Meet Owner & Founder, Morgan Franklin:
After six years in the classroom, Morgan Franklin founded empowerED minds to provide students with the individualized support that they desperately need but typically lack access to in the classroom. As a certified secondary math and special education teacher, Morgan helped shape Montgomery County curricula and supported students of all academic and personal backgrounds. As a Teach for America alumna, Morgan earned her Master’s Degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University. While teaching in Baltimore City, Morgan earned the Transformational Impact Distinction Award for fostering 2 years of student academic growth in just one school year.
Rockstar Team Members
Meet Caroline Lagow:
Caroline LaGow brings four years of dedicated special education and classroom experience to empowerED minds. After receiving her dual-degree in Political Science and Communications from Tulane University, Caroline began teaching at the New Orleans Youth Empowerment Program, where she worked closely with adolescents and adults of all academic backgrounds to earn their GRE certificate. For the past three years, Caroline has worked in the New Orleans Charter School System as a Special Education Teacher for grades K-8 in a Title I School. In the classroom, Caroline implemented both the DIBELS and McGrawHill Corrective Reading and Decoding literacy programs to help students exceed their reading goals. As a leader in supporting students with learning challenges, she worked to implement a new curriculum in Science, Social Studies, ELA, and Math, for her students. Caroline’s experience working 1-on-1 with students of all backgrounds enables her to take an individualized approach to each student to understand their unique needs and help them thrive.
Meet Elizabeth Hooks:
Few educators marry subject matter expertise with teaching experience like Elizabeth Hooks. Her extensive and unique background as a scholar, tutor and classroom teacher, makes her a one-of-a-kind educator and invaluable asset to the families that rely on her support. After earning her undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Wake Forest University, Elizabeth spent twelve years working at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab, where she earned her master’s degree in Applied Mathematics. For the last seven years, Elizabeth has leveraged her own knowledge of math and science to support students of all ages, both inside and outside the classroom. She not only has four years of experience supporting middle school, high school and college students with 1-on-1 academic support, but three years teaching both special education and honors math classes at Wheaton High School in Montgomery County. Most importantly, Elizabeth is a mother of three boys (one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary school), which empowers her to empathize with parents and teachers alike to drive outstanding outcomes for her students.
Meet Emily Rubin:
Emily’s wealth of knowledge and experience in both elementary and special education make her an invaluable resource to her students. For the past ten years, Emily has taught sixth grade at the McLean School, where she supports students of every academic background. Emily proudly became the first McLean alumna to return to the school as a full-time educator and is also Orton Gillingham trained. Prior to joining McLean, Emily earned her dual-degree in Elementary and Special Education from Towson University, and later earned her master's degree in Special Education from American University. As a student, Emily was impacted by her own learning challenges, which empowers her to empathize with her own students and meet them at their level. Her first-hand experience, and years of expertise, help her students build character and confidence as a means to mastering all aspects of any curriculum.
Meet Katie Mettee:
Katie Mettee joined empowerED minds with ten years of classroom experience as a certified Special Education teacher. Katie has taught several core subjects at both the middle and high school levels and currently co-teaches Honors Geometry at an MCPS high school. She earned her undergraduate degree in Special Education from Towson University and her master’s degree in Equity and Excellence in Education at McDaniel College. Her knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures that any family considering, or currently utilizing special education services, understands the process and that their student’s needs are being met. Above all else, what defines Katie is her ability to meet students at their level to help support comprehension and learning. She is a firm believer that all students have the capability to be successful and that we must address the needs of the whole child to foster a positive, productive relationship with school and learning.
Meet Leslie Karbeling:
As an MCPS School Counselor and Section 504 Case Manager, Leslie has a stellar track-record for helping students of all ages achieve social, emotional and academic success. Her wealth of experience advocating for students - and teaching them to advocate for themselves - will be an asset to our team and every family we support. Prior to joining MCPS, Leslie earned her master’s degree in School Counseling for grades Pre K-12th from Johns Hopkins University, where she supported students at a youth development program focused on college readiness. As a certified yoga teacher, she incorporates wellness, mindfulness, and social-emotional learning into every student partnership.
Meet Amanda Petersen:
Amanda’s rare background teaching both remedial and honors-level courses empowers her to make a positive impact on students of all academic levels. After earning her undergraduate degree in mathematics and secondary teaching certificate from Messiah College, Amanda decided to share her passion for math and learning with students in the classroom. For the last three years, Amanda has taught at Wheaton High School, where she piloted the school’s remedial mathematics course and taught advanced-level courses. While teaching, Amanda continued her own education, earning a master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. Outside of the classroom, Amanda is a champion for athletics and extracurriculars, and coaches Varsity Girls’ Softball at Blake High School.
Meet Hannah Keener:
Hannah brings a lifelong passion for learning and teaching math to each and every session with her students both inside and outside of the classroom. After graduating from James Madison University with a Bachelor’s in Math and Master’s in Teaching, Hannah spent three years teaching Algebra II and honors-level Pre-Calculus at Osborn Park High School in Prince William County, Virginia. At Osborn Park, she sponsored the Girl Up club to promote leadership development among high school girls, and even spent summers (you guessed it) promoting math education as Program Coordinator for AwesomeMath. More recently, Hannah moved to Wheaton High School in MCPS where she taught on-level precalculus and Algebra I for special education students. This Fall, she will be teaching the 9th Grade magnet course, where she will be supporting exceptionally motivated and gifted students.Hannah’s wealth of experience working with students of all skill levels allows her to meet them wherever they are in their academic journey - breaking-down complex problems - and building students back up with a solid foundational understanding of the topic. She is dedicated to building trust with her students and relying on teamwork with students to achieve success.
