Our Board
Brendan Csaposs is in his thirteenth year in education, serving as the Dean Development Lead for Kenya with NOVA Pioneer Schools in Nairobi. Prior to this, he helped found two public charter primary schools serving historically underserved students in Baton Rouge, LA, and spent nearly a decade working as a special education teacher and school leader in high-need schools across the country. Brendan earned a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the George Washington University, and is in the final stages of completing dissertation work to earn his Doctorate in Adult Education from the University of Arkansas. Throughout his career as an educator, professor, community organiser, and even candidate for public office, Brendan has always believed in the power of love & high expectations to help children change their world. He is excited to now take this work global as a member of the Board of the Montessori Global Growth Fund, supporting access to life-changing Montessori education in Kenya and communities across the globe.
Brendan has recorded a short explanation of the reasons he supports MGGF.
Brendan Csaposs, Ph.D.
Lynne is the Executive Director of Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in Amsterdam. She actively promotes AMI’s involvement in Montessori educational projects in developing countries, teacher training programs globally, and ancillary Montessori programs, research and development. She is the author of “Montessori Read and Write: A Parent’s Guide to Literacy for Children.”
Lynne Lawrence
Eleanor earned a B.A. from Wellesley College, an M.A. in international politics from New York University, and an M.B.A. from Harvard University School of Business Administration. She earned her certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt in business process improvement and project management, and has experience in corporate strategic planning and implementation, operations, marketing, and financial management. Most of her career has been in launching and growing entrepreneurial enterprises. She currently serves on the board of Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT) as well as on the strategic planning committee of Lumin Education, a Montessori-based community of schools in Dallas, Texas.
Here’s a short video about why Eleanor supports Montessori Global Growth Fund.
Eleanor W. Latimer, M.B.A., M.A.
President
Jennifer Davidson, M.Ed., serves as Head of School for Montessori in the Redlands in Redlands, California. She has been involved in Montessori education since serving as a volunteer educator in the Dominican Republic in 2000. She was executive director of Montessori Northwest, a training center in Portland, OR prior to joining Montessori in the Redlands. She serves on the board of Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and is an AMI representative on the MGGF board. She graduated from Lewis and Clark College, earned her M.Ed. from Loyola University in Maryland and her AMI Diploma, Primary Teacher Training.
Jennifer recorded a short video of her thoughts about Montessori Global Growth Fund.
Jennifer Davidson, M.Ed.
Secretary
Michael serves as AVP of Sales Operations for iA American Warranty Group, leading a team focused on building great experiences for its clients. Previously, Michael spent 15 years of experience working with boards, executive teams, and operational groups to facilitate people-centered systems that think strategically, make decisions with compassion and clarity, and continuously self-evaluate to respond to changes. Much of this experience has come directly from being highly involved in the independent school sector in Houston and on a national level. Michael was a Montessori student through eighth grade, graduating from the Alcuin School in Dallas, Texas. Michael holds an M.A. in the Human Dimensions of Organizations from the University of Texas at Austin.
Michael Larson, M.A.
Treasurer
Maryse Postlewaite
Maryse has more than 45 years experience as a Montessori educator. She holds an AMI Elementary diploma from Bergamo Italy, where she met her husband, Tom. Besides her work as a Montessori guide at both the lower elementary and upper elementary levels, she has been an AMI Elementary consultant for eight years. Her volunteer experience through EsF in Thailand opened opportunities for her potential impact outside of the classroom.
She also has trained with Children’s Creative Response to Conflict, Positive Discipline, Kidpower, Mindfulness, and Cultivating Authentic Communication. She is the founder of TLC Pathways, leading workshops in conflict resolution.
Yu Teng-Chien (Jack)
Teng-Chien is an international Montessori trainer, originally from Taiwan. He taught English in Montessori schools in Taipei and from there he came to the US where he obtained first his Assistant to Infancy AMI diploma, and then his Primary AMI diploma under the guidance of Joen Bettmann, a world renown Primary Trainer. Jack subsequently became an AMI Primary Trainer, and now works as a trainer with The Montessori Institute in Denver, Colorado. Teng-Chien has taught Primary Orientation Courses in Taiwan. He also served as an observer and consultant in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. Since 2019, Teng-Chien has given three Primary training courses in Denver. He is passionate about culinary arts and believes that to know someone is to cook a meal together sharing stories of their food and heritages.
Allison Lide, B.Ed, M.A.
Allison Lide is a life-long educator who began her career as a high school math and physics teacher in Ohio (US) as well as in Nepal as a Peace Corps volunteer. After seven years in the classroom, she switched gears and received her Montessori elementary level certification from Bergamo, Italy and has worked in the Montessori world of education ever since.
Allison is particularly interested in the transcultural nature of the Montessori approach, and as such has been deeply involved in a variety of global Montessori efforts. For 14 years, she guided elementary and adolescent classrooms in Connecticut (US), Washington State (US), Morocco, and Austria. She has also helped design, implement and support Montessori environments for underserved popu-lations in post-Taliban Afghanistan (as well as in today’s Taliban regime) and post-civil war Nepal, and in orphanages in Soddo, Ethiopia and Sarajevo, Bosnia. Today she passionately continues this hands-on work of supporting teams offering strong, high quality Montessori education in underserved, under-resourced places.
Kimberly Schneider, M.Ed., JD, LPC
Kim is the Head of School at Chesterfield Montessori School in St. Louis, MO.. A Licensed Professional Counselor with a Master’s degree in Education as well as a degree in Law and an AMI Certificate in Montessori Core Principles, Kim taught Mindful Communication and Presence at Washington University-St. Louis prior to joining CMS. She has been a leadership trainer for corporate executives and entrepreneurs, a psychotherapist in private practice, and a facilitator for retreats and workshops in the U.S. and Ireland. Kim is the author of Everything You Need Is Right Here as well as the audiobook Terrible Beauty: Poems and Reflections for Precarious Times.
She wrote this poem for our 2022 board retreat.
Here is a very short video Kim created about her thoughts on MGGF.
Key Support
Victoria J. Johnson, Executive Director, Victoria.Johnson@Montessori-mggf.org
Vanessa Delarca, Development Associate, Vanessa.Delarca@montessori-mggf.org
Christina Potenza, Social Media Specialist, Christina.Potenza@montessori-mggf.org
Betsy Tanis, Grant Administrator, Betsy.Tanis@montessori-mggf.org
Jai Brisbon, Grant Committee Liaison
Emily Green, Grant Committee Liaison
Julie Johnson, Grant Committee Liaison