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.

Jennifer White serves as Director of College Guidance at Springdale Preparatory School, where she draws on her twenty-year career in higher education to provide each student with individualized advising on college and career goals. Ms. White has directed study abroad programs for institutions such as Goucher College, Kalamazoo College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University, and has visited over twenty countries for her work in international education. Her teaching experience includes courses in history, anthropology, intercultural studies and women’s studies as well as short-term study abroad programs to China, Japan and Taiwan for many years. Ms. White earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude in English Literature and East Asian Studies from Harvard University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, rowed on the crew team, and played harp in the college orchestra. As the recipient of a postgraduate Monbusho Research Scholarship from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Ms. White completed her MA degree and research towards a PhD (ABD) in Comparative Culture at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan with a focus on the democratization of Japan in the immediate post-WWII period. While studying abroad in Tokyo for four years, she gained international student friends from around the world, explored Japan’s rich cultural and historical traditions, developed a love for hiking in the mountains and taught ESL classes to children and adults. A native of Baltimore and the daughter of two elementary educators, Ms. White attended Roland Park Country School, where she experienced firsthand the value of academic challenge, mentoring and support at a small, independent school. Ms. White is committed to instilling a belief in all Springdale students that they can overcome any barriers and achieve their dreams. She lives in the Owings Mills area with her family, two beagles and an ever-evolving collection of her children’s fish and reptiles. She enjoys music, gardening, hiking, baking and designing jewelry in her free time.

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.

Wei Mao leads the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Department of Springdale Preparatory School. He holds a Master's degree in mathematics and a Master's degree in computer sciences from Purdue University. He received his Bachelor's degree from the top ranking mathematics department of Peking University in China. He is an experienced college and high school math educator and also has more than 20 years of experience in the IT (Information Technology) industry. He emphasizes on teaching the background and reasoning behind math and science theories and formulas, and always encourages students to explore and experiment on their own innovative ways to solve problems. Besides teaching high school and IB DP math, he also teaches computer science, and has been providing professional guidance to students who wanted to develop a career in the IT industry. Back in college and high school, he was an active participant and award winner of various math competitions. He enjoys passing down his math knowledge and skills to interested students.

Barry Friedman has more than 30 years of experience teaching science at many levels across many schools. He grew up in New Jersey, but has also lived in 7 other states. He has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry from Rutgers College and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of North Texas. His hobbies include playing the clarinet, playing the violin, and studying foreign languages. He has 2 married sons and even a grandson.

Ali Hagverdiyev received his Ph.D in Applied Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology after earning his Master's Degrees in Applied and Pure Mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology and University of Nottingham respectively. Prior to that, he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Applied Mathematics at Baku State University. Ali has a total of 8 years of teaching experience at Texas A&M University, Florida Institute Of Technology, Keiser University and served as a President of AMS Graduate Student Chapter at Florida Tech.

Jason Lawson came from the mountains of Kingston, Jamaica. From a young age, he has pursued his passions in math, physics, tennis and chess, participating in many international competitions. He received his Bachelor's degree in physics with minors in mathematics and global management. He believes that success comes when one pursues his/her passions and works as hard as possible to achieve them. He also believes that it is most important to treat people how you would want to be treated, and no act of kindness is ever overlooked in the grand scheme. He enjoys travelling to new places and his favorite view is of Lake Constance in Europe. He is also an epicurean, which is a cool word for saying that he likes good food and trying new things.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ryan joins Springdale Prep with over 10 years of history and Humanities teaching experience. For the past seven years, Ryan taught a variety of courses at independent schools in New York City including Theory of Knowledge as part of the IB curriculum. Prior to moving to New York, Ryan spent time in Morocco conducting research on Moroccan history as Fulbright Fellowship recipient. Ryan’s interest in Morocco stems from his time as a Peace Corps Volunteer (’97-’99). He served as a Health and Sanitation volunteer in the town of Tendrara, Morocco near the Algerian border. Ryan tries to get back to Morocco on a yearly basis to reconnect with friends and to practice his Arabic. Ryan has significant experience in world history curriculum development as well as in developing a wide range of electives including courses on Middle Eastern History, Mass Incarceration, and the evolution of pop music in America and its role in creating a unique American identity. In addition to his love of teaching, Ryan also runs a non-profit that supports the educational aspirations of girls and women form rural Senegal called the Baobab Senegal Education Initiative Inc. (BSEI). He was inspired to start BSEI after visiting Senegal during spring break in 2019. Originally from Maryland, Ryan is happy to returning closer to his hometown of Baltimore.

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.

Rhea Phillips brings her passion for Romance languages and linguistics to the World Language Program. Originally from California, she earned her B.A. in Latin American Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she focused on Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. She later earned her M.A. in Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Illinois, Chicago, where she developed her interest in phonology and sociolinguistics. She continued to teach Spanish and Heritage Spanish courses at UIC as a lecturer. Ms.Phillips demonstrates through her teaching that cultural competency and acquisition cannot be pieced apart, a lesson she learned herself from her work and studies abroad. She studied and worked in Granada, Spain for two years, studied abroad in Bahia, Brazil and earned a Fulbright grant to assist in teaching university phonology courses in the south of Brazil. She also began learning French during her undergraduate years and has continued to foster this interest until she was able to teach it herself this past year.

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.

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.

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.

Doris has thirty years of experience working for the State of Maryland. During her twenty-Four year of working for the Carroll County Board of Education, she oversaw the Medical aspects of 600+ students each day from Pre-K to Fifth Grade. Her responsibility includes recording and maintaining all student's medical records, administrating medicines, monitoring student allergies, and notifying doctors and parents when students develop symptoms. Doris enjoys working with Students. Her biggest joy is seeing their success.

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.

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.

Dan is an experienced residential life supervisor and former middle/high school English & journalism teacher.  He brings thirty years of experience working with middle and high school students. Dan has extensive experience in the development and oversight of academic programs and educational initiatives to promote student growth and achievement. An accomplished communicator, presenter and negotiator, he is skilled in building and strengthening relationships and building consensus across multiple organizational levels.   As a student life supervisor, Dan created weekend activities based on student input, advocated for student interests, and ensured students had a voice in residential life.  Dan was an assistant golf coach and helped with track and swim teams.  His interests include developing youth leadership skills, teen entrepreneurship, and traveling with student groups.

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.

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.