Administrative Team
Our administrative team brings a wealth of expertise in Montessori education, child development, psychology, and business administration. Explore the profiles below to learn more about each member of our team!
Julie Schroer
Head of School
Email address: julie@montessoricenter.org
Julie was born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. She moved to the U.S. in the mid 1980s and settled in Palm Springs, CA, where she became a live-in nanny while studying for a major in physics. Julie then trained as an assistant physical therapist and worked in a rehabilitation unit caring for patients with critical injuries.
In the early 1990s, Julie moved to North Carolina where she attended UNC at Chapel Hill. Knowing her calling was to work with children, Julie switched majors and earned a BA in psychology with a minor in African American Studies. She also worked part-time on a research team in the clinical psychology department at UNC studying parental disciplinary models and behavioral disorders. Julie then went on to earn an MS in educational psychology.
In 1992 Julie began working with The New School in the Children’s House program. After falling in love with the philosophy of Montessori and recognizing it as an extension of her studies in developmental and clinical psychology, she began her Montessori training. Julie earned her AMS certifications at the lower and upper elementary levels.
Julie taught lower and upper elementary and middle school for a total of 14 years, then moved to an administrative position for another five years before assuming her current role as Head of School. In addition to her classroom teaching, she has tutored in many levels of mathematics and science. She has also coached judo and fencing.
On a part-time basis, Julie serves as treasurer of an international environmental organization that promotes sustainability education. She is also a PADI Scuba Dive Master who enjoys leading underwater tours and participating in reef preservation projects. Her other interests include traveling, art, photography, chess, and caring for her saltwater aquarium.
Favorite Educational Quote
Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
∼ William Butler Yeats
Julie Schroer
Head of School
Jonathan Schroer
Executive Director
Email address: jon@montessoricenter.org
Jonathan was born in Illinois and raised on Long Island, New York. His first introduction to Montessori was through his mother, Ceres Schroer York, a life-long Montessori professional who founded the The New School in 1984. He attended Montessori school as a young child, which is also when he began his very successful chess career.
Jonathan graduated from Stony Brook University with a double major in Russian and political science. After Stony Brook, he attended Columbia University and earned a degree in law. He then went on to pass the bar in California, Washington D.C., and North Carolina.
He practiced law for a few years in California and then moved and settled down in North Carolina. After a year of practicing law in Raleigh, he decided to pursue Montessori training and join The New School to assist in its development. He attained his certification in Children’s House and gained invaluable classroom experience before assuming administrative roles and eventually becoming the Head of School in 2000.
Jonathan continues to play and coach chess, both privately and at other local schools. In addition to at one time being the third youngest international chess champion in the U.S., he also holds the record for winning the NC state championship the most times (in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009). In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys listening to music, playing cards, and tennis.
Favorite Educational Quote
The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’
∼ Dr. Maria Montessori
Jonathan Schroer
Executive Director
Dawn Bowden
Billing Specialist
Email: dawn@montessoricenter.org
Dawn lived in Staten Island, New York, for her whole life before moving here. She relocated to Holly Springs with her two girls, but her two boys still live in New York. They have one fur baby that they rescued in 2015 — a Maltese mix named Betsy.
She found her dream home here three years ago and loves the beautiful state of North Carolina, the great weather, nice people, and its beautiful parks and beaches.
Dawn has an accounting background, but this is her first time having the wonderful opportunity to work in a school. She loves children and, as a nurturing mom, hopes to bring that quality to her job.
Spending time with her family is paramount, especially big gatherings for the holidays. Cooking and baking (especially whipping up new recipes), trying new restaurants, and shopping are favorite pastimes. And she loves traveling – but only by car or cruise. She’s afraid of flying!
On her “Bucket List”? Taking a cruise with her children to visit multiple Caribbean Islands!
Dawn McClusky
Director of Operations
Kristen Cullen
Program Director
Email: kristen@montessoricenter.org
Kristen was born and raised in Clemmons, North Carolina. She graduated from East Carolina University in 2005 with a degree in criminal justice. After graduation, she enlisted in the United States Army where she served for seven years.
Upon leaving the Army in 2012, she returned to school and earned a degree in early childhood development. She earned her AMS Montessori certification in 2015.
Outside of the classroom, Kristen loves reading, watching baseball, baking, and spending time with her family.
Kristen Cullen
Program Director
Roger Harris
Development Director
Email address: roger@montessoricenter.org
Information coming soon.
Roger Harris
Development Director
Thomas Edwards
School Security
Email: thomas@montessoricenter.org
Thomas has nearly a decade of law enforcement experience and was sworn in as a police officer beginning with a local Wake county agency. His duties lead him to serve in diverse capacities as a supervisor, investigator, crisis intervention officer, and field training officer.
While working with North Carolina Central University Campus Police, Thomas was selected as Durham County’s Crisis Intervention Officer of the Year in 2020. He currently holds a North Carolina Intermediate Law Enforcement Certificate as a Sergeant with North State Company Police and is trained in CRASE which collaborates with private institutions and educational facilities to train, advise, and develop plans against active attack events.
Thomas Edwards
Security Officer
Art Pierce
Enhancement Coordinator
Email address: art@montessoricenter.org
Hailing from Upstate New York, Art grew up in Albany. Upon completion of two years of studies at Ithaca College, Art moved back to Albany to pursue a career in music with the band he co-founded in high school. After scratching the surface of success with a significant amount of airplay, major label interest, and the opportunity to open for some of the biggest rock acts of the time period (Collective Soul, Fuel, Cracker, Gin Blossoms), Art and his wife Beth decided to settle down and start a family.
