An information security, risk and compliance professional with over 15 years’ experience in Information Security Governance, Risk and Compliance, Threat & Vulnerability, IT Audit, Privacy, DevSecOps and Legal. Proven leadership, presentation and communication skills.
Julie currently serves as the VP, Information Security at Guild Education where she is responsible for the complete development of security and privacy program meeting compliance with GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53. Overseeing a team made of risk, audit, compliance, privacy, DevSecOps, threat and vulnerability management specialists.
Julie currently serves as the VP, Information Security at Guild Education where she is responsible for the complete development of security and privacy program meeting compliance with GDPR, CCPA, ISO 27001, NIST 800-53. Overseeing a team made of risk, audit, compliance, privacy, DevSecOps, threat and vulnerability management specialists.
Christina Williams is currently a Special Education Teacher in an AP for all High school. In this role, Ms. Williams provides academic support to students with Individualized Education Plans, facilitates team meetings, and works closely with General Education Teachers to scaffold and differentiate assignments while fulfilling the grade level standards expected for each lesson. Ms. Williams earned a Masters’s Degree in Special Education with an emphasis on General Studies for ages 5-21. Ms. Williams works full-time as a published author with her company MIE Readers. She is the President and Representative of the Black Excellence Committee at Monarch Montessori. She is most proud of being a mom to her three children and a wife to her husband. Through her earned Bachelor’s Degree in Writing and Directing, Ms. Williams combined her educational background and her professional writing background to author five published books. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership with an Emphasis in Higher Education.
Justin is currently a program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he leads a workforce development team focused on enabling the clean energy transition. Previously, he ran operations for a seed series startup and a corporate innovation team. He also worked at Boston Consulting Group and served 6 years as an Army Engineer Officer. Justin has an MBA from Stanford University as well as a Masters in Engineering from Missouri S&T and a Bachelor in Engineering from the United States Military Academy. Justin has two children in Monarch’s dual language program and is thrilled to be able to lend his business background to support this amazing, community focused organization.
Emily Aldeen Poddar has a long history in the Montessori world: She attended Montessori schools as a child; is trained in the Primary, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary levels; worked for ten years as a Lower Elementary teacher at a Jefferson County Montessori charter school; and has had both her children enrolled in First Steps and Charter. Emily particularly likes the intersection of Montessori and public education; using the theory and practices of Maria Montessori while applying state curriculum standards. Emily has been involved with Monarch in a variety of ways since 2013– volunteering to read with students, working as a co-teacher, helping the PTO– and now she is excited to lend her time to the Board of Directors.
Chris Herter, an experienced educator, proud Monarch parent, and certified Montessori teacher, brings a unique combination of expertise to the Monarch board. With a background spanning managerial roles in hospitality, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education, and a Montessori credential, Chris’ skill set is exceptionally versatile and well-suited for supporting the board’s goals. His experience teaching across lower and upper elementary grades enables him to advocate for the needs of students and teachers at all grade levels. Furthermore, his experience in operations management lends a business-savvy approach to nonprofit operations, bolstering the board’s strategic vision.
Alesandra Rodriguez has over ten years of Montessori education in early childhood, lower elementary, and dual language. Alesandra is an avid Montessorian and serves as a field consultant for MECR, and is a former employee of Monarch. She has a Master’s Degree in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education with an endorsement in Special Education. She is passionate, dedicated, and committed to advocating for the identification and programming of gifted and talented students in underrepresented populations and with multiple exceptionalities. She is active in the community participating and presenting in Gifted and Talented conferences and is also a board member of the Colorado Academy for Educators of the Gifted, Talented, and Creative.
Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes
Board Meetings typically take place on the fourth Thursday of each month. The exceptions are a first Thursday in December to cover November and December and a July retreat. All meetings are “Open Meetings” and comply with Colorado’s Sunshine Laws. This means the public is welcome to attend the meetings and can make comments during the public comment period. The Monarch Board is unique in the fact that board members serve dual roles to provide governance to 2 separate non-profit organizations – Monarch Montessori of Denver (dba First Steps at Monarch Montessori) & Monarch Montessori of Denver Charter School.