Staff and Board
Meet the Staff of Ambleside Schools International.
Staff and Board
Meet the Staff of Ambleside Schools International.
Let us never lose sight of our aims. Work together, let each one labor to produce a human being at his very best, and what a difference those children will make to the world in the future. It is impossible to put limits to the power and influence of even one good man or woman, so that any one of you, by laying herself aside utterly for a single child, may bless the world in unimaginable ways.
— CHARLOTTE M. MASON —
Let us never lose sight of our aims. Work together, let each one labor to produce a human being at his very best, and what a difference those children will make to the world in the future. It is impossible to put limits to the power and influence of even one good man or woman, so that any one of you, by laying herself aside utterly for a single child, may bless the world in unimaginable ways.
CHARLOTTE M. MASON
About Ambleside Schools International
Dean Peterson
Executive Director
The animating vision of Dean Peterson’s career has been mentoring others and utilizing his leadership and strategic skills to advance mission-driven causes. A long-time veteran of Capitol Hill and the nonprofit world, Dean served as Chief of Staff for three different Members of Congress and headed up the communications and advocacy efforts at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a nationwide addiction treatment provider, among other professional roles.
With the encouragement of the Ambleside Schools International Board, Founders Maryellen and Bill St. Cyr had prayed for years that the Lord would raise up an operational and strategic leader to enable them to transition into roles that emphasize writing, speaking, and mentoring. That prayer was answered in 2020 when Dean joined the organization to take it and its commitment to an Ambleside Education model to the next level.
Dean has a proven track record of success building and improving organizational operations. He is also a servant leader who believes deeply that the essence of our spiritual life is a close relationship with a personal God who is intimately interested in all aspects of our lives, especially our suffering. Dean and his wife of 30 years, Lyle, live in Falls Church, Virginia. They have three grown children in their twenties, and their youngest child is in college.
Maryellen St. Cyr
Founder,
Director of Curriculum,
Member, Board of Directors
By 1989, dissatisfied with the state of contemporary Christian education, Maryellen began to search for a philosophically and pedagogically consistent method of Christian education. She found just such a method in the writings of British educator, Charlotte Mason. Maryellen has since become one of the country’s leading experts on Charlotte Mason’s pedagogy and was a primary author of the book, When Children Love to Learn.
In 2000, Maryellen founded Ambleside School of Fredericksburg, Texas, providing children with a Charlotte Mason education and serving as a center for training interested educators from around the world. In response to growing requests for help in establishing Ambleside Schools, in 2005, Maryellen co-founded Ambleside Schools International.
Over the last two decades, Maryellen has mentored and trained hundreds of principals and teachers in Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education and pedagogical methods. Maryellen is co-founder and currently serves as Director of Curriculum for Ambleside Schools International.
Maryellen St. Cyr has been a professional educator for more than 40 years, holding a M.Ed. in Curriculum Development.
Bill St. Cyr
Founder,
Director of Training,
Member, Board of Directors
The unifying mission of Bill St. Cyr’s academic, professional, and personal life has been the nurture of persons towards intellectual, psychological and spiritual maturity. He holds a B.A. in political philosophy from Louisiana State University, a M.A. in theology from Catholic University of America, and a M.S./Ph.D. in pastoral counseling from Loyola University Maryland.
Bill has served as a youth minister, led a discipleship ministry on Capitol Hill, served as assistant to the chaplain of the United States Senate, and spent thousands of hours as a professional counselor supporting committed believers whose lives have been something less than love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness.
In 2001, Bill joined his wife, Maryellen, in the Ambleside work, initially serving as a high school teacher at the first Ambleside School. Since co-founding Ambleside Schools International, Bill has dedicated himself to supporting and equipping principals and teachers across the Ambleside network. He currently serves as Director of Training for Ambleside Schools International.
Leslie Voorhees
Director of Member Schools
Leslie Voorhees’ vocational calling solidified as she found the writings of Charlotte Mason while in pursuit of providing a life-giving education for her children and community. With over two decades of experience with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education, she has served in many roles: Co-founder of Ambleside School in McLean, VA; board chair; classroom teacher; and currently serves as Director of Member Schools for Ambleside Schools International.
