Craig E. Spilman, Ph.D., Executive Director
Craig Spilman is the Executive Director of the CollegeBound Foundation which is one of our nation’s premier college access programs serving 20,000 urban high school students in the City of Baltimore. In his former principal role, Craig was recognized for leading the transformation of three urban middle schools in Baltimore.  He also served as an Associate Superintendent, led the Maryland State Middle School Association as its Executive Director for ten years, and for fifteen years was the Education Director for Baltimore City’s Sister Cities International Programs. Craig Spilman is an adjunct professor in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at Maryland Institute College of Art and consults for the Mercatus Center at George Mason College and Towson University.

For more than thirty years, Craig’s work in the field of urban education reform has received national recognition, including being featured in Time Magazine in 1997.  He has led over 200 seminars and presentations throughout the country for organizations such as the National Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Middle School Association, the Maryland State Department of Education, the Carnegie Corporation, and the Southern Regional Council.  Dozens of newspaper and journal articles as well as national media exposure (CNN, CBS, Fox, and NPR) have chronicled his school reform accomplishments.

Jimmy Tadlock, Program Director
Jimmy Tadlock graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Mr. Tadlock went to Officer Candidate School and then NSA and a variety of assignments in various parts of the world. Cryptology was his specialty. After the Gulf War, Mr. Tadlock resigned his commission as a naval officer, to become a public school teacher.

Before coming to CollegeBound in 1999, Mr. Tadlock taught middle school math and science for the Baltimore City Public Schools. Concerned about students least likely to succeed, Mr. Tadlock designed a model program which caught the attention of NASA. The success of this program became the model for Earth KAM, a project whereby school children throughout the country can communicate with astronauts and monitor space shuttles. His success in the classroom has led to his teaching, each summer, at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

Djenaba Bahar, Associate Program Director of High Schools
Mrs. Bahar is a graduate of Baltimore City Schools. She received a BS in Business Administration from Morgan State University and a Master of Arts in Non Profit Management from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Holly Burman, Program Administrator
Holly is a Baltimore native who joined CollegeBound Foundation in 2012. She is a graduate of the University of Delaware where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services with a concentration in Administration and Public Policy. Holly is excited about being a contributing member of the CollegeBound Foundation family.

Beth Furlong, Development Director
Beth Furlong has joined the team at CollegeBound Foundation as Development Director.  CollegeBound changes lives by providing essential college advising, scholarships and “Last Dollar Grants” enabling underserved students in Baltimore City Public Schools to attend college. Furlong’s primary focus will be to identify and promote opportunities for financial support of CollegeBound within the greater Baltimore community. A native Baltimorean, she began her professional career in the National Sales office of Marriott Hotels in New York City. Furlong comes to CollegeBound from St. Paul’s School for Girls where she was the Alumnae Director and Director of Gift Planning. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University where she majored in education.

Amy Hummers, Office Administrator
Amy joined CollegeBound Foundation in the summer of 2010. A native of New England, she brings with her a wide range of skills including administration, marketing, graphic design, web site design & development, office managing and technical support. Amy works hard to keep the office organized and can be found working on any number of CollegeBound special projects.

Mavis Jackson, Associate Program Director of High Schools
Mavis Jackson has extensive experience working as a liaison for at-risk Baltimore City males and their families to attend the Piney Woods School and the Baraka School.  She also served as a program manager for the National Academic League (NAL), an academically competitive league that fostered interscholastic athletic competitions for Baltimore City youth.  Just prior to joining CollegeBound Foundation, she was a facilitator of at-risk youth for the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP).  Ms. Jackson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Economics and a Masters of Arts degree in Urban Education from Towson University. 

Marsha Lieberman, CPA, Financial and Human Resources Manager
Marsha Lieberman has been with CollegeBound Foundation since 1999. She is a graduate of the University of Baltimore where she received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. Ms. Lieberman has previously worked in public accounting, internal audit and was a regional controller for a local corporation.

Mollie Maul, Scholarship Administrator
Mollie moved to Maryland from Long Island in 2010. She is a 2008 graduate of Stony Brook University with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Marine Science. Mollie is thrilled to be working at CollegeBound Foundation in the capacity of Program Administrator.

Barbara Moon, Executive Administrative Assistant
Barbara Moon joined the CollegeBound Foundation in 2003. She assists the Executive Director and staff with secretarial and administrative activities. She also coordinates planning and preparation efforts for the Board of Directors' meetings and maintains the fundraising database.

Marquise O'Neal, Retention Specialist
Prior to joining CollegeBound Foundation, Mr. O’Neal was a Special Educator and Educational Trainer.  He is a graduate of the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology from West Virginia University.  Mr. O’Neal is also the assistant football coach at Bluford Drew Jemison. 

David Ross, Director of Technology
David Ross has worked on first Computer and then Network Systems for over 20 years starting in High School.  Mr. Ross grew up in the Northern Virginia Metro Area and after graduating from Yorktown HS in Arlington, Virginia went on to earn a degree in Computer Engineering from Capitol College in Laurel, Maryland.  After graduating, Mr. Ross worked on a project for the Long Island Railroad to create the first outdoor based audio/visual system for Visual and Hearing Imparied Commuters in compliance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act.  Mr. Ross went on to help create a start-up company which developed a NASA patent on a new type of Flat Panel Display.  Both the Proof of Concept and First Prototype were developed in Baltimore, MD.  Mr. Ross joined the CollegeBound Foundation in 2006 as the Director of Technology.

Ayana Shannon, Retention Specialist
Ayana Shannon is an experienced college access and retention advisor for the CollegeBound Foundation. She has worked in both the post-secondary and secondary educational sectors and served on numerous college and high school committees. Ms. Shannon previously served as a Resident Director at Bowie State University where she spent her time preparing students for life. Shortly after graduating from Bowie State University in 2007 she joined the CollegeBound team. Her educational background includes a Bachelor, and Masters in Counseling in addition to doctoral work in clinical psychology. Ms. Shannon currently serves on the CollegeBound scholarship committee and volunteers as a mentor to young women in Baltimore City.

Michael Thornton, Associate Program Director of Scholarships
Mr. Thornton is a native of Baltimore and a product of the Baltimore City Public School System. After graduating from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute High School he attended Virginia Tech. While in college, Mr. Thornton participated in the Army ROTC program and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Upon graduation he received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a commission as a Lieutenant in the United States Army. His military assignments have included Germany, Saudi Arabia and a tour of duty as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at Lynchburg College. Prior to joining CollegeBound, Mr. Thornton worked as a Counselor and Program Director at New Dominion School in Virginia.