Key Administrators

• Position: Head of School
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater: Crown College (MN), Minnesota State University - Mankato, Capella University (MN)​
• Favorite TV show: Sherlock Holmes​ 
• Favorite movie: Jeremiah Johnson​
• Favorite band/musician: Crow (from back in the 1970's!!)​
• Favorite book: Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)​
• Favorite food: ​Thai​
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: ​Walk with Lori, work in the yard, watch sports...​
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be?  Lori!

BIO

Dr. Carlblom was raised on a grain farm in southern Minnesota and always wanted to be a farmer.  God had other plans, however.  He met his wife-to-be while in college, married, and had two beautiful daughters​ that they raised while teaching and heading an international school in Malaysia for 22 years.  After the girls were off to college and married, Dwight and Lori moved to South Korea where they worked for 5 years.  They also spent 6 years in Minnesota teaching and then serving as VP of Student Development at Crown College.  Dr. and Mrs. Carlblom are the proud grandparents of 6 of the most amazing children, three of whom live in Alabama and the other three in Malaysia.  His daughters tell him that 6 is the limit!​

• Position: Assistant Head of School / Director of Upper and Middle Schools
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater: Davidson College (BA--English), East Carolina University (MSA)
• Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds 
• Favorite movie: The Empire Strikes Back 
• Favorite band/musician: Dave Matthews Band 
• Favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird
• Favorite food: Chinese
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Swim two miles and walk 18 holes of golf. 
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be?  A Swiss Army knife 

BIO

The son of a US Navy officer, David moved often growing up and split time between the West Coast and East Coast.  He graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia, in 1989.  David earned his bachelor of arts degree in English from Davidson College in 1993 and later his Master's degree in School Administration from East Carolina University in 2009.  

David began his career in education as an English teacher at East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina, followed by a teaching position at Rockingham County High School in Wentworth, North Carolina.  In addition to his teaching roles, David has coached soccer, golf, and swimming at the varsity level.  Currently, he serves as the Varsity Men's and Women's Swim Coach at Epiphany.

David is the Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper and Middle Schools for Epiphany and focuses on academics for grades 6-12 for the school.  

• Position: Director of Admissions
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater: BA, Johns Hopkins University; MA, Middlebury College
  
• Favorite TV show: The Sopranos
• Favorite movie: Taxi Driver
• Favorite band/musician: Prince; Queen
• Favorite book: Great Expectations
• Favorite food: A well-appointed salad
• Favorite thing to do on your day off:  Family Time
• Fun fact: I speak German
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? A journal

BIO

A native New Yorker, Tahira graduated from the Horace Mann School, where she took five years of German.  She completed her first of many study abroad experiences as a summer exchange student living in a rural village near Duesseldorf. After high school, Tahira graduated cum laude from The Johns Hopkins University, with a dual concentration in Psychology and German.  She then returned to Germany where she spent a year as a Fulbright Fellow assisting in a German high school in Dortmund. Additional overseas adventures of hers included teaching at an international boarding school in the Swiss Alps, where Tahira further solidified her love for global education and learned to ski.  Tahira earned her Master’s Degree in German from Middlebury College during summers while teaching during the school year. Over the past two decades, Tahira continued to work as a teacher and administrator at independent and international schools, including The Spence School and The German International School of New York.   

Tahira and her family chose to move to New Bern in large part due to the academic, faith and community experience the Epiphany School of Global Studies offers their two children.  Tahira enjoys travel, cooking, yoga, reading, learning about other cultures, and most of all, spending time with her family. She looks forward to serving the Epiphany School of Global Studies as its Director of Admissions for years to come.

• Position: Director of Advancement
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater:  Barton College
• Favorite tv show: Greys Anatomy
• Favorite movie: Dirty Dancing
• Favorite band/musician: Miranda Lambert
• Favorite book: A walk to remember
• Favorite food: Japanese 
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Spending time with my son
• Fun Fact: The first time I traveled to Europe was with the Epiphany School of Global Studies on a family trip.
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be?  I would take a boat!

BIO

Brittany attended school K-12 in Virginia Beach. She proudly represented as a student leader and served as captain of the women’s varsity basketball team while at Frank W. Cox High School. After high school, Brittany attended Barton College where she received a degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcasting. She was fortunate to receive an athletic scholarship to play Center for the Lady Bulldogs.

Following graduation, Raleigh station WTVD was home to Brittany while also working for Good Morning America. It wasn’t long before Brittany returned to Eastern Carolina to join NBC affiliate WITN- TV as NBC’s Bureau Chief for the New Bern area. Active in her church and community, Spear helps plan and execute local festivals where she serves as the Director of Sponsorships and Vendors. 

