has been afforded to contribute her time, talents and expertise to her community. Gardening, equestrian sports and family provide a balance to her busy work schedule. Lorraine and her husband, Colin, have four grown children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Tyrone Johnson is an experienced independent school dean who has served upper and middle independent schools. For 17 years, he held a variety of positions at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, Georgia. As dean of students, he managed upper school disciplinary programs, monitored academic enhancement programs and mentored male students as a form of discipleship. He also interviewed and trained new teachers in classroom management and provided leadership and direction for the upper school advisory system. He oversaw the honor council for the upper school and coordinated all academic support details for student athletes. Johnson served Whitefield as the head varsity boys basketball head coach and garnered several coaching awards. He serves as Springdale Preparatory School’s inaugural boys basketball coach this fall.

Erin Holden is a seasoned educator and professional development, coaching and mentoring expert leading Springdale Preparatory School. She is leading the implementation of a project-based curriculum with assessment based on authentic observation of children engaged in play and exploration. She is implementing proven educational tools based on research and best practices and approaches teaching and learning at Springdale with that innovation at the forefront. She aims to fully engage families in their child's education and experience from the moment they join the Springdale program. Before joining Springdale Preparatory, Holden served as a professional development network trainer for Teaching Strategies, LLC, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Henry “Hanale” Vincent IV an experienced residential life and boarding school administrator, with varied roles over the last decade. His focus continues to identify, grow and maximize individual and collective potential and to develop future leaders in their local and global communities. Most recently, he served as vice principal of boarding on the middle school level for Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii. Vincent served as a middle school administrator responsible for professional development, leadership, curriculum, student safety and general oversight of 640 students. He was involved in program, policy and procedure development for middle school initiatives, and served as post-high counselor in the Career & Post-High Counseling Department.

D. Arthur Seibel is a seasoned business leader experienced in guiding corporate operations, strategic planning, expansion planning and executive management for a variety of organizations. His reputation is based on his creative and compliant approach to financial management both domestically and overseas. He has served in a variety of executive management positions for firms in industries ranging from banking, manufacturing, clothing, investment management and consulting. He holds board leadership and fellowship credentials from the National Association of Corporate Directors, is a certified public accountant through the Maryland State Board of Public Accountancy, and a certified financial planner through the CFP Board.

Dr. Chun leads the World Languages Program at Springdale Preparatory as one of the founding faculty. She has nearly 30 years of experience in world languages education, curricular development, assessment, accreditation and administration, as well as comparative and computational linguistics, world and intercultural theatre and musicology. Bilingual in Chinese and English, she is a near-native speaker of French, Castilian Spanish, High and Swiss German, Italian and Russian, and is proficient in Arabic. Dr. Chun is currently learning Pashto, Xhosa, Farsi, Korean and Japanese, and has previously studied and worked in China, France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Germany and the U.K. As a linguist, Dr. Chun is also a leading specialist in multilingualism, immersion programs, simultaneous translation and interpretation in cross-cultural relations and the legal system, and is currently in the process of earning her J.D. in international criminal law and procedure.

Marguerite Conahan comes to us after 10 years as a middle school mathematics teacher in the Baltimore County School System. She also worked with the Grand Canyon University as a Site Supervisor for student teachers, where she mentored new teachers in order to help guide them through their educational program. She has a master’s degree in Administration and Supervision and 30 credits on the graduate level in Guidance and Counseling. She has taught mathematics at the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade levels. She worked as a department chair, as well as, a team leader. She worked directly with the administration to implement and coordinate in school programs to support the varying needs of the diverse population at the schools. Prior to those years, she taught Reading and Language Arts at the middle school level in the Prince George’s County School system. While there she helped create an interdisciplinary curriculum which was used throughout the county. She will use her many years of experience to help support and guide her students to be successful her at Springdale Preparatory School.

Brandon brings over a decade of coaching and athletic experience to Springdale. He serves as the physical education teacher as well as the strength and conditioning coach. He graduated from Salisbury University with a degree in Business Management. Brandon has previously served as the JV and assistant Varsity coach for over ten years at Westminster High School. He has also been personal training athletes for over 5 years and will continue to do so for Springdale’s student athletes.

