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 Executive Director 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 Desert Montessori School Board of Directors for the 2017-2018 School Year are: 

Sara Otto, President

Sara and her family moved to Santa Fe two years ago and has three children at DMS. Prior to moving, Sara worked with several institutions with an emphasis on education and grief and bereavement services. Sara has an MFA in Book and Paper Arts and enjoys mountain biking with her family.

Frieda Burnes,  Vice President

Frieda was born and raised in Santa Fe. She graduated from Emory University with a degree in economics and later earned her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She is currently a partner with The Simons Firm, LLP where she practices in the areas of civil litigation, commercial litigation, real estate law, and title insurance law. Her two children attend DMS.

Roberta Lee, Treasurer

Roberta Lee has been a resident of Santa Fe since 1988. She retired as V.P. of Finance at Presbyterian Medical Services, a statewide health and human services non-profit. She has previously volunteered in a financial role for several non-profit children’s organizations including Buckaroo Ball and Girl Scouts. Roberta is the proud grandmother of two DMS students.

Courtney Lee, Past President, Board Member

Courtney is in private practice as a mental health therapist. She moved to Santa Fe in 2002 and received her Masters in Art with a focus on Community Counseling from The College of Santa Fe in 2004. She was trained at the SKY Center as a family therapist and worked as the Mental Health Therapist for the Teen Health Center prior to a hiatus when her youngest was born. Prior to her move, she was an Admission Counselor for Isidore Newman school in New Orleans, LA. She has two children attending DMS.

Dave Baker, Board Member

Dave is an endodontist and he received a BS in Science from the University of California, Berkeley, received his DMD from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and received a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Endodontics from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He is the parent of three children who attend DMS.

Stephanie Taxy, Board Member

Stephanie owns an online business helping film and TV writers pitch and sell their work. She is the author of the book Good in a Room and is the co-founder of Santa Fe Improv. She received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. She has one child attending DMS.

Guru Das Khalsa, Board Member

Guru Das and her family moved from India four years ago. She graduated in Economics from the University of Oregon. She worked in Marketing/Designer partnership with her husband in an export company SDB Trading. She is certified in Kundalini Yoga and has taught around the world with a focus on women’s classes. Her two girls attend DMS.

If you have any feedback or questions for the board , please contact any of the board members.

If you’d like to volunteer at school or be a room parent, please contact the DMS Parent’s Association co-chairs Robin Frank and Mary Wolf. Contact information for the board and parent’s association members can be found in the DMS School Directory.