Prior to becoming a mother of three Ambleside students, she worked as a regional director for Estee Lauder Companies, served on several boards of faith-based schools and organizations, and received her B.S. in Biology and Health from the University of Richmond.
In 2013, Leslie joined the ASI team as a teacher trainer and curriculum writer. She has focused her attention on onboarding and mentoring new Ambleside Member Schools. Her greatest delight is in spending time with her three grown children and their families, spread between Virginia, Colorado, and Arizona.
Thomas Costello
Director of Operations
The journey of Thomas Costello’s professional career has been focused on supporting and encouraging others while maintaining a growth mindset for both the individual and organization. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Western Governors University and received CompTIA Project+ Certification in 2015.
Thomas first began learning about Charlotte Mason in 2010, when his nephews attended Kindergarten at the Ambleside School of Ocala. Through interactions with his nephews, other students, and school events, he started to understand the beauty of a Charlotte Mason education. In 2019, Thomas joined his wife, Terri, at Ambleside School in McLean, Virginia, where he served as the Director of Administration. His role expanded in 2021 to include teaching 8th grade Algebra I.
While serving at Ambleside School in McLean, Thomas led the school’s transition to a new student information system, allowing all admissions, enrollment, and progress reports to be processed and stored online. Thomas also developed and supported the use of an information-sharing platform to maintain documents and historical school information. Thomas’s experience with school infrastructures will be invaluable as he serves Ambleside Schools International. Thomas and his wife, Terri, live in Marion, IL.
Ben Sytsma
Director of Ambleside Homeschool
Ever since receiving training at the Ambleside Institute in 2015, Ben’s mission has been to help families and students gain access to an Ambleside education. Through his work as a teacher and a principal, Ben has helped many families and children form positive and healthy relationships with God, others, and the world around them; helping them to live a full and flourishing life. Ben has a B.A. in Secondary Education, an M.Ed. in School Leadership, and years of experience teaching at various grade levels. Ben was also a graduate of the inaugural Ambleside Master Teacher Training Program.
Since 2021, Ben has helped lead various Ambleside training events including the Ambleside Summer Institute. In his current role, Ben will be working as the Director of Ambleside Homeschool where he will be mentoring and training parents in the method and philosophy of an Ambleside education.
After many years of teaching, training, and leading, Ben is eager to work with homeschool families in helping them create a living education in their own homes. He is excited to help families create healthy structures and habits that produce a joyful atmosphere where children love to learn and grow.
Ben and his wife, Megan, have two children: Thaddeus and Laurence. Living in Zeeland, MI, Ben and Megan are grateful for the blessing of a Charlotte Mason education and the many ideas Charlotte Mason presents to parents on the raising and educating of children.
Michael Reyes
Associate Director of Advancement and Administration
Ministry has been part of Michael’s life since age 13, when he began serving with his father on the weekly worship team. He went on to serve as a volunteer and later staff member with YoungLife for over a decade, where he developed his knowledge of fundraising and a heart for developing environments where children and youth can come to know God better.
With YoungLife, Michael helped develop ministries, disciple high school and college leaders, and raise funds across Houston. Desiring to gain more leadership, sales, and marketing skills, he then transitioned to the Enterprise management training program where God grew him immensely as a leader. For the last seven years, Michael has been named among the top salesman, garnering awards for his accomplishments with Enterprise and Thryv software sales.
Michael and his wife, Caitlin, have two daughters: Ila and Ivy. They decided to make the move from the big city of Houston to rural Southern Illinois where they were pleased to discover Ambleside School of Marion. They’re so thankful God not only led them to this great school for their children, but that God opened the door for Michael to bring his expertise in advising, fundraising, and training to this incredible organization and mission.
Michael will be engaging and stewarding Ambleside Schools International’s many relationships that provide the resources to inspire, train, and equip a global community in promoting a living education.
