OUR TEAM
STAFF
Kim Schofield
Executive Director
Kim Schofield has advocated for people with disabilities for the last 25 years. She had to advocate for teachers, doctors, and other caregivers to find a better way to fulfill her daughter’s and the whole family’s needs. When she found ways to improve life for her daughter and the family, she would share the information with others so they could benefit from her advocacy.
Kim has volunteered in varied leadership roles including hosting meetings, organizing events, and bridging professionals, hobbyists, and the public together for a common goal.
Kim is president of her college sorority alumni association. She sits as president and acting treasurer for the Capital Cichlid Association. For more than 10 years, Kim sat on the membership committee with a local business networking group, vetting new members, and ensuring the members follow professional business protocol. For 15 years, she led a Girl Scout troop, leading young girls into adulthood and is proud that most of that troop stayed together throughout the 15 years. All attended college, including her special needs daughter. Kim joined ArtStream board full time in the fall of 2021, coming from a volunteer and as an active parent of an adult participant in the ArtStream program.
Kim has an AAS in Graphic Design and a BS in Fine Arts.
Professionally, Kim worked in sales and marketing helping local businesses reach their target audience successfully with print, digital marketing, and social media.
Kim brings a drive and ability to make things happen and to achieve goals. She never says no to a challenge and welcomes the opportunity to make another person’s life a little bit easier.
Kim sees taking on the role of Executive Director for the Spirit Club Foundation as an opportunity to extend her love for supporting people with disabilities and her love to keep people connected.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tigest Alemu | State Director of Maryland, Community Options, Inc.
Board Member
Tigest Alemu is the State Director of Maryland at Community Options, Inc., a national nonprofit that develops housing and employment supports for people with disabilities
She has over 15 years of experience working in the adult disability services industry, with specific expertise in managing community engagement, quality assurance, and housing operations initiatives. Tigest previously served as the Director of Program Support services at the Jubilee Association of Maryland and as the Community Options Executive Director in Rockville.
Tigest was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Delaware, where her parents reside. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Baltimore and a Master's in Business Administration in Healthcare and Finance from Wilmington University. She is also a graduate of 2018 Leadership Montgomery's Emerging Leaders, a graduate of the University of Delaware's National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities, and a certified interviewer for the Council on Quality and Leadership.
Tigest is a member of the National Black MBA Association of Washington, D.C. and Young Ethiopian Professionals.
Jared Ciner | Founder & Director, SPIRIT Club
Board Member
Jared Ciner is SPIRIT Club’s Founder and Director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified fitness trainer, and is certified by the Maryland Department of Health’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) to work with people of all abilities.
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Jared lives in Highland, Maryland, with his wife and three children.
Sharon Freiman | Disabilities Advocate, Retired Attorney
Board Secretary
Sharon has been an advocate for people with disabilities for more than 30 years. She has served as Commissioner on the Montgomery County Commission for People with Disabilities and engaged in lobbying at the Federal level and in Annapolis. One of Sharon’s sons is active in Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and Main Street, and as a result, she has gotten involved with those programs as well.
Sharon is an attorney by trade and is presently retired from practice to focus on her advocacy work. She has two adult sons and two adult stepsons. She and her spouse live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Julie Gold | Inclusive Pre-K Teacher
Board Member
Julie Gold is a special educator in a Montgomery County Public Schools inclusive pre-k class. Her journey into special education began in with a summer job as an early intervention therapist for infants and toddlers.
While studying special education at the University of Maryland, College Park, she served as president of the Student Council for Exceptional Children and participated in a dialogue at the White House that focused on the Obama Administration's initiatives on children with disabilities and their families.
Julie holds a Master of Education in Special Education with certifications in Generic Early Childhood Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and Severe/Profound Disabilities. She previously worked as a Comprehensive Autism Preschool Program teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools for five years, designing individualized instructional programs to work on academic, life, and communication skills.
She lives in Columbia with her family and enjoys staying active by doing yoga and going on family walks.
