PRIMARY TRAINING
Silvia C. Dubovoy, Ph.D., Director of Primary Training
Dr. Dubovoy is a teacher trainer, lecturer, consultant, and examiner for the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) worldwide. She has been involved in Montessori education since 1965 as a parent, board member, and coordinator of her children’s school. Dr. Dubovoy holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Barcelona as well as the AMI Assistants to Infancy, Primary, and Special Education diplomas. She was a board member of AMI, headquartered in Amsterdam, from 1982 until 2010 and currently serves on the AMI Research Committee and as an alternate AMI representative to the United Nations. Dr. Dubovoy has anchored Montessori graduate programs at the University of San Diego, Loyola University Maryland, and Universitat de Vic in Spain, and she created the AMI Inclusive Education Course. Her training style is heavily influenced by her work with Dr. Carl Rogers in the field of humanistic psychology. When not at work, she adores reading and discussing books with her eleven grandchildren.
Cristina A. De León M., Primary Trainer
Ms. De Leon has more than 20 years of experience with young children in Mexico and the United States, and she is bilingual in English and Spanish. She holds a B.A. in Clinical Psychology from Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior in Tijuana, Mexico, a Masters in Pedagogy from State University of Pedagogy Studies and an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland, in addition to AMI Primary and Elementary diplomas. Prior to joining MISD, she worked for five years as a Primary guide at Scripps Montessori School. Ms. De Leon also serves as an AMI examiner and Director of Training at the Primary level in Costa Rica and Argentina, and her work has recently taken her to Spain and Taiwan. She enjoys art museums, acting, and musical theater.
Liliana Diaz, Primary Assistant
Ms. Diaz holds the AMI primary diploma. She has worked as a Spanish speaking guide at MISD since 2007. She is a mother of two and her daughter is an MISD Children’s House alumnus. She enjoys cooking and loves spending time with her family and is in the process of completing her B.A. in preschool studies at Universidad de Querretaro.
ASSISTANTS TO INFANCY TRAINING
Silvia C. Dubovoy, Ph.D., Assistants to Infancy Director of Training
Dr. Dubovoy is a teacher trainer, lecturer, consultant, and examiner for the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) worldwide. She has been involved in Montessori education since 1965 as a parent, board member and coordinator of her children’s school. Dr. Dubovoy has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Barcelona as well as the AMI Assistants to Infancy, Primary and Special Education diplomas. She was a board member of AMI, headquartered in Amsterdam, from 1982 until 2010 and currently serves on the AMI Research Committee and as one of the AMI representatives to the United Nations. Dr. Dubovoy’s training style is heavily influenced by her work with Dr. Carl Rogers in the field of humanistic psychology. When not at work, she adores reading and discussing books with her eleven grandchildren.
Katya Saab, Assistants to Infancy Course Assistant
Ms. Katya Saab obtained a Bachelors of Arts degree in accounting but then realized her true joy was working with children. She worked with Toddlers in Mexico for six years and received her AMI Assistants to Infancy diploma from The Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2011. Ms. Katya then worked as the Head Toddler guide at Kinderhouse Montessori in San Diego for six years. Ms. Katya is also an artist and is very passionate about abstract art and enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with friends and family.
Vivian Yeung, Assistants to Infancy Course Assistant
Ms. Vivian Yeung holds a B.A. in Architecture from University of California, Berkeley, and the AMI 0-3 diploma from MISD. She gained an understanding of Dr. Montessori’s philosophy of freedom and discipline; and how to nurture and enhance the child’s quest for further independence. She also learned how to help children succeed through their own actions and choice. Vivian has worked as a Montessori assistant and a toddler guide for years in a private Montessori school in San Diego. She is fluent in Chinese and English. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and traveling.
ELEMENTARY TRAINING
Greg MacDonald, Director of Elementary Training
Greg MacDonald is a seasoned Elementary trainer who has led courses in the United States, Canada, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Mexico for the past 20 years. He holds AMI 3-6 and 6-12 diplomas, a teaching diploma from his native Australia, and an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland, where he worked as an AMI Elementary trainer with Dr. Kay Baker from 1998-2008. He is also an AMI-USA consultant and a regular speaker at Montessori workshops, parent evenings and conferences. Greg is known for his hands-on, practical approach to training, focusing on the specific skills, techniques, and systems that support success in a Montessori elementary environment. His work is informed by 19 years of teaching experience as a public school elementary teacher, AMI primary and elementary teacher, and principal of both mainstream and Montessori schools.
Kathy MacDonald, Elementary Course Assistant
Kathy MacDonald earned her AMI Primary (3-6) diploma at Washington Montessori Institute. She has worked as a primary guide for many years in both public and private Montessori schools, and has also served as an assistant, substitute teacher, and educational specialist. She has two daughters and a new grandchild.
INCLUSIVE EDUCATION TRAINING
Silvia C. Dubovoy, Ph.D., Director of Inclusive Education
Dr. Dubovoy is a teacher trainer, lecturer, consultant, and examiner for the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) worldwide. She has been involved in Montessori education since 1965 as a parent, board member and coordinator of her children’s school. Dr. Dubovoy has a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Barcelona as well as the AMI Assistants to Infancy, Primary and Special Education diplomas. She was a board member of AMI, headquartered in Amsterdam, from 1982 until 2010 and currently serves on the AMI Research Committee and as one of the AMI representatives to the United Nations. Dr. Dubovoy’s training style is heavily influenced by her work with Dr. Carl Rogers in the field of humanistic psychology. When not at work, she adores reading and discussing books with her eleven grandchildren.
