Board of Directors

Sue Cozart - President

Sue Cozart works at Intel leading worldwide teams to develop and enhance the customer experience for engineers using Intel's FPGA products. She has worked in various engineering and marketing roles in the semiconductor industry for 25 years. In addition, Sue was a co-founder and operations director for a music school for five years, helping to open and build the school to five locations around the Austin area. Sue is the mother of three children who started at Austin Montessori School as young children and commenced from the Adolescent Community. In addition to Sue's volunteer work at AMS, she is also an active volunteer at Austin Pets Alive! fostering dogs and cats, walking dogs, and feeding kittens

Laura Potter - Treasurer

Laura Potter is a retired engineer, having worked 25 years in the semiconductor industry in a mix of technical and leadership positions. She spent five years as an engineering manager at Apple, where she successfully built multi-disciplinary teams in multiple cities during a period of rapid growth. Since retiring, Laura has been traveling, raising two teenagers, and moving her family across the country to San Francisco. In her volunteer work, Laura has acted as Treasurer of the Westlake High Theater Booster Club and served on the Westlake High School PTO board. She also volunteers as a tax counselor with AARP Tax-Aide.

Steve Menyhert

Steve Menyhert is an alumni parent of a daughter who attended Austin Montessori School from the age of 2 until graduating from the adolescent community. He has been a software engineer for over 40 years, starting in Mainframe and Mini-Computer development and progressing to modern Cloud-Native architectures. He worked for six years on the PowerPC Microprocessor program at Motorola and worked for 15 years developing software in the Investment Banking space, most recently for Thomson/Reuters. Along the way, Steve has worked at five technology startups.

For six years, Steve volunteered as framing and roofing crew chief at Austin Habitat for Humanity and built 28 houses. His prior board experience includes serving on the board of Vancouver Habitat for Humanity in British Columbia. Steve holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from the University of Cincinnati and an Executive MBA from Georgia Tech.

Dustin Weiss

Dustin Weiss is the Principal of The Weiss Group at Compass Real Estate, a dynamic real estate team based in Austin, TX. He holds both an MBA and an undergraduate degree from Loyola University Chicago. Dustin's global perspective was shaped during his time at the Gaines Creek Campus at AMS, where he was guided by Don Goertz. This transformative experience inspired him to participate in four study abroad programs across Europe and Asia while in university, significantly enriching his worldview. As a proud graduate of Austin Montessori School, Dustin has deep roots in the Austin community, having attended AMS from the Children's House through the Adolescent Community. This unique blend of local expertise and a strong commitment to AMS values distinguishes him as a native Austinite with a profound understanding of the city and a deep dedication to the AMS mission and community.

Chris Howard

Chris Howard's professional life spanned 20 years in a variety of engineering and management roles at Motorola Semiconductor. As an Operations Manager there he traveled extensively and built multinational teams achieving record growth and launching a variety of new technologies. After retiring he was an Operations Consultant and also worked for several years helping low-income individuals with their tax preparation.

Chris's three daughters attended Austin Montessori School from Children's House through the adolescent community and he has served the school in a volunteer capacity for decades. He holds degrees in Genetics and Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

David Spence

David Spence is a professor of energy law and regulation at the University of Texas School of Law and the McCombs School of Business. He has been a member of the UT community since 1997, living in Austin throughout his tenure. David is the parent of two children who attended Austin Montessori from early elementary through middle school, from 2001 to 2012. He served on the AMS Board from 2016 to 2023, including as Board president from 2020 to 2023.

Vanitha Ponnarasi

Vanitha is a seasoned executive with extensive experience leading cross-functional teams and driving complex technology initiatives across diverse industries. With a background that spans both startup environments and large enterprises like MetLife, Prudential, and Express Scripts, she brings a unique blend of agility and strategic execution. Vanitha is passionate about fostering innovation, bridging the gap between technical execution and business goals, and mentoring high-performance engineering teams to continuously improve and collaborate effectively. Her leadership has been pivotal in successfully delivering key outcomes for businesses, whether building solutions from the ground up or optimizing existing systems.

Outside of her professional achievements, Vanitha is deeply committed to animal welfare, education, diversity, and inclusion. She has mentored emerging leaders, spearheaded D&I initiatives, and volunteered at local shelters. Vanitha holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Madras.

Aimee Zivin-Williams

Aimee brings a strong record of leadership in the Arts, Outdoor Education, and Social, Emotional, and Experiential Learning across both educational and non-profit settings. She currently teaches Elementary Creative Drama at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, where she supports the integration of literacy and creative expression. For over a decade, she has also worked in outdoor and community education at Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center in Northern New Mexico. Aimee was a founding performer and director of Theater Action Project (now Creative Action), a leading arts education organization serving Central Texas.