Susan Hoffmann | Communications Manager, Montgomery County's Office of Community Partnerships
Board President
Susan is the Communications Manager of Montgomery County's Office of Community Partnerships. She is the founding producer of the Silver Spring Jazz Festival, the Montgomery County Thanksgiving Parade, and producer of the Silver Spring Summer Concert Series. Before joining the Office of Community Partnerships, Susan worked on the redevelopment of downtown Silver Spring, serving as Marketing Manager in the Silver Spring Regional Center. Susan joined Montgomery County as a Legislative Liaison in the Office of Intergovernmental Relations working during the legislative sessions in Annapolis.
Susan is also the former Mayor of Rockville, Maryland. As a three-term member of the Rockville City Council, Susan was a leader in the redevelopment of Rockville’s Town Square and surrounding downtown.
In addition to the Spirit Club Foundation Board, and continuing her interest in public service, Susan has been active with many organizations over the years, and currently serves on the Judicial Inquiry Board of the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities, the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival, and formerly served as President of the Jubilee Foundation Board of Directors, and Vice President of the D.C. Special Olympics Board.
Susan was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women and is the recipient of the Betty Mae Kramer Community Service Award. She was president of the Montgomery County Chapter of the Maryland Municipal League and vice president of the Maryland Mayors Association. A graduate of Temple University, her Bachelor of Science degree is in Communications. She came to the DMV to work on the Capitol Hill staff of U.S. Representative Peter H. Kostmayer of Pennsylvania. She has lived in Montgomery County since 1978 and currently resides in Rockville. Susan is most proud of her daughter and son, and two grandsons.
Adam Lewis | Trial Attorney, Department of Justice
Board Member
Adam Lewis is a Trial Attorney in the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice where he enforces the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Prior to joining the Civil Rights Division in 2019, Adam worked first as a law clerk for Judge Richard Seeborg of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco and then for Judge Roy McLeese III of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Prior to law school, Adam worked as a teacher at Commonwealth Academy in Alexandria, Virginia, as an associate in the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch, and as a policy analyst at New Profit, Inc., a venture philanthropy fund in Boston.
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Adam holds a B.A. from Haverford College and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. He lives in Silver Spring with his wife and two children.
Richard Male | Founder & President, Richard Male, and Associates
Board Member
Richard Male is the founder and president of Richard Male and Associates, a nonprofit consulting firm based in Denver, Colorado. He is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, writer, trainer, and educator. Rich has helped author and steward public policy reform on the national level including the Community Reinvestment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He has taught fundraising, leadership and governance issues at the Master in Nonprofit Management degree program at Regis University, University of Colorado, Hawaii Pacific University, State University of New York at Albany.
Rich lives in Denver and has four beautiful children. He is a Master Gardener and grows lots of heirloom tomatoes and peppers. Rich works extensively in Africa.
Gary McPherson, ll | Senior Managing Partner, McPherson Financial Partners
Board Treasurer
Gary’s work in the financial industry spans 18 years. Today, he is the Senior Managing Partner of McPherson Financial Partners, LLC (MFP), a comprehensive financial services firm in Bethesda, Maryland.
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He also serves on the board of the Community Education Resource Group in Washington, D.C. Gary partners with AFEA, a North Carolina non-profit, to deliver financial education to the Bethesda community. Since 2014, Gary has volunteered and provided financial literacy to African American student-athletes and young adults with disabilities. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in financial planning from Towson University, Gary holds the following certifications: Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA), Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), and Certified Long-Term Care (CLTC).
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Gary and his wife, Amy, live in North Carolina with their two children.
Sam Smith | Fitness Trainer, SPIRIT Club
Board Member
Sam Smith is a fitness trainer at SPIRIT Club. He holds a physical fitness certification from Berkshire Community College and is a certified running coach through the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). Sam has run six Marine Corps Marathons and one New York City Marathon. A proud man with autism, Sam has been working for SPIRIT Club since its inception.
Sam lives in Rockville, Maryland. In addition to being a fitness enthusiast, he is an avid musician.