Board of Directors
Robyn Carlton
Board President
Robyn is the Chief Executive Office of Lookout Mountain Conservancy. She has a Masters of Education with an emphasis on counseling from Auburn University and has served as a teacher, coach, and adjunct professor. Both of Robyn’s daughters graduated from TMS.
Dee Potter
Board Treasurer
Dee is the President of PDP LLC, where she is responsible for all financial and human resource matters, including bank relationships, billing, payroll, insurance benefits, and workers compensation. Dee also worked as CFO for Talley Construction and holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Management from UTC.
Shawn Kurrelmeier-Lee
Board Member
Since 2006, Shawn has served as Chief Reading Officer for Read 20 with the Hamilton County Government, where she led the Board through a visioning and strategic programmatic development of a community-wide public/private reading initiative, focused on empowering adults to read to children for at least 20 minutes a day.
1) What appeals to you most about the Montessori environment?
My favorite component of the Montessori environment is that it is respectful of everyone in the room/school. Respect is a value and quality that we teach our children through managing the boundaries set for their behavior, and the environment in a Montessori classroom setting provides natural boundaries that are reinforced with the processes and discipline involved in the classroom.
2) Why is serving on The Montessori School Board important to you?
My children went to The Montessori School and received the fundamentals for lifelong learning and living in the world. It is important to me that every child receives those same fundamentals.
3) What word(s) describe or characterize The Montessori School?
Words that come to mind when I think of The Montessori School are:
Individualized instruction, Creativity encouraged, Child-centered, Nurturing
Pam Smith
Board Member
Pam has served as the Director of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with the Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults since 2014. She is active with the Chamber of Commerce and Sertoma Club.
1) What appeals to you most about the Montessori environment?
It allows a child to have freedom of movement throughout their day and decision-making opportunities in their learning.
2) Why is serving on The Montessori School Board important to you?
Our family still considers TMS “our school.” It was a major part of our lives for many years. Having an opportunity to reconnect and be a part of the bright future of TMS for other families to enjoy is meaningful to me.
3) What word(s) describe or characterize The Montessori School?
Nurturing, Self-Directed, Respectful