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Faculty and Staff

Nina Betts – Elementary

Nina Betts serves as a Board Member for Towle Institute. Her family has been a part of the Towle family since 2024. She is a licensed Paraprofessional, and her love for supporting students began in the public school sector in 2004. She has been married for 15 years to her husband, Jason. They have been blessed with two daughters, Emma, who is in 8th grade, and Josephine, who is in 4th grade. Both girls attend Towle Institute and are making wonderful memories. Nina loves penguins, the color green, and has not met a slice of cake she doesn’t love!

Lori Bostrom – Mathematics
MA Biola University (Bible Exposition)
BS University of Illinois, Urbana (Chemistry)

Jackie Bradford – TerraNova Testing Coordinator

Sara Chick – History/Finances/Athletics

BA Houghton College (Political Science)

 

Lauren Cook – Childcare, Office Aide

Lauren’s heart is centered on Jesus and the mission He has for His children. She is a dedicated wife and mother to three lovely little girls. Her passions include dancing as if no one is watching, crafting, and being playful and goofy with her children. Lauren joins Towle’s staff as an Elementary Study Hall Monitor and Classroom Aide.

Emma Harrison – English

 

Lauren Heavner – Elementary, Newsletter

Lauren has been part of the Towle community as a parent since 2023 and is excited to now join the classroom as a teacher. She has been homeschooling since 2020 and has two children who currently attend Towle Institute.

In previous years, Lauren gained several years of experience working with elementary-aged children through kids ministry and Sunday school.

Lauren also works in digital marketing, creating content and campaigns for nationally recognized brands and developing long-term brand partnerships. Her work includes developing creative concepts, writing scripts, and communicating brand messaging to a variety of audiences.

Amy LePore – English

Amy LePore is a small business owner, public safety consultant, and homeschool mom from Chesapeake City, where she lives with her husband and son. She has lived and worked in Cecil County for most of her life, including nearly 15 years in local emergency services.

Amy currently serves as President of Anthem Planning, where she leads public safety projects across the country. She earned a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware in 2015.

An enthusiastic writer, Amy has authored numerous articles on disaster response, completed a nationwide study examining the impact of federal grants, and served as editor of The Future of Disaster Management in the U.S., published by the American Society for Public Administration. She looks forward to bringing that love of writing to ninth-grade English during her first year teaching at Towle.

 

Elisabeth Lester – Elementary, Math

Elisabeth holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She began her career at W.L. Gore & Associates in New Product Development before stepping away in 2013 to be a full-time mom. In 2021, she returned to the workforce with an executive-level consulting firm and also served as a substitute teacher in the public school system. Elisabeth joined the Towle staff in 2024 and currently serves as the Elementary Coordinator.

Her teaching reflects her love of learning across many subjects. She teaches the 2/3 STEM & Writing Class, Biology, Geometry, and Math Foundations. She enjoys the unique opportunity of working with students from some of our youngest learners all the way through high school, as well as connecting with many Towle families to help foster the strong sense of community our school is known for. Elisabeth’s connection to Towle runs deep: she attended as a middle school student, her mother also taught here, and now all three of her daughters are Towle students. Following in her mother’s footsteps brings her great joy and speaks to the legacy of family, community, and education that Towle continues to uphold. Outside of school, Elisabeth enjoys hiking, rock climbing, baking, and playing board games with her family.

Avice Liebl – Science, Academic Advising, PSAT Coordinator

Before becoming a homeschooling parent, Avice worked as a recruiter for organizations in New York, Knoxville, and Seattle. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking and baking with nutrient-dense ingredients, exercising, reading, and volunteering. She enjoys spending time outdoors, bird-watching, and relaxing with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Katie Marianiello – Science

 

Bethany McHugh – Science, Basketball

Bethany is a proud mom of five kids, three girls and two boys, and a Dalmatian.  She and her husband, Tim, have been married for over twenty years.  She received a BS in Biology from the University of Maryland and a BSN from the University of Maryland’s School of Nursing in Baltimore.  She has been a nurse for over twenty years and has worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in International Radiology for over fourteen years.  Bethany and her husband have homeschooled their kids since the COVID pandemic.  She is excited to utilize her educational background, combined with her experience in educating patients and her own children, to serve as the Science department chair and teach at Towle. Bethany and Tim are also the lead coaches for the Towle guys and girls basketball teams.

Amanda McMahan – Elementary

Mandy is from North East, MD and she has three children that attend Towle. She graduated from Towson University with a degree in Mass Communications after transferring from Southern Connecticut where she was part of their competitive gymnastics team. Since her early teenage years, she has coached children 2-18 in gymnastics and continues to help athletes realize their full potential in the sport while teaching important life lessons such as encouragement, hard work, perseverance, and team-work. During her early years, Mandy participated in many church theater programs. This eventually grew into learning how to work behind the scenes on movie sets during her time at DBM Communications. This was the start to a wonderful relationship with the producer who has gone on to produce many family-friendly and Christ-based films you can find on Netflix and Amazon. Check them out! As her children grew, she stepped into the role of educator and things have blossomed from there. She enjoys working with young children, and is thrilled to be able to help them grow through their elementary years.