Krisha Davis serves as Assistant to the Arts Facilitator. A working artist, she has served in a variety of artistic capacities for local companies and used media as diverse as computer programs, foam core, insulation foam, cement, plaster, resin and lacquers, wood, and PVC. Her class programs incorporate various artists and genres to integrate artistic skills with cultural understanding. She emphasizes interdisciplinary learning through her approach to teaching art as well as through collaborations with colleagues in various disciplines. Davis also has experience tutoring a variety of subjects in a school setting, including Science, Math, Latin, Geography, History, English, and Art. She has managerial experience and also teaches fitness, motivating her students and creating results in their fitness level and diet.

Springdale Preparatory School’s sustainability learning facilitator is Carole Flood, a seasoned educator and environment advocate. She leads courses in environmental science, sustainability, and ecology. For the past 10 years, she was a faculty mentor at the Wilmette Institute in Wilmette, Illinois, teaching courses in sustainable development and prosperity and scientific and spiritual dimensions of climate change. She also has held faculty positions at McDaniel College, Greenspring Montessori School in Lutherville and Enlarged City School District in Troy, New York. She previously held positions in information management and instructional design in New York. She has advocated for environmental issues and organized community groups related to environmental issues since 2008.

Bill Ford is an experienced educator with 10 years of experience and a master’s degree in military history. At Springdale Preparatory School, he teaches middle school and high school level history. He is known for leveraging teamwork, classroom technology and individualized educational programs to elicit success from his students. Most recently, he served as a substitute teacher at Springdale, following service to the Harbour School in Owings Mills for nearly a decade.

Lynn Habicht has been a math teacher for almost 30 years. She started her career in Carroll County Public Schools teaching at the middle and high school levels. For the last 10 years, she has been a math instructor at Towson University. She holds a bachelors degree from Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College) with a Math major and Secondary Education minor and a Masters degree from Western Maryland College in Counseling. She played volleyball at the high school and college level, and now enjoys officiating high school volleyball every season. In her free time she enjoys traveling, and cheering for the Orioles and Ravens.

Henry “Hanale” Vincent IV an experienced residential life and boarding school administrator, with varied roles over the last decade. His focus continues to identify, grow and maximize individual and collective potential and to develop future leaders in their local and global communities. Most recently, he served as vice principal of boarding on the middle school level for Kamehameha Schools in Honolulu, Hawaii. Vincent served as a middle school administrator responsible for professional development, leadership, curriculum, student safety and general oversight of 640 students. He was involved in program, policy and procedure development for middle school initiatives, and served as post-high counselor in the Career & Post-High Counseling Department.

As research development coordinator, Monica Johnson provides cross-curricular programming for student research skills development. She supports classroom instruction and works to help develop strong student research skills. This includes performing effective information searches, gathering and sorting raw data, judging usefulness, validity, and reliability of data/resources, overseeing copyright ethics notably proper material citations and effective research results communications. In addition, she creates information technology resources for students and faculty, maintains and grows the school’s print and electronic resource collection and serves as liaison with outside sources including local library systems. Johnson most recently served as middle and upper school assistant librarian at Whitefield Academy in Smyrna, Georgia.

For more than 15 years, Michaela King has advocated for children and adults in a variety of situations of need. As a social worker for Fresno County Child Welfare, King advocated for abused and neglected children. She also served as a rehabilitation counselor for an adult facility in Novato, California, and a youth counselor in Floral City, Florida. She has a passion for helping individuals better themselves through reflective insight and confidence in personal strengths and abilities.

Ben Kohn serves as performing arts learning facilitator. He coordinates the arts programming at Springdale Preparatory School, facilitating courses in voice, instrumental music and music appreciation. Kohn works with elementary to high school age students of varying skill levels and experience. His lessons are based on making music and music appreciation fun for all students. His background includes work in music production, video editing and production, conducting, cinematography and information technology. Also, he has served as a drone instructor and he provides private instrumental and vocal instruction for students.

Patty Lutton brings years of experience as an independent school educator at all levels both abroad and in the United States. Using her background as a medical journal editor and from her work at the Smithsonian’s Insect Zoo in Washington D.C., she continues to create an environment where students experience the learning process. Lutton also brings experience as classroom teacher and tutor in a variety of subjects including history and English literature. She aims to combine her science experience, along with other interests, to connect with students through activities that may include theater costume design, set design, book club, quilting and community service.

