Meet Our Staff

• School Leader

Bozena joined the Montessori of Alameda team in October, 2016 and has been working with children, teachers and families to provide an inclusive, supportive and beautiful learning community. Growing, learning and leading a diverse team has been her career focus and ever improving skill set. She is a native of Poland but lived for 10 years in Northern Louisiana before moving to Portland in 2016. She is a dedicated advocate for women and children. Bozena  is a strong believer in positive guidance, love & logic and relational pedagogy. She previously led the childcare’s program at a Domestic Violence shelter in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she gained extensive experience in support services, crisis intervention and child abuse and neglects prevention and intervention. She worked passionately for underserved families for their safety, independence and stability. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Education/Health Promotion from Grambling State University and Master’s degree in Public Health from Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Her Public Health training came in handy as she managed school operations during a global pandemic. She has a young daughter who graduated from Montessori of Alameda in 2019, therefore she has a perspective of a MOA working parent. Bozena enjoys reading, dancing and practicing being fully present in every moment.

• Administrative Assistant

Teacher Maria was born and raised in Wenatchee which is located in Central Washington. She attended school there and graduated from West Side High School. Maria is a mother of four children. She has two teenage daughters and one teenage son and her youngest child is in elementary school. She has worked in the child care industry for most of her life and has enjoyed providing love, care, and safety for the children in her care throughout the years. Her family moved to Portland, Oregon as a job relocation for her husband in 2015 and she has enjoyed living in Portland ever since. Maria is bilingual in English and Spanish. She is a very outgoing person that enjoys her family time. She spends time volunteering at my children’s youth group ministry as a youth group leader at the Family Worship Center. Maria has been with MOA since January 2021 and is a strong member of our Primary teaching team. She is ensuring all children in her care have access to Spanish language and high quality care and education. Teacher Maria is our current After-Care Supervisor and oversees our After-Care program.

• Primary Lead Guide in the Seashore Classroom
• MOATEP Graduate

Rebecca grew up in Portland enjoying the region’s natural treasures with her family. She graduated from University of Massachusetts with a BA in literature and a love for the arts. Her career in administration included The Art Institute of Boston, The University of Rhode Island, The Portland Habilitation Center NW and then Montessori of Alameda. After serving as part of MOA’s admin team for five years she was inspired by the teachers who surrounded her. She graduated from MOA’s teacher education program and loves teaching! Rebecca lives in Portland with her husband and son. Rebecca truly appreciates all that she learns about Montessori and the children here each day.

• Primary Lead Guide in the Pacific Northwest Classroom
• MOATEP Instructor
• Field Consultant

Padmini is a native of India and a naturalized citizen of the United States. Prior to joining MOA in the fall of 2007, Padmini had 18 years of experience as a teacher with children from ages 3 to 6. She spent 6 years in India as a senior teacher in a Nursery School setting and the rest of her 12 years’ experience were in California, Illinois and Oregon. Including her present service at MOA Padmini has about 22 years of teaching experience out of which 12 years have been in Montessori schools. Padmini’s educational training includes a B.A. degree in religious studies, teaching diplomas in Nursery Education from India and an American Montessori Society (AMS) certified diploma in Early Childhood education. Padmini’s co-curricular activities include singing, dancing and some art work which she teaches the children in class. She enjoys composing and singing Indian songs, and she loves cooking. She often uses her singing and cooking talents for raising funds for charitable works, by way of producing musical albums in Indian music and cooking for up to 200 people at a time. In addition to her many interests, Ms. Padmini volunteers her time to the school Home of Love in Chennai, India. Home of Love is a nonprofit organization raising orphaned girls in India. It was begun in 1992 by Ms Padmini’s husband Rev. Dr. Martin Alphonse.

• Infant Lead Guide in the Haven Classroom

Kate comes to the Haven classroom as a MOA parent herself. Her older daughter (age 6) graduated from Primary in 2021 after five years at MOA, and her younger daughter (age 2.5) currently attends. Kate has lots of experience caring for young children having worked as a nanny for many years and through raising her own kids (6 and 2.5 years old). She naturally gravitates towards the under-one age group and finds the early stages of life and development fascinating, fun, and so cute. Kate’s resume also includes several chef positions as well as working as a programs coordinator for an environmental conservation nonprofit. In her free time, she enjoys CrossFit, exercising her two dogs and two kids at parks, and crafting/creating.

