Meet Our Director & Board

Sarah Kirby Tepera is co-Founder of Montessori For All and Executive Director of Magnolia Montessori For All. She has played many roles in the organization including stepping in as principal during the COVID-19 pandemic and securing a $14 million New Market Tax Credit to build our award-winning facility. She is a mom of three children, all of whom attended Magnolia Montessori For All. Prior to Montessori For All, Sarah built experience with foundations, schools, teacher management, and with large, effective non-profit organizations in the ed reform space. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (B.S/B.A.) and the University of Texas in Austin (M.P.Aff), she began her career as a bilingual 5th grade teacher in Houston, TX, as part of Teach For America.

Dr. Reddick is an assistant professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration at The University of Texas at Austin, and is also the coordinator of the M.Ed. program in College and University Student Personnel Administration, where he was honored with an Eyes of Texas Excellence Award. Dr. Reddick’s teaching and research focus on diversity in higher education, the sociocultural adaptation of Black families, and qualitative research methods. Dr. Reddick’s research on mentoring relationships between faculty and Black students includes factors influencing faculty mentorship, the role of formative experiences in professors’ lives in their approach to mentoring, and the advising and counseling approaches utilized by faculty in mentoring Black students. He is a proud graduate of an East Austin public high school.

Anirban Bhattacharyya is a Managing Partner at Transcend, a nonprofit that enables communities to create and spread extraordinary, equitable learning environments. Anirban (uh-NEAR-bahn) has been a teacher and Teach For America corps member at Saint Louis Public Schools and also a teacher and instructional technology director at KIPP Chicago. He continued working with ed tech, blended learning, and personalized learning nationally at KIPP Foundation and as a consultant at CA Group, Relay Graduate School of Education, LEAP Innovations, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Leading Educators. Anirban has a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in Learning Technologies from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Ellen have three children, all of whom previously or currently attend Magnolia.

Mr. DeWitt is a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors. Bob received his degree in Business Economics with an emphasis in accounting from the University of California in Santa Barbara. Bob holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional designation. Bob has obtained the Certified Investment Management Analyst® and the Certified Private Wealth Advisor® designations. He is a graduate of Leadership Austin, class of 2016. Bob began his career in technology, having spent over 15 years at both Apple Computer and Dell Computer in various sales, marketing and management roles. He enjoys competing in endurance events and he has participated in 14 Ironman triathlons around the world, including finishing the Hawaiian Ironman twice. Bob has been married to his wife Terrie for over 30 years and they are longtime residents of Austin, Texas.

Christina Thurmond is a mental health psychotherapist and social worker in private practice in Austin. She grew up in Houston and attended a Montessori school through the 8th grade. Christina received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia, majoring in Global Development Studies and minoring in Social Entrepreneurship, and Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a Spanish-speaker and her education, research, and field practice has included a focus in Latino populations. After receiving her LMSW degree, she worked with Hospice Austin and Ascension Seton Shoal Creek psychiatric hospital treating end-of-life and mental health challenges. In her current practice, Christina works with adolescents (12+) and adults struggling with mental health, relationships, grief and loss, identity formation, and faith and spirituality.

Nicole is currently a consultant with Boston Consulting Group. She works in BCG’s education practice, focused on strategy for birth to three and PK-12 organizations and school systems in Texas and across the country. During her time at BCG, she has worked with state education agencies, school districts, collective impact organizations, think tanks, and other nonprofits. She previously served as Director of Operations for Dallas ISD Early Learning, managing the budget, data analysis and reporting, strategy, and operations for PreK through 2nd grade for the district. She also spent time working directly for the Austin based education leadership development nonprofit, The Holdsworth Center, during her time with BCG. She has volunteered with Lumin Education, a public Montessori charter school in Dallas, for over three years. Nicole is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in Economics.