Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees serves as the guardian of the school’s mission. It is the Board of Trustees responsibility to ensure that the mission of the school is relevant and vital to the community it serves and to monitor the success of the school in fulfilling its mission.

The Work of the Board of Trustees

As an AISNE accredited school, Cambridge Montessori School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. Trustees determine the CMS strategic goals and act as fiduciaries for future generations of CMS students. The key areas of Board activity include:

• Planning – Developing and monitoring the CMS strategic plan and the school’s progress toward meeting its goals and objectives.
• Finance – Stewarding the school’s financial assets and approving the CMS annual budget, which includes setting tuition.
• Collaboration – supporting, retaining, and advising the Head of School.

The partnership between the Board of Trustees and the Head of School is one of the key foundational aspects of the school’s long-term success.

Meet the Board

Trustees of Cambridge Montessori School 2023-2024

Michael Flannery

Chair of the Board

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Michael Flannery

Chair of the Board

Mike joined the Board in July 2018 and has served as the Board Chair/President since July 2021.

Mike and his wife Leigh have been CMS parents since 2010 and all four of their kids have attended CMS. Their oldest graduated from 8th grade in 2020, and their younger kids are now in 8th grade, 6th grade, and 1st grade. Mike grew up in in the Boston area, and he has lived in Cambridgeport since 2008.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Harvard Law School. He is a practicing attorney and a partner at the law firm Goulston & Storrs, where he focuses on commercial real estate and development.

Annie Lawson

Treasurer

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Annie Lawson

Treasurer

Annie rejoined the CMS Board in 2018 as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, following a prior nine-year period through 2016, which included six years as Treasurer.

Annie is the mother of two Cambridge Montessori alumnae (Clay Parker ’14 and Reed Parker ’17), and was a CMS parent for 16 years. Annie has her own practice, A B Lawson Analytics, LLC, providing analysis and due diligence in support of impact and community development investments. Prior to that, she worked in credit risk management for a European bank in New York City. Annie is a CFA charterholder, holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University, and a BA in Cultural Anthropology from Vassar College. She is interested in social and environmental justice, enjoys live music, and resides in Somerville, MA.

Sara Ontiveros

Development Chair

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Sara Ontiveros

Development Chair

Sara has been on the CMS board since 2016 and is chair of the Development Committee, and a member of the Committee on Trustees.

A CMS parent since 2005, all 3 of her children have attended CMS since they were three years old. Her eldest daughter graduated from CMS in 2016, graduated from Cambridge Rindge & Latin School in 2020, and is currently a student at Rice University in Houston, TX (class of 2024). Her younger daughter graduated from CMS in 2019, graduated from CRLS in 2023, and is attending Johns Hopkins University (class of 2027). Her son is thriving in the Middle School program at CMS. Sara has served on the CMS Auction Committee since 2011 and has been a room parent for various classrooms from 2007-2016. Sara grew up in El Paso, Texas, and came to the Boston area in 1989, where she graduated from MIT with a BS in Biology and from Harvard Medical School with a MS in Medical Sciences. She was a researcher at the Harvard Institute of Medicine and Beth Israel Medical Center, but is currently enjoying being a stay at home parent. She also serves on the board of Friends of Cambridge Athletics at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School. Her interests include knitting, sewing and driving her kids around Cambridge. Sara lives with her husband Nathan, 1-3 kids (depending on college breaks), and 1 dog in Cambridgeport.

Kristin Bedard

Trustee

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Kristin Bedard

Trustee

Kristin and her husband Rob are the proud parents of two CMS students who started at the School in 2023 following three and four years as students at another local Montessori school. Their older child is entering their third year of Upper Elementary at CMS (6th Grade) while their younger child is moving up from Primary to their first year as a Lower Elementary student (1st Grade).

Kristin is a graduate of Dana Hall School in Wellesley and Boston University, with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Psychology. She is passionate about independent school education and has served as the Alumni Board President of Dana Hall School (for 6 years) and as a Trustee (for 12). She is a recipient of the Dana Hall School Distinguished Service Award. Kristin was Director of Communications & Member Engagement for the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE) from 2017-2021. She is a marketing, brand building, community engagement, fundraising professional.

Michael Cragg

Trustee

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Michael Cragg

Trustee

Mike and his wife, Rachel van der Voort, have been parents at the school since 2001, with 4 children going through the entire program. Both Rachel and Mike are former CMS board chairs.

