Early Childhood
Education Conference
2025 Conference Committee
JULIE ROBBINS is the Director of Blessed Lambs Preschool, La Plata United Methodist Church in Charles County, MD. She earned a BS in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Maryland. She has 26 years of experience as a Director. Julie serves as the Facilitator for the Directors Roundtable of the BWCUMC, is a member of the Promise Resource Center Directors Roundtable as well as a member of the Promise Resource Center’s Executive Board and is serving on the Charles County Early Childhood Advisory Council. She has served on the Conference Committee for the past 14 years. She is married with two grown children and has three beautiful grandchildren!
MARIA CALABRESE is the Director at St. Matthew's EEC in Bowie, MD. Maria actually attended preschool at St. Matthew's many (many) years ago. Her children then attended St. Matthew's, which led to her volunteering in the classrooms and substituting at the school. Eventually she started teaching at the school part time, then full time as the Kindergarten teacher, then transitioned into the Assistant Director and now leads the school as Director. Maria has a degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Frostburg State University and has loved every stage of her career in educating others. This is Maria's second year serving on the committee, after being a conference attendee for years while the previous directors were part of the planning committee. Maria is married, has four children and spends most of her free time on a sports field. She has a son playing college baseball, a daughter playing college lacrosse and two sons at home who play baseball, as well. Her favorite hobby is spending time with her immediate and extended family.
KENDRA HUNT is the Director at Our Lady’s Little Christians, in Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Waldorf. This is her first year serving on the Conference Committee. Kendra is also the lead 4 year old teacher and has been teaching since 2017. She is working on her Bachelors Degree through Grand Canyon University. She is a widowed mother of two teenage girls ages 17 and 16, both who attended the same Preschool that she currently works. She loves glamping and spending time with her children.
ANDREA KOPF is proud to be a first year member of the Conference Committee. She was the Director at Pasadena Early Learning Center for 4 ½ years and will be the next Director at Galilee Lutheran Preschool for the 2025-2026 school year. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Penn State. She earned the Preschool Child Care Lead Teacher Certification from Anne Arundel Community College and obtained Center Director Certification from Smart Horizons. Her love for working with children has been part of her life for well over 30 years! Besides her love of teaching, she loves the outdoors, helping to protect the environment, photography, and loves her Christian faith. Andrea lives in Severna Park, has been happily married to her husband for 27 years, and has two wonderful sons ages 18 and 20.
MELISSA LINSKY is the Director of Early Childhood Education at Grace Lutheran School in La Plata, Maryland. She has been director for 13 years and has over 20 years of experience in Early Childhood Education. Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education from Salem State University. This is her first year serving on the Conference Committee, but she has been attending this conference for over 15 years. Melissa is married with two sons, one graduating high school this year and one graduating from Towson University.
DAMITA ROBINSON has been serving on the Conference Committee since 2013. She is the Director at Emmanuel United Methodist Preschool in Laurel (Howard County), Maryland. This has allowed her the opportunity to pursue her passion for providing an exceptional first-school experience for young children. Damita attended Notre Dame of Maryland University earning her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and earned her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University Nebraska. Her career in education has taken her on a wonderful journey since 2000 from preschool to fifth grade (and most of the grades in between) and now Preschool Director. She is married with two wonderful children. Her free time is spent reading and she still loves to cut and paste.
AMY SCHROEDER is the Director of Little Oak Nursery School in Sykesville, Maryland. She has been serving the children and families of Howard County for over 20 years and continues to love collaborating with colleagues across the state to provide excellence in education for our littlest learners. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a double master's degree in Counseling and Education Administration. Before beginning her career in early childhood, she was a University Administrator and College Professor. She lives in Annapolis and is married with two grown children. She is a long time Conference attendee, and this is her third year on the Conference Committee.
RITA DAI WANG is the Director at St. Peter's Episcopal School in Ellicott City, MD (Howard County). Prior to becoming Director, Rita taught the 2's, 3's, and 4's at St. Peter's for 6 years and first, second, and third grade for 9 years. She has her B.S. in Psychology from Harvard University, Master's Degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, and her National Board Certification in Early Childhood Education. This is Rita's 8th year as Director, and she is passionate about learning through play, sensory experiences, and social-emotional development. In her spare time, Rita likes to work out, run, play tennis, read, and cook food for her always-hungry kids.
VICKIE WHITLEY, a true Annapolitan, has 20 years of experience as a Director of Early Childhood programs. Vickie is currently the Director of Heritage Learning Center, a mission of Heritage Baptist Church in Annapolis. She graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a degree in Social Work and Psychology. She holds a certificate in Child Care Administration Training. Vickie has been married for 41 years to her husband, who she met at Heritage. She has 4 adult children (3 who attended HLC) and 6 grandchildren. Her loves include spending time with family, traveling, hiking, knitting, crocheting, and golf. Her greatest joy is to share the love of Jesus and the Wonder of Learning with children.
CLAIRE ZARRILLI is Director of Calvary Center School in Annapolis, Maryland since 2021. She taught Threes for five years when her children attended here, then earned her MAT from Notre Dame of Maryland University. After teaching 1st grade and PreK in public school, she returned to Calvary as Director. Prior to teaching, Claire worked in market research for MedStar Health. She holds a BA in Economics from Wellesley College and an MBA from the University of Maryland. She is excited to help with the Conference this year. Claire and her husband have two college graduates and one middle-schooler, all alumni of Calvary Center. She loves sailing and vacationing at the beach with her family.