Our Staff
A Dedicated Leadership Team
A Dedicated Leadership Team
The mission of American Montessori Academy is to foster an enriching and challenging educational environment where each child is encouraged to grow to his or her fullest academic, emotional and social potential. Through the dynamic partnership of child, parent and educator in the school and home, a consistent Montessori framework for learning is developed, thus educating the full human capacity.
About
Mahdi Dadrass is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He drives strategy, operations, and expansion, having transformed the original flagship South Loop-Dearborn Station campus launched in 2012, opened the 12,000-square-foot Uptown–Andersonville school during the pandemic, launched the South Loop–Lakeside Press campus to add infant–toddler capacity, and integrated Northbrook Montessori School into the AMA umbrella.
Rooted in a family legacy of Montessori education, Mahdi previously helped steer Northbrook Montessori School, Lincolnshire Montessori School and The Grove Montessori School. He is an AMS-certified educator trained at Seton Montessori Institute, taught at Near North Montessori, and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Mahdi also co-founded AMA Pediatric Therapy, an innovative ABA program that embeds ABA intervention inside Montessori classrooms, creating hybrid environments where neurodivergent and typically developing children thrive together. His vision is to scale this evidence-based, socially impactful model, blending academic excellence and therapeutic support, across new domestic markets. For partnership or investment inquiries, contact mahdi@amaschools.com.
About
Sameer Shanbag is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He leads enrollment initiatives as well as legal, administrative and other back-office functions for the schools. He is also a member of the AMA leadership team that oversees all aspects of the organization, including operations and corporate development.
Sameer has been involved in the early childhood education industry for over 16 years, most of that time within the Montessori community, but also serving with the City Year AmeriCorps program as a literacy teacher at a low-income Chicago Public School. He has also worked in other educational functions as a business manager for a Northwestern University engineering program, an SAT teacher for the Princeton Review and in mentorship programs during his time both as an undergraduate and as a law school student. In his professional career prior to co-founding AMA, Sameer was a management consultant for a global consulting agency and a corporate attorney for a large Chicago law firm.
Sameer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and a Montessori Paraprofessional Certificate from the Seton Montessori Institute. In his spare time, Sameer enjoys yoga, travel, acoustic guitar and spending time with his pup Maddie. You can reach Sameer at sameer@amaschools.com.
About
Tiffany is a Chicago native and attended elementary and high school on the northside of the city. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics & Business from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tiffany came to American Montessori Academy (then South Loop Montessori School) in September 2017 as part of the administrative team after teaching English in South Korea with the Fulbright Program. She has since transitioned to the position of Regional Director of Operations and manages functional systems and operations at all AMA locations.
About
With a professional background in human resources—spanning the country music industry in Nashville to consulting and law firms in Chicago—Kaitlyn discovered the Montessori philosophy while living in Texas and felt called to make a meaningful shift toward education. Her Montessori journey began as a Primary Assistant Teacher, followed by a Lead Teaching role, and later as an Assistant Director before connecting with the inspiring leadership team at American Montessori Academy.
Since joining AMA in 2021, Kaitlyn has served as the South Loop School Director and now Regional Director of Schools. She remains inspired every day by the dedicated educators, supportive families, and vibrant learning communities across AMA.
Kaitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration from Bradley University and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also earned a MACTE-accredited Montessori diploma for ages 3–6 from the Prepared Montessorian Institute.
Mahdi Dadrass is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He drives strategy, operations, and expansion, having transformed the original flagship South Loop-Dearborn Station campus launched in 2012, opened the 12,000-square-foot Uptown–Andersonville school during the pandemic, launched the South Loop–Lakeside Press campus to add infant–toddler capacity, and integrated Northbrook Montessori School into the AMA umbrella.
