Faculty and Board of Directors

Tamara holds a BS in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s Degree in Education from Loyola College.  She began her career in education teaching English as a Second Language to pre-schoolers in Austin, Texas.   She completed her AMI training at the Montessori Institute of the Northwest, in Portland, Oregon.   Tamara served as a Primary guide at the Post Oak School in Houston, Texas for six and a half years.  Most recently she was the Associate Admission Director for Post Oak’s adolescent campus in the heart of Houston’s Museum District.  Her experience with children, families, and colleagues in this role affirmed her belief in Dr. Montessori’s work and inspired her as both a teacher and a parent. She enjoys introducing new families to Montessori education and nurturing relationships with families in the community.  She also enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, traveling, reading, and listening to great music especially live or on vinyl.

Maria was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and grew up in Atlanta, Ga. She moved to Oregon with her partner after a visit, falling in love with Corvallis and its community. She was introduced to Montessori education at the Philomath Montessori School, where she worked as a substitute. 

Maria was an Assistant in both the Primary and Toddler environments at CMS before receiving her Primary training through the North American Montessori Training Center in Vancouver, BC. She is delighted to serve as the guide in the Hazelnut room. Maria enjoys baking, spending time with children, collecting house plants, and exploring the outdoors with her partner and dog.

Ana was born in Mexico and grew up in Hood River, OR. She received her Montessori toddler training through the North American Montessori Training Center, Vancouver, BC. Ana enjoys reading and playing softball.

Stephanie was raised in Minnesota, where she received a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Minnesota in 1996.  First introduced to Montessori philosophy while working as an Elementary Assistant in Portland, Oregon, Stephanie earned her AMI Primary degree in 1999 at the Montessori Institute Northwest in Portland, and shortly thereafter came to CMS.  Attending annual Montessori refresher courses keeps her practice fresh and offers her inspiration.  She loves animals, gardening, and the natural world, particularly the peacefulness of living in her countryside home tucked in the woods. She spends much of her free time cross-country skiing, rafting, backpacking, and practicing Bikram’s yoga.

Jena started at CMS as an elementary assistant in 2014. She completed her Montessori Infant/Toddler training program at the North American Montessori Center in 2016. Jena graduated from the University of Memphis with a Bachelor of Biological Sciences and from Oregon State University with a Master’s of Applied Systematics in Botany.

Ida has been a lead guide at CMS since 2021. In 2018 she discovered Montessori education when she began working as an assistant in a primary classroom and fell in love with it. In 2021 she began her AMI Primary training at Montessori Northwest in Portland and completed her training in July 2022. Ida loves playing music, cycling, reading, and gardening in her spare time.

Joel was born and raised in Corvallis, Oregon. Growing up in the community, he has been involved in a variety of local institutions as a graphic designer, musician, brand manager at the First Alternative Coop, and now the Assistant Director of Digital Marketing and Marketing Intelligence at Oregon State University Ecampus. He brings more than 14+ years of marketing, design and community dialogue to his service on the Board. His family have a love for good food and time outdoors on local hiking trails (Finley Wildlife Refuge is a favorite).

He and his wife Sarah both come from a family of educators and believe that Montessori education cultivates thoughtfulness and social/emotional values at a critical phase of life. Their son Sloan joined the Ginkgo classroom in 2022 and has thrived amongst his peers and teachers. Their younger son Finley joined the Ginkgo classroom in the Fall of 2023 and has already benefited from the value of the Montessori community.

Jill has her Masters in Education and has enjoyed experiencing various roles in public schools; from teaching kindergarten, to working as a school specialist in the area of social and emotional learning, to teaching middle school health and PE. In May of 2022 she completed her postgraduate Administrative Leadership License, in pursuit of becoming a School Principal. Her interest in serving on the Board stems from her passion for education and community.

