Our Board of Trustees

Adam is a Director of Financial Planning, Analysis, and Reporting with Shure Incorporated.  He is a graduate of DePaul University with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and of Loyola University Chicago where he earned both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications.  He is the father of two Intercultural students.

Ankur is a Senior Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, specializing in white collar and commercial litigation matters. He has a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, and a bachelor’s degree from UCLA.  Ankur is the proud parent of an Intercultural student in the Chicago campus, and his younger child plans to join the school once she is old enough!

Cheryl served as Head of School for Brickton Montessori School from 2012-2020. In that capacity, she ensured the quality of Montessori programs and day-to-day school operations, working strategically with the Board of Directors. Prior to serving in that role, Cheryl was a Primary Directress for six years. She enjoys combining her love of the Montessori environment with her background in operational and financial management. In her interest to support Montessori advocacy, Cheryl served as the President of the Association of Illinois Montessori Schools for 4 years and Treasurer for 4 years. Cheryl holds AMS Montessori primary and administrator credentials. In addition, she holds an MBA from University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and a BS in Economics from Illinois State University.

Corrine was born and raised in Japan, Corrine came to the US to finish high school and attend Georgetown University. After graduation, Corrine worked at the Japanese Embassy in Washington DC as an interpreter. She recently retired after 42 years in the insurance industry, most recently as an underwriting director for a major insurance company. She has extensive experience underwriting Professional Liability and Property and Casualty Insurance. Corrine moved to Chicago a few years ago to be close to her son and daughter-in-law and is now a proud grandmother of two-year old Ruby, who she hopes to teach Japanese to and help become bilingual. Corrine currently works as a volunteer at Intercultural Montessori in the Japanese class and assists with special events.

Emily is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and spent over a decade consulting on retirement programs for large corporate and non-profit clients. Emily holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences and Economics from Northwestern University. After leaving the corporate world, Emily earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Fei brings a wealth of experience in human-centered design and strategic innovation to the Board. He has led design and research initiatives at Accenture, SC Johnson, and Volkswagen. Fei earned a Master of Design + MBA from the Institute of Design at IIT and a Bachelor of Engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Fei has directly supported Intercultural Montessori Language School by helping to understand parent mindsets and create strategies to improve student retention. His son has been an Intercultural student for six years, currently thriving in the Chinese immersion program at the Chicago campus.

Imanni is the Social Impact Manager at Wash Cycle Laundry, a social enterprise that creates upwardly mobile careers for formerly incarcerated people, formerly homeless people, and those lifting themselves out of poverty. Imanni has 20 years of experience in fundraising, community organizing, and project management both in the US and in Moscow, Russia. She holds a bachelor's degree in the history of science from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in public health from Drexel University. Imanni's older child graduated from Intercultural's Spanish immerson program on the Oak Park campus, and her younger child is in Oak Park's Chinese immersion program.

Karen moved to Chicago from Cleveland after retiring as Executive Director of an arts organization. Prior to her five-year tenure as Executive Director, Ms. Lazar was the Director of Development at Hudson Montessori School for 10 years.  During that time, she was responsible for several capital campaigns, the Annual Fund campaign, grant writing and developing a comprehensive grandparent/grandfriend program.  She and her husband are the proud grandparents of two former Intercultural students. 

Kevin is the President of Federal Specialized Services (FSS), a small business with 60 staff. FSS’s main business is to defend litigations filed against the U.S. government in Medicare institutional payments. Kevin Leong is a registered CPA and an Illinois licensed attorney. Kevin has two children attending Intercultural.

Minhaj is the Head of School at Unity Academy of Chicago.  He is a history teacher by training with 30 years of experience in classroom and leadership roles, in the US and in India. He is currently pursuing his Montessori Administrator credential through Seton Montessori Institute.Previously, Minhaj helped found Focus High School, a group of schools in Hyderabad, India that aims to provide International Baccalaureate (IB) and Montessori education that is accessible to children of all backgrounds. Minhaj has two children. He enjoys woodwork, running, and reading.

Ryan is a Managing Director with a "Big 4" professional services firm, based in downtown Chicago, where he focuses on providing financial support for professional services engagements. Mr. White is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he obtained his B.A. in Economics and of Loyola University Chicago where he obtained his M.S. in Accountancy. He also holds a CPA license. He is the father of three Intercultural alumni at the Oak Park Campus, and has been actively involved in school volunteer activities since 2012. 

Tatyana is a communications and global product development leader, with experience in Fortune 100 companies, Tatyana Sergeyeva is also an accomplished educator, trainer, and localizer. Her unique career portfolio spans across a number of industries: from international consulting and financial services to e-learning, international publishing, and academia. Tatyana has lived in five countries and speaks five languages. A firm believer in the power of global exchanges and language education, she also serves on the Board of Directors of WorldChicago and on the Advisory Council of Language Connects Foundation. She holds a Master's degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Middlebury College and a Bachelor's degree in Business and Spanish from Morningside College. Tatyana is a proud parent of a former Intercultural student.