Rooted in a family legacy of Montessori education, Mahdi previously helped steer Northbrook Montessori School, Lincolnshire Montessori School and The Grove Montessori School. He is an AMS-certified educator trained at Seton Montessori Institute, taught at Near North Montessori, and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Mahdi also co-founded AMA Pediatric Therapy, an innovative ABA program that embeds ABA intervention inside Montessori classrooms, creating hybrid environments where neurodivergent and typically developing children thrive together. His vision is to scale this evidence-based, socially impactful model, blending academic excellence and therapeutic support, across new domestic markets. For partnership or investment inquiries, contact mahdi@amaschools.com.
MAHDI DADRASS
Sameer Shanbag is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He leads enrollment initiatives as well as legal, administrative and other back-office functions for the schools. He is also a member of the AMA leadership team that oversees all aspects of the organization, including operations and corporate development.
Sameer has been involved in the early childhood education industry for over 16 years, most of that time within the Montessori community, but also serving with the City Year AmeriCorps program as a literacy teacher at a low-income Chicago Public School. He has also worked in other educational functions as a business manager for a Northwestern University engineering program, an SAT teacher for the Princeton Review and in mentorship programs during his time both as an undergraduate and as a law school student. In his professional career prior to co-founding AMA, Sameer was a management consultant for a global consulting agency and a corporate attorney for a large Chicago law firm.
Sameer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and a Montessori Paraprofessional Certificate from the Seton Montessori Institute. In his spare time, Sameer enjoys yoga, travel, acoustic guitar and spending time with his pup Maddie. You can reach Sameer at sameer@amaschools.com.
SAMEER SHANBAG
Tiffany is a Chicago native and attended elementary and high school on the northside of the city. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics & Business from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tiffany came to American Montessori Academy (then South Loop Montessori School) in September 2017 as part of the administrative team after teaching English in South Korea with the Fulbright Program. She has since transitioned to the position of Regional Director of Operations and manages functional systems and operations at all AMA locations.
TIFFANY MONREAL
Regional Director of Operations
With a professional background in human resources—spanning the country music industry in Nashville to consulting and law firms in Chicago—Kaitlyn discovered the Montessori philosophy while living in Texas and felt called to make a meaningful shift toward education. Her Montessori journey began as a Primary Assistant Teacher, followed by a Lead Teaching role, and later as an Assistant Director before connecting with the inspiring leadership team at American Montessori Academy.
Since joining AMA in 2021, Kaitlyn has served as the South Loop School Director and now Regional Director of Schools. She remains inspired every day by the dedicated educators, supportive families, and vibrant learning communities across AMA.
Kaitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration from Bradley University and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also earned a MACTE-accredited Montessori diploma for ages 3–6 from the Prepared Montessorian Institute.
KAITLYN SLIWSKI
MAHDI DADRASS
About
Mahdi Dadrass is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He drives strategy, operations, and expansion, having transformed the original flagship South Loop-Dearborn Station campus launched in 2012, opened the 12,000-square-foot Uptown–Andersonville school during the pandemic, launched the South Loop–Lakeside Press campus to add infant–toddler capacity, and integrated Northbrook Montessori School into the AMA umbrella.
Rooted in a family legacy of Montessori education, Mahdi previously helped steer Northbrook Montessori School, Lincolnshire Montessori School and The Grove Montessori School. He is an AMS-certified educator trained at Seton Montessori Institute, taught at Near North Montessori, and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Mahdi also co-founded AMA Pediatric Therapy, an innovative ABA program that embeds ABA intervention inside Montessori classrooms, creating hybrid environments where neurodivergent and typically developing children thrive together. His vision is to scale this evidence-based, socially impactful model, blending academic excellence and therapeutic support, across new domestic markets. For partnership or investment inquiries, contact mahdi@amaschools.com.
SAMEER SHANBAG
About
Sameer Shanbag is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of American Montessori Academy (AMA), a Chicago-based network of Montessori schools now serving roughly 500 students across multiple campuses. He leads enrollment initiatives as well as legal, administrative and other back-office functions for the schools. He is also a member of the AMA leadership team that oversees all aspects of the organization, including operations and corporate development.
