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MEET OUR FACULTY AND STAFF
Teachers at Noble Academy work closely with each student to adapt assignments and projects to complement individual strengths.
Executive Leadership
Amanda Carter is the Head of School at Noble Academy. Prior to becoming the Head of School, Amanda served for three years in the role of High School Dean of Students, helping to solidify a culture of acceptance and excellence in a school that empowers students with ADHD and learning differences to pursue their highest potential within a comprehensive, supportive educational environment. Prior to coming to Noble Academy, she worked at the Lawrence School in Ohio, which has a similar focus as Noble Academy, as the Dean of Campus Life. In her free time she enjoys being a nationally rated competitive gymnastics judge, spending time with her family and friends, and reading. Amanda earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Miami University (OH) as well as a master's degree in Non-Profit Management from Kent State University.
Jan Linder received her bachelor’s degree from Elon University in Business Administration and Accounting. She went on to receive her master’s degree in Accounting from Appalachian State University and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. Her extensive financial background working in nonprofits, retail, manufacturing and service industries brings a wealth of financial knowledge to Noble Academy. In her free time, she founded and manages a nonprofit, Bingo Pet Hospice, specializing in the care of aging pets.
Christy Avent earned a bachelor's degree in Communications from East Carolina University. She also obtained a second undergraduate degree in Political Science and her master’s degree in Public Affairs, both from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has extensive experience in the collegiate environment having worked at UNCG from 1997-2011. She also had a short stint in the sales world working with the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau where her market was in education. Christy joined the Noble Academy family in September of 2013. She enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and going to the movies in her free time.
Jennifer Aceves was awarded her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Davidson College and is certified by North Carolina in Learning Disabilities. She received her master’s degree in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is also a Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner. Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, leading a Girl Scout troop, hiking, and reading.
Erin Cawley is a graduate of Elon University with a bachelor’s degree in Middle Grades Education with a concentration in Social Studies and Science. She also earned her master’s degree in Special Education with a concentration in Learning Disabilities from East Carolina University in 2011. Erin has over 15 years of teaching experience in various subjects and grade levels, in addition to more than a decade spent working within the Athletic Department. In 2020, she was named Head of Junior High after serving as Junior High Dean for several years. She works hard to enhance student life at Noble and in her free time, enjoys visiting with family and friends, traveling, and spending time with her kids.
Jenny Rundle holds a bachelor's degree in Education with certifications in both Elementary and Special Education, an M.Ed. in School Counseling and a North Carolina School Administrator License. Additional certifications include English for Speakers of Other Languages and Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner. Jenny is passionate about providing a supportive environment for students who learn differently and loves working at Noble Academy where all students are celebrated for their individual talents and strengths.
Chere Flowers | Director of Development
Chere Flowers earned a bachelor's degree in International Affairs and Economics from James Madison University. She brings over 14 years of passion and experience in fund development and building meaningful community relationships on a local, national, and international level. She looks forward to enhancing the Knights First Fund, getting to know Noble students and parents, and asking our community, "How do YOU want to impact the world?" Chere enjoys listening to podcasts, having the sunshine on her face, and going on adventures with her son.
Francisco Guijoza, Jr. graduated from ECPI University with an associate's degree and a bachelor’s degree in IT Network Security. He enjoys spending time with his family, learning about new technology, and playing sports.
Ashley Lumpkin holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Hampton University and a master's degree in Math Education from Wake Forest University. After teaching in the NC public school system for eight years, she was ready for a change. She is passionate about specialized math instruction and creates many of the curriculum materials used in her classroom. Outside of school, Ashley is an award-winning performance poet. She enjoys traveling and spending time with friends.
Ben Maynard holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in History from the University of West Georgia. Benjamin has also earned an MLIS from the University of North Texas. Before coming to Noble Academy, he spent twelve years working as a teacher, librarian, and technology coordinator for Inner Harbour, a therapeutic residential school in Douglasville, Georgia. In his free time, he enjoys exploring North Carolina’s natural beauty with his family.
Cinthia Maupin | Junior High & Lower School Counselor
Cinthia holds a master's degree in Social Work from Florida Atlantic University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Florida. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in both North Carolina and Florida, who recently relocated to Greensboro to be closer to family. Cinthia has over 12 years of counseling experience, working in a variety of mental health and school settings. She has provided counseling and support for exceptional and at-risk students in schools, facilitated in-home family counseling, was a program therapist, and advocate for children with severe emotional/ behavioral difficulties, as well as a clinical supervisor for an in-home therapy program for children. Aside from spending time with her husband and two small children, she enjoys hiking, traveling, trying out new food and recipes, and crafting.