Kirsten Milne serves as the Upper School Biology, Chemistry, and Physics teacher. She brings a unique perspective into the classroom after years of focus on environmental sciences through her work as a park ranger, sustainability lecturer, and biology lecturer. Ms. Milne uses her experience as a lab technician in an OSHA-regulated lab to create a safe, monitored lab environment for students. She brings her passion for the sciences into all aspects of her classroom, delivering thought-provoking lessons that challenge students’ perceptions. Her classroom welcomes young scientists of all backgrounds.

Kathy Nichols is an experienced educator, having taught in the public, independent and international classroom. She holds both a Master of Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/ Mass Communications with a concentration in Secondary Education. Prior to joining Springdale Preparatory School, Kathy taught K-12, and at the post secondary level, incorporating the pedagogy of Charlotte Mason with a classical approach to education. Training in the International Baccalaureate area of Literature and research in project based learning are philosophies that will facilitate her implementation of the MYP program at Springdale Preparatory School. Outside the classroom, Kathy is an award winning lifestyle photographer and blogger, winning the Arthur Remonjan Inspiration Award and the NACE Event Photographer of the Year. Kathy serves regularly at Baltimore’s Helping Up Mission, and enjoys watching her own kids on the field or stage.

Arlene Sullivan, M.Ed., CALP, serves as the high school English teacher. She brings years of experience teaching English to all levels of middle and high school. She specializes in creating engaging, thought-provoking lessons that are differentiated to reach all students. Mrs. Sullivan’s certifications and degrees make her uniquely qualified to meet any student where they are at in their literacy journey. She believes in the power of literature to challenge a person’s perspective and works to build a safe, nurturing classroom environment that invites discussion and critical analysis.

Sobia Zia brings an interdisciplinary approach to mathematics at Springdale Preparatory School. She collaborates with learning facilitators in other areas to create cross-curricular projects for our students. Zia has experience working with students with learning differences, scaffolding their learning so that they can make step-by-step progress toward learning goals. . Zia received her Master’s degree in statistics at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

Valerie Tucker is a seasoned office management professional with more than 35 years of corporate experience working with executives at the VP level, personnel departments, full offices, and school administration in Houston, Texas. Among her expertise is overseeing and coordinating all of the offices’ administrative activities including organizing meetings, scheduling, managing databases, logistics management, and communicating effectively with staff, suppliers, and clients. She holds a certificate in business management from the Powelson Business Institute in Syracuse, New York.

Erica Vincent has 20 years of administrative office support and customer service experience including, owning and operating her own business that helped busy executives manage their homes and personal lives. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Marriage Family and Human Development, which she mostly used raising her four children. Erica works in the business office as our Bookkeeper and assists with all of Springdale's Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, purchasing, and invoicing. She is also responsible for outfitting students with uniform needs and in charge of all the attendance records at Springdale. In addition, she also assists in the front office as needed.

As director of Health Services, Julie Zepp manages all organizational aspects of SPS Health Services, complies with state and federal health regulations, and maintains a healthy school culture. A registered nurse for nearly 20 years, Zepp has filled many nursing roles including operating room nurse and nursing coordinator, assistant director of nursing, clinical coordinator and team nurse in a variety of specialties.  Throughout her career, she has worked to provide a safe environment for all patients and has delivered high quality nursing care utilizing best practices and meeting industry standards for care.

Katie Henry has more than ten years professional experience in the hospitality and business management field. She received her B.A. from McDaniel College in Business Administration and later her MSc in International Business from Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland. Her international experience has drawn her to Springdale to help promote global education within the school and local community. As Admissions Coordinator she helps facilitate the application review process for new students as well as manages the admissions database and marketing materials.

David Frazier has more than 17 years of business development experience. As admissions sports administrator, he works with the Athletic Director and team coaches to help recruit student athletes. Administrative support to the admissions department including management of tour schedules, open house schedules, communications with prospective and newly enrolled students and families, and coordinates the admissions database and related communications materials.