Brittany is the Director of Advancement for Epiphany and focuses on marketing, communications, and fundraising for the school. 

• Position: Athletic Director
• Email: [email protected]
• Education: Barton College (BS-Business Administration and Finance), East Carolina University (MAT)
• Favorite tv show: The Office
• Favorite movie: The Goonies
• Favorite band/musician: Widespread Panic
• Favorite book: Comeback by Dave Dravecky
• Favorite food: Steak
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Work in the yard, watch sports, play with my children
• Fun Fact: too many
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? a boat

BIO

Matt grew up in Bethel, NC (Pitt County) and graduated from North Pitt High School in 1996. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from Barton College in 2000. At Barton, Matt played baseball for 4 years, receiving All-Conference accolades in 1998.  After graduation, he began his teaching career at Red Oak Middle School in Nash County, while also assisting the Northern Nash HS baseball team. In 2003, Matt left education to enter the business sector, to include insurance sales, home sales, and the retail furniture industry. During this time, he enrolled at East Carolina University to pursue his Master of Arts in Teaching. While in graduate school, Matt met his wife, Morgan, who was also completing her graduate work. After receiving his Master’s, he began teaching and coaching at White Oak HS in Jacksonville, NC. During his time in Onslow County, Matt was also the head baseball coach for Post 265, Jacksonville’s American Legion Baseball team. Matt began teaching and coaching at Havelock HS in 2009. He became the head coach of the baseball program in 2013.

Matt and Morgan have been married since 2008 and have two daughters, Emma and Julie.

• Position: Director of Finance
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater:  West Virginia University Institute of Technology 
• Favorite tv show: Friends
• Favorite movie: Steel Magnolias
• Favorite band/musician: Bon Jovi
• Favorite book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Favorite food: Chocolate
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Go to the beach
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be?  A great sense of humor and a sharp knife

Bio

Tara grew up in West Virginia.  She graduated from WVU Tech with a bachelor of science degree in Accounting, with a minor in Finance.  She has been a licensed CPA since 2006.

Tara has worked in various professional accounting roles including positions at Virginia Tech Foundation (Blacksburg, VA), Carteret General Hospital (Morehead City, NC) and Altrius Capital Management, before assuming her role as Director of Finance at Epiphany. 

As the Director of Finance for Epiphany, Tara develops the annual budget, prepares financial reports, processes all bookkeeping tasks, manages employee benefits and serves as a member of the school’s Leadership Team.

• Position: Director of Global Education
• Email:[email protected]
• Alma Mater: BS in Psychology and Middle Grade Education from James Madison University; M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning from Liberty University
• Favorite TV show: M.A.S.H.
• Favorite movie: The Hunt for Wilderpeople
• Favorite band/musician: Jack Johnson
• Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Spend time with my kids
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? A Leatherman

BIO

As the quintessential military child, Sandy grew up on the move. By the time she graduated high school, Sandy had gone to school in six states and spent three years in Belgium. Her favorite family saying was “always bloom where you are planted,” and she took that to heart as she worked to make new friends and become involved in each new community. 

After high school, Sandy earned her undergraduate degree from James Madison University and then moved to Raleigh. While there, she met Jeffrey on a blind date to the State Fair.  She’s still not sure if it was the funnel cakes or scary rides that convinced her, but something clicked and she eventually moved to New Bern to marry Jeffrey.  Once there, Sandy joined several community organizations - eventually serving as the President of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and graduating from the Leadership Craven program.  Her priorities changed when her beautiful children, Emily and Jacob (twins), were born a few years later.  As her own children entered school, Sandy felt called to return to teaching.  After completing a Master of Education program at Liberty University, she joined the Epiphany staff in 2010.  

Since then, Sandy has played many roles at the school, but her greatest joy has been in serving as the Director of Global Education since 2016.  Sandy finds opportunities for Epiphany students to build connections with people and communities in places far from home – connections that teach us to look past the lines on a map and remind us that our similarities outweigh our differences.

