Who We Are
Our Mission
Promote, support and expand public Montessori, so that more families can access an education that prepares confident, compassionate and capable community members.
Statement of Values
Montessori Partnerships for Georgia is founded in deep respect for the power and potential of every child. In making decisions, we hold the highest interests of the child in mind.
As an organization, we strive to embody the vibrancy of a Montessori environment:
- We embrace challenges as opportunities.
- We work by building connections among people and organizations, leveraging each one’s strengths to build synergy and momentum.
- We are an inclusive community, celebrating the ways our differences enrich our work. Through relationship-building and deep listening, we face the issues of race, class and inequity that pervade our culture, so that they may be transformed through our shared work.
Our Staff
Annie Frazer, Executive Director
Annie Frazer has a passion for expanding access to high-quality Montessori education. She attended Montessori schools through age twelve and graduated from Grady High School in the Atlanta Public Schools. She holds a BA in English and theater from Oberlin College, an MA in education from Stanford University, an AMI Montessori elementary diploma from the Bergamo Montessori Training Centre, and AMI Montessori certification at the adolescent level. Before founding Montessori Partnerships for Georgia, Annie worked for ten years as a Montessori adolescent teacher and administrator at Arbor Montessori School in Atlanta and worked as a middle school teacher in DeKalb County Schools.
Patricia Winfrey, Program Manager
Patricia Winfrey is a highly accomplished program manager with more than a decade of experience in early childhood education. She has been active in Montessori education since enrolling her son in Montessori school in 2007. Beginning as a parent volunteer, she later completed her AMI Primary training at the Montessori Institute of Atlanta and has served in roles from teacher to Head of School. In addition to her background in early childhood education, Patricia brings a wealth of diverse leadership and management experience, having retired honorably as a Human Resources Manager in the U.S. Army.
Patricia has a B.S. from Coker College in Business Management, an M.S. from Kansas State University in Adult & Continuing Education, and an M. Ed from Loyola University Maryland.
Board of Directors
Renee Carter-Woods
Renee Carter-Woods worked as an elementary Montessori teacher in Georgia’s public schools from 2001 to 2024. An experienced teacher-leader, she has worked in both the DeKalb County School District and the Savannah-Chatham County School System and has a unique perspective on the needs of public Montessori students and staff.
Lezlie Bishop
Lezlie Bishop has expertise in marketing, communications and community relations. Her work experience includes 25 years as Public Relations Director for AT&T, as well as additional experience in sales, marketing and communications. She also taught third grade for two years in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lezlie is excited about the power of education to transform children’s life trajectories.
Leonard Presberg
Leonard Presberg, a former Montessori teacher and school administrator, served on the Fayette County Board of Education from 2011-2022. He currently works as the Chief Financial Officer for the Women’s Health Center in Tyrone, Georgia. Leonard’s own experience as a Montessori parent helped shape his commitment to expanding access to Montessori.