WALNUT FARM MONTESSORI SCHOOL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Director of Development
- Vice - President
Amanda Phillips joined Walnut Farm Montessori School as Director of Development in the fall of 2022. She has been involved with WFMS since 2015, as a parent, Family Association president, Trustee and officer of the Board, and now as an alumni parent. Her background is in academia where she is an anthropologist and historian. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Arts in History, Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, and Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Arkansas where she is continuing to pursue her doctorate studies. Amanda is thrilled to help develop and grow the Walnut Farm Community that has meant so much to her family and which she loves dearly.
Job Titles:
- Education Administrator
- Member of the Walnut Farm
Azusa has been a member of the Walnut Farm community since 2007, when her daughter Hannah joined Primary, and she has filled a number of roles - substitute, assistant, and teacher - prior to stepping into her position as the Education Administrator in 2021. Azusa was born and raised in Sapporo, Japan, where she attended a Montessori kindergarten (her favorite school experience), played piano, trained in Kendo, practiced calligraphy, and dreamt of working with children as an adult. Though she originally planned to stay in the U.S. for one year to learn English, she fell in love with American culture and diversity in 2001; she has since lived in 4 states (AZ, NJ, SC, and UT) before settling in Arkansas. After her time working as an assistant, Azusa earned the American Montessori Society's Early Childhood credential at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, CO. She currently enjoys reading, listening to music, cooking, and Sashiko (Japanese embroidery). Azusa continues to love fulfilling her dreams by employing the Montessori method to guide children both directly and through her support of Walnut Farm's teaching staff. Azusa has over 13 years of experience working with children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Vice - President
- Vice President of the Board of Trustees
- Vice President of Philanthropy at Ingeborg Initiatives
Emma Pengelly is the Vice President of Philanthropy at Ingeborg Initiatives, a philanthropy and impact platform founded by Olivia Walton that is focused on improving the lives of women in Arkansas. Ingeborg Initiatives supports efforts to improve maternal health outcomes and to empower mothers through access to economic opportunity and quality early education and care for their children using a variety of philanthropic and advocacy investment levers. Previously, Emma was the Deputy Director of the Home Region Program at the Walton Family Foundation, where she was responsible for strategy development and for managing a team focused on efforts to enhance the economic and cultural vibrancy of Northwest Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta regions of the state. Emma has also served as Senior Program Officer for the Walton Family Foundation's K-12 education program, where her portfolio included grants focused on innovation in education and teacher workforce development.
Emma has over 15 years of direct teaching experience across all ages and stages of learner. Emma began her career in public schools as a teacher and a school leader in Brooklyn, New York. More recently, Emma served as an adjunct professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and as teaching fellow at Bank Street College of Education, teaching classes in general education leadership and leading diverse classrooms and schools to both master's degree students and doctoral candidates. Emma has a BA in Women's Studies from Harvard College, a Master's Degree in General Childhood Education from Bank Street College of Education, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership (EdLD) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Job Titles:
- Finance Administrator
- Financial Administrator
Heather, her husband, and dog #1 (Lexi) relocated from California in 2017. This Kansas born and West Coast native (30 years) may have her Degree in Accounting from California, but she started her education as fellow Montessorian pupil at BNC in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For as long as she can remember, she has had voracious love of: learning, all things flora and fauna, and being of help to others (in word and in deed). It is only natural this combination of talents would find her right at home at her last California job: Finance Assistant at Laguna Blanca School. Heather spent 8 life changing years at this EK-12 college prep school. Had she not met/married her husband, she would have gladly spent another 8+ years there. Whether she was "helping with lunch service, chaperoning class trips, or volunteering at fund raising events", Heather says she found her true vocation: helping build our youth for the future. So, it goes without saying she LEAPT at the opportunity of rejoining the world of child education when she saw her chance. Heather gleefully joined the WFMS family in 2023 and hopes to follow in the footsteps of her adored predecessor, Leslie Johnson, by retiring here! <3. She and her UK husband, have two dogs, two cats, a nephew in the UK, and a niece in Kansas. Heather has over 20 years' experience in Accounting and over 8 years' working with children.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Trustees
- Director in Walmart 's Controllership
Jannae White is a Director in Walmart's Controllership organization and supports Walmart US Real Estate and Store Operations. She has an extensive auditing, accounting, and program management background. Through her work, she built a reputation for excellence in quality, relationship building, coaching, and project ownership. She has a bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, a Masters in Accounting from Ohio State University, and is a CPA.
