Our Teams

I’m so excited to serve as the Head of School at ASUA! Supporting teachers and building strong collaboration across our teams is something I’m truly passionate about, because it ensures our students receive the very best every single day. I can’t wait to see all the growth, achievements, and celebrations this year will bring. When I’m not at school, I love spending time with my family on vacation or enjoying dinner and great conversation with friends.

ASUA is an amazing school that provides critical resources to meet the individual needs of each child!

I have over 20 years of experience in education as both an art teacher and school administrator, with a focus on school culture, instructional delivery, and community connections. The arts heavily influence my work; I believe that creative expression is essential for validating the social and emotional needs of everyone. I am eager to leverage my background in art and education to promote support and inclusivity for all.In my free time, I can be found with my two boys wandering the woods and beach, working out, planning the next trip, or perfecting my culinary skills.

Hello! I was brought in to join ASUA by founder Karen Misher! I have worked alongside Karen at Arcadia University in her Digital Fabrication Lab as a Studio Technician for the past 2-3 years. On the side I have been running many community and personal projects such as running student art markets at Arcadia, media management for a small painting studio, starting a small art business with my friend, and managing events for the Tiny Art Machine project.

I'll be one of the first faces you see when you come to visit, the voice on the other end of the phone, or one of people in that bright neon vest when you drop off or pick up your student. I support the students best by supporting the parents and staff. I'm happy to be part of the team

Love what I do for all the Children and Staff

I enjoy learning new things and everyday I get to learn new ways to fix things around the school to help keep our students safe.

In my free time I enjoy hanging out with my partner and family, exploring new trails to walk, swimming, watch football and baseball, and playing video games

My interest in this field stemmed from a early teaching job i had at a day care back in 2018. What brought me here was how tight nit everything is and close every department works with everyone. No one is just a number from the top to the bottom.

Something that interests me is reading, I love reading and learning new things.

I came to ASUA to support the success of the mission of ASUA and join in the good work to help our children thrive.

Aaron Allen brings operations experience of building systems, teams, and infrastructure that support safe and efficient organizations. He is proud to advance ASUA’s mission of supporting staff and specialists to help every student grow, learn, and thrive. He is also a percussionist performing across PA, NJ, and DE. Aaron has also taught percussion to gifted students of all abilities which reinforced the importance of individualized learning, creativity, and supportive educational environments.

ASUA offers an inclusive environment where students receive individualized, specialized support from caring staff. As a school psychologist, my job is to help identify students’ strengths; and create reports that are comprehensive, and drive students' supports. In everything that I do, my aim is to advocate for students and families. Outside of work I enjoy going on hikes and traveling!

I joined ASUA in the fall of 2019. I love feeling like I am truly making a difference in my community, and seeing all the students succeed! In my free time I regularly speak and write about my personal experiences being an Autistic adult, and actively work towards making the world a better, more accommodating, and accepting place for others on the spectrum. I also love kayaking, hiking, camping, sewing, and making art.

After graduating in May 2023 I was worried about finding the “dream job” until I found A Step Up Academy! I am thrilled to be able to join such a wonderful team straight out of college and to have the opportunity to share the joys and positive effects of music with all of our students!

I have been working in the field for 10 years. I started right out of high school.

I’m Jason born and raised in northeast Philadelphia. I have 2 daughters, 13 and 4. I’ve been a carpenter for almost a decade now and ASUA is a great place I’ll be able to showcase my abilities while also getting the opportunity to be creative with problem solving solutions

I have a calling working with children.

My name is Kevin Patrick. I am so excited to be joining the ASUA team! I have had over a decade in the Education world, on the teaching end, and I am looking forward to this new chapter! In addition to my teaching, I have been a professional Opera singer for the last 10 years. I made my Off-Broadway debut in 2017 in "Dorian Gray: The Musical" as well.

It's truly exciting to be apart of the ASUA team that focuses on the needs of other's. I am a wife and mother of two children a 19 year old son, and a 16yr old daughter. In my free time I LOVE LOVE LOVE hanging out with family and close friends creating new memories, cooking, traveling, shopping, playing board games, going to the beach, karaoke, and just simply sitting in the sun.

I’m a human resources leader who is deeply passionate about supporting mission-driven organizations through people-centered and equitable practices. I was drawn to A Step Up Academy because of its strong commitment to students, families, and inclusive educational outcomes, and I’m excited about the opportunity to support ASUA’s mission by helping build a culture where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to do their best work.

My name is Tim Kurpiel. I am the Director of Special Education here at A Step Up Academy. I am the point of contact for all things IEP related. I am excited to start my 11th school year at ASUA. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and watching Philly sports.

I am a marketing and communications professional that has a strong interest in supporting education and promoting cultural exchange between different groups of people to facilitate greater collaboration and understanding. I’m so excited to bring my talents and passions to ASUA. Outside of work, I enjoy watching movies, going to baseball games and traveling the world.

So excited to be here! I can't wait to help create inclusive extracurricular activities for parents and students!

I came to ASUA to further my career and broaden my understanding of ABA. I love all things behavior and I love working with kiddos. It lets me be my true authentic goofy self!

I joined ASUA for growth and development, to experience more in my field, and to give my professional experience where it's needed.

I have been teaching and working in administration for many years in child care and Catholic sanctuary transitional housing for homeless women and children. I love working with children and being that essential foundation in children's education development.

I wanted to be a part of ASUA because I like that everyone is so nice here.

I like beautifying the place that I work at. I came to ASUA because I love the work that they do with autistic kids because I have an autistic grandson.