Staff

Diane Spear – Founder and Head of School

Diane grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Slavic Studies. She worked as a legislative assistant and then attended Baylor School of Law. She came to Kinston to work in the Perry Law Office. While there she met and married Kinston native, Gram Spear, with whom she has been blessed to raise 4 children over the past 25 years. Gram and Diane were founding members of Grace Fellowship Church and continue to be active in serving their church and their beloved Kinston to elevate the welfare of this community. Diane developed a passion for Christ-centered classical education and brought Classical Conversations to eastern North Carolina. In addition to homeschooling her own children classically, Diane taught Latin and Bible at Christ Covenant School of Winterville, NC, and loves working with students and parents in Christian community to help children realize their remarkable potential as image-bearers of God.

Sara Golden – Integrator

Sara Golden holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with concentrations in English and Counseling. She spent eight years teaching four-year-old preschool while her children were young, and later dedicated several years to classically educating her own children at home. Sara and her husband are the proud parents of four children, two of whom were adopted through foster care. As licensed foster parents, they have been deeply committed to bridging socioeconomic divides and serving under-resourced families in their community of Kinston. Though not originally from Kinston, Sara has called it home since 2010 and has worked in Kinston since 2005. She was an integral part of the launch team when Hope Preparatory opened its doors in 2019. Sara served on Hope’s Board of Directors from 2019-2022 before becoming employed at Hope as an Administrative Assistant for two years, and then moving to the role of Integrator in Fall of 2024.

Meagan Kurtz – Admissions Director/Donor Care

 Meagan is a native of northern West Virginia. She married her amazing husband in 2013. Her husband is in the United States Air Force and together they have moved 4 times (from coast to coast) before finally landing here in Kinston. Meagan and her husband have 2 precious, smart, and kind children. Meagan had originally applied to nursing school before marrying her husband, but she later realized that it was education and children that really held her heart. She is currently working on obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In her spare time, she likes to bake and play with her children.

Andrew Worthington – Physical Education Teacher, Coach, Facility Manager

Sue Ellen Maddux – Finance Director

Joy Perez – Kindergarten Teacher

Joy Perez was born in Kinston and moved all over Eastern North Carolina with her large family of seven. Her heart for children began at an early age, and as she began searching for God’s calling on her life, she traveled on three mission trips to serve in a Honduran orphanage. It wasn’t until she started a family of her own that Joy found her calling to teach! She served her local Classical Conversations homeschool community for nine years in various capacities. Joy is now pursuing a different avenue of education, as God has directed her to serve at Hope Preparatory School. She and her husband of 17 years, Jose, serve faithfully in their local church, Immanuel Baptist, leading worship, opening their homes for small group Bible studies, and being available to serve as the Father leads. In her spare time, Joy enjoys beach days with her two girls, playing with her dog Peanut, cooking, and hanging out with her friends and family.

Arglistra Hinds – Kindergarten Teacher

 Arglistra is a dedicated and passionate kindergarten teacher with over sixteen years of experience. She currently lives in New Bern, NC with her husband and two children. She and her husband, David, are the proud parents of Cheyenne and Xavier. Arglistra attended Craven Community College before transferring to Liberty University. She and her family attend Latitude Church in New Bern. Her passion is to make learning fun and to nurture young minds, helping them reach their full potential. Her hobbies include teaching, baking, and making floral arrangements. She is so excited to be at Hope this year. At Hope Preparatory, kindergarteners receive a well-rounded educational experience through classical education, which allows children to apply critical thinking skills, enhance vocabulary, and engage in discussions.

Crystal Kennedy – 

Erica Monroe – 

Erica Monroe is a compassionate First Grade Teacher at Hope Preparatory School. She devotes herself to help students acquire knowledge, competencies and values. Mrs Monroe is currently a student at Liberty University. As a loving wife and mother, being an instructor brings her so much joy. As a former teacher’s assistant, she is drawn to the growth and development for each individual student. Erica is passionate about her relationship with Jesus Christ, her family and singing.

