Staff & Leadership

 

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STAFF/LEADERSHIP BIOS:

Sophia Key West (Lady Sophia): Volunteer Chief of Staff 

Sophia West serves as the Volunteer Chief of Staff for the Good Knight Network. She helps support the organization’s day-to-day operations, special projects, community programs, trainings, and the many people who contribute their time and talents to its mission.

Sophia brings decades of experience in education, community service, program development, healthcare, and nonprofit work. She especially enjoys creating welcoming spaces where people can connect, learn, contribute, and feel part of something meaningful.

Outside of Good Knight, Sophia is an author and educator who enjoys writing, travel, history, and spending time with family, friends, and her dogs.

Leah Robinson (Lady Leah), Board President

Leah Robinson’s educational background is in law and education. She has volunteered with the charity for 30 years. She has also worked in local non-profit organizations, taught in the Maryland public schools, and taught English language arts overseas in the Yuzyil Isil high school in Istanbul. She is a founding member
of the BatalaWashington percussion band and has played with them since 2007.

Her responsibilities in the charity have varied from being a United Way liaison, grantwriter, media outreach coordinator, program presenter and camp counselor.

Amy Marotz, (Lady Amy), Board Vice President

Amy is the founder and director of Awakening Spirit School in Stillwater, MN. The school helps highly sensitive students to reawaken their love of learning in just three months. In its seventh year of operation, Amy’s microschool expanded to a farm space in fall 2020 to offer students more opportunities for self-directed, experiential, outdoor learning. In 2019 she visited the Good Knight Castle as part of a Microschool Builders Gathering for school owners. She has returned to Beltsville with her students, staff and parents for summer camp ever since.

Amy graduated with honors from St. Olaf College in 2002 with a double major in English and Studio Art and obtained a teaching certification and a Masters of Education from Bethel University in 2004.  Her formative teaching years were spent instructing 5th-8th grade English at Minneapolis Academy (a college prep school for predominantly low income families) for three years. During these summers she taught Art for K-5th grades with the St. Paul Academy summer art program.

Maria Casio (Lady Mary), Board Treasurer

Maria Cascio is a native Italian who immigrated to the US as a young child.  She is the among the first generation in her family to earn a college degree and graduated from New York University with a degree in Politics and minor in French. She began her career as a paralegal, working for several prestigious law firms serving multinational clients in various areas of practice to include litigation, environmental law, and corporate finance. She then worked for Micrografix and Corel Corporation, assisting the technical graphics and sales/marketing teams with CAD software expansion.  

She began working with the network as a volunteer in her early twenties, supporting any and all youth on and off-site programs. She served as a program presenter for the Network’s safety programs and magic shows for children and has assisted with program development, grant writing/administration and community outreach, speaking before various groups to expand programs and locate fundraising opportunities. She has served as Chairwoman of the organization for over twenty years and has provided administration and management of budgetary decisions; development of efficient office systems; management of summer programs and on site project support.

After years of paralegal work and technical graphics sales and marketing, she decided to remain at home, working part-time while raising her two children.  She is currently an office manager and business director of a health and wellness clinic.  She also serves as President of the Power Hawks Robotics Club, another non-profit, which focuses on expansion of FIRST robotics principles and STEM ideals. She also serves as the registration administrator for the Crofton Athletic Council, which provides recreational sports opportunities (ranging from basketball to volleyball and lacrosse), to several thousand youth in her community.  She is passionate about all projects related to youth empowerment, awareness and character development.  

Mara Linaberger, (Lady Tec), Educational Consultant

Dr. Mara Linaberger believes that each of us has chosen to be here at this moment in time for a specific reason – that we are each on a mission that we chose for ourselves. And that figuring out what we love, what we’re good at, and how we can be of service, is the engine we need to fuel a lifetime of joyful learning. Mara also believes that school often slows down or stifles that excitement for students. So she is on a mission to create a global network of 100 micro-schools in the next 20 years – to harness education toward helping amazing children to develop their highest potentials, while making learning fun again!

Mara is a life-long educator, author, technologist, artist, ballroom dancer and musician, having spent 25 years in service as a public school educator, teacher trainer, and administrator. Completing a doctorate in Instructional Technology, she went on to earn a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility in Pennsylvania. Launching “Mindful Technology Consultants” in 2013, she continues to train teachers at the masters level on the use of digital portfolios as alternative assessments, and on bringing mindfulness practices into the classroom.

Mara is the  author of HELP! My Child Hates School and The Micro-School Builder’s Handbook. Mara currently lives in Harmony, PA with her husband Michael, while she travels far and wide, directly supporting clients in her global Microschool Builders programs. Mara has been offering education and technology supports to GKCEN since the spring of 2017.

Jane DeVane (Lady Jayne),  Director

Ms. DeVane has been a volunteer with the Network since 2001. She co-ordinates all volunteer activity at the Good Knight Museum and oversees the planting and maintenance of the gardens, labyrinth and waterfalls. She is a senior program presenter, accomplished magician and actress.

Thirty years of experience in health-related fields combined with traveling has gifted her interaction with people from all walks of life, backgrounds, and cultures.  Now a grandmother, her career span has included Integrative/Functional Medicine approaches to nutritional management of chronic/acute conditions, in/out patient diabetes management, clinics/private practice counseling, program development, college Adjunct Professor of Nutrition, and corporate health promotion. Earlier careers included Secondary Level teaching, real estate sales, performer/dance troupes. *Doctor of Naturopathy*ADA Registered Dietitian*MS in Exercise Physiology* Diabetes Educator*Holy Fire III Karuna Reiki Master/Cranial Sacral Practitioner*Certified Yoga Instructor.

"For me, the Gift of Life means caring for body, mind, soul and spirit; being a Good Knight volunteer has added another key

Sarah Tyler (Lady Sarah),  Director

Lynne Zink (Lady Lynne),  Director

Michaela West, (Princess Michaela), Student Representative

Michaela West has been volunteering alongside her parents at the Good Knight Castle from the day she was born. She is a recent   Elizabeth Seton High School graduate and will be attending Mt. Saint Mary's College in Maryland.

Michaela has delivered supplies to the homeless and needy in one way or another since she was three years old. When her 3^rd grade class took over a Christmas Eve Box tradition she decided to found Bundles of Love Club which delivers survival supplies to people living on the street. The club went from 8 members in the first year to 44 members in 2020. Michaela has served as President on the board for two years as well. Bundles of Love now has 15 national chapters and 3 international chapters.

Michaela has been a member of the National Junior Honor Society since 2017, serving as the secretary for two years. She recently was awarded the National Junior Honor Society's Outstanding Achievement Scholarship.

Her school-related activities included: the Lego Robotics Club, Yearbook, Concert band (clarinet and Bass clarinet), Safety Patrol, Drama Club, Green Club, and Chorus.

Her afterschool interests included: gymnastics, swimming, dance, basketball, track, and horseback riding. She has also played soccer with a club-level travel team for the past five years.