Amy Morgan
President
Amy has dedicated her life of service to working with children and families for the past 27 years. Whether it has been working with children and families in a therapeutic or educational setting this work has always been a deep love.
After the events that unfolded following the death of George Floyd, she knew she wanted to find a way to offer more Montessori to more families regardless of their race, socio-economic status, or ethnicity. Initially, she wanted just her school to benefit but quickly saw the need and possibility to offer more Montessori to more families across Western North Carolina. With this idea, the dream of Friends of Montessori became a reality and she is continually in awe of the work that its amazing board is accomplishing.
Samantha Kellgren
Vice President
Samantha grew up in a Montessori environment and with a mother as a Montessori (3-6) teacher, she was in a Montessori classroom from preschool through 5th grade. Knowing the impact of a Montessori education, enrolling her oldest at Your Montessori School when they moved to Asheville in 2018 was an easy decision.
Samantha has been heavily involved, either employed or volunteering, in a number of non-profits since graduating from college. From managing special events for two lung cancer organizations in Chicago to being a core volunteer for Back on My Feet, an organization supporting people to break free from the cycles of poverty, homelessness, and/or addiction through the power of running and community, to working with Babies Need Bottoms here in Asheville, Samantha consistently finds a place where she can make an impact.
Her desire to positively impact her community and support families/caregivers raising children right here in WNC makes the mission of Friends of Montessori a perfect match.
Stephanie Birn
Treasurer
Steph has been a Montessori parent for 5 years. She quickly fell in love with the Montessori model in 2015 after watching her friends’ kids interact and play. Once relocating to Western North Carolina in 2019, she met Amy Morgan and enrolled her two girls in her Your Montessori School. She is excited to contribute to such a worthy cause and honored to be working alongside such an accomplished group of thought-leaders.
Steph holds a Bachelor of Science in business with a focus on human resource management. She spent her recent professional career helping to launch a corporate non-profit foundation to support and develop employee charitable giving in her community. She helped form the Guild Giving Scholarship Foundation and developed the eligibility criteria and disbursement structure. Early in her professional career, Steph worked in donor relations for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame planning and coordinating contributor and sponsor events.
Steph grew up in a strong family environment, learning the benefits of jamming and jarring from her grandparents. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and crafting and is excited to share these past times with her children.
Sarah Jean Smith
Director
Sarah has worked in education for 22 years, serving students on four continents. She realized she wanted to be a life-long educator when she had the privilege of teaching health classes throughout Northern Peru. Years later, while working as a public school leader in New Orleans, she got the chance to work with Teach for America and The New Teacher Project, and did a two-year leadership training with Leading Educators. She was a part of the charter-school revolution that transformed New Orleans’ schools after the storm.
After moving to Asheville she helped open the Franklin School of Innovation becoming the high school principal. She spent her first year of school leadership as the Academic Director of a therapeutic boarding school for adolescents battling addiction and later went on to lead FSI, an EL Education school. Most recently, Sarah joined as an educational consultant at The New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit that focuses on equity issues in education.
Ella Blazak
Director
Ella discovered Montessori philosophy in 2018 when she began substitute teaching at Montessori Learning Community. She quickly fell in love with the children and began work as a full-time toddler assistant soon thereafter. Ella is an avid learner and immediately began many courses – both in Montessori and traditional education – to increase her knowledge of the early childhood years. She became the lead toddler teacher in 2021, moving into administration soon thereafter. Ella finds her deepest passion lies in supporting the entire community: caregivers, teachers, and children in reaching their fullest potential.
Ella has her Early Childhood Administration and Infant/Toddler certification from the state of North Carolina, and her Montessori Leadership Credential from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Her personal vision is increasing access to high-quality Montessori throughout the WNC area and obtaining her Bachelor’s in Montessori Education from Sarasota University.
