Course Speakers

Peter Davidson Peter Davidson consults with schools and speaks on administrative topics in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Russia, and the Palestinian Territories.  He serves in an auxiliary administrative capacity with Montessori in Redlands while also serving on four non-profit boards, including the Montessori Administrators Association (MAA) and the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).  Peter holds the AMI Primary (3-6) diploma from Edgecliff College (1975). Peter served as Head of School at Montessori School of Beaverton, Oregon for 27 years. 

Marc Frankel is a consulting psychologist in St. Louis, Missouri and is a senior consultant and principal in Triangle Associates, as well as a faculty member for the NAIS Institute for New Heads. Dr. Frankel trained at Emory University where he received a Ph.D., and at the University of Missouri—Columbia School of Medicine. He consults and coaches with individuals and groups primarily in the health care, education, and technology industries. His experience as a practicing manager and as a trustee gives him first-hand familiarity with issues of leadership and governance in nonprofit institutions. Together with Judith Schechtman and John Feely, Dr. Frankel co-founded the School Leadership Program now sponsored by NAIS, and the Missouri Physician Leadership Program for the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Medicine.

Maura Joyce has been Head of School at Montessori in Redlands (Calfornia) since July 2000. She holds AMI diplomas at both the Primary (3-6) and Elementary (6-12) levels, and a Masters in Education from Loyola College.  Maura has ten years of classroom experience at the Elementary and Adolescent levels. She has lectured at AMI administrator’s workshops, the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and various Montessori schools around the country.  Maura has served on the Board of the Montessori Administrator’s Association and is the parent of a Montessori student.

David Kahn has been Executive Director of the North American Montessori Teachers’ Association for more than thirty years. He has seventeen years of Montessori teaching experience, twelve of them as teaching principal at Ruffing Montessori School (Cleveland Heights, OH). Mr. Kahn was founding director of the Hershey Montessori School adolescent program on the farm in Huntsburg, Ohio, an internationally acclaimed Montessori model for adolescent education. He now serves as founding director of Montessori High School at University Circle (Cleveland, OH). Additionally, he consults with schools throughout North America that are beginning Montessori farm schools or high schools. He also developed a summer institute titled A Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies to help teachers specializing in working with students ages 12-18. Mr. Kahn holds a BA in fine arts and classics from the University of Notre Dame (IN) as well as the AMI Montessori Elementary diploma from Bergamo, Italy.

Kathy Minardi is Head of School at Aidan Montessori School in Washington, D.C. Aidan serves 200 children, toddler through upper elementary. Kathy has been an educator for forty-four years, thirty-six of which have been as a school leader in Ohio, Florida, and Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in English Education from St. Olaf College and an MA in English Literature/Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Throughout her leadership career she has had a strong focus on creating healthy school communities where communications and adult interactions are congruent with the school’s mission and values.

Katy Myers is currently the founding principal of Denver Montessori Junior/Senior High School located in Denver, CO.  In addition Katy consults with schools throughout the U.S.. Katy was a founding parent of Compass Montessori, a pre-K through 12th grade public Montessori charter school in Golden, CO where she served as the business manager and assistant head of school for four years and head of school for six years. Katy’s educational background includes elementary Montessori diploma (AMI), adolescent Montessori certification (NAMTA), a B.S. in speech and economics from Northwestern University, and an M.Ed from Arizona State University in education administration and supervision.