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 have ten years of experience as an educator that includes environmental education (where I was also a program director) and elementary education for Asheville City Schools. For six years, I operated and served on the Board of Directors for a cooperative preschool program in Asheville. I worked closely with school administration and teachers at Asheville Primary School in my role on the Advisory Council of the Parent Teacher Collective. I have lived in Asheville since 2007, and I am the mother of two children who are excited to learn and challenge themselves because of their Montessori education. I am honored to spend the next several years ensuring the success of Mountain City Public Montessori.
Dawn Mendonca Meskil, Vice Chair
I have 24 years of experience in public education primarily focused on addressing equitable policies, practices, and opportunities for young children and their families. I have served as a teacher, family partnerships coordinator, early intervention consultant, program director, principal and parent. For the past 3 years, I have served as a Program Coordinator with the Department of Public Instruction supporting PSUs as they serve our young children with disabilities. As a Mountain City Public Montessori board member, I look forward to ensuring our community continues to offer educational opportunities that meet the needs of all children.
Stella Clarke Plato, Secretary
I've worked for more than 10 years in development for higher education planning events and stewardship experiences. I grew up in Western North Carolina and attended Spruce Pine Montessori from preschool through 6th grade. I recently moved back to Asheville with my husband and two children and couldn't be more excited to be part of this exciting adventure with the Mountain City Public Montessori Board.
Aaron Brumo
As a board member, I bring expertise in educational facility design. I have practiced architecture for 25 years and have designed over half a million square feet of schools across western North Carolina. I find great joy in helping create learning spaces for children and young adults. I am also the proud father of two curious children who love learning because of their Montessori education. I’m excited to help increase the opportunity for more children to learn this way across our community.
Lara Lustig
I’m honored to serve on the board of MCPM. I came to Western North Carolina in 1999 to attend Warren Wilson College, and I have lived in these beautiful mountains ever since. I have a variety of experiences as an educator in environmental education, small alternative schools, one-on-one tutoring, and public middle school. Currently, I serve as the Marketing and Administrative Director for a small nonprofit in Asheville. I have seen the powerful and lasting impacts of public Montessori for my own two children, and I look forward to making it available and accessible to more families!
Jerick Wilson
I am a Senior Fellow at the Knowles Teacher Initiative and have a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. I loved my eight years of public school experience teaching physics and math. I now work in Assessment Production with Instructure, which requires proficiency in how and what states mandate for testing in order to provide districts across the United States with assessments to prepare students for state-mandated testing. Prior to teaching, I worked as a government contractor in a variety of capacities: data quality assurance, compliance, project and process management, and lead Salesforce programmer. I also serve on the board of the East-West Asheville Neighborhood Association (EWANA). I am passionate about students being met where they are and using research-proven methodologies to address Asheville's racial and economic opportunity gap. I fully stand behind the research-proven Montessori method and look forward to making it more accessible to children in Asheville. I live in West Asheville with my partner and two young daughters.
I am a local Mental Health Counselor, business owner, and parent. My partner and I own a private mental health practice, with locations in Hendersonville and Asheville. Together we have three children ages 5 and under! As a School Counselor, I served children and families in and around Asheville, providing support, advocacy, and connection to community resources when needed. I was named Middle School Counselor of the year in 2017 and has presented at the state level on how to use data to develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program. As a mental health professional with a background in public education, I am an advocate for equitable access to high quality academic education that emphasizes the necessity of the integration of social emotional learning.