Lance is a NC Licensed Professional Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. He has 13 years in the counseling field in a variety of different roles and settings. Much of his counseling experience has included meeting with students and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds to address various mental health, learning, and/or intellectual challenges. He has provided support in multiple high schools to include student and teacher support, counseling, classroom monitoring, and assistance in the development of behavior, academic, and support interventions. Lance is married and his wife is a Special Education Language Arts teacher. He has a young son and daughter. He is also a certified yoga teacher and frequently teaches at studios and gyms in the community.
Aimee Picon earned a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a master’s degree in Early Childhood – both earned with honors from the University of Florida. She is North Carolina certified in Early Childhood (birth-Kindergarten), Elementary Education (K-6), and Special Education (K-12), and a Wilson® Dyslexia Therapist and Wilson® Credentialed Trainer. She brings 16 years of experience as an educator which includes training teachers in research based literacy instruction. Aimee enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with her family.
Jenn Romero | Associate Head of High School
Jenn Romero graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with a field of specialization in Visual Studies. She is certified in Art Education K-12 by the State of North Carolina. After teaching K-12 visual art at Noble Academy for seven years she readily took on the role of High School Dean, and now serves in the role of Associate Head of the High School. Jenn brings with her experience in relationship building and cultivating a positive community for students. In her free time, Jenn enjoys being with her family and relaxing at home.
Campus Leadership
High School Faculty
Travis Blair graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in Public Relations. He attended UNCG in order to earn his teaching license for 7th - 10th grades. Before coming to Noble Academy, he taught in Guilford County Schools and at the North Carolina Leadership Academy. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, studying martial arts, reading, writing, playing video games, and collecting comic books.
Calvin Chadwick
Calvin Chadwick holds a bachelor’s degree in History from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and a master’s degree in School Administration and Supervision from the University of Phoenix. Before coming to Noble Academy, he taught in Guilford County Schools, Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and Virginia Public Schools in Danville as a Special Education Teacher. In his free time, he enjoys being with family and friends.
Sharon Coppley
Sharon Coppley graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Spanish. She later became a police officer for the Winston-Salem Police Department. After becoming a single mother, Sharon decided to complete graduate studies in a medical interpreting program offered at Wake Forest University based on interpreting/translating Spanish and the methodology of teaching Spanish. She began teaching Spanish at DCCC and later at various charter schools (elementary, middle, and high schools). She is a proud mom of a daughter attending NC State University and son attending UNC Chapel Hill. She loves being a high school Spanish teacher and a Varsity Volleyball Coach at Noble Academy. She values time with her family and friends, loves motorcycling, and bingo.
Eric Gal grew up in Kernersville, but spent most of his educational life in Greensboro. He graduated from Noble Academy, then Guilford Day School in 2005, and spent six years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While there, he obtained undergraduate degrees in Theatre Education and English Education, and afterwards, was hired by his former high school to teach English. Some of his favorite activities are: reading, acting, stage combat, Tai Chi and mixed martial arts, watching movies and hanging out with his brother, who is a teacher in Winston-Salem. Eric is very proud to have returned as a teacher at Noble Academy.
Susan Hughes received her bachelor’s degree with a double major in Secondary Education and English from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is a certified teacher in North Carolina in English, grades 9-12. Prior to coming to Noble Academy 28 years ago, Susan taught in the public school system in Georgia. Luckily, she considers teaching her “calling.” In her years at Noble, Susan has enjoyed discovering new novels and developing writing programs for the high school. She has also been fortunate to serve as a senior advisor, creating the current program for Noble’s graduation and also initiating the internship program. Additionally, Susan stays very involved in community service, loves to read, attend theater productions and movies, and spend time with her five grandchildren.
Barbara Knight
Barbara Knight is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with bachelor degrees in Psychology and Pre-medical Studies. She is currently obtaining her master’s degree in Instructional Design and Technology at the American College of Education. Barbara has over a decade of teaching experience and loves finding creative ways to keep her students engaged. She has two children, Connor and Emma, who are just as enthusiastic about comic book heroes as she is. In her free time, she likes to exercise, write, and go on adventurous hikes with her husband, Justin.
