Carroll Lutheran School is guided by a Board of Trustees that provides for the efficient management and operation of the school so that it may fulfill its mission to the community. The Board generally includes 12 members from throughout the central Maryland community, each of whom serves a 3-year term. The Board meets monthly and holds committee or additional meetings as needed to provide for the needs of the school and support its administration. Contact the CLS Board.

Bachelors Program for Business Administration – Western Maryland College

Mr. Dean joins our Board of Trustees with his expertise as an entrepreneur and business owner in the Carroll County community for nearly 25 years. He brings experience in the startup, growth, development, and exit of multiple companies in various technology markets, as well as several firms in related industries. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the ARC of Carroll County. He enjoys baseball, football, coaching youth sports, and spending an afternoon riding motorcycles. He grew up in a rural environment and describes himself as a farmer at heart, despite his career choice being quite the opposite. He attends St. John’s Lutheran Church in Westminster.

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

B.F.A. in Fine Art – the University of Wisconsin, Madison
M.F.A. in Visual Communication – Northern Illinois University
Maryland Teaching Certification

Ms. Pollasch joins our Board of Trustees with experience in education and business. She has spent the last 15 years teaching middle school and high school art. Most of this time has been at Gerstell Academy in Finksburg, Maryland. She also serves the school as the Chair of the Visual Arts Department and chairs a number of committees and honor societies. Prior to being a teacher, Ms. Pollasch owned and operated a small business for 23 years. She enjoys a close relationship with her daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Ms. Pollasch has been an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, in Westminster, for 9 years and currently chairs the Christian Education Committee. In her free time, she enjoys creating art, reading, history, movies, and time with family and friends.

Grace Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

B.S. History – UMBC
M.S. Secondary Education – Western Maryland College

Mr. Findeisen has taught social studies at Francis Scott Key (1994-2009) and Manchester Valley high schools (2009-present) for the past 26 years. He has coached high school Track and Field for those same 26 years. More recently, Mr. Findeisen has been an adjunct professor in the Education Department at McDaniel College for the last 11 years. Mr. Findeisen lives in Westminster with his wife Robin and daughters Emma & Lara and they attend St John’s Lutheran where he teaches Sunday school. He is a fan of Ravens football, Manchester City football, Terps basketball, and whoever is beating the Yankees.

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

B.A. in History – Western Maryland College
B.A. in Political Science – Western Maryland College
Masters in Divinity – Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary

Rev. Virgil Cain is a lifelong resident of Carroll County and is the Pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Smithsburg. Maryland. He was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in 2010, the same year he graduated from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg with a Masters in Divinity. Prior to entering the ministry, he worked in the legal field and insurance industry in Baltimore. Virgil earned two degrees as an undergraduate, a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Political Science from Western Maryland College in 1996. He joined the Board of CLS in 2017. He is married to Elaine and they have two children, Abby and Buddy, who are enrolled as students at CLS. He is an avid genealogist, historian, and collector of antiques. He enjoys gardening and raising chickens with his family.

Trinity Evangelical Church, Smithsburg MD

B.A. in Religion, Minor in Parish Education – Thiel College
M.A.M.S. – Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg

Rev. Helfer joins our Board of Trustees with her experience as a Pastor, Youth and Family Minister, and Preschool Teacher and Director. For 10 years, she served as the Director of Music and Youth and Family Ministries at Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Westminster. She then served as the Youth and Family Minister at Trinity Lutheran Church in Westminster, where she now serves as Pastor. Rev. Helfer has served as a Teacher and Director of Trinity Christian Learning Program as well as a Teacher at Little Friends of Grace. She also serves as a member of the Communications Team for the Delaware-Maryland Synod. She is married to Don and they have 2 children, ages 16 and 13. She enjoys music, reading, and crocheting.

Trinity Lutheran Church Deerpark, Westminster MD

B.S. in Elementary Education – Mount St. Mary’s University
M.A. in Administration and Supervision – Hood College
Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations – Notre Dame of Maryland University

Dr. Stacey Brown-Hobbs is the Director of Teacher Education at Mount St. Mary’s University. Prior to working at the Mount, Dr. Brown-Hobbs was a classroom teacher in Frederick County Public Schools where she taught in Title I, Magnet G & T, and general education classrooms. As a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Thurmont, Dr. Brown-Hobbs has had experience working with their preschool for over 30 years. She looks forward to working with a Lutheran school at the K-8 level. In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Teacher Education, Dr. Brown-Hobbs has worked with two colleagues on strategic planning and has led such efforts with numerous Catholic schools in the mid-Atlantic region. She lives in Thurmont with her husband Michael. They have a son Eric, his wife ShaLeigh, and a daughter Emily. Of course fur babies Harley, Ava, and Shiro cannot be omitted!

