You are voting for 4 vacancies for the Michigan Montessori Society governing board.
Kerri Graham (Incumbent) has been in Montessori education for 30+ years. She has worked as a lead teacher in schools in Midland, Southgate, and Indianapolis, Indiana. She returned to Michigan to take Montessori training and attended Delta College and Central Michigan University for Early Childhood Education. She received a Montessori 3-6 credential in 2007 and interned at the Montessori Center of Downriver, where she remained as a lead teacher for 10 years. She is now running a non-profit Montessori school in Mt. Pleasant, MI that just opened 3 years ago. Montessori and children have been her life’s passion, and she is now experiencing the administrative side of child care. She still enjoys mornings in the classroom with the children.
Kate Kingsley is a dedicated Montessori Directress with 20 years of experience working with young children at The Grosse Pointe Academy’s Montessori Early School. She holds an AMS teaching certificate and a BA in Liberal Studies from U of M. She has served on a number of committees (Professional Development, Curriculum Review, School Accreditation and Strategic Planning) in her community and enjoys being a part of organizations that serve both Montessori schools and teachers’ interests.
Jasmin Reynolds (Incumbent)began her Montessori career in 2016 as an assistant teacher. In 2021, Jasmin graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from Wayne State University. During her program, she interned as a youth development program coordinator for low-income families; while continuing her role as an assistant in a 3-6 classroom. She later continued her education and obtained an AMS Early Childhood Teaching Certificate from MMTEC. She is currently a lead teacher at Ferndale Montessori. Over the years, she has found many parallels between her social work experiences and Montessori philosophy. Ultimately, she loves being in the classroom and watching the growth of her students over a three-year cycle. Jasmin believes in a holistic approach to understanding the needs of her students and looks forward to building up the Michigan Montessori Community by connecting people to resources they need to thrive. While on the MMS board, she has been highly involved in the planning of the annual MMS fall conference.
Melissa Romero has a B.A in Psychology from U of M specializing in Human Development. She completed course work for Mi teacher certification K-8 and has Montessori I and II endorsements. Melissa has over 25 years of experience as a Montessori guide having taught children ages 2 – 14. Other interests led her to complete a Social Emotional Learning Facilitator certification, Transformative Teaching and Leadership certification, and a TEACH 500 Hour .RYT yoga instructor certification. Melissa is currently pursuing an M.Ed in Education in Social Emotional Learning, Mindfulness & Yoga.
Kristan Small-Grimes has been teaching in the Lansing School District for 35 years, the last 20 years at Wexford Montessori. She has a B.A. in Human Development with a ZA endorsement and a Teaching Certificate. She earned her Master’s in Curriculum & Planning under Michael Dorer, with E1 and E2 Montessori Credentials. She is currently the Coordinator of the Magnet Schools of America Montessori Reboot Grant at Wexford and a Montessori Coach for teachers in training. She is also an Instructor for the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector and continues to serve various roles within the Lansing School District, including the Multicultural Task Force.
Lydia Teasley has 30+ years of experience in education from infant/toddler through kindergarten. Passionate about diversity and inclusion education for children, she seeks to assist in any way to create a diverse community of learning for all. She worked with state government officials to create a bill to honor the Negro Baseball League, successfully making May 2 Negro Baseball Day in Michigan. A main component of the bill encourages educating children on the rich history of baseball and its importance to culture. She initiated a parents’ group to help build communication between home and school and created learning activities to help parents engage their children. Lydia sees the need to bring diversity into the Montessori community and will work toward that goal.