Linda Mahanes is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with bachelor degrees in Math and Math Education. She has worked as an actuarial student, a tutor, and a math teacher. She has three children and enjoys spending time with family and friends. In addition to her love of being active by playing tennis, swimming, and walking, she is an avid reader.
Vicki Payne
Bob obtained bachelor degrees in History and Teaching English as a Second Language. He has taught both subject areas in middle school to collegiate levels in many different countries across the world. He is passionate about history and has a lot of experience differentiating his instruction. He has created much of his own curriculum materials to meet the needs of his students, including writing a set of supplemental textbooks. Bob is very happy to be a Noble Academy teacher where his son has been a student at for several years. He is a strong believer in our mission statement and is thrilled to be a part of our school.
Samantha graduated with a double-major in Engineering Science and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. After work as a technical writer and small-business owner, she went back to school for her teaching certificate. She received her teaching license from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro through their NCTeach program. After four years in the public schools, she joined the Noble Academy staff in 2011. She is married with two college-aged sons. Andrew is at NC State University and Jack is at Appalachian State University. She has a dog named Buster and a grand-dog Bulldog named Bella.
Junior High Faculty
Amanda Birse
Amanda moved to Greensboro from Florida where she taught kids with special needs from elementary to middle school. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in Exceptional Student Education with a minor in Deaf Studies. Her minor was influenced by her brother who was born deaf and being raised within the deaf culture. In 2017, Amanda graduated from Jacksonville University with a bachelor's degree in Speech/Language Pathology. As a hobby, she is a nationally accredited DONA birth doula and runs her own doula company in her spare time. She is a mom of two young ones and loves exploring the wonderful city of Greensboro with them!
Diane Coltrane has over 30 years of teaching experience. She came to Noble Academy several years ago from Northern Middle School where she taught Language Arts for 10 years. Diane earned her bachelor’s degree in Education from Appalachian State University and obtained her National Board Teaching Certification in 2002. She and her husband Bobby have two adult children, Austin and Lauren. She enjoys reading, time in and on the water, and spending time with her family.
Barbara Kilpatrick is a graduate of Syracuse University with bachelor degrees in English and Textual Studies and Secondary Education. Upon receiving a fellowship to attend The Ohio State University, she earned her master’s degree in Cultural Foundations of Education. A native of Upstate New York, she moved to Greensboro in 2005 and was an English Language Arts teacher for 10 years at Northeast Middle School. She has two daughters, Maeve and Brennan, and a step-daughter, Emma. In her spare time, she loves singing spontaneous lullabies and going to see her husband on stage.
Brian Kysor
Originally from Upstate New York, Brian Kysor holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from State University of New York at Oneonta, and a master’s degree in History from Union Graduate College (now Clarkson University) in Schenectady, NY. Since moving to North Carolina in 2012, Brian has served students as a social studies teacher throughout the state. He also holds a licensure in Exceptional Children, and has taught EC students at the North Carolina Leadership Academy and in Rockingham County Schools. In his free time, Brian enjoys reading science fiction, fantasy, and history, among other topics.
Samantha Price
Samantha Price graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She continued her education at Greensboro College and received certification in Special Education with specialization in learning disabilities, general and adaptive curriculum. Samantha has over 17 years of teaching experience in various subjects and grade levels. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, hiking, and tennis.
Lower School Faculty
Alison Buchanan
Alison was born and raised in Denver, Colorado and came to Greensboro to attend Guilford College. Her first classroom teaching experience was as a second-grade teacher at Southern Elementary. When her children, Logan and Gavin were little she decided to stay at home. After this period, Alison taught preschool at Guilford Park Presbyterian Church. Her son’s educational experiences as a child with Autism/Asperger's inspired her to obtain a Special Education graduate certificate from UNC Charlotte. She taught as a resource general curriculum special education teacher at Pearce Elementary prior to accepting the position at Noble. In her life outside of the classroom, she enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her family.
Trish Klier
Trish Klier earned a North Carolina license in Elementary Education at Greensboro College, bachelor degrees in English and Political Science at Mary Washington University, and a master’s degree in Administrative Science at Johns Hopkins University. She has also completed various courses with the Exceptional Children Division. Before coming to Noble Academy, Trish taught first grade for 10 years. She enjoys exercising, reading, gardening, and spending time with her husband Anthony, their daughter who teaches in Northern Virginia, and their two sons who attend NC State University.