Zach Ward
Trainer
Zach has a strong desire to participate in the Ambleside movement centered on bringing a Charlotte Mason education to communities around the nation and globe. He has a B.A. in Biology, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, and more than twenty years of teaching experience in both the public sector and in private, faith-based schools.
Zach was first introduced to what Charlotte Mason calls a “twice-blessed” education in the fall of 2010. He attended ASI’s Summer Institute, at which he was introduced to Mason’s philosophy and pedagogy. Over the past decade, he has been challenged by the idea of what it means to “come to know” and is excited about walking beside school communities, teachers, and students as they desire to grow in this life-giving approach to education.
In 2015, Zach and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Holland, Michigan to lead Calvary Schools of Holland’s transition to a Charlotte Mason education. He completed ASI’s Master Teacher Training Program in 2020 and currently serves as a lead teacher trainer at ASI’s Summer Institute; he also travels within the ASI network to provide training and support to member schools. He currently serves as Calvary’s Director of Instruction.
Greg Lorden
Member, Board of Directors
It’s about character. As a business leader, coach, consultant, scout leader, men’s study group leader and co-founder of Ambleside School of Colorado, Greg’s consistent passion has been character development.
Greg spent 30 years in the technology business, most recently as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Americas at Business Objects until the company was purchased. He currently heads Leadership Accountability, an executive coach firm assisting C-level leaders in building a culture that balances respect and performance.
He graduated from Bridgewater College with a B.S. in Business Administration and has enjoyed coaching his four children and others for 21 seasons.
Greg and his wife Kimberley are delighted to have had all of their children benefit from an Ambleside education for more than a decade.
Dorothy Dersch
Treasurer, Board of Directors
“To bring the human race, family by family, child by child, out of the savage and inhuman desolation where He is not, into the light and warmth and comfort of the presence of God, is, no doubt, the chief thing we have to do in the world.” Long before Dorothy read these words from Charlotte Mason, her life reflected a passion to draw people into the presence of God.
Dorothy worked in Cardiac Intensive Care as a Registered Nurse for 10 years before she and her family moved to Florida. Over the past 30 years, she has invested in her growing city as a Guardian ad Litem, an adoption advocate and as a mentor to young parents. God has faithfully continued to prepare her for her next role in relationally-engaged living.
While she discovered Charlotte Mason during their family’s season of home schooling, the fullness of Miss Mason’s writing became truly accessible to her and her family through the Ambleside Method, developed by Maryellen St. Cyr. In 2011, Dorothy and her husband, Mark, enrolled their elementary-aged children in Ambleside Ocala and their active engagement in their local member school began. Her roles change each year to meet the needs: from Shakespeare costuming to landscaping, teaching Nature Studies, substitute teaching or assisting with administrative tasks. Dorothy and Mark are grateful their youngest daughter has the opportunity to be an Ambleside student from K through 12.
Although Dorothy and her high school sweetheart, Mark, have 8 children and six grandchildren, she still isn’t quite comfortable with the image of being ”my grandma who lives in Florida.”
Rodney Nelson
Chairman, Board of Directors
Charlotte Mason’s (1842-1923) method first came to the attention of Rodney when his wife, Marybeth, insisted he read For the Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. This book sparked an “a-ha!” moment for the Nelsons because they realized that it articulated the educational philosophy they had been searching for.
It soon became clear to the Nelsons that the only way for them to give to their children this kind of education was to do it themselves. However, since both felt that they were called to the educational mission of Christian schools, home-schooling their own children was, for them, only a temporary option. They decided, after prayer and consultation with friends, that what they needed to do was start a Charlotte Mason school. Thus, RiverTree School was born.
A few months later, Mr. Nelson was delighted to discover that there was an organization already in existence dedicated to developing schools committed to Charlotte Mason’s method, Ambleside Schools International. RiverTree joined Ambleside in the spring of 2008. Rodney now provides direction to Ambleside Schools International as the Chair of its Board.
The Nelsons reside in Maple Grove, MN, with their six children. Rodney has deep experience as a school administrator and holds degrees in Bible and Theology from Wheaton College.
The Nelsons are active members of Church of the Cross in Hopkins, MN.
About Ambleside Schools International
