Matt & Karen Tuerk

Karen and Matt met back in Boulder, Colorado, and bonded over their shared love of punk music, comic books, and the beauty of nature. Karen’s love for the sea brought them to Charleston, where they married, and Matt’s love for Pennsylvania brought them to Allentown, where they started a family. While they didn’t plan to stay in Allentown long, they quickly fell in love with the people and culture of the city.

When it was time to educate their kids, they loved what they saw at Grace Montessori and knew it was the right place for their children, Mel and Margot, to attend through third grade.

Through Karen’s love for the Montessori education approach, she earned her Montessori certification and taught at Grace Montessori, which became her stepping stone into life as an educator. She now serves as a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Environmental Science Program at Muhlenberg College, where she helps students develop a love of nature and an understanding of the systems that shape our world. Karen also helped found the Allentown Environmental Advisory Committee and currently serves as the Board Chair of the Grace Montessori Advisory Board. 

Matt loved the way that Grace Montessori built community and connected with Allentown, and joined the advisory board in 2008. From there, he deepened his involvement in the Allentown community, working in economic development for the city and the greater Lehigh Valley, serving on the Airport Authority Board, and eventually becoming Allentown’s mayor.

Karen and Matt are still very much in love, and still enjoy punk rock, comic books, nature, and travel. Their children are thriving in college, and the entire family credits Grace Montessori School for laying a foundation of success.