Alan grew up in Quaker City, Ohio, and graduated from Buckeye Trail High School. He comes to Olney after 23 years on the Barnesville Street Department. Alan enjoys cooking, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren. He resides in Barnesville with his wife Tina.
Alexander Trouten grew up in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and graduated from Ohio University in 2017 with a degree in biological sciences. In addition to working at Olney, he is the physical science teacher at Martins Ferry High School. Alexander enjoys fishing, looking at animals, playing outside, and making art. He is joined on campus by his rabbits, Hilda and Ollie, his frogs, Barge and Tugboat, and his hermit crab, Worm.
Email: awitt@olneyfriends.org
Amy received a B.A. in European History with a minor in English Language and Literature and a M.A. in History from South New Hampshire University Online. She has three children and three dogs. Amy loves being outside, reading, and watching sci-fi and horror movies.
Email: annemarie@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 210
Anne Marie earned the BA in English (with minors in Spanish and Women’s & Gender Studies) and MLIS in Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, then joined that university’s Libraries as Electronic Resources and Metadata Cataloger. In 2010, she rejoined the Olney community as its Librarian. Born and raised in Barnesville, Anne Marie grew up on campus as a faculty child, graduated in 1979 after four years at Olney, moved to central North Carolina in the 1980’s, and raised three sons, some of whom also went to Olney.
Now Director of Development and the Library, Anne Marie also coaches Yoga and Folk Dance and has taught Health at Olney. In addition to those interests, she loves hiking, knitting, cats, and plants. She lives in Barnesville with husband Steve Martin (Hon.), who is often funny but not a famous comedian.
Email: austin@olneyfriends.org
Austin was born in Ohio but grew up living in different places across America. Austin joined Olney with more than 20 years of kitchen experience. He loves working at Olney for the calm that it brings to his life. His free time is spent gaming and working on antique vehicles.
Email: cacemah@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 216
A 2001 graduate of Olney Friends School, Christian Acemah is our Head of School. Right before coming back to Olney, he was Executive Secretary (CEO) of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences based in Kampala, Uganda. He previously served Director, Strategy and Program Development for the African Science Academy Development Initiative of the U.S. National Academies based in Washington, DC. Until May 2016, he was also Visiting Professor of African Studies at Quest University, Canada. As a professional-level international civil servant, Christian served as Executive Officer, Policy and Research on a UNICEF contract within the GAVI Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. He also gained development assistance experience working in the Sudan-Uganda program of the Lutheran World Federation.
He holds a first degree in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM, a graduate degree in International Development from Georgetown University in Washington, DC., a doctorate in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and an international certification in corporate governance from the Chartered Governance Institute of the UK and Ireland.
Christian’s life of service has its roots in his experience at Olney, and he is passionate about ensuring that many more students get the gift of an Olney education for generations to come.
Email: devin@olneyfriends.org
Devin Clouse grew up in Barnesville, Ohio and plays with local bands around the area. He attended Bowling Green State University where he studied music composition and minored in folklore. His dog, Daphne, is also regularly on campus.
Email: don@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 225
Don Guindon graduated from Olney Friends School in 1974. He went on to earn a degree in production agriculture from Wilmington College in 1980. Don returned to Olney Friends School in 1994, as the Farm Manager and has cared for Olney’s farm ever since. In addition to being the Farm Manager, Don has been actively serving in a variety of different roles within Belmont County’s agricultural sector. He has served on the Belmont County Farm Bureau Board for six years, the Belmont County Soil And Water Board of Directors for nine years, and the Belmont County Dairy Service committee for 28 years. Additionally, he has received the Ohio Conservation Farm Family Award in 2003 and the Ohio Cattlemen’s Environmental Stewardship Award in 2006. Don is married to Jan Chambers, and together, they have two daughters; Allison ’09, and Caroline.
Email: donna@olneyfriends.org
Donna Carter was born and raised here in Barnesville, OH. Happily married, she is raising a niece who attends Carlow College now in Pittsburgh, PA. Donna has a love for sewing and a passion for baking. She retired from full-time work after a 15-year career in the Olney kitchen, but still comes in weekly to bake delicious pies, cookies, cakes, and pumpkin bread for our community.
Email: elizabeth@olneyfriends.org
I am a working mom of 3 children. My hobbies are crocheting, cooking, canning, gardening and I love a good bon fire! I grew up on the outskirts of Somerton, OH. My family was at one time self sufficient. We had a dairy farm and raised/grew our own food, milked our cows and sold the milk. We butchered our own animals and canned everything we could. I like to cook and use fresh ingredients and also help others learn to cook and can. I’m excited to be a part of Olney and help preserve the homesteading ways of our ancestors.
Email: hanna@olneyfriends.org
From Belmont County, Hanna graduated from Miami University (OH) with degrees in International, Latin American, and Premedical Studies. She brings to the classroom her experiences studying in Chile, working in rural Mexico with the Fulbright program, and teaching at Concordia Language Villages. Outside the classroom, you might find Hanna reading, wandering the woods, playing the violin, doing arts & crafts, or caring for Olney’s gardens and animals.
Email: isis@olneyfriends.org
I was born and raised in Belmont County, Ohio. Growing up, I didn’t have fresh fruits and veggies as an option, so learning how to cook them has been a big passion of mine for my entire life. My life revolves around taking care of my many cats, loving my family, and making delicious food for all my friends and family.
