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Charo Alarcon is a lower elementary teacher at White Rock Montessori School in Dallas, TX. A trained master naturalist, she formerly taught infants and toddlers at East Dallas Community School. AMI-credentialed (I Sheryl B. Ancone, MEd, is a primary teacher at Logan Elementary, an inner-city public school with a Montessori "school within a school" program, in Columbia, SC. She is also a technology educator for Richland County District One in Columbia and an adjunct technology education instructor at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Jodi Reed Augustine, MS, is an adolescent teacher at Portsmouth Middle School in Portsmouth, RI. She formerly taught in both Montessori and public special-education classrooms. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (5, 6) Mary P. Avola is a lower elementary teacher at Newton Montessori School in Newton, MA. She formerly worked as a children's house teacher, lower elementary teacher, director of admission, and assistant head of school at Pincushion Hill Montessori School in Ashland, MA. AMS-credentialed (EI), NCME-credentialed (EC). (5) Janet Bagby, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the educational psychology department at Baylor University in Waco, TX. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she received the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2002. (3) Irene R. Baker is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Casey Barnett, MEd, is an elementary teacher at the Shelton School and Evaluation Center, a Montessori school for children with learning differences in Dallas, TX. Montessori-educated as a child, she is the coauthor of several manuals on using the Montessori approach with children at risk. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (7) |
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Maureen Bauer is an early childhood teacher at the Village School in Waldwick, NJ. A teacher for over 14 years, she is a language and math teacher educator at CMTE/NY. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7) Judi Bauerlein, MEd, is a teacher educator for the Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, NJ, and has taught for Montessori education programs in Taiwan, Malaysia, Mexico, and Canada. A past president of the AMS Board of Directors, she is a member of the Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Committee. Judi founded public Montessori programs in San Mateo and Lagunitas, CA, and has been honored as teacher of the year in San Mateo County. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (1) Amy Beam is director of Beyond the Walls nature-awareness programs at Franklin Montessori Schools and Metro Montessori in Rockville, MD. She serves on the advisory board of the National Science Resources Center at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. (3) Meredith Beaton, MA, is a lead middle school teacher at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA. (6) Carolyn Bentley, MEd, is an elementary reading specialist at the Shelton School and Evaluation Center, a Montessori school for children with learning differences in Dallas, TX. She is the recipient of an Innovator Award from the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council. (7) Rodney Berthold is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Rob Bishop is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Kelly Bornmann is director of the Center for Music and Young Children, the lab school of Music Together, LLC, in Princeton, NJ. She also works for Music Together's licensing department as a national mentor to other Music Together teachers and directors. (6) |
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Rick Bragg is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Rachel Breunlin is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Kimberly Briggs is a toddler community guide and birth-to-three directress at Montessori House for Children in Richmond, TX. A Montessori parent and staff member since 1995, she has established several toddler environments as well as an authentic nido infant community. AMI-credentialed (I&T). (6) Vienna Broadbelt is director of the Montessori Learning Centre in Wilmington, DE. A member of the Monarch Teacher Network, she formerly worked in government and law. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Debra Gorman Cagle, MA, is a preprimary teacher at St. Joseph Academy Montessori Children's House, a Montessori teacher educator for Adrian Dominican Montessori Teacher Education Institute, and an adjunct faculty member at Siena Heights University, all in Adrian, MI. An AMS consultant, she also works as a Montessori teacher educator for Indiana University in South Bend, IN. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) Teri Canaday, MA, is an administrator and teacher at the Montessori Center of Jackson, and adjunct faculty member at Lambuth University, in Jackson, TN. She is also a faculty member at Memphis Montessori Institute and adjunct faculty member at University of Memphis, TN. A national consultant for AMS and executive producer of the AMS film Educating for Peace: The Essence of Montessori, Teri is a member of the AMS Peace Committee. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (1) Kathy Carey, MAT, is coeditor of Montessori Life. She is also a teacher educator at Oklahoma City University and a professor of child development at Rose State College in Midwest City, OK. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3, 6) Misse Carolan, MA, is a behavior analyst for Achieve, a day treatment program for behaviorally and emotionally disoriented adolescents in Bath, ME. She is a workshop presenter and teacher educator for New England Early Childhood Associates in Kingston, RI, and a faculty member of Northeast Montessori Institute in Rockport, ME. AMI-credentialed (EC). (1) |
