meet our team

Carolyn Sweet

carolyn@aimmontessori.org
marketing & communications director
Carolyn holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from The Ohio State University, a master's degree in art history from Bowling Green State University and has completed all of the coursework and comprehensive exams towards a doctorate in American culture studies from Bowling Green State University. She is also certified in advanced online teaching. Carolyn has been teaching courses in the arts and humanities at the college level since 2006 and has been a marketing professional for over a decade.

Passionate about supporting Montessori educators in their journey, Carolyn has been an active contributor to Montessori schools since 2013. Her roles have included serving as a marketing and admissions coordinator, a board member, and a volunteer.

At home she has the honor of raising two fiercely independent children who began their Montessori journey as infants. Her husband holds a Montessori Secondary Credential and has led and founded Montessori adolescent programs in Ohio and South Carolina. Carolyn has been promoting Montessori education as part of the AIM team since 2022.

Suzanne Tipton

suzanne@aimmontessori.org
program director
Suzanne Tipton found Montessori while working as a high school Math & Science teacher in Thailand. She completed the Lower Elementary course with Age of Montessori and led her own Lower Elementary classroom at Montessori School of Louisville for four years. She made the difficult decision to leave the classroom in pursuit of her passion for training teachers.

Montessori education changed her life and she is eager to help others realize the beauty of this style of teaching. She lives in Tennessee near her niece, Kathryn, and nephew, David Michael, whom she adores wholeheartedly. (They think Auntie Q is a party!)
She also loves to draw, travel, read, scuba dive, hike, camp, and especially cooking. She has been working on writing her own cookbook for a few years now so if you are interested in vegetarian recipes, look no further!  

meet our admissions team

Randall Klein

randall@aimmontessori.org
Director of Admissions
Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in German from Carroll University (Waukesha WI).  He received his Montessori early childhood teacher certification from American Montessori Internationale (AMI) in 1977 and taught in multi-aged Montessori preschool classrooms for sixteen years.  

In 1986 he received the Master Teacher diploma from the Pan American Montessori Society after conducting numerous teacher training courses with his mentor Dr. Elisabeth Caspari, who was a friend and student of Maria Montessori. 

In 1993 he left the classroom to focus on developmentally appropriate early reading instruction as a reading coach, consultant, and seminar leader. Randall finds great satisfaction in the many opportunities he has each year to deliver the Montessori message and methods on early reading instruction to parents and to public and private school teachers throughout the country. 

In 2012 Randall joined the faculty of Authentic Institute of Montessori as assistant program director. He is currently the Aim registrar and admissions officer. 

Kirsten Guisto

kirsten@aimmontessori.org
Director of Student Services + Client Relations
Kirsten joined the aim Team in March of 2022. She has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from San Francisco State University. In addition to her background in education, she has worked at a University, sales and the hospitality industry.   

After college, Kirsten and her husband spent three months back packing through Europe and caught the “travel bug.” She has spent the past five years traveling with her husband, 3 children and their dog in an RV. They have been to 49 states as well as 9 of the Canadian Provinces(although home is on the Central Coast of California). She believes travel is one of the best educational experiences and feels blessed to be able do this with her family. 

meet our infant toddler faculty

Nancy McNabb

nancy@aimmontessori.org
infant-toddler level coordinator 
Nancy McNabb is a parent of four adult children, a grandparent of nine grandchildren, a Montessori teacher and school administrator, a Montessori consultant and parent coach. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in counseling from Florida State University. Her love for children led to her pursuing the Montessori Early Childhood certification where she was trained by Dr. Elizabeth Caspari and Mary Ellen Maunz in 1983.

Upon graduation, Nancy founded her first school in the Twin Cities and later taught in and directed a large Infant/Toddler Community. Being in the classroom with these young children inspired Nancy to complete her Montessori Infant/Toddler certification with the American Montessori society in Boulder, Colorado in 1994. She has taught in and been the administrator of two other successful Montessori schools in Montana over the past 39 years. 

Nancy helped to develop the Montessori Infant/Toddler Teacher Course for aim which launched in September 2021. She is the main instructor of the course, and oversees and mentors the students and interns. She is delighted to work for aim fulfilling a long-time goal of training teachers and parents to observe children, prepare the environment and themselves to meet the children’s needs, and to become loving, peaceful, and positive role models for the children in their lives.  

In her spare time Nancy enjoys gardening, taking walks and playing with her nine grandchildren. 

Courtney Reed

courtney@aimmontessori.org
infant-toddler assistant level coordinator 
Courtney found her passion for working with children in her college years. While studying Mathematics at The University of West Georgia and competing in the world of collegiate tennis, she found her true passion in working with children. Through her nannying career, her work for a Montessori family grasped her attention and she heavily pursued her desire to be in a Montessori community. After assisting in a pre-toddler classroom for 2 years, she learned the true basis of a Montessori environment and what intentions Maria Montessori had in creating the Montessori philosophy. Courtney chose to join Cool Springs Montessori as a toddler guide in 2019 and has accomplished many things in the last five years, including her IMC Montessori certification from The Center for Guided Montessori Studies that is also MACTE accredited.

