Sandy Abu-Arja
Sandy Abu-Arja is the Executive Director of College Park Academy where her focus is strategic planning, marketing, development, and fundraising.
Prior to joining College Park Academy, she was an international educator for over 27 years, 16 of which were at a private, non-profit International Baccalaureate (IB) World School.
Over her career, she has had a record of achievement in international education, school accreditation, development, and implementing best practices for individual and organizational learning.
She is an Accreditation Team Lead for the Council of International Schools (CIS) and a New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Accreditation Team Member.
She earned a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. and M.A. in Education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Her Ed.D. in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership is from Northeastern University where her research focus was on informal adult learning in the workplace.
Gordon Libby
Mr. Gordon Libby, College Park Academy’s High School Principal, brings over 30 years of teaching and administrative experience in K-12 public schools. His professional experience includes teaching Middle and High School Social Studies, as well as coaching High School Soccer and Baseball.
Mr. Libby has been a Principal in Prince George’s County Public Schools since 1998. During this time, he has helped mentor new principals to the school district.
He is a nationally certified Mentor Principal and has worked with the Wallace Foundation in helping to develop programs to increase the Principal’s leadership capacity. He has presented at National Conferences and written an article for Principal Leadership on Literacy for Practitioners. He has served as the High School Principal of College Park Academy since 2017, he has helped to create a rigorous, individualized, and comprehensive college-preparatory program.
Mr. Gordon Libby is a University of Maryland graduate and has worked diligently to continue to build and enhance the partnership between UMD and CPA.
Steven Baker
Mr. Steven Baker, College Park Academy’s Middle School Principal, brings over 15 years of teaching and administrative experience in K-12 public schools. His professional experience includes teaching all subjects in grades 4-6, as well as leading teams at all of these grade levels.
In 2011, Mr. Baker became an Assistant Principal in Prince George’s County Public Schools at Glenridge Elementary School. During this time, he joined the prestigious Aspiring Leaders Program for Student Success (ALPSS), where select Assistant Principals train to become school Principals.
As the first Assistant Principal, and first Middle School Principal of College Park Academy, he helped to create a rigorous, individualized, and comprehensive college-preparatory program that challenges students to think critically and creatively while instilling a passion for artistic growth and life-long learning. Mr. Steven Baker is an advocate for school choice and differentiated learning.