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Cathy Carpenter, MS, MEd, is an upper elementary teacher at the Barrie School in Silver Spring, MD, and an infant/toddler, early childhood, and lower elementary instructor at the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies at Barrie. AMS-credentialed (EI-II) (6) Tara Cavaliere, MA, MFA, is faculty/staff coordinator at Montessori Country Day School in Houston, TX. She is a field consultant for the Houston Montessori Center and vice president of the Children's Enrichment Fund. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADMIN). (4) Nicole Champoux is elementary program head and lead lower elementary teacher at Montessori Children's House in Redmond, WA. A teacher educator for the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest, she is a past president and current member of the Pacific Northwest Montessori Association. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (2) Alberta Chang, MA, is an intern at J. J. Hill Montessori and a student at the College of St. Catherine's Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs, both in St. Paul, MN. She formerly worked as a substitute teacher in the St. Paul Public Schools. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (2) Penny HildeBrandt Cichucki, MEd, is founder and head of Crystal Lake Montessori School, Woodstock, IL, and educational director of the Secondary I Credential Program for the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center. She represents heads of schools on the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II, SECI-II). (Heads of Schools Networking Session, 7) Judi A. Cole is a reading specialist at Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy in Ignacio, CO. She is a former elementary classroom teacher. (4) Marie Conti, MEd, is senior director of school accreditation and member programs at AMS. She has 28 years of experience as a Montessori teacher, teacher educator, TEP director, school administrator, and regional group leader. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3, 5, 6) Harry Cooper, MA, is facility services director at Chateau de Notre Dame, a long-term health-care residence for the elderly in New Orleans, LA. (5) |
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Joan A. Cotter, PhD, is a Hutchinson, MN.based author of primary and intermediate math texts for Activities for Learning, Inc. She is a former Montessori early childhood teacher. AMI-credentialed (EC). (5) Gretchen Courage, MEd, is a Children's House Montessori magnet resource teacher at Gerena Community School, a large public school adopting a Montessori program, in Springfield, MA. A school consultant and former Montessori teacher, school founder, and head, she is currently pursuing an AMS Elementary I-II credential. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3) Floyd Creech, PhD, is early childhood coordinator and director of the Montessori teacher education program for Florence School District One in Florence, SC. President of the South Carolina Early Childhood Association, he is also a trustee of South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) Crystal Dahlmeier, MEd, is program director for the Greater Cincinnati Center for Montessori Education in Cincinnati, OH, and associate executive director of Children, Inc., which operates nine early childhood centers in Covington, KY. She formerly chaired the AMS Teachers Section. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3) Joan B. Daly, SSJ, MEd, is a teacher educator, on-site visitor, consultant, and workshop presenter for the Center for Montessori Teacher Education/NY in New Rochelle, NY. She is a former elementary teacher. AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (4) Sharon Damore, EdD, is an assistant professor of elementary education at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. An AMS Board member and Research Committee chair, she has also held positions as teacher, principal, special-education director, dean, and head of school. AMS-credentialed (EC). (6) Linda E. Daniel, PhD, is coordinator of health, nutrition, and safety at Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy in Ignacio, CO. In addition to her nursing responsibilities, she is a Colorado master gardener and has organized and managed activities around the school's gardens, pond, and greenhouse. (4) Carolyn Daoust, PhD, is an associate professor, Montessori elementary coordinator, and director of interns at St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she received the AMS Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award in 2005. AMS-credentialed (EC), AMI-credentialed (EI, EII). (3) |
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Marta Donahoe, MEd, is founder and program coordinator at Clark Montessori Junior and Senior High School in Cincinnati, OH. She has taught Montessori elementary and secondary students for 25 years, is an educator for CMTE/NY, and directs the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program (CMSTEP). AMS-credentialed (EII, SECI-II). (7) Michael J. Dorer, EdD, is director of and a teacher educator for the Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, MN. He is also director of the Montessori Leadership Group, a teacher support and consultation firm, and a past president of AMS and IAME. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI) (7) Rose Dorer, MA, is a lower elementary teacher at J. J. Hill Montessori and an adjunct faculty member at the College of St. Catherine's Center for Contemporary Montessori Programs, both in St. Paul, MN. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADMIN), AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (2) Meg Drake, MA, is an Old Greenwich, CT.based learning specialist who works with Montessori schools nationwide to identify signs of risk for learning differences through her program PEASS., Proactive Educational Assistance. She formerly worked at the Whitby School, of which her father was one of a group of founders, in Greenwich, CT. (7) Jean Syverud Drew, MAT, is an art teacher at Montessori Children's House in Providence, RI, where she is also an adjunct art education instructor at Rhode Island College. In 2003, she received, with Troy Locke, a National Geographic Teacher's Grant to develop her school.s elementary geography and culture curriculum. (2) D'Neil Duffy, MEd, is elementary coordinator, faculty member, and school consultant for CMTE/NY. A cofounder of Blackstock Montessori School in Villa Rica, GA, she coauthored Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom, and serves AMS as a consultant, member of the board of directors, and member of the Public Policy Committee. AMS-credentialed (EI-II), AMI-credentialed (EC). (1, 3) Michael Duffy, MEd, STL, is a Montessori elementary teacher educator for CMTE/NY and a private Montessori consultant. The coauthor of Children of the Universe: Cosmic Education in the Montessori Elementary Classroom, he recently authored Math Works: Montessori Math and the Developing Brain. He and his wife, D'Neil, live in Mt. Jackson, VA. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (3) Marie M. Dugan is the AMS 2009 Living Legacy. See Keynote Address Webpage. |
