Candace Fletcher

Candace Fletcher

MTR Practicum Coordinator • Instructor • Coach

candace.fletcher@public-montessori.org

Candace’s Montessori journey began at age three and resumed when she trained at Xavier University, earning an M.Ed. in Montessori Education and an Elementary I Credential. Candace has extensive experience in public Montessori schools as a teacher and school leader in Ohio, California and Nevada. Her passions lie in starting schools, humanizing teacher education, and contributing to the movement of providing access to fully implemented Montessori for all children. Candace guides and supports adult learners in the Montessori Teacher Residency at NCMPS, and also serves on the School Services team offering context-specific technical assistance in start-up and on-going implementation.

Candace spends as much time as humanly possible enjoying the company of her three nieces and two nephews.

Cheyenne Eete Kippenberger

Cheyenne Eete KippenbergerCheyenne is a Seminole and Chilean woman, advocate for Indigenous people and a former Miss Indian World. She has utilized her platform as an ambassador to advocate for environmental protections of the Florida Everglades, overturn adverse stereotypes and stigmatizations of mental health in tribal communities, encourage healing through identity and self love, and combat the negative, stereotypical narrative of Native and Indigenous people through education. Cheyenne also provides motivational speaking presentations, empowerment workshops, pageantry coaching, cultural and historical consulting, hosts and emcees, and presents on topics such as culture as prevention, identity, human trafficking, domestic violence, and much more. She strives for authenticity and to live a healthy life physically, mentally and spiritually through her culture and teachings.

Desmond Blackburn

Desmond BlackburnFacing History and Ourselves is a non-profit organization founded in 1976 to “use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.” Today, Facing History and Ourselves is a global organization with a network of hundreds of thousands of educators reaching millions of students worldwide, providing extensive curriculum, professional development, and resources. CEO Desmond Blackburn began his public education career as a high school math teacher in Florida and rose through the state’s school system, including serving as principal at a public Montessori school, to become Superintendent of Brevard Public Schools. Blackburn has served as CEO of the New Teacher Center, a national nonprofit that works to disrupt the predictability of educational inequities for systemically underserved students. He was previously Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership for the New York City Department of Education, the largest school system in the nation, before joining Facing History and Ourselves this year.