Kathleen grew up in a small Swiss/Mennonite community in Northeast Ohio, where walks in the woods with her grandparents sparked her lifelong love of nature and creativity. She earned her B.A. in Business and Marketing from Ashland University.

Life took a joyful turn when she met native Oregonian, Ryan; after falling in love, she moved to Portland in 2005. For the next decade, she worked in Providence’s regional business office, where the mission of compassion and service resonated deeply with her faith and values. Continuing, she discovered how meaningful nonprofit work felt to her, especially when it involved supporting children.

Her Montessori journey began when her sons attended a Montessori preschool in SE Portland. She loved watching them progress from practical‑life work like pouring to confidently tracing continent maps. After her daughter was born, she became a full‑time stay‑at‑home mother, pouring her energy into creating a warm, creative home filled with library trips, art projects, baking, and nurturing her children’s curiosities—from flying squirrels to volcanoes to fennec foxes.

Now living in Canby with her husband, their three children, and a spirited mini labradoodle named Winnie, Kathleen enjoys hiking, volunteering as a Reading Mentor, visiting art museums, all things Jane Austen, cozy baking, and making quilled and iris‑folded cards. She is delighted to join the SunGarden Montessori community.