The Board of Directors
Mountain City Public Montessori is a nonprofit public charter school overseen by a Board of Directors. Current board members are listed here, and members serve three-year terms.
Board meetings are open to the public, and each meeting has a public comment period on the agenda. To attend a meeting or submit a public comment, please email board@mountaincitypublic.org. Our meetings are typically on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, please click the "Board Meeting Minutes and Information" button for an up-to-date schedule.
We are actively looking for members with diverse lived experiences, particularly people who identify as BIPOC, that are not currently sharing their perspectives on our board. We also prioritize strong community relationships, legal expertise, and/or financial expertise. We acknowledge that systemic harm can and has occurred from predominantly white groups, and we are actively working to address and mitigate the effects of internalized and institutionalized white supremacist culture.
Wren Cook, Chair
I am a mother of two children who have had extraordinary opportunities to be in Montessori classrooms since kindergarten. I witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that Montessori education had on my own children, and, as a former educator, I wanted more children to have the same experience. I have learned that Montessori is more than just a curriculum–it’s a way of being that bolsters confidence, curiosity, and respect for the diversity of humankind and our planet. My dream is for every child to feel a sense of belonging and believe enough in themselves to find their place in the world. Equitable, accessible Montessori education can do just that, and I have the great honor of working with an amazing, dedicated group of people to build, cultivate, and grow Mountain City Public Montessori. I have ten years of experience as an elementary educator and have worked and volunteered in various schools and organizations for the past thirteen years. I am the happiest when I am floating and swimming in rivers, hiking, cooking, and spending time with friends. I share a life with my husband Jason and our two children, Noah and Eliza, and a dog named Daisy.
Dawn Mendonca Meskil, Vice Chair
I first learned of the Montessori Method while in college working toward my goal of serving young children. During my coursework I completed internships in many different settings, one of which was a Montessori school… I was impressed with the real and meaningful benefits of this child-focused approach to education. When I graduated, I moved to Asheville to begin my career teaching in a public early childhood program, developing relationships with families and, over time, moving into program leadership roles. I have had many opportunities to experience educational efforts that work for children and those that do not. I witnessed too many children and teachers struggle with expectations that didn’t create positive outcomes and I wondered why we were not embracing more impactful approaches. Personally, it was heartbreaking to watch my daughter struggle as she entered kindergarten, especially when I knew better. The Montessori approach always resonates with what I know as common education goals: self-motivation, individual and collective responsibility, problem-solving skills, and academic mastery. With all signs pointing to positive outcomes for children who participate in Montessori programs, I am dismayed that access is often limited to private settings… especially when we know that was not Dr. Montessori’s vision or intent. In 2016, I had the opportunity to support the opening of a publicly accessible Montessori school and I am honored to continue that support with Mountain City Public Montessori.
Stella Clarke Plato, Secretary
Each year, I set a reading goal for the year. Those goals have evolved a lot over time (especially after becoming a mom), but one thing has remained unchanged: I love to read! Looking back, I credit this lifelong love of reading to my time at Spruce Pine Montessori School, which I attended from preschool through sixth grade. Reading–and learning in general–never felt like work; it was fun, engaging, and playful. That Montessori spirit stayed with me when I attended the local public school for grades 7-12, then on into college, and even my professional career, which I’ve focused on development in education. Now, with two children of my own, I’m honored to be able to share and strengthen the Montessori spirit in Asheville alongside the amazing community of Mountain City Public Montessori.
Aaron Brumo
I spent most of my childhood playing in the woods and streams of the Western North Carolina mountains and the rest making objects in my father’s woodworking shop. After moving away for 18 years to study architecture and work in Raleigh and the San Francisco Bay area, my partner and I yearned to start a family and set down roots. In 2013, we moved to Asheville where our two children were born. I knew little about Montessori when my children started the local public Montessori school, but I began to observe something remarkable; my children quickly developed an intense love of learning that was foreign to my conventional public-school experience. Not only did Montessori seem to fit my children’s learning styles, but I also noticed that it worked amazingly well for many different types of learners. Everyone simply seemed to belong. After the closing of this school, I worked with a group of passionate and dedicated parents and community members to continue to provide equitable access to Montessori education. I deeply believe in public school education where children learn side by side with peers who have had life experiences different from their own. When I am not designing schools at my day job, you can find me tinkering in my basement shop, coaching baseball, or hiking or biking through the same mountains where I grew up.