Virginia “Ginny” Phillips – English

BA Linguistics, The College of William and Mary
MA Linguistics, University of North Dakota
 
Ginny’s curiosity about how languages work was fostered as a child speaking both Hindi and English, as a student studying Biblical Hebrew and Greek, and as an adult supporting Bible translation in Hajong, a small language of northeast India and Bangladesh. She now leverages that to teach English grammar to 6th and 7th graders. She also has a passion for reading novels and understanding other cultures that she hopes to pass on to the 10th graders studying world literature.
 
Ginny and David have been married for over 20 years. After a nomadic 15 years serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators, they have finally settled in Pennsylvania to raise their two children and support their aging parents. Ginny loves the fall, drinking coffee, reading aloud, and going for long walks in the woods.

Margaret Prothero – Study Hall

Jenifer Pugliese – Science, Math, Electives

Jenifer holds a BA in Biological Sciences and both a Master’s and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware and Temple University, respectively. With 30 years of experience as a physical therapist, she has worked in various settings, including hospitals and outpatient clinics. Since 2014, she has been a faculty member at the University of Delaware, teaching courses in surface anatomy, cadaver anatomy, and geriatrics. In addition to her teaching role, Jenifer serves as a clinical research manager with Delaware Spine Studies, where she focuses on guiding participants through studies.

Outside of work, Jenifer enjoys spending time with her husband, Alex, and their son, Anthony. They share their home with two cats and live next door to her mother, Claire, affectionately known as Nonny. 

Jenifer loves the color orange and has a passion for crabs, Diet Coke, and Café Mochas. As an avid reader, her favorite books include *Little House in the Big Woods*, *The Hunger Games*, and the *Bridgerton* series. She enjoys TV shows like Psych and Everybody Loves Raymond, as well as true crime documentaries. With a love for puns, dad jokes, and board games, Jenifer also finds joy in organizing and completing crossword puzzles. 

Richard Rush – Elementary
 
Richard is a dedicated educator in his fifth year at Towle Institute, where he teaches 4th and 5th grade students in Science and Creative Writing. With a strong academic background, he holds an AB in Biology from Lafayette College (1976), a Master’s degree in Forestry from Duke University (1982), and a Secondary Teaching degree from Waynesburg College (1976).
 
His diverse work experience includes roles as a Biology Teacher at Washington High School and as a Safety Director for notable companies such as Scott Paper and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. 
 
Originally from Boise, Idaho, Richard now resides in Lincoln University / Lewisville, PA, with his wife, Beth. They have three children—sons Benjamin and William and daughter Rachel—and are proud grandparents to six grandchildren (four girls and two boys). 
 
In addition to his teaching, Richard has a passion for American history, which inspires him to engage his students and foster their curiosity in the subject.

Sarah Schlabach – Math

Sarah is excited to begin her first year as a teacher at Towle. She will be teaching Pre-Algebra and Middle School Math. For the past 10 years, she has been homeschooling her four children. She earned her degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Middle School Math from the University of Delaware. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys hiking and geocaching, listening to Hanson, spontaneous kitchen dance parties, and sharing family read-aloud sessions with her kids.

Meredith Slaten—School Principal, History, Electives

Meredith Slaten graduated from Lancaster Bible College in 1999 with a dual degree in Bible and Biblical Counseling. Now in her twelfth year at Towle, she’s proudly serving in her third year as principal. Meredith brings her passion for education to a wide range of subjects, including Ancient History, Western Civilization, World History, Computers, Biblical Apologetics, Drama, and Yearbook. 

Outside the classroom, she enjoys musical theater, crispy French fries, and has a soft spot for L. M. Montgomery’s heartwarming tale of Anne of Green Gables. Happily married for 26 years, Meredith and her husband are the proud parents of five wonderful children, all of whom have had the privilege of attending Towle.

Michelle Starkey – Science, English

 

Michele Strickler – Spanish

 Michele began her teaching career as a Spanish teacher in Delaware after graduating from the University of Delaware. Later, she had the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom for several years, during which she homeschooled her children while living in New Castle. After moving to Cecil County in 1995, she took a job as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher for grades K-12. In 2007, she earned her master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Michele retired from Cecil County Public Schools in June 2023, after 25 years of service. Michele is excited to teach Spanish at Towle for her second year and is dedicated to making the learning experience fun and enjoyable for all her students.

Leah VanDyke – Study Hall,  Drama

*Towle Alumna
Cecil College (Early Childhood Education Certification)
Currently attending Liberty University Online for Psychology in Christian Counseling

Elementary Choir and Drama Director with Pleasant View Baptist Church

Jill Watts – Curriculum Inventory/ Administrative Aide/ Math

Jill grew up in Newark, DE graduating from Wilmington Christian in 1995. She majored in meteorology and minored in math at North Carolina State University and then got her master’s degree in Climatology from the University of Delaware. She and her husband, Seth, married in 2002 and have four children – Julia, Abby, Noah, and Micah. She has homeschooled each of them from the beginning, and they began at Towle in fall 2018.  Our 3 oldest have graduated from Towle, and our youngest is currently in 11th grade at the school. Her family attends Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, where their family is involved in numerous ministries. One of Jill’s favorite activities is connecting and taking walks with friends.