The Board of Directors
Who We Are
The Blue Hill Montessori Board is made up of parents, community members, and faculty/staff members. The role of the BHMS Board is to steer the school in a successful direction and provide oversight to its operations. The Board works in collaboration with the Head of School and various subcommittees.
"The mission of Blue Hill Montessori School shall be to operate a not-for-profit organization to achieve and maintain an authentic Montessori curriculum and culture. At Blue Hill Montessori School, we honor the potential in every child, nurturing a child's individual spirit to reveal itself through hands on exploration thereby building a strong foundation for your child's life."
Chair
Meredith McGinnis
Meredith McGinnis has spent the past fifteen years working in secondary education at Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) in the admissions and athletic departments. She currently is the Chief Operating Officer at Achieve Lacrosse, LLC. Meredith earned her Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration and a BA in Political Science from Northwestern University.
Meredith is currently in her second year as Chair, following six years of service on the Board as both a general member and Secretary. She has volunteered in various capacities at BHMS and values the principles of Montessori education. Meredith resides in Canton with her husband, Daniel. Two of their children, William and Maeve, are BHMS graduates and their youngest daughter, Ellie, is a student in the Upstairs Children’s House classroom.
Vice Chair
Audrey Talutis
Audrey is excited to be returning to the BHMS Board for a second year! Audrey is an alumna of Blue Hill Montessori and her son started in the Toddler House last year. This year, he is joining the Upstairs Classroom in the Children's House and can't wait to play on the "big" playground. Professionally, Audrey is a licensed CPA and has been working in the accounting/finance industry for over 13 years.
Audrey and her husband Chris live in Milton with their son Callan, daughter Ayla, dog Sydney, and cat Maui. In their free time, her family loves to spend weekends on the Cape, tailgate BC football games, or travel to the mountains for snowboarding trips. Audrey is excited to use both her professional and personal experience to support the growth and development of the Blue Hill Montessori community.
Secretary
Whitney Kinch
Whitney and her husband, Matt, live in Easton with their two sons, Julian, a graduate of BHMS, and Riley, who is in the Children's House, and their black Labrador, Brisbane. As a second year board member, Whitney is excited to be more involved in the BHMS community that has given so much to her two sons.
Whitney is the Assistant Director of Lower and Middle School Admission at a K-12 school. In her free time, Whitney enjoys hiking, cooking, exploring new places near and far, and cozying up with a cup of tea and a good book.
Treasurer
Pam Sabrah
Pam Sabrah holds the position of Treasurer. She resides in Canton with her husband Bill, two daughters Brielle and Pearla and cat Phoebe. Brielle is in her second year at Children's House this year. Pam works in sales leadership at a technology and data company. She greatly enjoys the community at BHMS and looks forward to continuing and fostering new relationships this year.
Treasurer-Elect
Kevin Brown
Kevin Brown is the proud father of Oliver (Downstairs Children's House) and Bennet (future Toddler House toddler). He and his wife, Cait, live in Canton. Kevin is an attorney with an internationally recognized law firm and specializes in the US federal income taxation of businesses, individuals, and nonprofit organizations, including some that are local to Canton and the greater Boston area. He holds a J.D. as well as a LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University School of Law, a M.A. in English Literature from the Bread Load School of English at Middlebury College, and a B.A. in English from Franklin & Marshall College.
Prior to entering the legal field, Kevin worked for nearly a decade at independent schools in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts as an English teacher, cross country coach, and dorm parent. He is an avid runner, bookworm, and lifelong Lego collector. He is deeply grateful for the care and attention of the BHMS faculty and is looking forward to ensuring the school remains financially healthy now and in the future.
General Member
Courtney Shaughnessy
Courtney Shaughnessy has been a part of the BHMS community since January 2021, when her oldest son, Connor, began in the Toddler House. Connor is now a BHMS graduate and his sisters, Morgan and Jenna, are in the Upstairs and Downstairs Children's House classrooms, respectively.
Courtney is returning to the Board of Directors for a second term, bringing her background as a former middle school English teacher. She holds a dual degree in English and Secondary Education from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s Degree in English Education from Simmons University, along with minors in Writing and Special Education. With eight years of classroom experience, including four in Canton, Courtney is dedicated to community engagement, having hosted numerous clubs at the Galvin Middle School, assuming the role as room parent, and serving on the board of the Canton Moms Club.
General Member
Michael Chen
Michael Chen is a first-year member of BHMS board. Michael is Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Seaport Therapeutics, a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company. Previously, he was Head of Innovation at PureTech Health, Co-founder and Head of Research and Strategy at Sonde Health, and research fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology. Michael completed his Ph.D at Stanford University and B.A. at Yale University.
