New Board Members

AMI/USA is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Board members.  Debby Riordan and Mary Levy will join the Board this summer.

Mary Levy and Debby Riordan will replace Pat Forte and Harris Gordon, as their terms expire this summer. Mary and Debby have reputations for dedication to AMI Montessori, fearlessness and collegiality. They were selected from a pool of excellent candidates, the existence of which is testimony to our fervent belief that our community is replete with talent.

Mary Levy, Head of School at Mountain View Montessori School in Reno, Nevada, brings a unique combination of experiences to the Board. Mary has worked in Montessori for the last eighteen years, the past twelve at Mountain View Montessori. Prior to her Montessori experience, Mary worked in banking and business. She has an affinity for children and a passion for building positive parent relationships through parent education, cultivating a cohesive school community. Mary holds a B.A. in History from Knox College, has completed graduate work in education at the University of Nevada, completed University of Nevada Non-Profit Professional Studies Program, and is certified in Positive Discipline.

Debby Riordan is the founder and Head of School at Southlake Montessori, in Southlake, Texas. Debby first came to Montessori as a parent to four children, serving in leadership roles in parent organizations and on school boards. Debby received her AMI Elementary diploma from the Montessori Training Center of Minnesota, and taught in both lower and upper elementary classrooms. She helped to complete the Common Core Curriculum Mapping, published by AMI/USA in 2014, and is co-chair of the Implementation Support Team. Debby also serves as co-chair of the Montessori Alliance of Texas Guiding Coalition, is a member of the Montessori Institute of Texas board, and is an inspector for the AMI Teachers of Texas. Her breadth of experience within the Montessori world, as well as pre-Montessori experience in marketing research, will offer a new and constructive point of view for the AMI/USA Board.

We look forward to the contributions Mary and Debby will make to AMI/USA and to the Board. We also wish a fond farewell to Pat and Harris, whose service to AMI/USA and AMI has been extraordinary. Pat and Harris have been invaluable members of the AMI/USA Board during their terms, providing their own unique insights and perspectives on the affairs of the Board. They have also been friends to us all. We thank them gratefully and will miss them both personally and professionally, though we are pleased that they will remain integral parts of the AMI community here in the United States.