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Pamela Dunn is president of Global Relationship Centers, Inc., in St. Louis, MO. A program developer, trainer, coach, and author, she is founder of the Center in Love & Truth, an interfaith ministry, and creator of the Peaceful Project, a program for juveniles on probation and their parents to nurture wholeness, personal responsibility, and alternatives to violence. She is a candidate for a doctorate in divinity. (7) Douglas John Dziedzic, MEd, is a lead middle school teacher at Villa Montessori, a public charter school in Phoenix, AZ. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (5) Jennifer McGonagle Dziedzic, MEd, is a lead middle school teacher at Villa Montessori, a public charter school in Phoenix, AZ. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (5) Riane Eisler is the AMS 2009 Annual Conference Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch Lecturer. See Keynote Address Webpage. Marge Ellison is founder and head of Montessori Country Day School in Houston, TX. She is a board member/officer of the Houston Montessori Center and serves on the advisory board of the Montessori infant/toddler program at North Harris Community College. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADMIN). (4) Ellie Elzerman, MEd, is owner and upper elementary teacher at Clemson Montessori School, and director of the Montessori Teacher Training Institute of South Carolina, both in Clemson, SC. She is an executive board member of the South Carolina Montessori Alliance. NCME-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (2) Cate Epperson, MAT, is a toddler community teacher at Hope Montessori in St. Louis, MO. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (5) Ann Epstein, PhD, is a professor and advisor in the early childhood program at Lander University in Greenwood, SC. A former Montessori early childhood teacher, she currently serves as a member of the AMS Research Committee and provides consultation to Montessori schools on issues related to children with exceptionalities. In 1996, she was awarded the AMS Outstanding Dissertation Award. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2, 6) |
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Paul Epstein, PhD, is head of the Montessori School of Anderson in Anderson, SC. A coauthor of The Montessori Way, he is a Montessori teacher educator and has worked as an assistant professor at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, and as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. AMS-credentialed (EC, SECI-II). (6) Barbara Ervin, MEd, is associate professor and director of Lander University's Montessori teacher education program in Greenwood, SC. She is a member of the executive board of the South Carolina Montessori Alliance. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (2) Meg M. Fedorowicz, MEd, is a lead upper elementary teacher and elementary supervisor at Meadow Montessori School in Monroe, MI, where she formerly taught early childhood. She is a teacher educator for MECA-Seton in Chicago, IL, and at Michigan Montessori Teacher Education Center. AMS-credentialed (EC, EII). (2) Judy Feeney is a head teacher at Giving Tree Montessori School in Colorado Springs, CO. She has been a Montessori early childhood teacher for 30 years and sings and plays guitar around Colorado Springs with the Earth Seeds. Her CD of peace and environmental songs, The Ants' Dance, was released in 2007. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1) Chandra Fernando is codirector of the Northern Virginia Montessori Institute in Ashburn, VA. With over 35 years of early childhood and elementary teaching experience, she has directed AMS-affiliated teacher education programs for 16 years and serves AMS as a member of the Teacher Education Action Committee.AMI-credentialed (EC, EI). (2) Sabrina Fioretto is the owner/operator of Nurturing Nest Montessori, an infant and toddler community in Ellicott City, Maryland. She also instructs for the Montessori Institute for Teacher Education in Delaware. She is a wife and mother of three girls ages 14, 9,and 5. AMS credentialed (I&T) (6). Lynn Fisher is founder and head of West Side Montessori Center in Toledo, OH. A Montessori educator for over 30 years, she currently serves on the AMS Accreditation Commission. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (3, 4) Holly FitzHarris, MEd, is an upper elementary teacher at J. Allen Axson Montessori School in Jacksonville, FL. AMS-credentialed (EI), Montessori-credentialed (EC). (3) |
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Adele Fondo, MEd, is co-owner and director of Maitland Montessori Schools, Inc., located on three campuses in central Florida. A member of the AMS Teacher Education Action Committee, she is director and instructor of an AMS-affiliated early childhood and lower elementary teacher education program. Montessori-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (2) Zahra Foroud is a kindergarten teacher and principal of Lethbridge Montessori School in Lethbridge, AB, Canada. St. Nicholas-credentialed (EC). (7) Heather L. Fry is a teacher at Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center in Fort Wayne, IN. She is a lead teacher for the Indiana Reading Association. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Jennifer Aiken Fulton, MSS, LSW, is a licensed therapist in private practice and a K.12 school social worker for the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District in Kennett Square, PA. She taught at Wilmington Montessori School, in Wilmington, DE, for 18 years. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1) Steffani H. Gilligan, MEd, is the curriculum coach at J. Allen Axson Montessori School in Jacksonville, FL. A former classroom teacher and school administrator, she is a poet whose first book, Little Hunters, was published in July 2008. AMS-credentialed (EI). (3) Deborah Greenwald, MA, develops practice- and research-based guidelines and training materials for infant and toddler programs at WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies in Sausalito, CA. A former infant/toddler teacher, she spent five years in Montessori classrooms and also trained as a Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) associate with Magda Gerber. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (1)