Mary Mig McEntire graduated from Salem College with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and earned her Learning Disabilities and MR/DD certifications from graduate level coursework at Appalachian State University. She is a Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner and has also been trained through TEACCH. She has extensive knowledge and experience in the field of special education with a special interest in Social Thinking®. Before coming to Noble Academy, she worked at Joyner Elementary as the teacher/director of the AU Inclusion program. She has a passion for music, theatre, and traveling in her free time.
Tim Stewart
Originally from Roxboro, North Carolina, Tim moved to Greensboro in 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Greensboro College and has spent the last nine years teaching grades K-5 and middle school science. Tim and his wife Liz are the proud parents of three children - Ava, Dorie, and Payne. In his spare time, Tim enjoys supporting the Boston Red Sox, traveling with his family, and chasing after his extremely energetic German Shorthaired Pointer, Boone and Black Lab, Beck.
Lindsey Willich
Lindsey Willich earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education (PK-3), Elementary Education (K-5) and Special Education (K-12), all with honors, from the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey. She is certified to teach in New Jersey, Texas, and North Carolina and is a Wilson® Dyslexia Practitioner. Lindsey has over 10 years teaching experience and is very tech savvy within her classroom. Lindsey is married to Dan and they have two loving, high energy dogs, Gunner and LT. She enjoys going places with her dogs, hiking, exploring, swimming, and traveling.
Specialists
Johan Madson | IDEApath
Johan Madson teaches IDEApath classes in our Library Media Center. Johan has a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in Human Development Counseling from Vanderbilt University. He also earned an Educational Specialist in Instructional Technology from the University of Virginia. Johan is an experienced educator who enjoys collaborating with faculty and students as a teacher, curriculum developer, technology integrator, and advisor. Over the past two decades, he has served as both a counselor and technologist in various educational settings and most recently worked at the Duke School in their maker space classroom. Johan has an interest in coaching and forming an Ultimate Frisbee club.
Christy is a highly qualified PE teacher with a strong background in physical education and coaching. She has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health, a master's degree in Educational Technology and a master's degree in Athletic Administration. She has been an Athletic Director and PE teacher at The Woods Academy in Bethesda, MD and has also worked at The McLean School in Maryland which served 40% of the population with students who are ADD and/or have learning differences. Besides teaching PE, Christy is very active with the local tennis community and loves playing golf and spending time with family.
Amy Porter | Art
Amy earned a Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She brings a variety of creative Industry experience, as a Television Broadcast Designer, Corporate Visual Communications Designer, Fine Artist, and Art Educator. Previously, Amy taught at a collegiate high school in Florida before relocating to Greensboro. She works in a wide variety of 2D and 3D materials and loves exploring new media with her students. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors, taking on DIY projects, and spending time with her family. Amy’s focus is helping her students realize their artistic potential and empowering them to be the creative thinkers of tomorrow.
Staff
Dorothy Clement, our Administrative Assistant for the Upper School, received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has worked as a Student Support Specialist for Guilford County Schools, a School Social Worker with Forsyth County Schools, and has also worked at Caldwell Academy in College Counseling, Admissions, and Development. Dorothy is married to Marshall, they have three married daughters and six active grandchildren. She loves spending time with her family, volunteering at Horse Friends as an instructor, and dabbling in creative outlets like, art, gardening, and sewing!
Paul Cooper | Facilities Manager
Paul joined Noble Academy from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia where he worked in facilities management. He enjoys fixing things and making sure that all areas of our school are able to be used effectively by students and staff. In his free time, Paul enjoys gardening, horse racing, deep sea fishing, and camping with his family.
Kelly Heritage | Standardized Testing Coordinator
Kelly Heritage graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. Graduate school brought her and her husband, Charlie, to Greensboro where she received her master’s degree in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a certified North Carolina K-12 School Counselor as well as a Nationally Certified Counselor. Her counseling work prior to Noble Academy has included child and family therapy, public school counseling for grades 3-12, and specialized grief & loss counseling for families living with life-limiting illnesses. Her three little girls keep her busy outside of school. She also enjoys spending time with friends, reading, being outdoors, pretty much anything related to the performing arts, and learning about countries and cultures different from her own.
Amy, our Administrative Assistant for the Lower School, received her bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Indiana University. After college, she moved to New Jersey and obtained a certification in Elementary Education. After teaching grades K-5 for several years, Amy decided to stay at home with her two sons. In 2005 her family moved to North Carolina. She decided at that time to return to the teaching profession - first subbing and then teaching Transitional Kindergarten before joining Noble Academy. In her free time, Amy enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and visiting her two boys at UNC Charlotte.