Katrina Tarpy
Founder & Executive Director
Growing up in Southeast Asia with five brothers, Katrina’s childhood was filled with adventure! After-school activities included expeditions into the rainforest, building hideouts, fishing, playing hide and seek, and observing animals in their natural habitats.
As a teenager, Katrina joined her parents and the Red Cross in humanitarian relief efforts in villages affected by natural disasters. Witnessing the resilience of children facing unimaginable hardship shaped Katrina’s future in child psychology and education.
After earning her Bachelor of Education in Indonesia, Katrina’s teaching career took her to Taiwan and then Washington state. She joined a private school in Bellevue as a Kindergarten teacher and was appointed Head of Campus shortly thereafter. During the pandemic, Katrina utilized her skills as a teacher and administrator to open learning pods in support of families awaiting a safe return to school.
Recognized for her leadership achievements in education, Katrina was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award at the national Education 2.0 Conference.
In addition to planning adventures, Katrina enjoys ballroom dancing, game nights with friends, road trips with her daughter, and a good game of hide-and-seek with their playful corgi.
Lorien Rowland
Program Director
Lorien grew up in Washington and spent as much time as possible outside with her sisters. They built tree forts, biked, created games to play with neighborhood kids, and went hiking and camping regularly in the Cascade Mountains.
As a part of her university experience, Lorien taught in Guatemala. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education and Spanish, she continued to volunteer with an educational non-profit, connecting American students with students in Guatemala. Lorien taught kindergarten for ten years, specializing in English as a Second Language and Spanish. She also worked in an administrative role as a curriculum coordinator, facilitating the hiring and training of teachers.
Lorien loves creating new adventures and experiences with her two young children, who keep her very busy. In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys yoga, tennis, biking, baking, and traveling.
Amy Knapp
Curriculum Consultant
Amy is proud to call Washington home. As a child, she could often be found with her friends playing soccer, biking, building forts, and playing make-believe with her American Girl dolls.
Amy was inspired to become an educator due to her beloved second-grade teacher. Her love for her students, gentle nature, and engaging lessons made Amy want to be just like her. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, Amy joined Teach for America, completing her Masters of Education while teaching in the Las Vegas Valley. Spending more than a decade teaching and developing curriculum, Amy had the utmost pleasure of having Katrina, Lorien, and Maple as colleagues. Amy recently returned to her hometown to teach preschool.
Amy spends her days with her husband and five-year-old son, often building with LEGOs or exploring Washington’s great outdoors. She enjoys any chance she can to see her friends and family!
Maple Jackson
Curriculum Consultant
As a child, Maple was fortunate to have many travel adventures with her family, from road trips around the West Coast to explorations in Hawaii, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
Maple has been a Montessori educator for over twenty years, working in schools in California and Tennessee before settling in Washington. She holds certifications for Elementary I and II Education, and is expanding her experience in the Early Childhood Education environment. In addition to her Montessori experience, Maple has also worked in bilingual Japanese/English classrooms, coordinated admissions for a local private school, developed curriculum for new elementary and kindergarten programs, and mentored new Montessori teachers.
In addition to working with children, Maple enjoys volunteering at various events in the Japanese-American community and taiko drumming.