In Jill’s free time, she practices and teaches yoga. Jill’s husband, Matt, is a PE teacher and a High School Basketball coach. The Hein’s oldest daughter, Quincy, is in Bamboo and Jill gets the pleasure of staying home this year to raise their youngest daughter, Florence, until she can attend Montessori too! As a family, the Heins are often hiking with their dog, Hank, gardening, tending to their flock of backyard chickens, and creating any and all DIY house projects!

Cassie and her family moved to Corvallis in December 2017 for jobs at OSU. She earned her PhD in chemistry from Harvard University and is now an instructor in the chemistry department, where she teaches general chemistry and environmental chemistry. She and her husband, Nick (an atmospheric scientist), have lived in the Boston area, Seattle, and San Diego, and are now totally in love with Corvallis. They enjoy spending time outdoors with their three kids—hiking, backpacking, and skiing especially.

Thanks to the compassion of CMS faculty and their excellent execution of the Montessori methods, our daughter has experienced remarkable growth as a compassionate, curious, and independent child.  For that I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to give back to CMS as a member of the board. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from this diverse community of faculty, parents, and my fellow board members. I hope to add value to CMS with my proficiency in project and risk management, and my experience in lean principles and strategic deployment.   

My wife, Brittany, and I moved back to Corvallis in July 2021. We welcomed our first child, Lois, that Fall. Brittany and I met in Corvallis in 2009 while attending OSU. Brittany is a film producer for an agency and I am a project manager for an engineering firm.  Lois and our careers are great at keeping our hands full. However, we both enjoy residential remodeling, film, music, podcasts, softball, and hosting social events. I also enjoy snowboarding, mountain biking, OSU athletics, and tinkering with old mechanical things. If these things excite you or there’s a topic you want to discuss over a nice walk or a cold beer, reach out!

jack.link@corvallismontessori.com

Originally from a rural community in subarctic Canada, Caroline and her family moved to Corvallis in 2022 just 3 months after her son, Stanley, was born. They have practiced Montessori methods since Stanley was born, and never even had a crib!

Professionally, Caroline has over a decade of experience working in health and safety for numerous large public academic institutions. She is a subject matter expert for hazardous materials and is currently developing and implementing a comprehensive chemical management program for the University of California, San Francisco remotely from their family’s hobby farm just outside of town.

Caroline is a dedicated public service worker committed to community, a sense of place, and ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality education. As a board member, she is eager to leverage her public administration experience, program management skills, and lean knowledge to support the school’s mission.

Growing up in growing zone zero, Caroline likes to spend time outside enjoying non-freezing temperatures and vibrant agriculture found in the Willamette Valley.

John, his wife Erin, daughter Madeleine and flock of chickens moved to Corvallis from Portland Oregon in 2021. This is a return to a beloved place for John as, in addition to unforgettable memories and friends, he received a B.S. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Oregon State University.  While in Portland, John served on the Humboldt Neighborhood Association board for over three years.

He currently is working as a manager of planning and analysis with a focus on long-term regional power system planning at the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. His most recent work has been a confluence of project management, mathematical modeling, analyses and public policy. He spends his free time playing disc golf, hiking, playing music and experimenting with gardening, natural building, beekeeping, food forestry, fermentation and adaptive regenerative systems. 

As a former teacher from a family of teachers, he appreciates the value of well-crafted education for his daughter and others in the community and is excited for the opportunity to help maintain and enhance the CMS experience for this and future classes.

Spencer and his family have lived in the Corvallis area for 12 years. Spencer owns and operates Heart of the Valley Construction, building custom homes and additons in the Corvallis area. Arlo (5yrs) recently completed 2 years in the Willow class. Cooper (3yrs) now attends in the Maple room. His wife, Chelsea, is a rock-star stay-at-home momma, raising Bodhi (1yr) and wrangling the two older brothers.

With a background in Project Management, Spencer strives to bring efficiency and camaraderie to all things in his life, including CMS and the Corvallis community.

When the Dixon’s aren’t working, you can find them camping, mountain biking, rafting or playing in the woods.