Michelle Hammons, MA, is principal and administrative director of Eagle Peak Montessori School in Walnut Creek, CA. A cochair of the AMS Public Policy Committee, her career has been in public Montessori settings. AMS-credentialed (EC). (1, 3) |
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Zoe Handerson-Alexandrat is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Maureen Harris, MEd, teaches at the Children's House Montessori in ON, Canada. A member of the AMS Research Committee, she is the developer of Montessori Mozarts, an instructional music program for Montessori students, and author of Music and the Young Mind and Listen to Their Voices. She provides music consultation to Montessori teacher education programs, teachers, and parents worldwide. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) Cathleen Haskins, MEd, is a Baileys Harbor, WI.based peace education writer and consultant for both traditional and Montessori classrooms. She provides in-service and workshop support for schools looking to explore peace education curriculum and ideas. She is a former Montessori classroom teacher and a member of the AMS Peace Committee. AMS-credentialed (EI). (6) Patricia D. Hauschild, MA, is principal at Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy in Ignacio, CO, where she formerly taught primary and lower and upper elementary. AMS-credentialed (EI). (4) Abram Shalom Himelstein is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Carla Hofland, MBA, is director of member services at AMS. She has 15 years of experience as a Montessori school administrator. (Regional Groups Networking Session) Marcia S. Hubelbank is a cofounder of the toddler program at Kingsley Montessori School in Boston, MA. She is a member of CMTE/NY's infant/toddler summer support staff and teaches at the Northeast Center for Montessori Education in Beverly, MA. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (3) Brenda L. Huth, MEd, is a teacher at Bunche Montessori Early Childhood Center in Fort Wayne, IN. A member of the Indiana State Reading Association, she was named one of Fort Wayne's favorite teachers by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette in 2000 and was one of four finalists for Fort Wayne Community School's Teacher of the Year in 2008. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (4) |
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Daniel H. Jacobs, AIA, LEED AP, is an architect, principal, and lead project director for the education work group at A3C Collaborative Architecture, an architecture and interior design firm with a focus on educational and sustainable design, in Ann Arbor, MI. (2) Tom Jankowski, JD, LLM, is a business and finance attorney at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, in Phoenix, AZ. A former teacher and administrator at Villa Montessori School in Phoenix, Tom serves as secretary of the AMS Board of Directors and has represented AMS at civil society events, including the Hague Appeal for Peace and the Millennium Summit at the United Nations. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (4) Seth Johnson, MS, is an upper elementary teacher at Montessori Children's Community in Sewickley, PA. He has taught lower elementary for the past eight years and is currently pursuing an EI-II credential at CMTE/NY. AMS-credentialed (EI). (7) Carey Jones is coeditor of Montessori Life and a former editor at Chronicle Books in San Francisco, CA. (6) Maria Kaminstein is a Merion Station, PA.based Montessori consultant who serves as a teacher mentor, in-service presenter, parenting class provider, and credentialing consultant. A former Montessori early childhood teacher, she is trained in the Montessori-based Christian education program Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. AMI-credentialed (EC). (2) Dana Kaminstein, PhD, is an organizational consultant based in Merion Station, PA. Affiliated with the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, he frequently works with Montessori schools and codeveloped and coteaches the Course for Leading Schools at the Houston Montessori Center in Houston, TX. (2) Merrie B. King, EdD, is an associate professor in the Department of Education, and Montessori program director, at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. She is the former owner/director of Ithaka Montessori School in Franklin, TN. AMS-credentialed (EI); AMI-credentialed (I&T, EC). (5) Holly Knox is a lead toddler teacher and coordinates a parent-child class for infants and toddlers at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. She has been nominated for the Delaware Governor's Award for Excellence in Early Care and Education. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (2, 4) |