.jpg)
General Member
Zenas Hsu
Zenas Hsu is a violinist who enjoys a vibrant career filled with chamber music, orchestral leadership, and education. He is a member of A Far Cry, a Grammy nominated ensemble in Boston, and Principal Second Violin at the Boston Ballet. He has served as the Guest Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and performs regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and the Boston Lyric Opera. When he is not on stage performing, he enjoys being home with his family and being a fun dad to Arwen.
General Member
Lauren Talbot
Lauren lives in Canton with her husband, Sean, her two children, John and Abby, and her dog, Buckley. Her son John recently graduated from BHMS, and her daughter Abby is excited to be starting this year. Fun fact—Sean is also a BHMS alum!
Lauren earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and her graduate degree from Boston College. Lauren is a nurse practitioner and has been a PCP in Needham for the past 8 years. Grateful for all that BHMS has given her family, she looks forward to giving back as a board member.
General Member
Kerri LaBrie
Kerri LaBrie is joining the Board of Directors for the first time this school year after having such a positive experience serving on the BHMS Fundraising committee. She lives in Norwood with her husband, Mike, and their two children: “Downstairs Lily” who will be starting her third year in Ms. Jennifer’s class, and Mikey, who will be joining BHMS in the 2026-2027 school year.
Kerri is a Speech-Language Pathologist who currently works at Bridgewater State University as a Clinical Educator in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Graduate Program. Prior to starting at BSU, Kerri worked as a school-based speech therapist in the MA public school system for 12 years. She holds a Master of Science degree from Northeastern University. Kerri is looking forward to giving back to the BHMS community that has provided so much care and support to her family!
General Member
Dan Mulvey
Dan Mulvey is a first year board member at BHMS. Dan is a partner and group lead at Building Enclosure Science in Boston, MA/Providence, RI. He is responsible for the career development of architects and engineers while managing large scale capital restoration projects and planning for existing institutions in the healthcare, higher education and transportation sectors. Dan earned his Master of Business Administration with a focus in finance from Bentley University and his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Dan resides in Canton, MA with his wife, Olivia. He has two children enrolled at BHMS; Leo is in his second year in the Downstairs Children's House while Sadie is in her first year at the Toddler House. Dan also resides on the Neighborhood Advisory Committee for the Paul Revere Heritage Site. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, playing basketball and golf, gardening and tackling home improvement projects.
General Member
Danielle Walls
Danielle is delighted to join the BHMS Board this year! Her commitment to the Montessori philosophy is deeply rooted, stemming from her own experience as a Montessori student for the first six years of her formal education. Her son, Teddy, is currently a student in his first year in the Downstairs Children’s House with Ms. Jennifer, having transitioned from a wonderful year in the Toddler House.
Danielle was a high school Biology teacher for 10 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom to Teddy. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Boston College and an M.A.T. from Simmons College. Danielle, her husband Greg, and Teddy live in Canton along with their cats Daisy and Ziggy. In her free time, Danielle enjoys practicing yoga, reading, video games and traveling with her family.
General Member
Stacy Debartolo
Stacy lives in Randolph with her husband, Evan, their son Bear, and their two cats Beta and LC. The DeBartolos are new to the BHMS family this year, excited to get involved after the warm welcome they have received from everyone at BHMS. Bear will be in the Upstairs Children’s Classroom for AY2025-2026.
Stacy has an Master’s Degree in Art History and non-profit management from Tufts University and has been working at MIT in the Office of the Arts for 15 years as the Finance & Operations Manager and the Program Manager for the Student Art Studios. Prior to working in arts initiatives, Stacy worked in invention education for the Lemelson-MIT Program and at the New Art Center in Newton.
Community Member
Patti Ryan
Patti has been part of Blue Hill Montessori School (BHMS) for more than a decade, beginning as an intern in 2008 and later serving as Upstairs Lead Teacher, where she co-chaired the AMS accreditation steering committee. She has served on the BHMS Board in multiple roles, first as a staff representative and now as a Community Member.
Outside of BHMS, Patti works with Power Forward 25 as a grant writer and project manager, leading the D.O.E.R. Program, which supports recovery through the healing bond of dog ownership. She also teaches Montessori Philosophy at the New England Montessori Teacher Education Center (NEMTEC).
Patti lives in Holbrook and is the proud parent of three adult children—Maddie, Evelyn, and Ally—who all attended Montessori school through 5th grade. Having seen firsthand the lasting benefits of Montessori education, she is passionate about supporting that opportunity for future families.
General Member
To be posted.
To be posted.