Renee Crane - Interim Head of School
Renee Crane has been involved in the education field since 1988. She received an AA from Brewton Parker College and a BA in Early Childhood Education from Georgia Southern University. She has a Montessori Certification for Early Childhood through Fort Valley State College. She received her Administrative Certification from Houston Montessori.
Renee has 23 years of experience in public and private sectors. She has taught children from 2 ½ to 12 years of age in traditional and Montessori environments. She has served as Curriculum Director in a Montessori setting. For the past 11 years, she had the privilege of overseeing 2 Montessori Schools as the Head of School. While running the operations of these schools, Renee was instrumental in the schools receiving prestigious accreditations. One school received the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation and the other received the Florida Council of Independence Schools (FCIS) accreditation. She has also served as a trainer/test administrator and supervising teacher while mentoring prospective Montessori teachers.
She has a passion for non-profit organizations and has served on a number of non-profit boards and accreditation teams in each community she has been a part of. She is also a member of the American Montessori Society (AMS).
Renee is honored that she has been given the opportunity to work with such a wonderful community at Elizabeth Academy and is looking forward to being a part of the school as it continues to grow.
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Jonathan Wolff - Montessori Consultant
Jonathan is a consultant, trainer, speaker and author who infuses his work in leadership development with 30 years experience as an educator and administrator. Founder and Director of Learning for Life and Montessori Leadership, Jonathan provides retreats, workshops, consultations and coaching for parents, educators, leaders, Boards of Directors, community organizations and learning communities around the globe.The best-practice leadership retreats and workshops he leads facilitate community building, strategic planning and improved organizational effectiveness.
After earning his B.A. degree in Secondary Education from Temple University, Jonathan began teaching at-risk youth in Philadelphia. Early in his career, he read several books on the Montessori philosophy and quickly recognized the power her work in human development had to effect transformation not only within the young child, but within adults as well. He went on to study with Mother Isabelle Eugenie, one of Dr. Montessori’s first students, earned his Early Childhood Credential through the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), and began his career as a Montessori educator at one of the first Head Start Montessori Centers in the United States. Jonathan’s incisive ability to apply Dr. Montessori’s educational constructs to training adults led him to positions as a teacher trainer, as the director of education and training for various education and business organizations, and as the administrator for several nationally recognized schools. Thirty years in the field have provided him with solid first-hand experience in leading and managing rapidly growing for-profit and not-for-profit schools, education institutions and business organizations.
Today, the primary focus of his consulting practice is on leadership development – designing best practices and writing books and articles that enhance individual and organizational performance. His creative, interactive programs, his humorous and inspiring teaching style, and his deep insight into the needs of people and organizations are in demand by organizations around the world.
Jonathan is a member of the American Montessori Society (AMS) and the International Montessori Council (IMC). He serves on the IMC Board of Directors.
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Maria Gurrister, M.S. CCC-SLP- Private Speech Therapy
Maria has been a certified ASHA speech language pathologist since 1987. She is co owner of Wasatch Speech and Language Center, founded in 1989. Her primary area of clinical practice is neurogenic communication disorders in children and adults. Maria received her graduate degree from the University of Utah and was a member of the Phi Kappa Honor Society. She has received additional postgraduate study at the University of Utah and at the University of Iowa. Maria joined the practice of Wasatch Speech and Language Center in 2001 after spending most of her career at the University of Utah Medical Center. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of children who are nonverbal and with specific language disorders. She co created the Wasatch Children’s language and social skills summer program to help children learn social communication skills amongst their peers in functional settings.
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Lizzie Dalton - Education Mentor
Miss Lizzie is the mentor for the Early Childhood classes. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Special Education from the University of Utah with a minor in Spanish. Lizzie has been involved in special education for 10 years through service, teaching in inclusive elemantary schools and providing private service for families with children with special needs. Lizzie loves to dance. She trained through the University of Utah, the Virginia Tanner teacher workshop and others throughout her life. She also loves to hike, run, cook and spend time with her husband and her daughters, Alice and Emma.
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Amanda Butterfield - Purchasing and Materials Coordinator
Miss Amanda is the Purchasing and Materials Coordinator for Elizabeth Academy this year. She also provides administrative support. This is her third year at the school. She has worked as a lead teacher in the Early Childhood classrooms for the past two years. She graduated with a B.S. in Child Development from Brigham Young University-Idaho. After graduation, she worked for two years at a private preschool helping to develop a toddler curriculum. Miss Amanda took the Montessori (MEPI) teacher training and plans to complete her certification by the end of the school year. Miss Amanda loves to travel, crochet, read, watch movies, and spend time with her family and friends. She feels blessed to be working with such wonderful families and is excited to explore another aspect of the school in her new position at Elizabeth Academy.
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Kathy Gulbrandsen - Administrative Coordinator
Kathy has worked with children of all ages in a variety of educational settings. She is the mother of four, and a grandmother of two children. Kathy is an artist and enjoys painting with oils and chalk pastels. She also loves to write and quilt, as well as volunteers as Director of Membership with the JSEHS Historical Society.
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Meredith Taylor - Accountant
Meredith is the Accountant at Elizabeth Academy. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at Southern Utah University. Since graduation she has worked in several different areas of accounting, including audit experience at the IRS. She enjoys spending quality time with her family and all types of outdoor activities. She joined the Elizabeth Academy staff in the summer of 2011 and looks forward to another exciting year.
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Erin Buie - Marketing Coordinator
Erin joined the Elizabeth Academy this summer as the Administrative Coordinator and has recently switched gears to start helping with the marketing efforts. She graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in International Relations which gave her the opportunity to travel and study abroad in Europe and South America. Erin loves to travel with her husband, ski and spend time in the outdoors. She has enjoyed working with the staff at Elizabeth Academy and feels privileged to be a part of such a wonderful school.
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