Lara Lustig
I was raised by a mother who was a biologist and a father who was first a special education teacher and then a school psychologist. I grew up seeing that the world was chock full of all sorts of interesting things to learn about, believing in the potential of all people to learn and grow, and appreciating that everyone has their own path to becoming themselves in the world.
In my life, I am on a winding path that has led me to work in environmental education, alternative middle school, public school teaching, social media marketing, film production, and nonprofit management. I am a person who is always interested in finding something new to learn.
When my own kids were ready to start preschool back in 2017, we were so lucky to be able to join the first class of a brand-new public Montessori school. The experience that my twins had in their five years at that school was incredible. I saw the way that they moved through their classroom with competence and confidence, the way that they developed an intrinsic love of learning, and the way they built up the resilience to try hard or unfamiliar things. They came home saying, “We choose challenging works!” and my mama heart just filled with pride. I am so grateful for the way that their teachers observed and understood them, challenged them with engaging works to push their growing edges, and supported them just as much as they needed to stretch and grow. I want every child in our community to have access to this kind of an education.
I believe in all kids. I believe in their wholeness as people. I believe that every child deserves to be loved, to be challenged, to be truly seen, and to belong. I’m proud to be part of creating and growing a school where kids can have that chance.
Jerick Wilson
When my partner and I enrolled our oldest daughter in public preschool, she was placed in the Montessori offering which has since been abandoned by the school district. We learned this placement was as good as winning the lottery. Unfortunately, winning the lottery means many others lost, and as a former public school teacher, this hurt. I had seen former Montessori students in my classroom exude confidence and a desire to understand and learn above all else. As I learned more about the Montessori method, I discovered that some of my best teaching practices came from this methodology. Upon the closure of the only free public Montessori program in Western North Carolina, I was devastated that a research-based methodology wouldn’t continue or expand to more Asheville students. This closure, along with the historic closures of other locally successful education programs, led to an existential crisis in my beliefs about public access to effective educational approaches (perhaps still ongoing!). This moment led to a firm belief that a free public Montessori option should continue in our city. I have been honored to work with everyone at Mountain City Public Montessori and our partners within the community to create the only tuition-free, public Montessori in Western North Carolina. As a board member, I am guided by creating a sustainable school where all staff and students feel a sense of belonging. I am thrilled to serve Mountain City Public Montessori, offering my experience as a consultant, teacher, and EdTech and assessment professional as well providing perspective from my ongoing facilitation of small group discussions about systemic racism in Asheville.
Growing up I attended 7 different schools; In some I thrived, and in others I was barely promoted to the next grade level. My struggles in school were the reason that I became a School Counselor. With my personal experiences, and my counseling education, I was able to help support students past academics. I understand that how a student performs academically is directly impacted by their environment, physical and mental health. When I became a mom, I had to step back from that work, but I felt the pull to engage in an education community that valued the whole child and not just academic performance. This led me to Mountain City and it has been a pleasure to use my background and education to help build a school that aligns with these values.
Jeffrey Kaplan
Jeffrey Kaplan serves as the Executive Director of Venture Asheville, where he leverages over a decade of experience in entrepreneur development, venture capital, and ecosystem building. His practical expertise is rooted in founding two startups, one of which successfully exited. Jeffrey has expanded his influence through engaging TED Talks focused on entrepreneurship, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities within startup ecosystems. Additionally, he is a published author in entrepreneurship pedagogy, contributing to academic and practical discussions on fostering entrepreneurial skills and mindsets. Through his work with Venture Asheville, Jeffrey has played a key role in supporting the growth and development of the local startup community, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing the entrepreneurial landscape through education, mentorship, and strategic investment.
Susannah Vance Gopalan
Bio coming soon!