Board of Directors and Leadership

Leadership

Rebecca Fowler, Executive Director

As Executive Director, Rebecca is responsible for leading the day-to-day operations and fundraising efforts for Horizons, while also establishing the strategic vision and priorities for the program. Under her leadership, the LCDS site has graduated its first 8th-grade cohort and launched a high school mentor program. Before joining Horizons, Rebecca spent 20+ years in the marketing and communications profession with notable companies including: Fig Industries as a Public Relations Strategist, Charter Homes & Neighborhoods as the Director of Marketing and Communication, and WGAL-TV 8 as the Assignment Manager. She is a natural team leader and possesses the unique ability to craft concise messages in order to effectively achieve goals. Rebecca has led teams to earn national awards, launched branding strategies, and increased brand awareness. She has led professional development sessions at national conferences, most notable the International Builders Show (with Charter Homes) and the Horizons National Conference. Rebecca holds a BA in Broadcast Communication from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania.

Brooklyn Smith-Jones, Academic Coach & Mentor | Horizons High School

Horizons is thrilled to welcome Brooklyn Smith-Jones to our team. Brooklyn’s educational philosophy closely aligns with Horizons’ mission; she firmly believes in the power of education to transform lives, in educational equity and in holistically preparing each student for a lifetime of success. Brooklyn has served as a mentor, Teacher, and Dean of Students in various educational institutions including the School District of Lancaster, the KIPP Public Charter School network and Lancaster Country Day (Horizons program). She was the recipient of the KIPP Indianapolis Public Charter School ‘Teaching Excellence Award’ for Academic Ownership, and was responsible for leading district-wide equity initiatives during her role as an Equity Working Group Facilitator. Brooklyn holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. At Horizons, Brooklyn will oversee the strategic and programmatic direction of the High School sector, including academic and college readiness initiatives, and the development of customized educational coaching/mentoring that meets the needs of each Horizons High School student.

Board of Directors and Officers

Dr. John P. Shand, Board President

J.P. Shand, MD is currently a practicing psychiatrist for WellSpan Philhaven in downtown Lancaster. He is actively involved in teaching and writing on psychiatric topics. He met his wife in the first grade at LCDS and moved back to Lancaster in 2018 after completing a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife have a son and enjoy being actively engaged in the LCDS community.

Christopher Dye, Vice President

Christopher Dye spent 43 years combined at Hartford Financial Services Group and Westfield Insurance in the field of commercial property/casualty underwriting. A native of Nassau County on Long Island, New York with a BS in geological sciences from SUNY Geneseo, Chris and his wife Mary have two grown children and one granddaughter, Alexandra.

John Ford, Board Treasurer

John Ford is the business manager at LCDS. A Certified Management Accountant, John served as the chief financial officer and controller for The Murry Companies for 18 years. He has served on the West Earl Township Board of Supervisors since 2003. He and his wife Carol have a daughter who graduated from LCDS in 2017.

Grace Zimmerman, Board Secretary

Grace Zimmerman is a Commercial Relationship Manager with Fulton Bank, and is responsible for managing a customer portfolio and developing new business within Lancaster County. Grace was born and raised in Lancaster, and is proud to have been a lifer at Lancaster Country Day School. She graduated from Dickinson College in 2013 with a double major in International Business & Management, and Spanish. Grace is active in the Lancaster community, and currently serves on the advisory board for the Women in Business Mentoring Program through the Lancaster Chamber.

Dr. Todd Trout

Dr. Todd Trout joined the LCDS faculty in 1999 as a chemistry teacher. In 2008 he became Assistant Head of Upper School. He currently serves as Interim Head of Upper School. He and his wife Laura, also a science teacher at LCDS, have a daughter (Emma ’25) and a host daughter (Sarah ’17) who both attend LCDS as well. Dr. Trout’s leadership connects Horizons with its outstanding and dedicated volunteer corps of Upper School students.

Michelle Gallo

Michelle Gallo is the Director of Human Resources for Chester County. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in both non-profit and for-profit environments, working in operations and in human resources. With more than fifteen years of management experience, a Masters's Degree in Business Administration, SPHR and SHRM-SCP certifications, and a love for the Lancaster community and all it has to offer, she appreciates the important role this program plays for our students and the community at large.

Erin Dimitriou Smith

Erin Dimitriou Smith is the owner of Triou Marketing, a Marketing/Advertising and Corporate Event Planning firm. She is also a part-time Professor and Program Director of Marketing. She lives in Lancaster with her husband and two young boys. Born and raised in Lancaster County, she has a passion for giving back and is engaged in several organizations that benefit her local community.