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Liz Knox is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Debbie Koehler is homeowner coordinator for Operation Helping Hands, a home-rebuilding project of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, LA. She has worked in public relations and marketing for nonprofit and for-profit organizations throughout New Orleans. (5) Laure Kominar, MEd, is lower elementary directress at Hillfield Strathallan College in Hamilton, ON, Canada, and a recipient of the AMS 2008 Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Grant. A lecturer for the Lakeview Montessori School Teacher Education Program in Windsor, ON, she previously lectured for St. Nicholas Montessori College in England, Sweden, and across Canada. St. Nicholas-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (3) Christine Kulp is Oakland County, MI, regional manager for Bright Horizons Family Solutions, which manages early care and education centers and schools across the country and in Europe. She is a former school administrator and Montessori lower elementary teacher. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (2) Peter J. Larrow, MEd, is founder and codirector of Montessori Opportunities, Inc., a mobile, AMS-affiliated, teacher education program. A school consultant and workshop facilitator who has taught courses for Ashland, Walsh, and Xavier Universities, he also serves on the AMS Board of Directors as chair of the Teacher Education Committee. AMS-credentialed (EC). (Teacher Educators Networking Session, 1) Rosann Larrow, MA, is founder and codirector of Montessori Opportunities, Inc., a mobile, AMS-affiliated, teacher education program. A Montessori directress and teacher for several AMS education programs, she provides consultation to schools and is a member of the AMS Teacher Education Action Committee. She is also chair of the IAME Public Outreach Committee for Montessori Education Week. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (1) Heidi Larson, MEd, is a lower elementary teacher at Mercy Montessori Center in Cincinnati, OH. She chairs the Teachers Section of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EI). (Teachers Networking Session) Jean Laurich, SSJ, MEd, is principal of Norwood-Fontbonne Academy in Philadelphia, PA, where she formerly taught Montessori lower elementary. AMS-credentialed (EI). (6) |
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Marjorie Lawless, SSJ, MEd, is a lower elementary Montessori teacher at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy in Philadelphia, PA. AMS-credentialed (EI). (6) Spike Lee is the AMS 2009 Annual Conference Saturday Keynote Speaker. See Keynote Address Webpage. Frank Leto is an award-winning composer of multicultural songs and dances for young children. A Montessori teacher educator, he currently works as an artist in residence for Albuquerque Public Schools and as a music teacher and steel band director at Cottonwood School in Corrales, NM. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5)
Troy Locke, MAT, is director and elementary classroom teacher at Montessori Children's House in Providence, RI. In 2003, he received, with Jean Syverud Drew, a National Geographic Teacher's Grant to develop his school's elementary geography and culture curriculum. AMS-credentialed (EI). (2) Margaret Howard Loeffler, PhD, is an educational consultant and codirector of the Montessori Teacher Education Program at Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, OK. Honored as the AMS Living Legacy in 1996, she is the founder of the AMS Teachers Section and the Teachers Research Network. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI), AMI-credentialed (EC). (3) Donna Milani Luther, MEd, is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. (4) Meri-Lee Mafera is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. |
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Katherine Peek Mahler is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. William "Biff" Maier, MEd, is director of faculty and curriculum development at Lexington Montessori School in Lexington, MA, and elementary curriculum coordinator at CMTE/NY. He is former chair of the Teachers Section of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EI-II), AMI-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (1) Jean Marquard, MEd, is a seventh- and eighth-grade language arts and social studies teacher at Clark Montessori, in Cincinnati, OH, and a teacher educator for the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Education Program. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (1) Mariana Martinez, PsyD, is head toddler teacher at Manor Montessori School in Bethesda, MD. She has worked as a family therapist and child psychologist and produced and hosted the radio program Historias de Todos (Everybody's Stories), which focused on child, adolescent, adult, and family issues, in Mexico City, Mexico. AMI-credentialed (EC). (4)
Janice Mayhew, MEd, has recently retired after 30 years as principal of Lakeview Montessori School. She remains director of the LMS Teacher Education Program in Windsor, ON, Canada, and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles. A recipient of the AMS 2008 Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Grant, she previously lectured for St. Nicholas Montessori College in London, England. Montessori-credentialed (EC), St. Nicholas-credentialed (EI-II). (3) Dakota McDurham is a 2008 eighth-grade graduate at Lake Waco Montessori Magnet in Waco, TX. He has presented talks to the Waco Rotary and Lions Clubs about Montessori middle school, peace camps, and the Youth Visit the United Nations (now Global Citizenship Action Project) conference in New York City, NY. (4) Robin McDurham, MS, is principal of Lake Waco Montessori Magnet in Waco, TX, where she is a former middle school teacher and department chair. A doctoral candidate in school leadership and administration at Tarleton State University, her research includes service learning and school/community partnerships. She is an active member of the board of directors of the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (4) |
