CHARLOTTE — Four of the diocese’s Catholic schools are welcoming new leaders this school year: Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Ann schools in Charlotte, Sacred Heart School in Salisbury and Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville.
Erin Brinkley
Sacred Heart School, Salisbury
Brinkley, herself a 1996 graduate of Sacred Heart School, is a veteran teacher and administrator with over 17 years of experience. A member of Sacred Heart Church, she holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Arizona State University.
Her tenure includes 10 years in the Kannapolis City Schools, a stint as faith formation director for Sacred Heart Parish, and five years at Sacred Heart School, where she has taught kindergarten, third and fifth grades, and served as dean of students.
Besides teaching, she served on the school’s leadership team, where she facilitated school-wide initiatives such as the dedicated STEM Maker Space, “Cranium Cove,” and project-based learning opportunities in the school’s sensory garden and outdoor learning space. She was instrumental in integrating extra enrichment time into the middle school schedule through an innovative Flex Time program that allowed students to discover a passion in unique classes.
She and her husband Damon have three children, all of whom attend Sacred Heart School.
Michelle Kuhn
St. Ann School, Charlotte
A member of St. Matthew Church, Kuhn holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Belmont Abbey College and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Notre Dame.
During her time there, she was a member of the 12th cohort of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program for future Catholic school principals.
She has more than 15 years of experience as a teacher and administrator in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system, most recently serving as an assistant principal at St. Mark School in Huntersville. She is a graduate of the diocesan school system, and she is married to fellow Charlotte Catholic High School grad Jeremy Kuhn.
Two of the Kuhns’ four children are Charlotte Catholic graduates, and their daughter is in 10th grade there. Their son is in seventh grade at Holy Trinity Middle School.
Tyler Kulp
Our Lady of the Assumption School, Charlotte
Kulp brings more than 16 years of experience as a teacher, department chair and administrator. He began his school leadership career in the diocese in 2015, when he began serving as principal at Sacred Heart School. Prior to that, he worked in the Rowan-Salisbury School System.
He holds a Master of Science in school administration from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in school administration and middle grades math from Catawba College in Salisbury. He is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership. A certified master catechist, he is also an Apple
Teacher and a member of the Alliance for Catholic Education, National Catholic Educational Association and Institute for Catholic Liberal Education.
He and his wife Jessica have two children.
Dr. Jared Rashford
Bishop McGuinness High School, Kernersville
With roots in the Triad, incoming Head of School Rashford is a veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, department chair, administrator and independent education scholar.
He holds a doctorate in teaching and learning from Georgia State University, bachelor’s degrees in biology and Spanish from Duke University, and a master’s degree in education from Wake Forest University.
Rashford’s education career began in the Triad. While pursuing his master’s degree in education at Wake Forest University, he completed his student teaching at Mt. Tabor High School in Winston-Salem.
He has most recently served as associate headmaster at St. Louis Priory School in St. Louis, where he oversaw the school’s program of study as well as the offices of admissions, athletics, college counseling, communications and technology. He also has worked as a consultant in educational design, management and curriculum. Previously, he was a department chair and faculty member at an independent school in Pittsburgh, and he also worked as a public school teacher in Georgia.
Rashford his wife Amanda are returning to the Triad, where they began their family life together 22 years ago. The couple has five children.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Other principals
Margaret Beale, Immaculata School
Gary Callus, St. Leo School
Christopher Kloesz, St. Pius X School
Michael Miller, Asheville Catholic School
Kevin O’Herron, St. Matthew School
Kevin Parks, Holy Trinity Middle School
Sister Geri Rogers, S.S.J., Our Lady of Mercy School
Catherine Rusch, Our Lady of Grace School
Ryan Schnaith-Ivan, Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Dr. Carl Semmler, Christ the King High School
Michele Snoke, St. Gabriel School
Kurt Telford, Charlotte Catholic High School
Julie Thornley, St. Mark School
Amy Tobergte, St. Patrick School
Michelle Vollman, St. Michael School