Elizabeth Mayo – 

 Elizabeth Mayo was born and raised in Greenville, NC, where she attended both Catholic (first through sixth) and public (seventh through twelfth) schools. She became a Christian by accepting Jesus into her life as a teenager. She graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Elementary Education (K-6) with a specialization in reading. She has resided in Kinston for 26 years and has four adult children and three grandchildren. She is eager to be teaching at Hope Preparatory School. She anticipates this will be a positive change and finds the prospect of teaching in a Christian environment particularly refreshing. Elizabeth is also excited to embrace and develop a classical style of teaching. She has taught a total of 26 years. Teaching is truly her passion as she loves educating young minds and watching them grow. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, going on long walks, and listening to gospel music.

Lashawn Robertson – 

 One of LaShawn’s favorite Bible verses is Proverbs 22:6 “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” LaShawn is excited to join Hope Preparatory School. She brings 18+ years of experience as a school counselor, and she looks forward to this new chapter of growth and learning while using a Christ-centered, classical approach to education. She has a deep love and appreciation for Christ who is the head of her life and family. In her spare time, she enjoys creating cherished memories with her loved ones.

James Stainback – 3rd Grade Teacher

 James is married to a wonderful lady named Kay. They have three precious children. James joined the Hope Preparatory family in the fall of 2024. He enjoyed teaching humanities and language arts to the third and fourth graders his first year, and he is now embracing teaching all of the subjects to third graders. He truly loves it. He feels and sees the presence of God here at Hope every single day. The students are a true blessing to him. He knows that they are impacting our lives just as much as we are impacting theirs. There are two things that make this school special to him. The first thing is that it is truly Christ-centered. The staff prays for the entire school daily. Secondly, Hope is beautifully diverse just like his own family. James recognizes that Hope welcomes everyone to its school family. James has a B.A. in History with a minor in Education from NCCU. He was a youth pastor for many years and led various mission trips to Mississippi (for Hurricane Katrina relief), Costa Rica (to help build houses for battered women and children), and Thailand (to help start a Methodist Church). He is currently a member of First Baptist Church in Goldsboro and genuinely looks forward to continuing to serve the children at Hope.

Breanna Hathaway –

Breanna Hathaway grew up in Beaufort County but moved to Greene County five years ago. For the past three years, she has worked as a Behavioral Therapist for children with special needs. During that time, her heart grew for God’s children and the unique way He designed each of them with their own qualities and characteristics. Her passion is helping children learn and grow according to their God-given design. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her Labrador Retriever, friends, and family.  She appreciates the simplicities of life. Ms Hathaway has lovingly been nicknamed, “Miss Honey.”

Callie Thorpe –

 Callie is thrilled to be joining the Hope Preparatory staff as a 4th grade teacher. Originally from South Alabama, she earned her bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in philosophy and religion from Troy University. Over the past several years, the Lord has cultivated in her a deep passion for making quality education accessible to all. She was genuinely moved when she discovered Hope Preparatory and the beautiful mission that the school is built upon. Callie is eager and excited to help cultivate in students an earnest desire for wisdom, learning, goodness, and truth. She considers it an honor to now get to play a part in advancing that mission!

Lydia Neeley –

 Lydia is excited to have joined the Hope Preparatory family! She graduated from Houghton University with a degree in math and adolescent education, and she is passionate about creating a loving, Christ-centered classroom where students can grow academically and spiritually. She believes learning should be fun, so she strives to make each lesson engaging and meaningful. Outside of the classroom, she loves thrifting, traveling, reading, and playing sports. She loves the idea of connecting with students and families and being a part of the Hope Preparatory community.

Debbie Golden – Middle School Teacher

Debbie has a Doctorate of Ministry in Christian Counseling and she is a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Counselor. She is a Prayer Team Member at Open Door Church in Winterville and a member of the Christian Motorcycle Association. She is married to Dr. Jerry Golden and they have three grown sons and 9 grandchildren.

Dominic Lipari – Third and Fourth Grade Math and Science Teacher

 Dominic’s interest in math originally led him to pursue an engineering degree at UC Berkeley, where he would often tutor friends in their math and science classes. After four years of school and a year working as an engineer, he came to two conclusions that led to a career change: 1) he enjoyed the math on its own more than its applications to engineering, and 2) he loved helping others find delight in discovering the beauty and order in math. Dominic taught high school math in Oakland for 10 years and hosted weekly math clubs to help students build their problem solving skills. He then worked at The Art of Problem Solving, teaching math enrichment classes to students interested in competition math, before moving to Kinston a year ago to work at Hope. He loves asking the right questions to help students solidify their conceptual understanding of the material, and making up problems that stretch students’ ability to apply new ideas. Most of all he loves the fun of doing math collaboratively, trading solution paths and building on one another’s ideas. When not teaching and doing math, Dominic can be found playing with his five children, exercising, practicing his guitar, or expanding his extensive music library.