Annabeth Jensen, M.Ed., Course Assistant
Annabeth Jensen holds a B.A. in psychology from Reed College, an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland, and the AMI Elementary Diploma from Washington Montessori Institute. In 2015, she completed the AMI Inclusive Education Pilot Course here at MISD and distinguished herself for outstanding contributions to the classroom dynamic. Annabeth has worked as a Montessori elementary teacher for over 24 years, 18 of those at the upper elementary level. During her career, she grew two school programs from one class to 120-180 students, served as the president of the Oregon Montessori Association, and received the Susie Huston Memorial Award for dedication in teaching. She is currently a consultant for AMI USA.
Edith Eva Eger, Ph.D., Lecturer
Dr. Eger is a clinical psychologist and international speaker who draws on her incredible experience as a Holocaust survivor to help people transcend limitations, recognize their own power, and achieve things they previously thought unattainable. She is the recipient of the California State Senate Humanitarian Award and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Adele Diamond, Ph.D., Lecturer
Dr. Adele Diamond is one of the founders of the field of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience and holds the Canada Research Chair Tier 1 Professorship in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. As one of the world’s leading researchers on executive functions, the cognitive processes that enable us to plan, pay attention, solve problems, reason, and switch between tasks, Dr. Diamond has been featured on NPR’s “On Being” with Krista Tippett, PBS’s “Scientific American Frontiers”, and The New York Times.
ADMINISTRATION
Sharon Dubovoy Fastlicht, Executive Director
Ms. Fastlicht is a Montessori child, a mother of four Montessori children and the Executive Director of The Montessori Institute of San Diego. She holds the AMI Montessori Assistants to Infancy (0-3) diploma and the Primary (3-6) diploma from MISD. She also holds a B.A. in restaurant and hotel management from Universidad Iberamericana in Mexico City and an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland. Ms. Fastlicht assisted her mother, Dr. Silvia Dubovoy, in opening the Children’s House in 2002 and returned in 2010 to continue her work with the school and its affiliated Montessori teacher training center.
Silvia C. Dubovoy, Ph.D., Director of Training
Dr. Dubovoy is a teacher trainer, lecturer, consultant, and examiner for the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) worldwide. She has been involved in Montessori education since 1965 as a parent, board member, and coordinator of her children’s school. Dr. Dubovoy holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Barcelona as well as the AMI Assistants to Infancy, Primary, and Special Education diplomas. She was a board member of AMI, headquartered in Amsterdam, from 1982 until 2010. Dr. Dubovoy has anchored Montessori graduate programs at the University of San Diego, Loyola University Maryland, and Universitat de Vic in Spain, and she recently created the AMI Inclusive Education Course. Her training style is heavily influenced by her work with Dr. Carl Rogers in the field of humanistic psychology. When not at work, she adores reading and discussing books with her eleven grandchildren.
Vivian Dubovoy Perlo, Pedagogical Coordinator and Instructional Design
Ms. Vivian was born in Mexico City and raised according to Montessori philosophy and practices. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design and primarily focused on creating educational enrichment materials for children 18 months to 6 years. She has worked at different schools sharing her eye for design and photography, which she combines with her passion for children. Ms. Vivian holds the AMI Assistants to Infancy Diploma as well as the AMI Primary Diploma and has served at MISD as our Pedagogical Coordinator since 2010. Ms. Vivian enjoys working with the children while creating beautiful art pieces, gardening and cooking as well as offering parent education and support to the school.
Amy Rhodes, Student Services and Information Coordinator
Amy serves as the training center’s Student Services Coordinator. Her love of traveling and learning about new cultures led her to study in London, work on a Mayan excavation in Belize, and teach English in Korea. She is excited to be in her home city of San Diego where she continues to help students follow their dreams at the Montessori Institute San Diego. She holds a B.A. from UCSD in Anthropology. In her spare time she loves to hike, play golf, and crochet.
Vivian Yeung, 中国招生办代表
Vivian 女士拥有加州柏克莱大学的建筑学学士学位，以及AMI 0-3国际认证。开始和幼儿工作之前，她是一位建筑师。直到2010年她和家人移居到圣地牙哥，她为自己的孩子寻找学校然后接触了蒙特梭利的教学方式。她爱上了蒙特梭利的哲学，并决定接受培训加深对蒙特梭利教学方法的理解。她学习了蒙特梭利博士的自由和纪律哲学； 以及如何培养和增强孩子对独立性发展的追求。她还学习了如何帮助孩子们通过自己的行动和选择来取得成功。 Vivian在圣地亚哥的一所蒙特梭利私立学校中担任蒙特梭利助手和主教多年。她能说中文和英文。业余时间，她喜欢与家人和朋友共度时光和旅行。
Nasreen Yazdani, Director of Marketing & Communications
Nasreen oversees the internal and external communications at MISD, with a focus on marketing and admissions strategies. She holds a B.A. from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, the AMI Primary Diploma from MISD and an M.Ed. from Loyola University Maryland. Her professional background includes grant writing, sociological research, customer service, and coordinating the M.Ed. Program in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Montessori at the University of San Diego from 2010-2013. She has been dancing Argentine tango for two years.
Fernando Castillo, Controller
Mr. Castillo started his accounting career in Zurich, Switzerland, where he worked in the banking industry. While in Zurich, he married a San Diego native, and later moved to the United States and finished a bachelor’s degree in accounting at City University in Seattle, Washington. Mr. Castillo brings to MISD extensive experience in management, communication and analytics, including planning, budgeting, reporting, training and controlling. His main focus is to influence organizational growth and bottom line profitability. Mr. Castillo is originally from Chile and has two children who have been raised with the Montessori philosophy.
