Our Board of Trustees

KATE CAYANNI joined the Board in 2023 and contributed as a volunteer at the school in admissions tours, Class Captain for the Annual Fund, soliciting Sponsorships for the Gather for Good, and as a room parent in 2022.  She also served on the strategic plan committee for Operations and Leadership in 2022.  This year she will Chair the Faculty Recruitment and Retention Task Force.

Kate is a leadership coach and HR consultant through her business, Good Smart Funny, which serves small businesses and nonprofits in the Bay Area. After 20+ years in people leadership and HR roles in primarily the hospitality and service industry, Kate specializes in empowering people leaders to lead with a people first mentality, and build their business with a great deal of intention. Kate notes that many Montessori principles can be applied not only to developing children, but to directly benefit people at work and in life at almost any stage.  When we meet people where they are, foster independence and intrinsic motivation, always with grace and courtesy, then we all have the opportunity for successful and meaningful lives.  Marin Montessori School was a natural fit for her children’s education.

Kate is a credentialed PHR from the Human Resources Certification Institute and holds a B.S. from Oklahoma State University as well as a certificate in culinary arts from The Culinary Institute of America.  She is an avid restaurant patron and home cook, enjoys writing, handwritten letters, and never turns down goat cheese.  She lives in San Rafael with her husband, Philippe and their children, Zoey and Sam.

MAGGIE SCHEAR is a Managing Director of BCG BrightHouse, a creative consultancy and a division of the Boston Consulting Group. Since joining BCG BrightHouse in 2010, she has worked with leading global companies and foundations to articulate their unique purpose and to bring it to life across organizational culture, strategy, and branding. In addition to serving on the leadership team for BCG BrightHouse, she is a leader in both the Social Impact practice and the Climate & Sustainability practice within BCG. Maggie joined the MMS Board of Trustees in 2023 after serving as an Annual Fund Class Captain, Admissions volunteer, and Parent Consultant to the Board's strategic planning process.  She graduated with distinction from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, earning concentrations in international business and marketing. She lives in Larkspur with her husband Daniel and their two kids, who really, really love MMS. 

 JOHN HARRINGTON is a managing director of Evercore’s Strategic Advisory business, advising clients in the insurance industry on mergers, acquisitions, capital raising, and other transactions. For more than a decade at Evercore, he has advised insurance carriers, brokers, underwriting intermediaries, service providers, and technology businesses in the property and casualty sector. John began his financial career after serving in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer aboard a guided-missile destroyer.

John earned his A.B. from Harvard College and his MBA from Columbia Business School. He lives in Tiburon with his wife, Lily, and their four daughters. His family has been a part of the MMS community since 2017.

KELLY LAUBER is new to the MMS Board of Trustees Board in 2023 and currently chairs the Strategic Community Engagement Committee. Since joining the MMS community five years ago, she helped develop and launch the sponsorship program for the Gather for Good in 2020, co-chaired the Gather for Good, served on the Development Committee, and was a room parent in two classes.  

Kelly is a mother of two MMS children, an entrepreneur, an experienced marketer and fundraiser, and a community volunteer. Her professional experience and personal passions are grounded in helping grow brands and non-profits, as well as grassroots and national movements.

Kelly is the Founder & Curator at Soul Farmer, a specialty brand that provides curated experiences and gifts from the garden, and serves on the Belvedere Tiburon Library Board of Directors, volunteers with Meals on Wheels and Best Buddies California, and supports Alice Waters and The Edible Schoolyard Project to bring edible education to all schools across the country.

MEENAL BALAR joined the MMS Board of Trustees in 2024 after volunteering on the Staff Recruitment & Retention Committee, serving as a Room Parent, and supporting the Admissions team in welcoming new families to the school. Meenal is currently advising, consulting, and serving as a fractional CMO to mission-driven startups. She has had a nearly 20-year career operating at the intersection of technology and access, specializing in building, positioning, and growing consumer technology brands in social networking, education, and healthcare.

Her nonprofit experience includes serving for three years on the Board of Trustees for Pacific Primary School in San Francisco. She has also supported the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative on several projects across K-12 education and science, and she currently offers pro bono advisory services to several social impact ventures in India.

Meenal graduated from The College of New Jersey with concentrations in marketing and biology and has an MBA from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. She lives in Mill Valley with her husband, Arjun, and their two energetic and spirited boys.

STELLA BEALE is the Dean of Faculty and a teacher in the English & History departments at Marin Academy. Prior to her arrival at Marin Academy, Stella worked at Windward in Los Angeles, California, serving during her years at the school as the Associate Director of Upper School, the Director of Studies, an English teacher, and advisor. Stella has also worked at independent schools in San Francisco, CA, and Ann Arbor, MI, and she began her career in the public schools of her home state of North Carolina.  

Stella earned her B.A. in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, her M.A. in Education from Wake Forest University, and her M.Ed. in Private School Leadership at Teachers College/Columbia University. Stella is also the proud mother of a student at Haverford College and an avid runner and hiker. 