Jacob Valliere – Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Grade Language Arts Teacher

 Jacob Valliere is originally from Ashburn, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. He graduated from Liberty University in 2021, and he has lived in Kinston for the past three years. He began teaching at Hope Prep in 2024. Since 2022, he has served as a Young Life leader at Arendell Parrott Academy, and has co-led a house church ministry as part of Grace Fellowship Church. In his free time, Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife, Claire, and their golden retriever, Shep, and supporting his hometown teams, the Washington Commanders, Capitals, and Nationals.

Kelly Taylor – Third Grade Teacher

Kelly Taylor, a native of Eastern North Carolina, has degrees in psychology and religion from North Carolina Wesleyan College. Kelly is currently in the trenches of graduate school at Belmont Abbey College. She homeschools her three kids (17, 14, 14) with Classical Conversations and is well-researched in classical pedagogy. She spent ten years as children’s ministry director at Grace Fellowship Church. Kelly loves to empower students to enjoy learning about God through the study of His creation.

Debbie Johnson – First Grade Assistant

Debbie is originally from Chicago, IL, but she has lived in Kinston for over 40 years with her husband Stuart and their four daughters. She is retired from her Nurse Practitioner position, serving our community for 25 years. Last year, she served as a substitute teacher with Lenoir County Public Schools, where a love for teaching blossomed. In her spare time, she loves to spend time with family, serve her church, and lead and mentor a middle and high school choir. She has a passion for our youth to learn, to grow, and to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ellen Tilghman – Instructional Coach

Ellen Tilghman is a native of Johnston County, NC. She was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Elementary Education, as well as an add-on license in Gifted and Talented Education (K–12). She served in Greene County Public Schools for 12 years before following a call to serve closer to home.

Ellen is the proud wife of Justin Tilghman and the mother of two precious boys. Together, she and her husband also serve on staff at Grace Fellowship Church in Kinston. She has a deep passion for helping children grow in Christ and for guiding them to thrive through effective, engaging instruction in the classroom.

Lizzy Peterson – Director of Student Life and Behavior Interventionist

 Lizzy is a native of Greene County. She attended the University of Mt. Olive where she double majored in Human Services Counseling and Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice. After working as a case manager for at-risk youth and individuals with disabilities, she obtained a Master of Arts in Teaching from East Carolina University. She is married to the greatest man on earth and together they have three amazing children. Her goldendoodle, Ramen, keeps her on her toes and in happy spirits. Lizzy loves traveling and is attempting to reach her goal of visiting all of the US National Parks. Hope Preparatory’s mission is very dear to her heart.

Joi Lemon – Kindergarten Assistant

Additional Staff and Faculty

Jeannette King – Tutor

Rachel Maw – Music

Rachel grew up in Northern Virginia before moving to Greenville to attend East Carolina University. She met her husband Chris through a campus ministry, and they married in 2013. Rachel received a Bachelor of Music in K-12 Music Education from ECU, and taught music for several years in Pitt County before having her first child. She then began teaching music at Hope Prep in its launch year, and has been blessed by the staff, students, and parents since the very beginning. Rachel is passionate about teaching students about the truth, goodness, and beauty of God through the gift of music. Rachel and Chris have three precious children and are active members of Integrity Church in Winterville.

Laura Powell –

 Laura graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Early Childhood Education. She taught kindergarten at Bethel Christian Academy for three years right after she and Bill were married. Laura also taught in the Pitt and Lenoir County Public Schools for 25 years as a kindergarten teacher and reading interventionist. She worked at Lenoir County Mental Health as an infant specialist for 3 years. Laura and Bill have 2 grown children, Gray and Catherine, and 4 granddaughters who bring great joy to their lives. Music and art have always been her passion and her love languages. She has sung in her church choir since she was a child and has also had the privilege to sing in choruses and Messiah concerts several times. Laura loves singing with children and creating art with them, and she is so thankful to have the opportunity to teach art and music to the kindergarten and first graders at Hope Preparatory. They are such a blessing to her, and she loves them.

Carrie Hines – PE & Leadership

Debbie Jones – Gardening/Horticulture