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Thurmont MD

B.A. in Linguistics – Syracuse University 1972
M. Div. – Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg PA 1980

Rev. Marshall, associate chaplain at Carroll Lutheran Village, joins our Board of Trustees as one who was part of the formation of CLS back in the 1990’s while pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Harney MD and Mt. Joy Lutheran Church, Gettysburg PA. He brings 40+ years of experience in parish ministry, 16 of which were spent here in the Westminster Conference. He retired from parish ministry in September 2021, immediately accepted his current position at the Village, and volunteered to serve on the board at CLS. He enjoys leading the Wednesday Chapel service at CLS from time to time. He is a recent widower with two adult daughters (York PA & New York City). This spring he will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his college graduation. He recently joined St. Benjamin’s Lutheran Church in Westminster, and enjoys being a regular church member after all those years as a pastor.

St. Benjamin’s Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

BBA in Finance – Loyola College

Alex is passionate about helping others achieve clarity and balance in their financial lives. He is a founding partner and Managing Director at Kairos Wealth Advisors of Raymond James in Westminster, MD. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®, Alex has been recognized four times as one of On Wall Street’s Top 25 Regional Advisors Under 40. Three times, he has been named by Forbes as a Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisor. Alex is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Loyola College. In addition to serving at CLS, Alex is a Trustee at Carroll Hospital Foundation. He previously served several terms as Church Council President at Mount Union Lutheran Church and on the Board of Carroll County Youth Service Bureau. Alex and his wife Cindy have three children—Charlie, Lydia, and Evelynn. Charlie and Lydia have each benefitted immensely as CLS students, and are excited to welcome Evelynn to CLS when she comes of age. Alex’s personal interests include physical fitness, Christian apologetics, and acoustic guitar.

Mount Union Lutheran Church, Taneytown MD

BS Education – Concordia Teachers College (Now Concordia University) Seward, Nebraska

MS Education – Syracuse University

Mr. Kulow taught in Lutheran Parochial Schools in PA and NYC. He moved to Carroll County after receiving his Master’s Degree in 1973. He was School Counselor at North Carroll Middle School, East Middle School, Carrolltowne Elementary School, Westminster Elementary School, and Eldersburg Elementary School. He has also served as an organist at several area churches and currently is an organist and administrative assistant at Trinity Lutheran Church, Westminster. He has three daughters and three grandchildren, the center of his life! He enjoys “fixing” things including home repairs, home remodeling, and also gardening.

Trinity Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

Mrs. Resch has worked in the Marketing/Advertising field for over 34 years. She recently celebrated her 23rd anniversary at MGH Advertising in the finance department. She is a member of St. Benjamin’s Lutheran Church and previously served at her prior church for over 19 years on the Council for two terms, teaching Sunday school, participating in many youth activities such as RoadTrip, Work Camp Mission Trips, and two ELCA Gatherings. She has been married to Brian for 36 years and they have one son, Matt. She enjoys Ravens football, gardening, scrapbooking, photography, and fostering hospice animals.

St. Benjamin’s Lutheran Church, Westminster MD

B.A. in Human Resources – the University of Delaware

Mrs. Louque joins our Board of Trustees as a stay at home mom. She has 2 children ages 16 and 18 who attended CLS for many years. During her time as a parent at CLS, she was VP and President of the Family Partnership Program for several years, volunteered several days a week in the classroom and office, and headed up multiple fundraisers for the school. Mrs. Louque and her husband Greg are members of Westminster United Methodist Church. In her spare time, she enjoys watching her daughter play travel basketball, spending time with her kids and dogs at home, and relaxing by the pool in the summer.

Westminster United Methodist, Westminster MD

B.A. In Human Studies and Elementary Education – St. Mary’s College of Md.
Special Education Certification, Reading Teacher Certification, Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner
Masters Program in Reading/Special Education and
Advanced Professional Certificate – Hood College and University of Phoenix

Mrs. Gilbart joined the CLS staff in 2009. Her previous experience includes teaching first grade in Frederick County Public Schools and being the mentor teacher for student teachers at Hood College. At CLS, Mrs. Gilbart served as the Special Education Resource Teacher and the Assistant Principal for Academics before stepping into the role of Principal. Mrs. Gilbart partners with parents who are navigating the special education process, and is responsible for the implementation of IEP’s and 504 Plans. She provides Wilson reading intervention services and coordinates Fundations instruction. Mrs. Gilbart believes that well-chosen curricula paired with outstanding instruction is the key to an excellent education for students at CLS. She works with each teacher to be certain that every child’s unique needs are met. Mrs. Gilbart and her husband have two daughters who have benefited from the rigorous academic program, enrichment opportunities, and faith-based learning at CLS.

Grace Lutheran Church, Westminster MD