• Infant Lead Guide in the Woodlands Classroom
• Bilingual: Spanish/English
• MOATEP Graduate

Stephanie is originally from Torrance, CA. Her family relocated to Oregon when she was a young child. Her family is from Managua, Nicaragua. Stephanie speaks both Spanish and English fluently. She graduated from Warner Pacific College with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Services in 2014. She came across The Montessori Philosophy during her studies and instantly found herself determined to learn more about the philosophy behind Montessori. She has graduated from MOATEP program and received Montessori credential in Infant and Toddlers. Her passion in life is working with children, she has always believed in the quality of providing children a place where they can explore and learn. She has extensive experience working with children in many settings such as home preschool, daycare settings, Outdoor School, art schools, public school Sun Programs and more. She also has experience working with children with mental and physical disabilities. In her free time she volunteers with a program called Young Life Capernaum, working with children who have special needs. She also loves camping, hiking, scrap-booking, reading, baking, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

• Toddler Lead Guide in the Desertland Classroom
• Bilingual: Spanish/English
• MOATEP Graduate

Laura has been with MOA since May 2016 taking on Assistant and later and current position of a toddler classroom Lead Guide. Laura came to MOA with a lot of experience working with children. For over ten years she has been working with preschool-aged children with a focus on building nurturing relationships based on respect for each child and family. Before joining MOA Laura worked in a local preschool as an Assistant Teacher. She helped build a classroom community that was emotionally supportive of each child. She previously was also a Lead Teacher in a school in Washington. Laura is a graduate of MOA’s Teacher Education Program and a strong member of MOA’s teaching team.

• Toddler Lead Guide in the Meadow Classroom
• Bilingual: Spanish/English
• MOATEP Student

Teacher Araceli came to MOA with over 10 years experience in Early Childhood Education. She previously worked at the Oregon Child Development Coalition as an Infant & Toddler Teacher where she developed a wonderful skill set of helping young children grow and develop to the best version of themselves. She is excited to join the next Montessori of Alameda Teacher Education Program cohort to become a credentialed Montessori Lead Guide. Araceli leads her classroom with passion and attention to every child’s needs and personalities. Araceli is bilingual in Spanish and English and she is at her best when she’s teaching Spanish to young children. Her passion is teaching, inspiring and challenging children to love the learning process.  Araceli’s style of teaching is deeply rooted in relational pedagogy as she gets to know each child in her care with great attention and understanding.  She has a talent of tailoring her classroom environment to meet each child just where they are and guide them to become more self-sufficient, inspired and confident human beings.

• Toddler Lead Guide in the Arctic Classroom
• MITEE Graduate

Heather has been working in early learning centers for over 20 years. She has done everything from being an assistant teacher, to being a lead teacher and has worked in the administration of several early learning centers. Heather has a Bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and will be working on getting her Montessori certificate over the next few years. She is a lifelong learner and it is her passion to instill the love of learning in all children. She lives with my husband and daughter. She also teaches meditation classes. Heather loves music, meditating, playing the flute, hiking and reading.

• Primary Lead Guide in the Sky Classroom
• MITEE Student

Teacher Kayanna has worked at Montessori of Alameda since July 2018 and has trained under experienced Lead Guides. She has enrolled in our Montessori credentialing program and is finishing up her degree in Social Science from PSU in the Summer of 2023. Teacher Kayanna has recently played a big part in the setup and normalization of a new Primary classroom before taking leadership in the Sky Classroom. Kayanna is a strong leader, great communicator, and community builder. She is a very compassionate and mindful teacher, focusing on every child and their individual needs and helping them process their emotions with compassion. She creates an inviting and beautiful environment taking the interests of every child into consideration. When she is not at work Kayanna likes to do weight lifting, hair braiding and playing video games.