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MEIPN Faculty

Our core faculty is listed below. MEIPN’s program is also enriched by visiting faculty members from other Montessori courses, as well as specialists in a variety of related fields.

  • Aimee Allen, M.A., Instructor holds an AMS Elementary I credential from MEIPN. 
    Amy has a Master’s of Education Degree in Montessori Integrative Learning from Endicott College. Her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Sociology was completed at the University of Massachusetts. Aimee has worked in a Montessori environment for 14 years. Currently she is a Head Teacher in the Lower Elementary program at Harbor Montessori in Gig Harbor, Washington. 

 

  • Kim Berude, M.A., Instructor holds an AMS Infant and Toddler credential from MEIPN. Kim has a Master’s Degree in Education and Human Development with a minor in Infant Special Education from George Washington University. Her Bachelor of Science Degree was completed at Utah State University with a major in Special Education. She is certified to teach in Washington State. Kim has worked in a Montessori environment for seven years. Currently, she is a lead teacher in the Infant/Toddler program at Montessori Children’s house in Redmond, Washington. 

  • Diana Butler, Instructor and Field Consultant, holds AMS credentials in Early Childhood from MECA-Seton in Chicago; and Elementary I and Elementary II credentials from the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies in Maryland.  She graduated fro St. Xavier University in Chicago.   Diana has directed Montessori classes for toddlers through upper elementary in both public and independent schools and has been an administrator at the early childhood and elementary school levels.  She is founding Educational Director of Council Oak Montessori School in Chicago, and a trustee of Eton School in Bellevue, WA.

  •  Nicole Champoux Instructor, holds AMS Early Childhood and Elementary I credentials from MEIPN.  Nicole graduated cum laude from Georgetown University with a Bachelor's Degree in English.  She has taught at Montessori Children's House for ten years, first in the Early Childhood program, and then as the founder of the Elementary Program.  She is currently the Elementary Program Head and the Elementary II lead teacher at MCH.

 

  •  Sharon Dunn, M.Ed, M.Sc, Instructor, holds the AMI Primary and Elementary Diplomas certifying her to teach ages 3 through 15. She also holds Master’s Degrees in Journalism and Education. She participated in the Puget Sound Writing Project in 1998 which added to her expertise as a teacher of writing and has a 2004 summer fellowship in American history. She teaches the language and geography - history sections of the Elementary II course. During the school year she teaches junior high at Woodinville Montessori.

  • Amy Fujimoto, Instructor, has a B.A. in English from the University of Washington and her AMS Early Childhood and Elementary I credentials from MEIPN. Amy taught in Early Childhood classrooms for five years before joining the Elementary I staff at Woodinville Montessori School. She is an elementary instructor for MEIPN.

  • Betsy Martin, Instructor and Field Consultant, holds AMS Early Childhood certification from MEIPN, and her B.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Betsy teaches Early Childhood and Elementary subjects and works as a field consultant. She is now living in Selah, Washington and teaches in the Elementary program at the Montessori School of Yakima.

  • Julia Neely, Instructor and Field Consultant, holds AMS Early Childhood certification from Contra Costra College and is a teacher and co-director at Issaquah Montessori. Her bachelor’s degree is in Child Development. She teaches administration and observation for the Early Childhood level.

  • Tammy Oesting, Instructor, has a B.S. in Art and holds an AMS Early Childhood certificate from MEIPN.  She is the Director of Education and Rhythm Specialist at Montessori Children's house in Redmond.  She teaches Early Childhood Practical Life, History, Geography, Botany and Zoology.  She also teaches the MEIPN Montessori Assistant's Training course for the Infant-Toddler and Early Childhood levels.

  • Kristen Richter, Administrative Coordinator and Instructor, has a B.A. in landscape architecture and her AMS elementary I credential from MEIPN. She participated in the Teacher Leadership Project sponsored by the Gate’s Foundation. Kristen grew up in and around Montessori schools.  She most recently taught Elementary I at Woodinville Montessori School.  She now teaches at the MEIPN Elementary I level and is the administrative coordinator of the course.

  • Mary Schneider, M.S., Director and Instructor, is cofounder and Head of School at Woodinville Montessori School. She is AMS certified at the Early Childhood and Elementary I Levels and has over twenty years of teaching experience at both levels. She is a member of the AMS Teacher Education Committee, participated in the AMS Teacher’s Research Network, and is the Montessori representative to the Washington Federation of Independent Schools. She has written an art guide "Give Them Wings" for the Montessori classroom and has given many classes and workshops. She teaches math and classroom leadership for the Elementary I Level.

  • Pamela Stackhouse, Instructor, is a Washington State Certified Teacher with a B.A. in Education from Goddard College and AMS Early Childhood and Elementary I-II credentials from MEIPN.  Pamela has taught in Early Childhood and Elementary I-II classrooms.  She is currently teaching at Daniel Bagley Elementary School, a public Montessori program in Seattle.

  • Alison Stern M.Ed., Instructor, Alison has a M.Ed. from the University of Washington, Bothell, focusing on literacy development, instruction and assessment in the elementary grades.  She was a 2007 recipient of the Outstanding Master's Thesis award from AMS.  Alison holds her AMS Elementary I certificate from MEIPN and holds her Washington State teaching certificate for grades K-6.  She is the Lower Elementary teacher at the Whole Earth Montessori School in Bothell, WA.  In her spare time she enjoys weaving, gardening, running and reading.  Alison teaches the Geography and Physical Science portions of the MEIPN Elementary I course.

  • Debbie Walker M.A., Infant and Toddler Instructor and Field Consultant, has a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A.in Christian Education.  She is AMS certified at the Infant and Toddler and Early Childhood levels.  She teaches Child, Family and Community and Programming, Leadership and Administration.

  • Diana Zegers, Instructor, is our music specialist. She is the author of Discover Music, and is a frequent presenter at national and regional Montessori conferences. She has AMS Early Childhood training, and is the founder, administrator, and a teacher at Barker Creek Montessori School.

In addition to the above faculty members MEIPN contracts with several highly skilled Montessori teachers to assist with field consultations for interns.