• Position: Director of Learning Services
• Email: [email protected]
• Education: Appalachian State University (B.S. Business Administration in Marketing), East Carolina University (M.A.T.), East Carolina University, (Ed.D.)
• Favorite tv show: Bosch
• Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting
• Favorite band/musician: Dave Matthews Band
• Favorite book: The Time Traveler’s Wife
• Favorite food: Italian (Pasta)
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Run, Play with my girls, Visit with friends/family
• Fun Fact: Dr. James was once a Ranger at Philmont Boy Scout Ranch in New Mexico.
• Hobbies: Dr. James enjoys running and baking.
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? Bug Spray

BIO

Dr. James grew up in Morehead City, NC where she attended K-12 public schools. She was a competitive gymnast in her youth and transferred those talents to cheerleading, where she captained the co-ed cheerleading team at Appalachian State University for 2 years. While there, she earned a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and then went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Teaching from East Carolina University. While at ECU, she met her husband Matt James and they moved to New Bern in 2009 to be close to family.

After receiving her Master’s Degree, Dr. James taught Career and Technical Education courses at Havelock High School where she became passionate about students who learn differently. She then set her sights on working with college students at East Carolina University and has since worked with the ECU STEPP Program for the past decade. While working at ECU, Dr. James earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership in Higher Education Administration. Dr. James enjoys running, baking, learning new things, and spending time with family and friends.

As the Director of Learning Services, Dr. James is passionate about helping students achieve their learning goals, gain confidence and self-advocacy, and prepare for success in college and beyond.

• Position: Director of Lower School, Grades K-5
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater: Birmingham Southern College, Birmingham, AL; Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
• Favorite TV show: older: How I Met Your Mother and newer:  Timeless 
• Favorite movie: Top Three: Top Gun, Elf, and Baz Lurhman's Romeo and Juliet (1996)
• Favorite band/musician: the pianists Jim Brickman and The O'Neill Brothers; soundtracks to movies and musicals 
  Favorite book: classic: Emma by Jane Austen and contemporary: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Favorite food: seafood and Mexican
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: start the day with a great cup of coffee and a good book; spend the day with my family; and end the day with a luxurious bubble bath
• Fun fact: My dream vacation is to sail the Mediterranean on the QE2
  If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be?  An escape plan!

BIO

Heather grew up in Augusta, Georgia where she graduated from Westminster Prep in 1994.  She received a Bachelor's in English from Birmingham Southern College in 1998 followed by a Master's in English Education in 2000.  Heather's first teaching job was as a middle school language arts teacher at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Winter Park, Florida, a suburb of Orlando.  After a few years of teaching during the week and going to Disney World on the weekends, Heather decided to pursue her Ph.D.  She attended the College of William and Mary where she earned her doctorate in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership with an emphasis in Gifted Education.  While in graduate school Heather worked part-time as a research assistant at the Center for Gifted Education and part-time as an ABA therapist for children with autism.  Also during this busy time, Heather married her husband, Kevin, then a Navy doctor stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital.  

After several more years of Navy life, Kevin and Heather decided to leave the military, settle down, and start a family.  They moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 2007, where their two children, Emma and Christopher, were born.  While in Huntsville, Heather helped start and grow a nonprofit center for children with autism.  Heather and Kevin soon realized they missed the water and began looking for opportunities to move back to Eastern North Carolina. They made the move to New Bern in 2012.  Heather took a break from education to spend a few years as a stay at home mom while Kevin started his private practice with Coastal Carolina Healthcare.  When their youngest started Kindergarten, Heather knew it was time to go back to the classroom.  She was honored to be offered the 5th-grade language arts position at Epiphany where she spent 3 wonderful years. 

Heather is the Director of Lower School for Epiphany and oversees teaching, learning, thinking, and growing on the Henderson Campus with grades K-5. 

• Position: Director of Spiritual Life
• Email:[email protected]

• Position: Director of Student Life (Trent Campus)
• Email: [email protected]
• Alma Mater: Appalachian State University & University of Georgia
• Favorite TV show: Top 3 (Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Wire) 
• Favorite movie: Top 3 (Bottle Rocket, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Almost Famous)
• Favorite band/musician: Top 3 (Avett Brothers, Wilco, and John Prine)
• Favorite book: Top 3 (The Last Lecture, First You Have To Row a Little Boat, and Wooden)
• Favorite food: Shrimp & Grits from The Chelsea
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Mow the lawn  
• Fun fact: I began my college career as an Art Major, which lasted only a year.
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? A book on survival

BIO

Ryan grew up in Raleigh before attending Appalachian State University, majoring in History while minoring in Latin & English. From there, he set off to the University of Georgia, earning a Master of Arts degree in Latin. Ryan has taught Latin in secondary independent schools since 2002, as well as Greek, Ancient History, Classical Literature, and English writing courses. In 2008, he took a hiatus from teaching to become the Director of Youth Programs at the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, where he was the director of Camp Clearwater, a summer co-ed day camp serving 200 children and 25 counselors. Ryan also spent 12 summers on staff at Camp Sea Gull in Pamlico County. In 2010, he felt the call to return to teaching and moved his family to New Bern so that he could teach English and Latin at Epiphany. During his time at Epiphany, Ryan has been Athletic Director, Director of Middle School, and trip leader to several European trips.

