BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ROLE OF THE BOARD

The Board of Directors at Skyridge Montessori is made up of a minimum of five and maximum of nine directors with required positions of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary.

The board meets 6-8 times a year, with an annual general meeting held each fall. Board governance includes: 

  1. Determining the vision, mission and values of the school.
  2. Selecting and evaluating the performance of senior leaders.
  3. Strategic and organizational planning.
  4. Ensuring strong fiduciary oversight and financial management.
  5. Fundraising and resource development.
  6. Approving and monitoring the school’s programs.

BOARD POLICIES

The Skyridge Montessori Board recently completed a comprehensive policy development and review process. We encourage parents to become familiar with our policies as a valuable reference to learn more about how our school is governed. Board policies are reviewed on an annual basis and updated as necessary.

Board Policies

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2023-2024

The Skyridge Montessori Board of Directors is a dedicated team of parent and alum parent volunteers with a wide variety of skill sets and experience.

NEGAR ELMIEH |
CHAIRPERSON

Negar is an interdisciplinary educator and environmental health scientist.  She has over 20 years of experience in higher education, with a focus on bridging the gap between research and policy, creating innovative academic programs, and offering meaningful experiences for students. Negar currently works with the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health leading projects to understand the impacts of climate change on health.  Both of her children attend Skyridge Montessori.

GAL KIM |
VICE CHAIRPERSON

Gale is a lawyer at Mackoff Mohamed with a practice focused on employment law and civil litigation, although she also has a fine arts background in animation and filmmaking. Gale has two children at Skyridge Montessori and comes with experience serving on the board of a Vancouver-based Montessori daycare.

 

BRYN OSSINGTON |
TREASURER

Bryn is an experienced leader in the technology sector who has led teams in product development and customer success. Before entering the technology industry he worked in non-profit management having taught non-profit management and strategic planning in the Ontario College system before moving to BC in 2020. Bryn has a daughter in the Casa program.

 

MARISSA ZOOK |
SECRETARY

Marissa currently heads the commercial and corporate legal functions at Tegus, a Chicago-based fintech, as VP Legal and Deputy General Counsel.  She began her corporate practice with a major Canadian law firm in corporate transactions before transitioning to her passion for supporting emerging and high-growth companies on their growth journey, including Vancouver-based Hootsuite and Catalyst Financial Modeling Corporation. Before joining the Skyridge Board, Marissa served as Chair of the Skyridge Parent Advisory Counsel (PAC), where they led several fundraising initiatives for enrichment programming for Skyridge students. Marissa’s two children attend Skyridge in Casa and Lower Elementary.

STEPHANIE CLARK |
DIRECTOR

Most recently as a local entrepreneur, Stephanie has over 20 years of success within the software industry in creating, planning, and managing projects and programs related to marketing, product management, and recruitment. She is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle via good nutrition regular physical activity and most importantly, time with family. Stephanie has 2 children, one in 4th grade at Skyridge Montessori.

SIMON MILLER |
DIRECTOR

Simon is currently the Director of Operations for Haakon Mechanical Services.  Simon began his career as a tradesperson (HVAC and Refrigeration Journeyman).  Since then he has gained experience in mechanical engineering, project management, and human resources before settling into business management.  He brings a strong knowledge of building maintenance as well as significant business and operational finance experience to the board.  Simon is also currently the Vice Chair of the Mechanical Contractors Association of BC and in that role is a strong advocate for the trades. Simon is the father of two girls, the older of whom is currently in Grade 1 at Skyridge Montessori.

SARAH SZTRAMKO |
SECRETARY

Sarah is a public health scientist with a focus on the implementation of scientific evidence into real-world policy and practice. Driven by the opportunity to learn and solve new and ongoing challenges in public health, she connects researchers and educators within academic, public health, and health services settings. She supports the use of appropriate methods and tools in research and education. Two of her children attend Skyridge Montessori (in Casa and Lower Elementary) and her third will enter the Casa program next year.

SQUAMISH MONTESSORI SOCIETY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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