RMA’s 2019-2020 Annual Report
Shannon Garrison – Board Chair
Bio coming soon …
Chhaya Vora – Founding Board Member and Retired Executive Director
The guiding light for the teachers and children at Renaissance Montessori Academy is the passion and dedication of Chhaya Vora. The principles of Montessori education were first instilled in Chhaya as a preschooler in a Montessori classroom in Gujrat, India. She attained her undergraduate Sociology degree at Gujrat University, India, immediately fulfilled the requirements for her Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) teacher’s certification and moved to the United States.
Chhaya continued her education, earning a Masters in Elementary Education at the University of Colorado and holds a K-6 Colorado teaching license. In addition, she has completed over sixty-five additional graduate hours, many specializing in Early Childhood reading strategies. For the past twenty-eight years, Chhaya has served in both teaching and administrative roles in the field of education, continually cultivating a passion for the theory and practice of Montessori teaching.
Devin Parker – Board Member
Devin joined the board in 2010 and has served as Treasurer and Chairman of the Board. He has over 15 years of investment and corporate treasury experience. Devin is the Director of Capital Markets & Investments at Western Union, where he has responsibility for strategic treasury functions including management of the company’s multi-billion dollar debt structure and investment portfolios as well as leading and developing managerial level staff.
Devin has two children who attended RMA and has seen first-hand what a terrific job the school does at encouraging a lifelong love of learning and setting young students up for success both academically and socially.
Vijay Jayaraman – Board Member
Bio coming soon…
David Bishop – Board Member
Bio coming soon…
Dorothy Shapland – Board Member and Educational Consultant
Dorothy is an American Montessori Society certified pre-primary teacher and a Colorado State Certified Elementary School Teacher with endorsements in Early Childhood Education and Secondary English. She holds a Child Care Center Director Qualification from the state of Colorado and has been a pre-school/kindergarten & elementary school teacher in a variety of Montessori, private, public and charter schools since 1984. She has an MA in Early Childhood Educational Leadership and a Doctorate in Leadership for Educational Equity in Early Childhood Education. Dorothy is currently an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education at Metropolitan State University of Denver.
A member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Colorado Association of Science Teachers, The Coalition of Environmental Educators and the American Montessori Society, Dorothy has filled the roll of “Expert in the Field of Education” at RMA for the past 15 years.
As a parent of an alumnus, Dorothy joined the board of directors in 1997 and has filled a variety of roles including providing professional development for the RMA staff. She is currently Secretary of the Board and hopes to continue serving the school as long as she is of service.
Mollie Cadell – Board Member and Family Representative
Bio coming soon…