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Sonnie McFarland is director of Shining Mountains Press in Buena Vista, CO, and an international consultant specializing in Montessori parenting, peace education, community building, and adult transformation. The former head of the Montessori School of Denver and the founding head and teacher at Shining Mountains Children's Center in Pueblo, CO, she chairs the AMS Peace Committee and is a former member of the AMS Board of Directors. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Angie W. Meadows teaches kindergarten at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE, where she formerly worked as early childhood education director. In 2007, she was awarded a $10,000 Toyota TAPESTRY Grant for her innovative curriculum linking science and literacy through the study of horseshoe crabs. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI). (3) Kathryn Miller is an early childhood teacher at School of the Woods and an early childhood teacher instructor at Houston Montessori Center, both in Houston, TX. She is the mother of four Montessori-educated children. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Jason Mingledorff is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Erik Mollenhauer, MA, MS, is supervisor for science/social studies projects for the Educational Information and Resource Center of Gloucester County, NJ. A former classroom teacher and recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, he is a curriculum developer and grant writer for several educational organizations throughout New Jersey. (5) Michelle Moody-Frazier, EdD, is grants manager for the Chicago Public Schools in Chicago, IL, and author of the doctoral dissertation, "Implementing the Montessori Model of Education in a Large, Urban, Public School Setting". She is working toward an AMS administrative certificate. (3) Elizabeth M. Moore is a head early childhood teacher at Montessori Children's Academy in Madison, NJ. A 32-year Montessori teacher, she has been a school founder and board member. AMS-credentialed (EC). (7) Alyssa Morishima Moore, MS, MBA, is principal project manager at Genentech, Inc., and treasurer of the AMS Board of Directors. At her children's public Montessori elementary school in the San Francisco Bay Area, she spearheaded a successful campaign for a middle school expansion. (7) |
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Greg Mortenson is the AMS 2009 Annual Conference Closing Keynote Speaker. See Keynote Address Webpage. Laura Muhlbauer is the early childhood through upper elementary art teacher at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. (4) Shelley Murley, ARCT, is a music and Montessori teacher who, through her company, Montessori through Music, develops activities and curricula aimed at helping children explore music through Montessori principles. Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, she is also a private piano and violin instructor. St. Nicholas-credentialed (EC, EI). (3, 4) Angela K. Murray, PhD, is an independent research consultant contributing to marketing research and grant-funded education projects. Her "Identifying Challenges to the Future of Public Montessori Elementary Schools" received the AMS Outstanding Master's Thesis Award in 2005, and her doctoral dissertation, "Public Perceptions of Montessori Education," received honors from the University of Kansas in 2008. (1) Megan Neelis has taught for the past 18 years at Lusher School in New Orleans, LA. During her evacuation from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, she was involved in creating the Sugarcane Academy with other members of the Lusher community. (Teachers Networking Session) Greg Nelson, PhD, is professor of elementary and early childhood education, and director of the early education and care program, at Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, MA. A former Montessori teacher, trainer, and school owner/director, he is author of A Teacher's Bag of Tricks and Math at Their Own Pace. AMS-credentialed (EC); Montessori-credentialed (EI). (7) Josh Oboler, JD, is director of development for Metro Montessori LLC, managing information technology for six schools in the Washington, DC.area. A former Montessori early childhood teacher, he chaired the Technology Committee for the AMS 2008 Annual Conference and is responsible for the development of the MORE Montessori database and record-keeping program. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) Tammy Oesting is director of education at Montessori Children.s House in Redmond, WA. A teacher educator for the Montessori Education Institute of the Pacific Northwest in Woodinville, WA, she is a board member of the Pacific Northwest Montessori Association. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) |
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Kulsum Omer is an early childhood teacher at the Montessori School of Alexandria, VA, and an early childhood teacher educator at the Houston Montessori Center in Houston, TX. She formerly taught at School of the Woods, in Houston, for 20 years. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Anna Perry, MEd, is head of Seton Montessori School and executive director of Montessori Education Centers Associated (MECA) Teacher Education Program in Clarendon Hills, IL. A doctoral candidate in child development, she serves AMS as a member of the Research and Public Policy Committees. AMS-credentialed (EC, ADMIN). (4) Vicki Peyton, PhD, is an assistant professor of education, specializing in applied statistics and measurement, confirmatory factor analysis, and educational and psychological item analysis, at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. (1) Joyce S. Pickering, HumD, is executive director of the June Shelton School and Evaluation Center, the world's largest school for children with learning differences, in Dallas, TX. A former board member and vice president of the International Dyslexia Association, she is former president of the International Multisensory Structured Language Education Council. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Phyllis Povell, PhD, is professor emerita and former director of the early childhood program at Long Island University, NY. Having written the doctoral dissertation, "Growth of the Montessori Movement 1909-1970, " she is at work on a book examining the leadership of Maria Montessori and AMS founder, Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch. She has served on numerous AMS and MACTE committees. (6) Colleen Quinn is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Paul Reynaud has taught for the past 18 years at Lusher School in New Orleans, LA. During his evacuation from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, he was involved in creating the Sugarcane Academy with other members of the Lusher community. (Teachers Networking Session) Ginny Riga, EdD, is Montessori coordinator for the Office of Public School Choice in the South Carolina Department of Education in Columbia, SC. The first principal of Brockman Montessori School in Richland School District One, she later became the district's Montessori program coordinator. An officer of the South Carolina Montessori Alliance, she is a Montessori Educational Programs International board member. MEPI-credentialed (EC, EI). (2) |