Email: phineas@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 213
Phineas Gosselink has nearly thirty years of experience in formal and informal education, ranging from teaching wilderness skills in Vermont and AP Calculus in New York, to cooperatively developing horse traction agriculture in indigenous communities in Bolivia. Since joining the Olney faculty in 2012, he has taught Honors Literature, several social justice courses, and all levels of math from Geometry to Post-calculus. Phineas graduated from St John’s College in Annapolis, MD and earned an M.Ed. in Curricular Design from Antioch University in Keene, NH. He lives in the dorm with his cat, and has been a practicing Friend since 1975.
Email: jessica@olneyfriends.org
Jessica grew up on a mushroom farm in rural Wayne County. She graduated from Bowling Green State University majoring in Integrated Science Education and minoring in Art. She has previously taught science in Wayne County and Cleveland and has helped with farm and science camps during the summer. Jessica teaches chemistry, physics, algebra 1, and agricultural science. She is joined on campus by her dog, corn snake, and numerous potted plants and citrus trees.
Email: jsullivan@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 214
Joe holds a B.A. in History from Dominican College and an M.S. in Education: School Counseling from Long Island University. Joe spent eight years working in the admissions department of Dominican College in Sparkill, NY, beginning as an admissions intern and leaving with the title of Senior Admissions Counselor. In September of 2014, he joined the Olney Friends School family, serving as the Director of Admissions until March 2016. In the 2018-2019 school year, he served as Director of Operations and Counseling. He now serves as Assistant Head of School, Finance & Operations.
Email: katrina@olneyfriends.org
Katrina Custardo graduated from the University of Iowa in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelors in English and Ancient Civilizations. She has since lived in Minnesota, where she grew up, and Florida before coming to Olney. During the school year, Katrina works as an educator and as Head of Residential Life. During the summer, Katrina enjoys helping out on the farm. She is joined by her very friendly cat, Jesper, who can often be seen in the window watching the goings-on at Olney.
Email: leonard@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 235
Science and math teacher Leonard Guindon has spent much of his life at Olney. He grew up on the farm, living in the Taber Farmhouse with his parents, Clifford ’41 & Dorothy (Bedell) (Hon.) Guindon, and siblings Dale ’67, Don ’74, Lloyd ’77 & Janet Hammer ’76. Leonard graduated from Olney in 1970.
He and wife Legenia have three children: Jesse, Micah and Gabe. Leonard holds a BS in Agriculture from Wilmington College and was named Ohio Conservation Teacher of the Year in 2009.
Email: melissa@olneyfriends.org
Melissa joined Olney in 2022 as Line Cook and transitioned to Housekeeping in 2023. A born and raised military brat, Melissa has lived all over the world, but currently resides in Batesville, OH. Melissa is the proud mom of three, grandmother of ten, and great-grandmother of one (not counting her precious fur-babies).
Email: roger@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 252
Roger serves Olney as its Technology Director and as a teacher of Senior Humanities, Digital Filmmaking, Film Studies, Quakerism and Web Design.
Roger has more than 20 years’ experience in information technology and has taught English and Humanities for 17-plus years at the college and secondary levels. He loves art, cinema, literature and writing, and he sees technology as a way to enable creative expression.
“There is nothing better, or more enriching, than working collaboratively on a creative project, like a film, or designing and writing a book, or planning a poetry slam,” Roger said. “In my classes, I try to show kids the connection between how they relate to each other and the work they produce and the person they are trying to become. Together, we do truly excellent work and have an insane amount of fun!”
Roger lives on campus with his wife, Diane, who teaches English at Ohio University Eastern. All three of his children are Olney graduates.
Email: shea@olneyfriends.org
Raised by her family in Belmont County, Shea is a proud Union Local High School graduate. For the past 25 years, she has lived in Pataskala, Ohio, with her daughter Mallory and two rescue dogs, Milo and Penny. She brings with her seven years of experience in a high school guidance office, followed by twelve years at The Ohio State University. She enjoys quoting her grandma and movies, reading, running, and history.
Email: vicki@olneyfriends.org
Phone: 7404253655 Ext. 203
Vicki was born and raised in Barnesville and lives just out the ridge from Olney with her husband, Bob. They have two daughters, Rebecca and Jenny. Vicki worked in the medical field prior to coming to Olney and enjoys helping others. She brings compassion, patience, and an easy-going personality to Olney.
With a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in public history from Southern New Hampshire University, Kristina also serves as Director of the Underground Railroad Museum in Flushing, OH. She founded and is the current President of the History Detectives of Belmont County. She is married to Kevin Estle with two children, Antoni, 16 and Tara, 10. She resides in Piedmont and enjoys hiking, yoga, kayaking, camping, gardening, reading, researching, and genealogy.
Anne brings extensive leadership experience from senior roles in international organizations such as Oxfam GB, Amref Health Africa, and an international logistics company, and has held positions in banking and public relations. Her commitment to Olney Friends School arises from her son’s (Aidan Baliddawa ’20) positive experience as a student, and she has voluntarily recruited over fifteen students since 2019. Anne collaborates with the Domestic Admissions Counselor to attract students from around the world and support their success at Olney Friends School.
Jenny grew up in Barnesville, OH. She graduated from Ohio University and enjoys helping students with their math homework. The daughter of faculty member Vicki Lowry (Hon), Jenny has worked on Olney’s summer crew in past years and enjoys reading and crocheting in her personal time.
Jeanne works evenings and weekends helping on the admissions team. She was raised here in Barnesville and currently resides here as well, having graduated from Wheeling University in 1997. Jeanne has been married for twenty years and has two children, aged 18 and 14, who keep her very busy with all their sporting events.
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