Job Titles:
- President of the Board of Trustees
- Senior Program Manager at Google
Lina Sestokas Scroggins is a Senior Program Manager at Google, where over the past 16 years, she has led initiatives to improve health outcomes using Google's core products, guided the digital transformation journey of the largest healthcare system in the US, transformed a learning and development program for early career IT professionals, and founded and scaled the Chrome OS hardware operations team, which to this day underpins the development and testing of Google's top-selling computer operating system. She is the President-Elect of the Board of Trustees of Walnut Farm Montessori School in Bentonville, Arkansas and a strategic advisor to FemHealth Founders, an organization dedicated to empowering women founders of companies working to solve the challenges facing women's health today. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Psychology from the Mind, Brain and Behavior Honors Program, and a secondary field of Spanish Language and Literature, and holds advanced degrees in Clinical Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and Experimental Psychology from Cambridge University, which she attended as Gates Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Head of School
- Administration Contact Information
Lynette Goss has been a part of the Walnut Farm community since 2004. She holds Montessori credentials to teach 3 to 6-year-olds and 6 to 12-year-olds. She taught in both environments but spent most of her teaching career as the lower elementary teacher. She also taught music part-time at our school for 15 years. Lynette has a bachelor's degree in music and a master's degree in education. Lynette and her husband, Jason have lived in Bentonville for many years and NWA most of their lives. Their twin boys, Grayson and Andy attended Walnut Farm for six years. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and being in the great outdoors. She also loves to sing, garden and experiment in making art. Lynette has over 25 years of experience working with children.
Job Titles:
- Spanish Specialist and Support
Michelle Garcia-Martinez has lived in NWA for a little over twenty years, having moved here from Colorado. Along with a passion for teaching and child advocacy, as a first generation Mexican American, Michelle has also developed a passion for activism and involvement in the local Latino community. She is excited to bring her dedication and experience to Walnut Farm Montessori. Before becoming the new Montessori Spanish teacher and a member of the support staff, she was a Program Coordinator for two years. She enjoys hiking, biking, community events and spending time with family. She says she took on the most important role of her life in 2020 when she became a mother. Michelle has hit the ground running and is looking forward to her first year here at Walnut Farm! She has over 11 years of experience working with children and teachers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Treasurer
Sean D'Hoostelaere brings the Walnut Farm board more than 25 years of Montessori experience. From attending Primary and Elementary and spending every summer working at his parent's Montessori school in Arizona, to joining the board of that same school in 2010, Sean has been involved with the planning and strategy of Montessori schools for over a decade. Sean and his family joined Walnut Farm last year, with three daughters enrolled in Primary and Elementary.
Outside of Montessori, Sean currently works for Walmart and has spent the last several years in various finance and strategy roles. He will be bringing that experience to the WFMS board's Finance and Growth Committees. Sean has a Bachelor's in Finance & Accounting from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and an MBA from the University of North Carolina, where he currently serves on the board of the business school's Student Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Whitney Kimbro began working at Walnut Farm in 2005 and quickly fell in love with the Montessori Philosophy. During the summer of 2011 she received her associate Infant and Toddler credential from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. She finds working with toddlers very rewarding as she is able to connect with them, help them reach their potential, and guide them toward meaningful growth. Whitney was born and raised in NWA and is a huge Razorback fan. She is married to her High School sweetheart and they have one dog. She enjoys traveling, hiking with her dog, and spending time with family and friends.