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Nancy M. Rose, MA, is executive director of New England Early Childhood Associates, a consultation and support service provider for schools, agencies, and parents in the New England area. A former AMS Board member, and instrumental in beginning the AMS Peace Committee, she founded MECR in Boulder, CO, and has taught for several Montessori teacher education programs. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC), AMI-credentialed (EC). (1) Celeste J. Ross is a middle school language arts, math, writing, and reading teacher at Villa Montessori in Phoenix, AZ. She formerly taught at School of the Woods in Houston, TX, and worked as an adjunct professor in the department of elementary education at Albright College in Reading, PA. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (6) Chenoa Ruecking is an artist-in-residence at Hope Montessori in St. Louis, MO. (5) Missy Sawyer, MEd, is a primary teacher at Logan Elementary, an inner-city public school with a Montessori "school-within-a-school" program, in Columbia, SC. She formerly worked as a kindergarten teacher in a traditional classroom. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Lawrence Schaefer, PhD, is founder and codirector of Lake Country Institute, a Montessori research and development organization in Minneapolis, MN. He has founded, directed, taught, and served as a board member and consultant for numerous Montessori schools around the country. He received a Distinguished Service Award from the North American Montessori Teachers' Association in 2007. AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (2) Larry Schanker, PhD, is music director of Brookview School in Benton Harbor, MI. He has worked as adjunct faculty at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor and also teaches piano, music theory, and music composition to private clients. (3) Dennis Schapiro is the editor and publisher of Public School Montessorian (Jola Publications) in Minneapolis, MN. A former college administrator, he has also served as a member of the Minneapolis Board of Education. (5, 6) Carole Schnitzer is a lead toddler teacher at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. AMS-credentialed (I&T). (2) |
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Tim Schwartz is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. (1) Jocelyn Scotty is a teacher educator for the early childhood program at MECA in Clarendon Hills, IL, and an administrator and summer camp director at MECA's lab school, Montessori Children.s House of North Barrington. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Ruth Corey Selman, PhD, is a writer and retired Montessori school director, teacher, and teacher educator. A former AMS representative to the United Nations and the Hague Appeal for Peace, she founded the Global Citizen Action Project, helped start the AMS Peace Committee, and initiated the Peace Table at AMS conferences. In 2001, Ruth was honored as the AMS Living Legacy. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Rupali Sharma is a lower elementary teacher at Pincushion Hill Montessori School in Ashland, MA. An architect by training, she integrates design, art, and construction in teaching reading, writing, and acting skills. AMS-credentialed (EI). (5) Heather Sheidler is a lead early childhood teacher at Dublin Montessori Academy in Powell, OH. She formerly taught at the Children's Center in Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Munir Shivji is an early childhood teacher and head of Innovative Montessori School in Houston, TX. He chaired the 100 Years of Maria Montessori celebration in Houston in October 2007. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Gina Shultz is a lead early childhood teacher at Dublin Montessori Academy in Powell, OH. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Cathy Simon-Cord is a lead early childhood teacher at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. She has been twice nominated for the Delaware Governor's Award for Early Childhood Teaching Excellence. AMS-credentialed (EC). (3, 4) |
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Aniceta Skowron, PhD, is a scientist, educator, and founder of Geometro, an ON, Canada.based developer of materials and programs for teaching geometry and related sciences. A former senior scientist at Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, Canada, she has over 20 years of experience in academic research, education, and educational material development. (3) Elizabeth G. Slade, MFA, is Montessori coordinator at Gerena Community School, a large public school adopting a Montessori program, in Springfield, MA. She is pursuing an AMS administrative credential and launching a longitudinal study of public Montessori student outcomes in Springfield. AMI-credentialed (EI-II). (3) Susan Hoadley Smith, MEd, is an independent Montessori consultant and teacher educator specializing in staff development, student teacher supervision, and toddler pedagogy, currently working with the Montgomery Montessori Institute in Rockville, MD, and Lola's Place in Ashburn, VA. She formerly taught toddler demonstration classes for CMTE in Raleigh, NC. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EC). (2) Doris Sommer is AMS senior director of teacher education. A former Montessori early childhood and elementary teacher, she has served as faculty member, consultant, and director of an AMS teacher education program, chaired numerous on-site visits to teacher education programs, and trained MACTE Commission on-site evaluators. AMS-credentialed (EI-II), NCME-credentialed (EC). (2) Marsha Stencel is head of Princeton Montessori School and CEO of the Princeton Center for Teacher Education in Princeton, NJ. She is an accreditation commissioner for AMS and former commissioner for the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. AMS-credentialed (EC). (4) Gail Supanich is a Montessori mentor at Zanetti Montessori Magnet School in Springfield, MA. A former school head, teacher, and teacher trainer, she serves as an AMS school accreditation commissioner and a board member of Montessori Schools of Massachusetts. AMS-credentialed (EC). (5) Ann Sutton, MHum, is a student teacher supervisor at the University of Texas at Dallas, an instructor for Richland Community College, part of the Dallas Community College District, and a consultant for Ann McGee Cooper & Associates, an executive consulting firm specializing in servant leadership and sustainability. She formerly taught middle school at White Rock Montessori in Dallas, TX. AMS-credentialed (SECI). (7) Kathleen Trewhella-Grant is director of Five Oaks Academy, a Montessori school that serves children age three through middle school in Simpsonville, SC. She is chair of the South Carolina Montessori Alliance. St. Nicholas-credentialed (EC). (2) |
