ThorpeWood Staff If you would like to contact a member of ThorpeWood’s staff, please call (301) 271-2823.
Sam Castleman Co-Director Sam grew up on the East Coast. He attended the University of Washington, School of Forest Resources, and earned a BS in Forest Management. Sam arrived in Frederick County in 1994, when he began his work as Executive Director of ThorpeWood. He is passionate about ThorpeWood's mission to at-risk youth and believes that the customized programs we provide is changing lives. Sam particularly enjoys his role delivering the horse program to ThorpeWood’s youth.
Kelli Lind Administrative Specialist Kelli grew up just two miles away from ThorpeWood, and has spent many a day tromping around the mountain. She left the mountain for a while to work and to attend college, earning her BA degrees in English Literature and Philosophy at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, but it seems she just couldn’t stay away. Back in the woods again, she is excited to be a part of the events and programs that ThorpeWood has planned for the future. When she’s not at her desk, expect to find her with her nose in a book, doing crafts, or swimming. She has not yet discovered a way to do all three at once.
Richard Louderback Bookkeeper Rich is a native the Washington DC area. He grew up just outside the main gate to Andrews AFB and attended the University of Maryland before being summoned into the Army for a two year stint in Germany during the Vietnam War. Upon return to the US, Rich worked for 28 years in IT writing financial applications for NCR and Bell Atlantic. Rich came to ThorpeWood in 2006 as a temp for the summer and then joined the staff full time a year later to handle the bookkeeping. Rich and his wife Denys are empty nesters but enjoy weekend visits with their daughter Rebecca. He enjoys walks with his dog Isabel, golf and auto racing.
Theresa Michel Co-Director Theresa Michel, also known as Tee, joined ThorpeWood’s staff as Co-Director in May 2008. Tee is a native of Frederick County, MD with twenty-eight years of experience in project grant and community resource development on federal, state, and local levels. She enjoys bicycling, swimming, reading, and long walks with her beagle.
Julie Parlaman Director of Events Julie joined the staff of ThorpeWood in November of 2000. Prior to coming to ThorpeWood she worked for 17 years in D.C. for a high school student exchange. During this time Julie had the opportunity to visit many countries and work with high school kids around the world. Although Julie’s responsibilities have been varied over the past several years, she is now focusing entirely on event coordinating. ThorpeWood hosts a variety of events, including wedding ceremonies and receptions, business meetings, retreats, workshops, and community activities. Together, Julie and her husband, Ed, have three daughters, Lindsay, Kelly and Hannah, and two grandsons, with another on the way! Julie also enjoys horseback riding and other outdoor activities.
Bill Prudden Program Director Bill Prudden comes to TW with a combination of classroom and field teaching experiences. He taught for three years at an alternative high school in Prince George's County, Maryland, working with many disadvantaged and special-needs students, and also worked for three years writing and conducting environmental education field studies in national parks throughout the D.C. region. Bill earned his B.A. in history from Mount Saint Mary's University and his M.S. in Curriculum & Instruction from Hood College.
Gail Webber Program Specialist Gail grew up tramping the woods of northwestern New Jersey, turning over rocks to look for "critters." In her undergraduate work at Iowa State University she majored in zoology and minored in psychology, education and botany. She later did graduate work in the education of special needs children at Trinity/Catholic and also received an MS from Hood in biomedical technology. Gail taught secondary science at both the junior high and high school levels for 32 years, finishing with three years at an alternative school in Prince George's County. Summers off from school provided Gail the opportunity to work "short term" for NASA, NIH (Herpes research) and Beltsville Agriculture Research Station (Trichinella research). Gail has also worked as a veterinary assistant. In addition, she has taught adults in different capacities including science methods for Loyola's MEd program and PRAXIS biology preparation for teachers. She has also taught classes at Frederick Community College.