Board of Directors 

Desert Montessori School is governed by a Board of Directors. Primary responsibilities of the Board are to insure the financial viability of the school, set overall policies of the school, and hire the Head of School who makes the day-to-day decisions on the running of the school. The Board does not involve itself in the day-to-day decisions of the school.

The Board manages the affairs of the Non-Profit, is responsible for overall policy, direction of the School, budget approval, and delegates responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Leadership Team and Committees.  The Board consists of no more than 9 members and no less than 5, and members receive no compensation for Board membership.  The Board meets no less than 4 times per school year with one meeting being an Annual meeting open to all parents, students, and teachers.

The Desert Montessori School Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 School Year are:

 

 

 

 

Terry Martinson

Chair

Terry is a retired physician from Minnesota. Upon retirement, Terry and his wife moved to Santa Fe.  Throughout his career Terry has practiced medicine, led a large multi-specialty physician group, served on several non-profit boards, and owned and operated a small business. He is strongly committed to an educational philosophy that recognizes children have different learning styles and it is our job to accommodate and encourage those differences rather than force them to work in a one size fits all learning environment.  In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his grandkids, cooking gourmet meals, fly fishing, travel, and growing orchids.

Carrie Frias

member

Carrie is an experienced attorney passionate about tribal rights and protecting Native communities. She brings extensive legal expertise and commitment to supporting educational initiatives.

Danielle Lopez

member

bio coming soon!

Lane Kneedler

member

Lane began his professional career working for the Sundance Film Festival. Working within the organization, he became a programming consultant for the festival as well as a consultant for the Screenwriters and Filmmakers labs. From 2005 until 2020 Lane worked programming AFI FEST  and AFI DOCS in Los Angeles and Washington D.C, respectively.  Since moving to Santa Fe, Lane has been working full time to keep up with Willa and Winston.

Lauren Pineda

Treasurer

bio coming soon!

travis degiorgis

member

Travis is a program assistant at the New Mexico School for the Deaf who enjoys cooking both professionally and at home. Currently, he is particularly passionate about smoking meat.  

Bethany Wells

member

The child and grandchild of accomplished artists, Bethany grew up in the gallery world of Los Angeles, where she was fortunate enough to attend several special, visual and performing arts-focused schools. It was there that Bethany developed a passion for costume design, her first designs being for her middle school’s folk dance troupe. After majoring in fashion design at FIDM and working as a costume designer and wardrobe assistant for several different National Repertory Theatre and American Conservatory Theatre productions, Bethany missed academia so she decided to pursue a degree in developmental psychology. Bethany then started working with children, something that’s given her more joy and satisfaction than any other job position she’s held. Bethany currently lives in Santa Fe with her daughter, Zahra, and their dog, Zoe.