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Roseann Tribuiani, SSJ, is a lower elementary Montessori teacher at Norwood-Fontbonne Academy in Philadelphia, PA. AMS-credentialed (EI). (6) Pamela W. Trumble is the vice chairperson of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) Commission and course director of Montgomery Montessori Institute, in Rockville, MD. The head of schools of the Franklin Schools, also in Rockville, she taught in an early childhood classroom for 25 years and has served AMS as chair of both the Teacher Education Policy Committee and the Annual Fund. AMI-credentialed (EC). Ljya C Tulloss, EdD, is program director and professor at Barry University's Montessori Teacher Education Program in Miami Shores, FL. A Spirituality for Kids facilitator, she is past president of the American Federation of Young Theosophists. AMS-credentialed (EC, EI-II). (3, 4) Richard A. Ungerer is executive director of the American Montessori Society. Prior to joining AMS in January 2005, he led a number of not-for-profit organizations committed to enhancing education policy, leadership, and service-learning programs for children and youth. (5, 6, 7) Elizabeth Varley, MS, is the librarian at Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE. (7) Mary Velasquez is a lead upper elementary teacher at Cambridge Montessori School in Cambridge, MA, and a teacher educator with CMTE/NY at their New Rochelle, NY, and Lexington, MA, locations. AMS-credentialed (I&T, EII). (6) Susan H. B. Waldrop, MEd, is director of the physical education and health programs at Red Oaks School in Morristown, NJ. She formerly taught physical education in several schools in Michigan and is a certified United States Professional Tennis Association instructor. (6) Gay Ward, PhD, is a professor of early childhood and literacy at the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, where she also serves as coordinator of the early childhood program. AMS-credentialed (EI). (3) |
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Gretchen L. Warner, PhD, is the executive director of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE) in Racine, WI. She has served as an administrator and faculty member at several colleges and universities and has presented and published extensively in the areas of accreditation and institutional quality. An elected member of the Racine Unified School District board of directors, she has also held leadership positions in the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) and the Chicago Area Accreditors Association. Lynn Weiss is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Annemarie Whilton, MA, is a Pre-Conference presenter. See Thursday Webpage. Joel Wilkinson, MA, is curriculum coordinator at Wyoming Valley Montessori School in Kingston, PA. A consultant and elementary teacher educator for CMTE/NY, he has years of experience working with organizations offering environmental education and camp programs. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (3) Janet Williams, MEd, is an upper elementary teacher at Montessori Academy in Brentwood, TN, and a certified AMS school consultant. A former teacher and curriculum coordinator at several Montessori schools, she previously supervised teacher interns at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (7) Peggy Wilson is a fund-raising consultant and a citizen activist for the city of New Orleans, LA. A former high school teacher, she founded and ran her own public relations/consulting firm and from 1986.1998 served as a city councilwoman. Ms. Wilson helped to start one of the first Montessori preschools in New Orleans, which all four of her children attended. (5) Lisa Winkel is principal of the Laurel Campus of Brookfield Academy, which is managed by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, in Waterford, MI. She is a former Montessori early childhood teacher. AMS-credentialed (EC). (2) Jonathan Wolff is director of Learning for Life, a Montessori consulting firm, based in San Marcos, CA, that specializes in consultation, educational programs, school leadership, and parent education internationally. A former Montessori teacher, administrator, and teacher educator, he is the author of several titles, including Six Practices of Healthy School Communities. AMI-credentialed (EC). (7) |
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Michelle Yezbick, MA, is a lower elementary teacher at Parkside Elementary in San Mateo, CA. In 2007, she received the Outstanding Master.s Thesis Award from AMS. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (6) Patti Yonka is an educator and consultant for several Montessori teacher education programs as well as a consultant for schools and organizations requesting a specific focus on peace. A former elementary classroom teacher, she is a member of the AMS Peace Committee, facilitator of the AMS Peace Table at AMS conferences, and a Montessori representative to the United Nations. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (1, 4, 5) Caran-Marie Zambo is elementary coordinator and an upper elementary teacher at the Fraser-Woods School in Newtown, CT. An artist, writer, and Usui Reiki Master, she has presented workshops nationally. AMS-credentialed (EI-II). (1) Linda Zankowsky, EdD, is head of Wilmington Montessori School in Wilmington, DE, and a member of the AMS Research Committee. Her doctoral work focused on school-wide reading assessment in a Montessori program. (2, 3) |
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