A human can find joy in few things in life like Courtney has found in educating children, but her love for her family trumps it all. Courtney was born and raised in Bowdon, Georgia and was the middle of 3 sisters. Primarily raised by her mom, responsibilities and real-life experiences were introduced early. She became an independent and driven young woman. Through USTA tennis tournaments, she met her husband, Grant, and the rest is history (cliche--I know!). Grant and Courtney moved to Nashville in 2015, soon became engaged, and married in May of 2016. Since then, they have welcomed 2 children into their family, Tripp (6 years) and Charlie (2.5 years). They now live in a beautiful 1905 home in Eagleville, Tennessee and really enjoy all the beauty that Tennessee has to offer. Treasure hunts (antiquing), hiking waterfalls, and family movie days are just some of the things that they enjoy.

meet our early childhood faculty

Kara Mulqueen

kara@aimmontessori.org
early childhood level coordinator
Kara is the Level Coordinator for Early Childhood. Before working at AIM Kara received her Montessori training through Age of Montessori (AIM) and started her teaching journey. She taught in  Montana as well as Colorado.

In her time in Colorado Kara had the wonderful opportunity to help open a new Montessori school with the goals and passions to have a truly authentic and positive cultured school .Kara has visited Mexico and Honduras to visit schools in several different rural cities within both countries. In those schools she worked with teachers to empower them to teach the children with all their passion as well as provided them with new materials for their classrooms.

Kara has had a passion for children since high school. She discovered the Montessori philosophy and began her journey leaning and developing herself as a teacher and guide to the children and later on other teachers as well. She hopes to inspire and empower more teachers as she works at Authentic Institute of Montessori.

Outside of school, you can find Kara looking for adventure outside, climbing cliff sides, and enjoying time with her husband, two kids, and family dog, Whiskey River.


Liz Goodman

liz@aimmontessori.org
early childhood faculty
Liz Goodman holds a M.Ed. in Montessori Education from Xavier University and earned her MACTE Montessori primary (3-6) certification from AIM (formerly Age of Montessori). She also holds a graduate certification in secondary education and a BA in History from Central Connecticut State University.

Liz has served in the field of education for over 25 years, and at King’s Wood Montessori School in Foxboro, Massachusetts for the past 13 years, and is now the Professional Development Coordinator for AIM. 

She is grateful to also currently work one morning weekly with the wonderful children and staff at Hans Christian Anderson Montessori School in Bolton, Connecticut. 

In her free time, Liz loves to read, hike, practice yoga, travel, cook, and spend time with family and friends. She is also a huge Boston Celtics fan!

Heidi Tussing

heidi@aimmontessori.org
early childhood faculty
Heidi grew up in Lincoln, NE but lived in multiple states before settling in her current location of Helena, MT. Heidi has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Wyoming. She spent many years as a child and family social worker as well as teaching social work students before finding Montessori when researching preschool options for her daughter. This discovery led to her own Montessori journey.

She completed her EC Montessori certification in Kalispell, MT in 2009 and worked in several Montessori preschools in Helena. She was the teacher for the first ever public Montessori preschool in Montana which was funded by the MT Legislature. She went on to obtain her Elementary I certification from Authentic Institute of Montessori and taught a lower Elementary class at a private Montessori school in Helena. Heidi currently is a substitute teacher for the public elementary Montessori teachers.

Heidi, her three children (2 of them adults) and husband love to spend time in Montana’s beautiful outdoors skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and sometimes relaxing in a hammock.

Camilla Nichols

camilla@aimmontessori.org
early childhood faculty Sweden
Camilla earned her degree in Early Childhood from the University of Lund in Sweden, where she was also born and raised.  She began her teaching career in 1994 after receiving her Birth-6, as well as her 6-9 Montessori certifications from St. Nicholas Centre in London, England.

With a passion for teaching and traveling, Camilla has since taught in Asia, Europe, and North America. Camilla was responsible for spearheading the development of the MCTD teacher education program at The Montessori Children’s Academy in Chatham, New Jersey in 2014 where she is also an instructor and advisor in addition to her role as The Senior Director of Montessori Development.

Camilla also holds an AMS Early Childhood Montessori Certification and consults to a Montessori School in Malmö, Sweden on an ongoing basis.

Camilla has raised two children who both went through Montessori Education and who are now successful college students in nursing and mountaineering degrees. Camilla was the former Essex County Director of Girls on the Run, a non-profit organization that empowers young girls mentally and physically.

meet our elementary faculty

Fana Takahashi

fana@aimmontessori.org
elementary I level coordinator
After completing college, Fana discovered Montessori as a teacher in an early childhood classroom. She was immediately convinced by the method and trained with Authentic Institute of Montessori in Early Childhood and Elementary I.

She also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction and a B.S. in Education K-8 from Montana State University.

Fana has always had a passion for teaching and has been in a Montessori classroom since 2015. Before joining AIM full-time this June she taught Lower Elementary Classroom in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In her free time, Fana enjoys traveling the world, surfing, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Alison Zeglen

alison@aimmontessori.org
elementary II level coordinator
Alison discovered Montessori in 2012 during a student teaching placement and was immediately inspired by the method. Upon graduating from Montana State University with a B.S. in Education K-8, she pursued Montessori credentials in Elementary I and Elementary II from the Houston Montessori Center. Alison also holds a M.Ed. in Montessori Integrated Learning from Endicott College, focusing on Montessori students and environmental education.

With a passion for teaching, Alison has been a Montessori teacher for the past ten years, working in diverse locations including Bozeman, Montana, the Cayman Islands, and Wellington, New Zealand. While she loves Montessori education for all age ranges, her true passion lies with Elementary II (ages 9-12) students.

In her free time, Alison enjoys traveling to new places, snowboarding, surfing, hiking, trying new foods, drinking coffee, and spending time with her friends and family.
Empty space, drag to resize