The Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of the school. It establishes policies for the school, overseess finances, and provides continuity and direction. Board members are elected by the current Board for three-year terms and are recruited and trained by the Committee on Trustees. Each member of the Board must endorse the Montessori philosophy of learning, language immersion education, and the purpose and values described in Intercultural Montessori Language School's current strategic plan. The Board's primary role is to focus on fiscal and strategic planning, policy, hiring, and evaluating the Executive Director, and institutional and organizational stability and sustainability.
Among the Board as a whole, the Committee on Trustees looks for members with experience which supports initiatives on the strategic plan, in addition to in education administration or Montessori education, bilingual experience, strategy/strategic planning, business management, financial/accounting, marketing, fundraising, law/policy, human resources, communications, and site management or real estate development.
The Board currently has the following nine members:
George Beach is an independent architect. He has worked for DLR Group, OWP/P Architects, Perkins + Will and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. His architectural designs include one for Oswego Dist. 308 Early Childhood Center, Meta Valley High School Dist. 204, Rogers Park Montessori School, and Little Village Lawndale High School CPS. Mr. Beach holds a Bachelors degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Sarah La Voi is an Advertising & Promotions attorney for a large retailer headquartered in Chicago land. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin where she majored in Spanish, instilling a love of foreign languages and travel. Sarah attended DePaul University for law and business school. Now, she lives in downtown Chicago with her husband Aaron Joseph and their two daughters, Natalia and Vivienne. The Joseph family incorporates Montessori methods at home, and Natalia is proud to be a student at Intercultural Montessori Language School.
Amy Kovalan is Vice President of Safety, Security and Risk Compliance at the Chicago Transit Authority. Previously she served as Chicago’s Chief Compliance Officer and held leadership positions at DePaul University in compliance and at Northwestern University in operations and finance. Ms. Kovalan holds a BA in Government from the University of Notre Dame, a J.D. from John Marshall Law School, and an Executive MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School.
Christopher D. Mickus is a partner in the Law Firm Neal Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP where he focuses on complex commercial litigation and other forms of dispute resolution. Mr. Mickus is a graduate of the John Marshall Law School (J.D. 1999) and Benedictine University (B.A. 1996). Mr. Mickus has an active pro bono practice which includes the representation of One Heartland, Inc. and Herbert G. Birch Services, Inc., non-profit organizations serving families and individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Mr. Mickus is an Adjunct Faculty Member at The John Marshall Law School.
Jeffrey K.Schroeder is a Managing Director and Partner with The PFM Group. Public Financial Management (PFM) advises government entities including school districts on finanacial and investment matters. Previously, Jeff was also an Educational Services Manager with the Foundation for Educatinal Services. Mr. Schroeder holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from Valparaiso University and a Masters in Business from Northern Illinois University.
Tom Schwallie is a financial valuations advisor for Duff & Phelps, LLC. He previously worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Business Advisory Services group and served on the Board of the Association for Corporate Growth in Houston. Mr. Schwallie holds a Bachelors degree in Finance from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Debbie Senoff-Langford is CEO, principal, and member of the Board of Directors for Rogers Park Montessori. She has taught preschool through elementary in Montessori schools. Ms. Senoff-Langford holds a Bachelors degree in History from the University of Wisconsin, a Masters in Early Childhood Education, completed the Ph.D. dissertation, and received a certification in non-profit leadership from Kellogg School of Management. Ms. Senoff-Langford is currently the president of the Illinois Montessori Association (AIMS).
Antonio Tovar is an adjunct professor in the graduate school of information technology at the University of Phoenix and CEO and President of A&M Consulting Group, Inc. He has served in information technology roles with A&W Consulting Group, LLC, 3Point Communications and Experian Corporation. Mr. Tovar holds a Masters degree in Computer Science and Telecommunications from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Management, Information Technology from the University of Phoenix.
Bret Ruiz is an education professional with over 10 years experience in teaching and academic leadership. His work portfolio includes: teaching at Le Cordon Bleu-Chicago, The University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University. He has successfully managed several non-profit organizations. Mr. Ruiz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in American Studies and an MBA in marketing from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management.