She holds an M.A. in Instructional Leadership with a focus on Creativity Studies from Texas State University and a B.F.A. in Theater with a double major in Spanish from Southwestern University. Aimee also studied Theater and Spanish at La Universidad de Salamanca in Spain.

Aimee is the mother of two sons who graduated from Austin Montessori School in 2012 and 2016. The Montessori philosophy continues to shape her approach as both an educator and a parent. In her free time, she enjoys writing, performing, dancing, and swimming at Barton Springs. She deeply values family, nature, and creativity in all its forms.

Debra Day Floyd - Vice President

With business acumen, leadership skills, and a warm human touch, Debra Floyd has helped numerous individuals, commercial enterprises, and non-profit entities reach their goals. Her career has included a stint with Ernst & Young and a long stretch with Eaton Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, and Austin, Texas eventually becoming an independent consultant for various small and large businesses. Her contributions include project management, operations management, business plan development, business process development, and new business acquisition and integration.

Debra is a CPA and holds a BBA in Accounting from Ohio University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She has volunteered at Impact Austin and just finished 12 years on the Board of Austin PBS where her roles included chairing the Finance Committee and a term as Treasurer. Debra's daughter attended AMS through the Upper Elementary program.

Drew Liedeker - Secretary

Drew Liedeker owns The Cleaning Authority, Austin, a housecleaning franchise he purchased in 2004. It has grown from a year-old struggling business to the #1 franchise in North America, with more than 1000 customers and 70 employees. Drew was elected Chairman of the Franchise Advisory Council to represent his peers to the franchisor and is respected as a leader, problem solver, and instigator for positive change.

Previously Drew was a marketing and sales force effectiveness consultant with The Alexander Group, Inc., where he led worldwide task forces to develop go-to-market solutions for Fortune 500 companies. He earned his MBA in entrepreneurship at The University of Texas and his BS in finance from UVa. Drew’s two children attended Austin Montessori School from Children’s House through 9th grade.

Jason W. Snell

Jason W. Snell is a trial lawyer and Austin Montessori School parent since 2015. He has been a business litigator for more than 20 years and is recognized as a creative problem-solver. Jason first honed his skills as a litigator practicing in Dallas and then New York City. In 2007, Jason founded The Snell Law Firm in Austin to bring high-quality and more personal representation to businesses and individuals.

Jason currently serves as a board member for Life Reimagined for Children, a non-profit that supports the mission and activities of the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department. He is also a member of the Jury Service Committee for the State Bar of Texas. Jason previously served as a board member for the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas and the Austin Bar Association (2011–2013).

Joe DeMedeiros

Joe is the Vice President for University Advancement at St. Edward’s University. With 32 years of experience in higher education administration, including 28 years in educational leadership and fundraising roles, Joe has been instrumental in securing over $478 million in philanthropic support. He brings extensive expertise in relationship building and a deep appreciation for and commitment to the transformative power of education.

Joe holds an undergraduate degree in Sociology and an MLA in Social Sciences from Wesleyan University. He actively contributes to the community as a board member of San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin and E.A. Young Academy in Roanoke, TX. Originally from the Island of São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal, Joe immigrated to the coastal town of New Bedford, Massachusetts, before eventually settling in Central
Texas in 2004.

Stephanie Joos

Stephanie Joos is the founder and CEO of THRIV Collective, a network of therapists, healers, and helpers offering a wide range of services under one umbrella. A longtime member of the Austin Montessori School (AMS) community since 2011, Stephanie is an alumna parent of three AMS students. She has also served on the board of Acorn Montessori School in Lebanon, NJ, and currently sits on the Advisory Board of Families in Nature.

With a decade of experience in the communications industry, including roles in operations, marketing, and sales, Stephanie shifted her focus to volunteer work and supporting her family. In 2021, she returned to school and earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University in 2024. Stephanie's passion for Montessori education began during her children’s primary years and has only deepened over the past 20 years, earning her the title of "Montessori lifer."

Sandy Bartholome - Business Manager

Sandy Bartholome (Ex Officio) ) is the Business Manager at Austin Montessori School. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, an M.S. in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston – Clear Lake, and a NonProfit Finance Certificate from Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. Before joining AMS in July 2016, she worked at Chinquapin Preparatory School near Houston for thirty years, the last ten as the school’s business manager.

Grae Baker - Head of School

Grae Baker (Ex Officio) is the Head of School at Austin Montessori School in Austin, TX. Grae holds an AMI elementary diploma, a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.Ed. in Montessori education from Loyola College, and has completed the AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies. He began his work in Montessori as a primary classroom assistant. He later served as a guide in upper elementary, 6-12 elementary, and as founding lead teacher of the adolescent program at Omni Montessori School in Charlotte, NC where he went on to serve as Head of School.