Sameer has been involved in the early childhood education industry for over 16 years, most of that time within the Montessori community, but also serving with the City Year AmeriCorps program as a literacy teacher at a low-income Chicago Public School. He has also worked in other educational functions as a business manager for a Northwestern University engineering program, an SAT teacher for the Princeton Review and in mentorship programs during his time both as an undergraduate and as a law school student. In his professional career prior to co-founding AMA, Sameer was a management consultant for a global consulting agency and a corporate attorney for a large Chicago law firm.
Sameer holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and a Montessori Paraprofessional Certificate from the Seton Montessori Institute. In his spare time, Sameer enjoys yoga, travel, acoustic guitar and spending time with his pup Maddie. You can reach Sameer at sameer@amaschools.com.
TIFFANY MONREAL
Regional Director of Operations
About
Tiffany is a Chicago native and attended elementary and high school on the northside of the city. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics & Business from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa and her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Tiffany came to American Montessori Academy (then South Loop Montessori School) in September 2017 as part of the administrative team after teaching English in South Korea with the Fulbright Program. She has since transitioned to the position of Regional Director of Operations and manages functional systems and operations at all AMA locations.
KAITLYN SLIWSKI
Regional Director of Schools
About
With a professional background in human resources—spanning the country music industry in Nashville to consulting and law firms in Chicago—Kaitlyn discovered the Montessori philosophy while living in Texas and felt called to make a meaningful shift toward education. Her Montessori journey began as a Primary Assistant Teacher, followed by a Lead Teaching role, and later as an Assistant Director before connecting with the inspiring leadership team at American Montessori Academy.
Since joining AMA in 2021, Kaitlyn has served as the South Loop School Director and now Regional Director of Schools. She remains inspired every day by the dedicated educators, supportive families, and vibrant learning communities across AMA.
Kaitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Administration from Bradley University and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also earned a MACTE-accredited Montessori diploma for ages 3–6 from the Prepared Montessorian Institute.
“The secret of good teaching is to regard the child’s intelligence as a fertile field in which seeds may be sown, to grow under the heat of flaming imagination.”
Our team of educators are proven leaders in their field, known for inspiring students to achieve their full potential.
Our AMS / AMI Montessori Certified educators promote joy in learning and the development of each child’s true potential by enabling their intellectual, emotional, physical, and social growth through the Montessori philosophy and approach.
In Memoriam
MINA DADRASS
Mina Rahbar Dadrass was born on April 22nd, 1955 in the city of Borujerd, Iran. She found her calling working with and teaching deaf and blind children in Iran as a young woman. In 1978, she moved along with her husband Reza and newborn son Mahdi to Chicago, where she started a family and her lifelong path of love and educating children. She dedicated 40 years to educating children, families, and teachers as well as creating a legacy of Montessori schools that will continue to spread her message of love to all for decades to come. Along with her own family, her greatest love was the love that was created through the schools that she founded. The time that she spent so carefully nurturing children over the years were some of the happiest times of her life.
Mina loved spending time with her family and friends and devoted much of her time to them. She lived to make others smile and was a true joy to do just about anything with. She loved spending time in nature and traveling to the ocean and mountains, where she found great peace and positive energy. Mina was incredibly talented and creative; she loved to sing, dance, and excelled naturally at most everything. She enjoyed hosting and bringing her friends and community together, and she was the best cook most people have come across. Mina was hugely proud and in love with her Persian culture. She was an advocate for women and children and embodied the divine feminine spirit in alignment with the universe.
Anyone who was ever in the presence of Mina knows her energetic drive, infectious smile, contagious laugh, captivating personality and unforgettable storytelling. Her intuitive ability to teach children, as well as fearlessly guide and nurture everyone around her made up every fiber of her being. She taught the universe so much about Montessori, educating children, and most importantly, how to spread love to those around her. Mina was an earth mother and the shining example of strength and courage; she spoke in the language of love.
She taught us that no matter what challenges you are facing, spreading love and kindness to those around you will guide you to peace. We miss her immensely and her legacy will live on in all of our hearts and in the loving way we educate children and give to those in need. We will forever be inspired by her and cherish her beautiful spirit that remains around us.