About

Board of Directors

Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy has a governing board of directors.


Board Meeting Time

​The board meets on the third Wednesday of the month at the Leelanau County Government Center located at 8527 E. Government Center Drive, Suttons Bay, MI.

Committee Meeting Times

The Board's finance committee meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Leelanau Montessori at 1 pm. The Board's governance committee meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Leelanau Montessori at 2 pm.

Board Policies and Members

  • POLICIES

  • MEMBERS

    Leelanau Montessori Public School Academy is seeking individuals with knowledge in education, finance, strategic planning, legal and human development to join their Board of Directors.  To apply, please email info@leelanaumontessori.org for more information. 


    Sarah Bordeaux - Director

    bordeauxs@leelanaumontessori.org


    Sarah is originally from Saginaw, Michigan and made the move to Leelanau County in 1996 to pursue an education in nursing. She attended Northwestern Michigan College school of nursing. She has worked at Tendercare of Leelanau as a CNA and an activities team member. She now is a full-time homemaker and extremely active with The March of Dimes organization, representing the Traverse area as The Ambassador family of 2011. Sarah resides in Lake Leelanau with her husband Joshua, and their three children. They co-own the VI Grill in Suttons Bay, MI.


    April Fiorelli - Treasurer

    fiorellia@leelanaumontessori.org


    April lives in Leelanau with her husband and three children, all of whom are current students at Leelanau Montessori, and is an active member of the school community. Professionally, April is a product and graphic designer with years of experience developing medical and consumer products focused on user experience and human factors. She is now a co-owner of Tiny Shiny Schoolhouse, a company developing educational products for children. She deeply values Montessori’s whole-child approach and is committed to supporting public access to this distinctive educational option. 


    Deb Kuhn - Director

    kuhnd@leelanaumontessori.org


    Deb Kuhn and her husband Ray moved to Leelanau County in 2008 after raising their family in Bath, OH and Highland Park, IL. They live on their farm near Cedar where they grow wine grapes and raise sheep. Deb recently retired from her duties as a speech-language pathologist, assigned to several schools in the region over the years.  Deb worked alongside the Leelanau Montessori staff from 2010 - 2015 to support their students with communication needs. Deb developed a great respect for the Montessori program and witnessed first hand the opportunities for growth and development amongst the students.  


    Deb has previously served as a board member for Leelanau Children's Center, and the Coming Together Project in Akron, OH before joining the Leelanau Montessori board.


    Evan Clinton - Vice President

    clintone@leelanaumontessori.org


    Evan Clinton and his family moved to the Leelanau area in 2019 soon after their first son was born. After searching for alternatives to traditional educational settings, they were excited to find Leelanau Montessori when their first son was starting kindergarten. Both of their children attend the school, and their experiences with the Montessori approach has cemented their family’s dedication to Montessori and LMPSA. Evan’s wife, Rebecca Clinton, also serves as the President of the Leelanau Montessori Forever Foundation, which is tasked with running fundraising operations for the school. Evan is a graduate of Milwaukee School of Engineering, where he studied electrical engineering, and University of Washington School of Law, where he focused on patent law.


    Hallie Kutschke - President

    kutschkeh@leelanaumontessori.org


    ​Hallie is originally from Lancaster, Ohio and spent most of her teaching years in Madison and LaCrosse, Wisconsin. She moved to Suttons Bay summer of 2024 with her husband and two young children. She attended Calvin University and studied early childhood education, elementary education, and integrated science studies. She has worked in a variety of schools and grade levels as a classroom teacher and since moving to Suttons Bay is a full-time homemaker. Hallie has always had a passion for Montessori and its whole child approach. She is excited at the opportunity to join the board and get more immersed in the school and surrounding community.


    Nicole Zarafonetis - Secretary

    zarafonetisn@leelanaumontessori.org


    Dr. Nicole Zarafonetis is a current parent at Leelanau Montessori, having moved to the

    area from France at the end of 2021. She was delighted to find a public charter

    Montessori school for her children in this beautiful setting. She deeply values the

    Montessori whole-child approach and has been continually impressed with the quality of academics and level of attention, support, and care students and parents receive at

    Leelanau Montessori. Nicole has experience working in the domestic and international

    non-profit sector as well as in academia. She holds a PhD in Gender Studies from the

    University of York (England) and undergraduate and Master’s degrees from the

    University of St Andrews (Scotland) and the London School of Economics, respectively.

Committees

Meeting Minutes & Agendas

Previous minutes may be inspected at the school office during normal business hours.