SJS News

As both the newly-appointed president of Spicher’s Appliances & Security and president of the Saint James Alumni Council, Hagerstown native Callan Spicher ‘10 stands poised to shape the future of two communities that shaped her first.

In August, Callan was named the new president of Spicher’s, a fourth-generation leader of a company first opened in 1955 by her great-grandfather, Charles, and her grandfather, Carl. Her father, Curt, took over as president in 1992 and just recently retired. 

As a kid wandering the showroom floor, she did not imagine someday running the company. But now, Callan is guiding Spicher’s into its next chapter with a blend of strategic insight, humility, and the kind of lived-in understanding only decades of family stories can provide.

After graduating from Saint James in 2010, Callan attended Elon University, where she earned a degree in Strategic Communications with a concentration in advertising. She gravitated toward the field because of its creativity and cultural pulse. 
Her entry into GE Appliances was decidedly unglamorous—an internship reviewing product schematics—but it positioned her well for the company’s intensive training program in Louisville, Kentucky. 

“It was a great place for me to really learn and get my feet underneath me,” she said. “I was young, so it was nice to be able to make mistakes and not feel like I’m under a magnifying glass that I would have been here.” 

After Louisville, she worked as an area sales manager for GE in New York City. The move felt like stepping into another world. 
“I was incredibly excited, and I was also very nervous,” she said. “It was never on my dream list to move to New York, but looking back, I’m very glad for the opportunity. It was a really big challenge for me, but I really loved it.” 

She lived on the Upper East Side, forged friendships, including reconnecting with fellow Saint James alumna Lena Tilsworth ’12, and built the confidence to succeed anywhere. 

“If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere,” she said. “I definitely caught the bug. I could have stayed there forever.” 
But family called her back. After her father had a heart attack in 2019, Callan returned as Spicher’s Director of Marketing while also earning her MBA at the University of Maryland. 

Callan found that Spicher’s digital presence was minimal; their website required customers to “call for best price,” a barrier many shoppers would never take the time to cross. “They’re just going to assume that you’re more expensive,” she said. 

Her experience in high-density markets, where retailers have limited showroom space and rely heavily on digital engagement, proved critical. She immediately began transforming Spicher’s online strategy, shifting the company from primarily traditional advertising to a modern digital-first approach. 

“I think I’ve completely flipped that on its head since I got here,” she said. 

Yet returning as the president’s daughter came with complications. 

“Daughter comes back from the big city and has a lot of opinions,” she said with a laugh. “So, I was trying not to be a bull in a china shop and making intentional decisions that also got staff on board.” 

Then came 2020. Her digital overhaul, completed just before the pandemic hit, suddenly became indispensable. 

“All of that became extremely instrumental when we went into COVID,” she said. “We didn’t have to make such a wild swing that we would have if I hadn’t done that beforehand.” 

Her leadership during supply-chain turmoil and rapid operational shifts led to her promotion to vice president in 2021. Meanwhile, her younger brother Ethan ’16 was promoted into purchasing and later named vice president when Callan ascended to the presidency. 

“Working with him has been a joy. I am just really privileged to be able to work with him every day,” she said. 

Under Callan’s leadership, Spicher’s recently completed one of the largest projects in its history: the construction of a centralized distribution center in Martinsburg, West Virginia, to streamline delivery and service operations. Inspired partly by what she saw in larger markets, Callan envisioned a single hub to support multiple stores and future expansion. 

“I had gone through and seen a couple of bigger operations than us, and they distribute out of one central distribution center,” she said. “The decision would touch nearly every aspect of the business. It was an ambitious project.” 

The new facility opened with a ribbon-cutting celebration on November 5, 2025. For Callan, it felt like a milestone not only for the company, but for her own evolution as a leader.

“It’s crazy because it’s something that I never expected,” she said. “But working at a small company, you really can understand how much you impact things. In the corporate environment, you are a cog in a wheel. But here, my impact can mean so much more.” 

Though her path wound far from Saint James and back again, Callan still recognizes how deeply the School shaped her. In particular, she credits her time on stage with the Mummers’ Society for giving her confidence in the public-speaking demands of leadership.

“My stage is a little different now,” she said. “It might be in front of the executive board or multiple employees, but I like to think I’ve been practicing this since I was 16.” 

She also thrived in the small-school environment, where she explored a wide range of activities—from volleyball to theater—and developed the sense of balance she still values. 

“Having all of those avenues where I felt like a well-rounded individual has helped me continue to be a well-rounded person as I grew up,” Callan said. 

Her connection to Saint James today is stronger than ever. In 2019, she was invited to join the Alumni Council, and in 2023 she stepped into the role of president. The Alumni Council has been through an overhaul in recent years, starting under former Alumni Council president Kimberley Medrano ’04.

Callan is passionate about expanding both the membership and the engagement of alumni of all ages.

“The big thing is engagement,” she said. “We want plan more events or opportunities to be involved and make connections with Saint James.”

What she loves most is hearing directly from current students, as the senior prefect joins their virtual meetings. 

“I just love hearing from the prefects,” she said. “It is great to hear from them how much things have changed as well as how much things have stayed the same too, where you still feel like the mission of the School is so similar.”

Callan is taking a brief breath after the distribution center’s opening, but her mind is already turning toward what comes next. 
What is certain is that she carries forward the legacy of three generations while charting a modern direction of her own. And despite her younger self imagining a life far from home, she now sees the meaning in returning. 

“My impact here is so much more meaningful, not just for the people who work here, but for my family as well,” she said. “My parents like having me around—which I guess is good!” 

A true leader for good, both Spicher’s and Saint James benefit from Callan’s vision.