As part of the admissions team, Shearl Seibel, helps guide school applicants and their parents through the application process. Admissions schedules and guides tours of the school, organizes open houses, communicates with prospective and newly enrolled students and families, works with Educational Consultants and coordinates the admissions database and related communications materials. Shearl has a BS in Marketing from the University of Arizona and has an extensive background in marketing and sales. Previous positions included Professional Recruiter for Administrative Managers and Territory Manager in the Healthcare Industry. She gained international experience while living abroad in London, England and Zug, Switzerland. She has three grown children and volunteered and tutored in the Houston Public Schools, Carroll County Public Schools and the Baltimore private school system for over 20 years.

Tyrone Johnson is an experienced independent school dean who has served upper and middle independent schools. For 17 years, he held a variety of positions at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, Georgia. As dean of students, he managed upper school disciplinary programs, monitored academic enhancement programs and mentored male students as a form of discipleship. He also interviewed and trained new teachers in classroom management and provided leadership and direction for the upper school advisory system. He oversaw the honor council for the upper school and coordinated all academic support details for student athletes. Johnson served Whitefield as the head varsity boys basketball head coach and garnered several coaching awards. He serves as Springdale Preparatory School’s inaugural boys basketball coach this fall.

Brandon brings over a decade of coaching and athletic experience to Springdale. He serves as the physical education teacher as well as the strength and conditioning coach. He graduated from Salisbury University with a degree in Business Management. Brandon has previously served as the JV and assistant Varsity coach for over ten years at Westminster High School. He has also been personal training athletes for over 5 years and will continue to do so for Springdale’s student athletes.

Chris Combs serves as dormitory parent for Springdale Preparatory School’s residential students, overseeing all aspects of the students’ residential experience. He is responsible for cultivating a safe, nurturing, structured and comfortable environment for students while ensuring their adherence to the program’s rules.  Combs acts in loco parentis and is therefore responsible for all aspects of the residential welfare of the students.  He also assists in planning special programs for international students throughout the school year and holidays as needed. Combs spent more than a decade with Crossroads Restoration Church, serving as children’s pastor and youth leader. In addition, he served as academic dean and staff leader for New Life for Girls for nearly a decade.

A seasoned expert in building construction and maintenance, Timothy R. Gifford serves as facilties director for Springdale Preparatory School. In this capacity, he ensures that all buildings and operations on both Springdale Preparatory School campuses remain in the best possible condition and function. He oversees a broad range of services including facility maintenance in all trades; facilities scheduling; day-to-day custodial service and operations; security systems, information technology systems for operations; energy and utilities systems; recycling and waste management; event services; grounds maintenance; and facility condition assessment and tracking. For the last 18 years, Gifford has served as project manager and developer of construction and remodeling projects throughout Carroll County.

An experienced building manager, Kathy Clutter works to plan, organize, assist, and perform facility maintenance, security, repair, and maintain the physical operations of Springdale Preparatory School. She is versed in industry safety procedure protocol and building management operations. Most recently, Clutter spent more than 20 years with Carroll County Public Schools as shift foreman supervisor, where she coordinated daily operations to maintain school sites, including preventive maintenance, safety measures, and employee performance.

Neal Roop is responsible for managing student transportation and buses, overseeing grants and donations, organizing and managing school events including the annual gala, and liaising with the local community. Prior to joining Springdale Preparatory School, he served in an administrative capacity with the Carroll County Volunteer Emergency Services Association. Roop has also served for eight years as a manager for the Carroll Area Transit System. He is currently serving his eleventh year as mayor of New Windsor where he continues to representing and advocating for the town. As mayor he also supervises financial decisions, future locality planning and public relations. He is a member of Leadership Carroll through the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, holds PennSCORE Master Trainer Certification through PennTRAIN-PennSCORE, and is an advanced Public Information Officer (PIO) through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

A chef and manager throughout the East Coast, David Luscher serves as Springdale Preparatory School’s lead chef. His culinary program uses fresh ingredients and offers creative and healthy menu options that excites students, parents, and faculty. Luscher’s award-winning food service career spans school culinary management on preparatory school and college campuses and restaurant executive chef experience. Prior to joining Springdale Prep, he spent more than seven years with Metz Culinary Management, where he assisted in developing the company’s food standards and received multiple awards. He was chef and manager at a college preparatory school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he implemented many new programs, including a food composting program and a salsa garden where students were able to grow, cook, and eat their own produce.  He is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York.