WELCOME

The GMS Board of Directors is elected by our families and provides oversight for the school. The volunteer members have includes parents of current and former GMS students, educators, professionals, and community leaders. The Board is responsible for strategic planning and ensuring the long-term financial stewardship and governance of the school.

Structure

• GMS is a non-profit, non-stock corporation chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia and has been awarded tax-exempt status by the IRS under paragraph 501(C)(3). 

• It is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of parents, alumni and community leaders.

 

Our current members are:
 

                                                       Dr. Linwood Blizzard II - Board Chair/Executive Committee/Ex-Officio - All Committees
 

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                                                       Ryan Babarsky - Vice Board Chair/Executive Committee/Board Development Committee/Finance Committee

                                                       

                                                       Ryan is graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2008 with a degree in English Literature and a Music

                                                       minor, but while playing in an Americana band as a creative outlet, found herself drawn to math and numbers. 

                                                       During the past 15 years, Ryan has held analyst positions in the financial planning field, the biofuel industry, and

                                                       health information services. She now works as an account manager for a business management company for

                                                       the music industry. Her daughter is a kindergartener at GMS, and has been enrolled with the school since the

                                                       age of 2. Ryan's love of math, logic and problem-solving, combined with her passion for learning and for the GMS

                                                       community, have led her to serve for 2 years as the Board Treasurer and now as Vice Chair. 

 

                                                       Anna Coggeshall - Secretary/Executive Committee/Development & Alumni Relations Committee

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                                                       Anna is a born leader and business-minded entrepreneur, with a CNU Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration,                                                                         concentrating on business management. Currently, she is an office manager for a local traditional Chinese herbal

                                                       medicine and acupuncture clinic, responsible for the daily operations, including marketing, finances and customer

                                                       care. As the mother of a GMS student, she strongly believes in the philosophy and mission of the Montessori School.

                                                       After experiencing the beauty and community of the school's environment, she is excited to be in a more direct role

                                                       in the future of GMS and our community. 

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                                                       Jessica Lenz Lawson - Treasurer/Executive Committee/Finance Committee

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                                                        Jessica is a Senior Team Leader at WorldStrides, which specializes in student engagement through

                                                        educational travel. She specifically manages financial service teams located in Charlottesville, Virginia and

                                                        Merida, Mexico. Her family resides in Mobjack, Virginia and are GMS parents. They love the program and have

                                                        witnessed many positive experiences through their friends here. She hopes to meet new people and contribute

                                                        to her daughter's education and experience at GMS.

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                                                        Heather Altrath - Development & Alumni Relations Committee/Safety Committee

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                                                        Heather is a portfolio manager for Chesapeake Bank, specializing in commercial and consumer loans. A 

                                                        dedicated GMS parent, who is passionate about supporting the Gloucester Montessori School to ensure 

                                                        success for the school, her daughter and future generations. 

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                                                         Irene Moe - Facilities Committee/Marketing & Public Relations Committee

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                                                         Irene earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Roger Williams University School of Law in 2011. She works for a

                                                         Jacksonville, Florida based law firm. Irene moved to Gloucester in 2020, when her United States Coast Guard

                                                          spouse was transferred to the Yorktown Training Center. As a GMS parent, she is excited to see the fundamental

                                                          independence, confidence, hands-on learning and real-world skills that are gained through the philosophy and 

                                                          techniques that are embodied in the Montessori methods. Irene is highly motivated to use her skills to support

                                                          the GMS teachers and staff. She hopes to build lasting partnerships to promote GMS and ensure it remains a

                                                          preferred education option for our community. 

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                                                        Jean Howard -  Marketing & Public Relations Committee/Facilities Committee

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                                                        Jean is a herbalist, farmer, natural beekeeper and Drum Circle facilitator, sharing natural wellness, farm skills and 

                                                         healing music from an educational farm, located in Mathews, Virginia. 

                                                         804.815.2839/www.cajfarm.com/cajfarm@gmail.com

                                                          

                                                         Dr. David Brown  - Ex-Officio (Non-voting)
 

                                                         

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                                                         Janet Brown - Financial Director/Ex-Officio (Non-voting)

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                                                         Janet is a Virginia Public School Finance Office consultant, with over 30 years' experience in the Virginia School

                                                         District Central Office finance administration and 12 years of private consulting experience with

                                                         rural Virginia school systems. She has proven strong technical, organizational and finance management skills

                                                         and the ability to work closely with school boards, senior school administrators and superintendents. She has

                                                         in-depth experience in school legal matters and strong relationships with the Internal Revenue Service, the

                                                         Virginia Retirement System and respected associations with the Virginia Department of Education. She excels

                                                         in the ability to safeguard the integrity of school business officials, administrators, teachers and administrative

                                                         staff, while consulting to establish efficient and effective financial services.