As the ACE program grows and expands its service to Catholic education, new staff and faculty members bring their experience and expertise to Notre Dame campus. This summer, we say goodbye to Matt Kloser (ACE 9) and Thomas Bambrick (ACE 10) and thank them for their commitment to the program. Matt will be pursuing a PhD in Educational Psychology at Stanford, while Thomas will be moving to Chicago to teach at Cristo Rey High School. Both have committed themselves to the program for two or more years, and in their absence we are welcoming new staff members to continue the good work they have done.
Anthony Holter (ACE 7)
Anthony is a native of Red Wing, MN and attended St. Mary’s College in Winona. As a member of the ACE 7 cohort, he taught 7th grade science, religion, and English at Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Following his two years of service, Anthony began his PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and will be graduating this August.
Over the past 5 years he has been working with Dr. Robert Enright on a number of educational programs for children in urban and impoverished communities in the United States and abroad. The focus of these educational initiatives - and his research - has been the impact of interpersonal forgiveness on the cognitive, affective, behavioral, interpersonal, and academic expressions/experiences of elementary school children.
Anthony will be a post-doctoral research fellow with the Institute for Educational Initiatives and his primary responsibilities will be 1) Working in the ACE Leadership program with Jim Frabutt to co-teach the research methods course 2) Working in the Center for Ethical Education with Darcia Narvaez to finalize a series of character education materials for schools and teachers and 3) Working with the CEE and Magnificat schools to incorporate character education and after-school leadership programs into the life of the school.
When reflecting on his new position with ACE, Holter writes, “I believe that the opportunity to return to Notre Dame has been quite providential. As I was preparing to enter the job market, and making lists (which I often do) of ideal contexts, conditions, resources, and people I realized that all of these categories were exceedingly fulfilled at Notre Dame. I am excited by the institutional commitment made by the University, and uniquely enacted through ACE and IEI initiatives, to take seriously the needs of Catholic schools, and to take equally seriously our obligation to ensure that these needs are met. I look forward to learning much, and adding what I can to the important work of creating a field of Catholic education, and strengthening Catholic schools.” Anthony, his wife, Caroline Loftus Holter (ACE 7) and their new daughter will be joining the ACE community at Notre Dame in July.
Brian Green (ACE 6)
Brian, his wife Melissa (ACE 5, ALP 1)
and their two daughters will be joining us this summer as Brian becomes the newest member of
the ACE Fellowship staff in the position of Senior Associate Director.
Brian will be working on program development in addition to other
Fellowship activities.
Originally from Mankato, MN, Brian
graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Theology degree and
was accepted into ACE 6 to teach middle school religion and social
studies at St. Jude in Montgomery, Alabama. Upon graduation, he
pursued even further service as part of the first group of ACErs to
teach in Chile at St. George's College. There, he taught English to 8th
graders and helped coach the ski team
When asked what brought
he and his family back to ACE Brian responds, “Our decision to return
to Notre Dame was an easy one. We believe ACE is one of the few bright
spots in Catholic Higher Education and we want to be a part of it. It
is again an opportunity to grow professionally and personally,
continuing my own faith formation. In our discernment as a
couple/family our vocation continues to bring us into service of
Catholic Education. Also, joining ACE means that we will be able to
raise our family around the most amazing group of people, I
believe, in the world. I was constantly in awe of my classmates and to
have the opportunity to raise our children around such a wonderful
group of people is a huge blessing.” We are very excited to have Brian
join the ACE Fellowship team this July.
Chuck Lamphier (ACE 10)
Chuck was sent to Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, TX and after two years as an American Government teacher, he remained at St. Joe as the Director of Campus Ministry. Now back in South Bend, Chuck will be working to build the ACE Consulting Initiative, which will provide under-resourced Catholic schools with management guidance and support. When asked about his decision to return to South Bend, Chuck replied, “Both the prospect of building this exciting initiative, and the opportunity to be closer to my family in Chicago brought me back to Notre Dame.” Chuck has hit the ground running and we are so glad he has brought his talent to the ACE program.
Sarah Popek (ACE 12)
After teaching middle school math and science for two years at St. Anthony Catholic School in Brownsville, TX, Sarah decided to make the move back to the Midwest and join the ACE staff as Assistant Director for Academics. In this role, Sarah will work with Dr. Tom Doyle (Doc) to help support and train mentors and principal from ACE dioceses, research best practices in curriculum and instruction, develop curriculum for the local Catholic summer school programs and continue work in already existing academic initiatives. In addition to her academic work, Sarah will also be serving a few of the ACE communities as a pastoral administrator.
As a native of the Chicago area, and an undergraduate of Notre Dame, Sarah has returned home and is excited to join ACE staff in service to Catholic schools. She writes, “It is an invaluable opportunity to participate administratively in the transformation of Catholic education in the U.S. I am privileged to do so among a vibrant community of committed educators.”
Emmeline Schoen (ACE 10)
After her graduation from Notre Dame in 2003, Emmeline joined the ACE program and moved down to Tucson, Arizona where she served as a 4th grade teacher at San Xavier Mission School. Following her two years in ACE, she moved to Charlotte and taught religion at Charlotte Catholic High School.
Being a native of Ohio, Emmeline has returned to the Midwest and is the current Assistant Director of the ACE Leadership Program. When asked about her move back to Notre Dame, Emmeline responded, “I chose to work for ACE because, though I am no longer in the classroom, I care about the mission of Catholic education. It's a unique privilege and honor to work for something that matters to me personally, to the Church, and to neighborhoods and communities across the country.” Emmeline’s positive energy and beautiful singing voice are just two factors of the many she brings to her new position.
Liz Stowe (ACE 12)
Originally from Rhode Island, and an undergraduate at Boston College, was placed in Biloxi, MS, where she taught second grade. She began her service at St. Peter the Apostle School, in Pascagoula, but after Hurricane Katrina she was moved to Resurrection Catholic Elementary School. As an ACE teacher, Liz had the opportunity to prep the kids for First Communion and Confirmation. She taught the classes with
Tony Hollowell (ACE 11) and coached Resurrection High School's Varsity and JV Boys and Girls Tennis Teams. In addition to all of these activities, Liz also taught dance at a local studio down in Pascagoula, and following Katrina, she was able to organize service trips from BC that brought over 100 undergrads to the area to help the community. Liz found her time in ACE to be an amazing experience and she was able to form close relationships with the greater community in Pascagoula.
Liz joins the ACE office to serve as Assistant Director on the Pastoral Staff. She will be responsible for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Plaquemine, Jackson, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Kansas City. In addition to her many trips to the South, Liz will also be working on off-campus recruiting.
When speaking about her new position with ACE, Liz says, “I am really excited to be working for ACE. I believe in ACE's mission and have a passion for sustaining and strengthening Catholic schools. I had an extraordinary ACE experience and I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to the program.”