When she's not in school, attending an educational workshop, or reading educational theory, she can most often be found pounding the pavement or hitting the trails.

CHARMAINE CHOW joined the MMS Board of Trustees in 2025. Over her family’s eight years at Marin Montessori School, she has volunteered as a room parent, welcomed new families, and served on the Finance Committee (2023–24) and Investment Committee (2024–present). Professionally, Charmaine has built her career in wealth management at firms including Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch International, and Charles Schwab. She is also engaged in philanthropic work with organizations such as the Marin Community Foundation and 10,000 Degrees. Charmaine lives in San Rafael with her husband, Saul, and their two children.

MADISON DeRUSSY joined the MMS Board of Trustees in 2025. She is a senior project manager at Equinix, where she oversees large-scale data center construction projects throughout the Bay Area. With over a decade of experience in construction project management, Madison brings deep expertise in leading complex initiatives and guiding cross-functional teams.

Madison earned her B.S. in civil engineering from Santa Clara University and began her career in the construction industry shortly thereafter. She lives in Larkspur with her husband, Andre, and their two children, both proud MMS students. Outside of work, Madison is a passionate food enthusiast — whether she's exploring new restaurants, baking, diving into culinary TV shows, or reading about food culture. She also enjoys tennis, watching rugby, and spending time outdoors with her family.

ERIN FLYNN joined the Marin Montessori School Board of Trustees in 2025 and is a proud parent of three MMS students. Since her family joined the school community in 2021, Erin has been a dedicated and active volunteer, serving as a room parent, member of the Strategic Community Engagement Committee and an Admissions Steward Captain.

A graduate of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, with concentrations in marketing and management, Erin is a lifelong entrepreneur. She co-founded Stitch Fix and The Creative Project. Erin serves on the board of directors of Slide Ranch, a nonprofit connecting people to nature through farming and environmental education. Erin is passionate about fostering community, creativity and a deep love of learning—values she sees thriving at Marin Montessori.

KUNAL KAUL has called MMS his community since he moved to Marin in 2016 with his family. He joined the MMS board of trustees in 2023. Kunal has spent his 23-year career in financial services or fintech, either leading mature businesses or growing and scaling nascent ones. He is currently a vice president leading the Home Loans business at SoFi. He is accountable for scaling the business to provide SoFi members with the product options they need and an exceptional experience. Kunal holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Mumbai University in India and a master’s in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru (IIM-B). He lives in San Rafael with his family.

MATTHEW OLHAUSEN joined the MMS Board of Trustees in 2024.  As an alumnus and the son of a Montessori educator, Matt has been a proud member of the MMS community (in one capacity or another) for over 30 years.  One of his earliest memories is playing with his childhood dog, Maggie, on the floor of the Pelican Class while his mom, Pamela Wisner, organized Montessori materials for a new school year.

In a professional capacity, Matt is an attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, where he advises a wide range of clients across the real estate, professional sports, energy, and financial industries on commercial transactions. Prior to pursuing a legal career, Matt served as Congressman Jared Huffman’s District Representative for Sonoma County and also spent a stint teaching at the MMS Junior High.

Matt lives across the Bay in San Francisco with his wife, Alyxandra Vernon, and their spirited and inquisitive terrier, Sherlock.
 

ANNA SHIMKO is a real estate and land use development lawyer, practicing in the San Francisco office of Burke Williams & Sorensen. Her clients include public and private clients in complex transactions and development deals requiring government entitlements and environmental review. Her projects include mixed-use developments, hospitals, resorts, office campuses, electricity and water facilities, and more. Anna is a member of the firm’s Management Committee, and chair of the Real Estate and Business Law practice group. She is also active in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and is a member of Lambda Alpha International (a global land economics society).

Anna and her husband Peter Hudson have two sons (Turner and Mac Hudson), now at Tam High, who spent wonderful 11 years at MMS, Primary through Junior High.  Anna served on the Campus Facilities Committee and assisted the school with the entitlements process for the lower campus expansion/improvements. She also chaperoned two Lower Elementary week-long camp trips and one epic adventure with the entire Upper Elementary to NYC for the Montessori Model UN.

AMY SOPER is the founder and executive director of The BC Fund, a non-profit supporting birth control access and affordability. In her philanthropic endeavors, she is a member of the board for Planned Parenthood Great Rivers as well as a Leadership Council Member at the Center for Reproductive Rights. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in social work, specializing in sexual health and policy, from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

Amy has been a member of the MMS community for seven years and joined the board in 2024. Previously, she has served as co-chair for both the Annual Fund and Gather for Good, Room Parent, and a founding member of the endowment.

Amy lives in Kentfield with her husband, Armand, and their son Knox.

J.C. TORRES is a successful entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder and managing member of Solstein Capital, LLC, a global investment firm headquartered in the Bay Area. He has extensive experience investing in public and private equity markets. He earned dual bachelor's degrees in philosophy and business from the University of Washington, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is an avid and passionate photographer, sailor, and weekend cook. He and his wife, Nerine, have two daughters at MMS.