In November 2006, he and his wife Beth, along with their newborn son Aidan, relocated to North Carolina to pursue new opportunities. While teaching elementary-aged and adolescent students music lessons, Art realized his long-time passion for teaching and decided to pursue a degree in history, obtaining his B.A. in historical studies from SUNY Empire State. Art completed the NCTeach certification program through NC State and began his teaching position at The New School in 2018. He is looking forward to broadening his long-term educational skills and goals within the Montessori environment as well as the influence of TNS in the surrounding area.
Art has taught drums/percussion to hundreds of students over the past 20 years. In addition to his love of playing drums and listening to music, Art enjoys carpentry, gardening, reading, volunteering, and spending quality time with his wife and two children, both of whom have attended The New School.
Favorite Educational Quote
The unexamined life is not worth living.
Art Pierce
Enrichment Coordinator
Lori Deach
Certified Teacher
Email address: lori@montessoricenter.org
Lori started working with young children in high school at local childcare centers. After graduating from Suffolk College in 1998, she was introduced to the Montessori philosophy when she was hired as a toddler assistant at Computer Associates International where she worked for six years. It was during that time that Lori was offered a scholarship to attend the Association Montessori Internationale in Denver, CO, and completed her AMI certification in 2003.
In 2005, she moved from New York to North Carolina where she has continued to gain experience and knowledge as a lead toddler and Nido teacher. After over 20 years of teaching, Lori is expanding her knowledge and experience into the administration realm of the Montessori world as well.
In her spare time, Lori enjoys relaxing and traveling with her husband and daughters. She also enjoys playing her ukuleles, riding ATVs, hiking, and reading whenever she can!
Lori Deach
Administrative Assistant
Meg Straight
Support Teacher
Email address: meg@montessoricenter.org
Born in Wilmington, her family moved to Sanford which is where she’s lived since high school. Meg then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in child development at Meredith College. As an NC Teaching Fellow when the program was active, her thesis was on “The Status of Pretend Play in the Montessori Method. ” She chose this to research the myth she had of Montessori not cultivating the child’s imagination sufficiently. What she found was the exact opposite.
“I always loved working with children, and I was happy to discover that Montessori helps us focus on what’s important in child development,” shared Meg about her early education perspective.
One summer Meg studied with the Danish Institute of Studies Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, on the Nordic approach to children with special needs. She then taught Pre-K for four year and was Curriculum Specialist at Creative Schools of Apex for almost three years.
After working in the preschool world for seven years, a chance meeting in the park one day of a retired Montessori teacher opened up a whole new understanding of Montessori for Meg. That serendipitous encounter helped her realize that this method was truly the best fit for her.
Meg accepted a job at TNS in the summer of 2021 and now works with Children’s House where she is excited to learn to be more hands-off and step further back to “follow the child.” Her current goal is to become a Montessori-certified teacher.
Tennis and sports in general are Meg’s interests, and downhill snow skiing in The Canyon just outside Salt Lake City is a favorite spot. In her spare time at home, Meg enjoys time with her rescue dog, Norman, and getting to clean in peace. They travel to Wrightsville Beach to relax, be with family, walk all the dogs, play tennis, and spend quality time with her daughters.
Favorite Educational Quote
Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” ~~ Jim Henson
Meg Straight
Admissions Assistant
Crystal Burdick
Teacher
Email address: crystal@montessoricenter.org
Crystal began working for TNS in 2015 in our Children’s House program. From there, she moved into LE2, fell in love with the teaching team, and taught alongside them through 2020. During COVID, she helped to establish and run a virtual Montessori classroom.
In June 2021, Crystal moved to the mountains of NC with her family. Happily, though, she maintained a position with the school, continuing to provide virtual education for elementary students unable to attend on-site, along with helping out Administration. Crystal thoroughly enjoys working for and with the community at TNS.
Having moved back to Fuquay in May 2024 with her 15 year old daughter, Brianna, she rejoined TNS on-site, working now as an administrator.
Her hobbies include reading (preferably in her hammock), movies, camping, swimming, spending time with her daughter, and soaking in the outdoors.
Crystal Seiberling
Operations Assistant
Anita Miller
Certified Teacher and Office Support
Email address: anita@montessoricenter.org
Born in Chile, Anita moved to northern California “when I was still a Little,” she says. She became a Children’s House friend at the age of four herself which created very fond memories for her. Another family move to southern California and then North Carolina became their home in 2000.
Her first teaching position was a fun one as a swim instructor of five and six year olds. She then applied her economics and business management degree to computer manufacturing for several years. But with her own children attending The New School at that time, she became enamored with the teaching style and switched up everything to become a Montessori teacher in 2005.
Anita got her Children’s House certification at The New School, then trained as a reading tutor with the Augustine Project in Chapel Hill. She went on to get her Lower Elementary certification.
She feels that although Dr. Montessori’s methods were developed over 100 years ago, there is still so much that fully applies to children today. Though they learn “Practical Life” as children, the skill variety learned in this approach provides them with lifelong independence and confidence.
Spending most of her youth outside, Anita grew to love plants and appreciate gardens and nature. She has fallen in love with Betta fish and started many tanks. She considers herself a bit of an Anglophile, a Japanophile, and a Korea-phile and loves to travel and explore while also working on her Spanish. She loves to read the Bible and learn all about her faith.
Anita Miller
Records
Erick Sippel
Site Director
Email: erick@montessoricenter.org
Hailing from New Jersey, Mr. Erick started his own landscaping business that he ran for 20 years. After moving to North Carolina, he purchased the Healthy Vending Machine company, which he still runs as a family business.
He particularly enjoys any outdoor activity, especially golfing, biking, hiking, jogging, and sports. He’s even been bungee jumping and would love to go skydiving someday!
Erick Sippel
Site Manager