Michelle O'Donnell

Michelle O’Donnell is the Director of College Counseling at Lancaster Country Day School. Before coming to LCDS, Michelle worked in college admission for nearly 10 years. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Mount St. Mary’s University and currently serves on the college advisory board for Franklin & Marshall College and Colorado School of Mines. Deeply committed to professional development, she has presented at numerous state and national conferences on a wide variety of topics in college admission, and she is currently the Dean of the PACAC Summer Institute. Michelle completed the Leadership Lancaster Core Class program in 2024. She lives in Lancaster with her senior rescue dog, Gracie.

Cathy Dommel

Cathy Dommel is a teacher at the Warwick School District. Most recently, she moved into the position of Gifted Teacher and STEM Facilitator. Cathy has spent her entire career working with children, prior to teaching she was a caseworker for a foster care agency. Cathy earned a BA in Psychology with a music minor from Elizabethtown College, a Post Baccalaureate Teaching degree and a Masters in Education from Millersville University. She is the Vice President for the Skyline Swim Team, and a coach for Girls on the Run.

Catherine Haddad

Catherine Haddad has 10 years of experience in business and 17 years of experience in education. In her corporate business career, she was engaged in strategy consulting, business development, and knowledge management. In education, she has successfully built Mandarin Chinese programs in three institutions in the US and taught ESL in both the US and China. She has served as a language teacher, Mindfulness teacher, and Department Chair. Currently, she teaches Chinese at Lancaster Country Day School and lives in Lancaster with her husband and two children.

Elizabeth Melamed, Esquire

Elizabeth is an attorney in the Barley Snyder Litigation Practice Group. Basing her practive around medical malpractice defense, she defends health systems, providers, and hospitals against malpratice claims while working to prevent the claims from ever happening. In addition to working inside the courtroom, Elizabeth consults and advises clients on compliance with federal and state health reguations. Her practice also includes a concertration on cybersecurity, providing legal counsel on privacy, data security, and cybersecurity including risk and liability concerns. In 2022, Elizabeth was named to the Central Penn Business Journal's Forty Under Forty List for her professional accomplishments, community service, and commitment to inspiring change.

Jerrill M. Adams

Mr. Jerrill M. Adams is an accomplished educator with more than 22 years of experience in K-12 education. Currently serving as the Director of Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Community Engagement at Lancaster Country Day School, Jerrill has had a diverse career in international schools across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. His roles have included serving as a High School Principal, K-12 Instructional Coach, and Curriculum Director. Starting as a NYC Teaching Fellow, Jerrill focused on closing the achievement gap in high-needs communities. He began as a 5th-grade teacher in the Bronx, NY, later transitioning to roles such as NYC Instructional Staff Developer, K-12 Principal, Assistant Principal, K-8 Literacy Coach, and Central Office Administrator in New York City. In his administrative roles, Jerrill supported principals and school leaders across 20 schools,supervising the implementation of instructional standards, data-driven teaching methods, and the Danielson Framework for Teaching. His academic achievements include a Master of Arts Degree in Culture and Speech Communication from New York University's Steinhardt School of Education, a Master's of Science Degree in Elementary/Childhood Education from The City College of New York, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Television & Radio from Ithaca College, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership and Administration from The College of Saint Rose. Jerrill resides in Lancaster, where he is the proud father of two teenage sons, Darryl and Kai. His youngest son attends LCDS as an 8th-grade student.

Marian Pontz

Education has brought Marian joy since her father gifted her a toy chalkboard for her bedroom as a young child, at which she would play ‘school.’ For more than 36 years, she taught social studies to middle and high school students. Now, she balances her yoga practice with her position as a student-teacher liaison & adjunct education professor for Millersville University. Marian has also been published in Fine Living Lancaster and on the 'Gifts that Give Hope' blog. She’s dedicated to using education to inspire, enrich, and transform the lives of her students – just as education did for her.

Harry Forster

Harry is a two-time EMMY-nominated lighting designer and director for live television, concert tours, and special events. Born and raised in London, Harry has 18+ years of experience with large-scale events, including the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the MTV Awards, and New York Fashion Week. After meeting through work, Harry and his wife, Alicia, moved to Lancaster in 2016 and they have a daughter in preschool at Lancaster County Day School. As a family, they continue to be advocates for the arts and enjoy traveling the world. Harry is keen to expand his presence within the community and bring a fresh, modern, and unique perspective to the organization’s mission.

LCDS Student Board Members

Junior and Senior students from Lancaster Country Day School are invited to apply to be a student board member. These students act as liasons between the board of directors, and the students of our host school. Each summer, more than 50 students from Lancaster Country Day School serve as volunteers in our classroom and in the pool during swim lessons.

Elizabeth H '25, McKenna K '25, Keira A '25, Mathew T. '26, Matteo M. '26, Karma M. '26