He is director of The Brattle Group, Cellucom and DemandQ and works as a management consultant and expert witness for finance and antitrust issues in the tech sector. He has a Ph.D. in economics from Stanford, and a B.S.E. in civil engineering and architecture from Princeton University. Mike and Rachel live in Belmont, cart their younger kids Reed and Jack to Beaver Country Day and regularly visit their older children Nina at USC and Kobe at Northeastern.

Alfred Ding

Trustee

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Alfred Ding

Trustee

Alfred and Lucy Xu, have been parents at the school since 2023 and have a son, Leo in the Elementary program.

He is currently a Trader. Previously, he co-founded and worked as the CEO of a company, which developed diagnostics solutions for pharmaceuticals and academia. He started his career working in the field of laboratory automations, developing large scale automated systems for pharmaceutical companies.


Alfred holds a B.Eng in Chemical Engineering, M.S. and PhD in Automated Tissue Engineering from UCL in the UK.

Alfred and Lucy live with their 2 boys in Brookline. During his free time, he loves playing golf with his family.

Sophia Emperador-Schrauwen

Trustee

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Sophia Emperador-Schrauwen

Trustee

Sophia has been a CMS parent since 2020 and joined the Board in 2023. She has been an active parent and volunteer at the school since becoming part of the CMS community.

Sophia's training is in landscape architecture and regional planning, with professional expertise in community engagement and scenario planning. Her experience includes regional work that focuses on identifying regional connections between environmental, planning, and development goals, in addition to smaller-scale interventions.

Sophia's background and an active volunteer history with the City of Cambridge bring a unique blend of professional expertise and a deep commitment to community service with the intent to create positive change. In addition to her passion for creating sustainable environments, Sophia cherishes quality time with their family, which includes their beloved dog, Donut. Her holistic approach to life and work reflects a genuine dedication to making a positive impact on both her immediate community and the larger world.

Shweta Gadgil

Trustee

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Shweta Gadgil

Trustee

Shweta is a current parent at CMS and her daughter is enrolled in the primary program. Shweta is a VP at an Insurance firm and has extensive experience in Product Management.

She graduated summa cum laude with an MS in Economics from Northeastern University and holds a BS in Statistics from Mumbai University. Shweta lives with her family in North Cambridge and in her free time, enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Abraham Gore

Trustee

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Abraham Gore

Trustee

Abe and his wife Mia have been CMS parents since 2019 and have two children attending the school. Abe grew up in the Boston area and has lived in North Cambridge/Somerville since 2006. He is a graduate of Lewis and Clark College and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Abe works in advancement for Pine Street Inn.

Anne Lawson

Trustee

Mike Moran

Trustee

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Mike Moran

Trustee

Michael joined the board in 2023 and serves on the Finance Committee. Michael is currently the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at SmartLabs, a venture-capital backed company in Boston that builds advanced lab spaces.

In prior roles, Michael served as a Finance leader for other mid and large cap companies in the Boston area. He began his career working as an investment banking analyst in New York City for Jefferies & Company.

Michael is a graduate of The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania with BS in Economics and concentration in Finance. Outside of work he enjoys woodworking, hiking, skiing, soccer and resides in Stoneham, MA.

Courtney Slade

Trustee

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Courtney Slade

Trustee

Courtney and her husband, Charles, have been parents at the school since 2018 and have a son in the Elementary program. Courtney is a freelancer in the educational publishing industry.

She writes and edits math materials for all grade levels. Prior to working in publishing, she taught middle school and high school math classes. She has a M.A and B.A. in mathematics education. Her hobbies include biking, swimming, and gardening. Courtney and her family live in North Cambridge.

John Sweeney

Trustee

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John Sweeney

Trustee

John joined the CMS Board in 2016, and serves on the Finance Committee, as well as the Development Committee.

He and his wife, Casey, have been parents at the school since 2014, and have a son and a daughter in the Elementary program. He is the co-founder and chief data scientist of a local start-up, Armada Logistics. Prior to that, he worked in investment management researching and building equity trading systems. He has a Ph.D. in robotics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a B.S. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University. John and Casey live with their children in North Cambridge.

The Board of Trustees works through strategically based committees, which include Finance; Committee on Trustees; Development; and Campus and Facilities in addition to as hoc committees as needed. Each trustee serves on at least one committee. Committees make recommendations that provide insight and direction for Board decisions.

The Board is always interested in receiving recommendations for future trustee candidates. Please contact the Head of School or any current Trustee to learn more about the nomination process and serving to support the growth and institutional development of CMS.