Ryan is the Director of Student Life, for Grades 6-12, and focuses on all of the non-academic aspects of students' lives at Epiphany.

• Position: Director of Technology
• Email:[email protected]
• Alma Mater: Pasadena City College, Associates w/honors, North Carolina State University, Bachelors, Summa Cum Laude
• Favorite TV show: CSI - totally amazed at how all those forensics can be solved in 30 minutes!
• Favorite movie: Avatar
• Favorite band/musician: "Music Aficionado" - love music from the 50's to the present.
• Favorite book: Jonathan Livingston Seagull
• Favorite food: Lobster
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Scuba Diving 
• Fun fact: Recipient of the Iron Butt Award multiple times (1000 miles on a motorcycle in one day).
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? My wife

BIO

Grew up in California and married a Carolina sweetheart. In college, I studied computer engineering but ended up graduating in business. After school, I owned/operated a business in Raleigh for 7 years before moving to Charlotte and starting one there. Eventually, I sold the business and went back to school for computers and became an instructor at a computer/technology training school. After 5 years of teaching, I went to work for a progressive marketing and customer acquisition company. This company evolved into a billion dollar company and I was Director of Operations and Director of IT Security. 

New Bern has always been a favorite from years of vacationing at Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle and we decided to make it our permanent home in 2015. 

• Position: Associate Director of Admissions and Advancement
• Email:[email protected]
• Alma Mater: Clemson University
• Favorite TV show: SV Delos on YouTube
• Favorite movie: When Harry Met Sally
• Favorite band/musician: Van Morrison
• Favorite book: 14,000 Things to be Happy About
• Favorite food: Pizza
• Favorite thing to do on your day off: Spending time with family on the water 
• Fun fact: Former US Powerboating Instructor
• If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take one item with you, what would it be? EPIRB

BIO

Molly grew up in South Carolina and attended Clemson University, where she earned a BA in Psychology.  She spent her summers at Camp Seafarer, where she met her husband, which also brought her to New Bern.  She started at Epiphany as a First Grade Teacher's Assistant and then moved to serve as the Administrative Assistant to the Lower School for six years.  

As the Associate Director of Admissions and Advancement, Molly is excited to work with students and families as they begin their journey at Epiphany, helping others see what a special place this school is, and keeping alumni connected and engaged in the Epiphany community. 

• Position: College Counselor
• Email:[email protected]

BIO

Michele grew up in New Bern and received her first byline as the teen columnist for The Sun Journal for three years. She started her collegiate journey at Duke University but decided to transfer to NC State University her sophomore year because of her desire to be a teacher. While studying there, she became heavily involved with Technician, NCSU’s student newspaper, as both a writer and editor. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005 with a degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing.

For the next seven years, Michele remained in the Wake County area and taught English and Latin at the high school level. During this first phase of her career, she earned her National Board Certification and was named English Department Chair and Teacher of the Year at Franklin Academy in Wake Forest, NC. 

When her childhood home went on the market, Michele and her husband, also a New Bern native, decided to return to the area. Michele came to Epiphany in 2014 as an English and Latin teacher. That same year she completed her MA degree in Children’s Literature at Hollins University. After two years of immersing herself in all aspects of Epiphany, she applied to become the school’s College Counselor. For several years, she had been helping first generation students apply to college. With her natural ability to work with a wide variety of young people, she felt called to help her students navigate the constantly changing waters of college admission as well as champion their goals and dreams.

Michele has transformed Epiphany’s College Counseling program into a personalized experience that allows her to work with students from the very beginning of their Upper School journeys. In 2019, the College Board included her in its inaugural Counselor Recognition Program, and she has been chosen for the initial cohort of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling’s SACAC Leads program for the Spring of 2021. 

When she is not discussing standardized testing policies or how to find balance in one’s extracurricular activities, she is traveling, hiking, camping, or reading. She has led or assisted with Epiphany trips to Guatemala, Mexico, Italy, Costa Rica, and Belize. The DeCamps are one of several “all-in” families at Epiphany; Michele’s husband teaches all of the Upper School physical science courses and her daughter is a 4th grader in the Lower School. They consider Epiphany’s Henderson and Trent campuses their second home and love being a part of this wonderful community.