Our Staff
Chantilly
Gainesville
Administration

Deepa Simlot
Owner and Director
Biography
Ms. Deepa is a Montessori Certified Teacher for 3-6-year olds. She has 3 children, all of whom are Primary Montessori graduates. While volunteering in her children’s classes she discovered the beauty and power of Montessori philosophy and materials, and decided to make it her career. She worked in the telecommunications industry as a computer engineer for 15 years before discovering that she would rather be around children than computers.

Lisa Turner
Assistant Director
Biography
Ms. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, with a major in Sociology and a minor in Education. As a parent of two students who attended Montessori of Chantilly, Lisa was an active member of the Parent Guild for four years and served on the Board as both Secretary and Treasurer. Lisa has 11 years of business management experience, and earned her Professional Certification in Human Resources (PHR). Ms. Lisa has served as an administrator at MCDBC since 2010.

Chris Hughes
Office Administrator
Biography
Ms. Chris holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Longwood College. She ran a successful child care business in her home for over 20 years. Ms. Chris later served as an Aftercare Teacher at a gymnastics studio. She also gained valuable administrative experience as the Office Manager at a local dance studio. She has been with MCDB since 2017.
Lead Teachers

Haely Strock
Infant Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Haely is a Montessori Certified Teacher for Infants and Toddlers from Seton Institute in Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University. Ms. Haely has over thirteen years of experience leading Montessori Infant and Toddler classrooms in the Chicago area. Ms. Haely recently moved to the Washington DC area with her husband and daughter. She has been with MCDB since 2018.

Bahar Afrasyab
Toddler Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Bahar is a Montessori certified teacher from Institute of Advanced Montessori Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Kurdish Language and Literature from Sulaimani University in Iraq. She taught Kurdish to high school students from 1999 to 2012, before moving to the United States. She has been with MCDB in Gainesville since 2014.

Ingrid Jordan
Toddler Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Ingrid holds a Montessori Teaching Certification from Northern Virginia Montessori Institute. She has a degree in Pharmacy from Brazil. She has been with MCDB since 2007. Ms. Ingrid is fluent in Spanish and loves to share the Spanish language with her students. Her youngest daughter was a MCDBC KG graduate.

Sandy Garcia
Primary Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Sandy is pursuing her Associates Degree in Teacher Education at Northern Virginia Community College. She has been with MCDB in Gainesville since 2017. She received her Montessori certification from Montgomery Montessori Institute in Rockville, Maryland.

Debra Hess
Primary Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Debra holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from West Virginia University. She received her Montessori Certification from Montgomery Montessori Institute in Rockville, Maryland. She has over eight years of experience teaching primary students in Montessori classrooms in Washington DC, Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee. She has been MCDB since 2018.

Shelly Wachter
Primary Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Shelly is returning to MCDBC after spending five years with us as a Primary Lead Teacher from 2014 to 2019. Ms. Shelly has over 20 years of experience working with children of all ages. She has worked as a Montessori teacher for the past 15 years in various capacities, including Primary Assistant, Toddler Lead, Primary Lead and Elementary Assistant. Ms. Shelly completed her AMS (American Montessori Society) Training at the Barrie Institute in Silver Spring, Maryland, where she earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate for the 3-6 year old age group.
Assistant and Extended Day Teachers

Malathi Dhulipala
Toddler Assistant and Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Malathi holds a Master’s Degree from Biju Pattnaik University of Technology in India. She joined MCDB in 2021. Ms. Malathi is fluent in Telugu and Hindi and can speak Tamil.

Leila Gregorios
Assistant and Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Leila has been working at MCDB since 2019 while taking business classes at Northern Virginia Community College.

Verena Heissenberger
Infant Assistant and Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Verena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from University of Innsbruck in Austria. She also holds an Art Diploma from ISSA Art School in Munich, Germany. Ms. Verena has several years of experience caring for children at both in-home and daycare centers in the area, along with experience as a nanny. Ms. Verena’s passion is writing children’s books. She is fluent in German. Ms. Verena joined MCDB in 2020.

Sujaathaa(Su) Jahadev
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Sujaathaa holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Queen Mary’s College in India. She has over ten years of experience working in early childhood education, including two years in a Montessori environment. She has been with MCDB since 2018. Ms. Su is fluent in Tamil and can speak Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

Miyuki Lin
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Miyuki has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Strayer University. Ms. Miyuki is a native of Japan and loves to share her culture and passion of sewing and origami with her students. She has been with MCDBC since 2008. Ms. Miyuki is fluent in Japanese.

Shagufta Minhaj
Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Shagufta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics from University of Karachi. She has over ten years of experience teaching Kindergarten in a Montessori school in Pakistan. Ms. Shagufta is fluent in Urdu. Ms. Shagufta joined MCDB in 2020.

Liliana Rocha
Infant Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Liliana is returning to MCDBC after beginning her career with us in 2006. During that time she worked in both the Pre-primary and Primary classrooms. In 2013 she moved on to gain experience in several other local Montessori preschools and as a private nanny before returning to MCDBC in 2018. Ms. Liliana is fluent in Spanish.

Shaleena Shukla
Toddler Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Shaleena holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from India. She has been working as a Montessori Toddler Assistant since 2003. She has been with MCDBC since 2006. Ms. Shaleena is fluent in Hindi and Bengali.

Julie Suh
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Julie has experience working with After School Enrichment classes and tutoring children in math and Korean. Ms. Julie has been teaching at MCDB since 2014 and is the proud Montessori parent of three sons who attended our school. Julie is fluent in Korean.

Carrie Workman
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Carrie holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication from Boston University. She has been an active parent volunteer since 2009 working in her children’s classrooms, with the PTA and coaching youth soccer/lacrosse. Ms. Carrie worked as an Assistant Preschool Teacher during the 2017/2018 school year. Over the years, she and her family have traveled extensively with her husband’s military career before their relocation back to Northern Virginia. Ms. Carrie has been with MCDB since 2018.

Beaula Kukkamalla
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography

Latha Muppidi
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Specials Teachers

Anaisa Jauregui
Spanish Teacher
Biography
Ms. Anaisa is an Early Childhood Educator with over thirty years of experience teaching preschool-age children in both the US and Mexico. In addition to teaching our students Spanish, Ms. Anaisa currently serves as a preschool instructor in the Family Literacy Program with Fairfax County Public Schools. Ms. Anaisa is fluent in both Spanish and English. She has been teaching Spanish at MCDB in Chantilly since 2018.
Administration

Deepa Simlot
Owner and Director
Biography
Ms. Deepa is a Montessori Certified Teacher for 3-6-year olds. She has 3 children, all of whom are Primary Montessori graduates. While volunteering in her children’s classes she discovered the beauty and power of Montessori philosophy and materials, and decided to make it her career. She worked in the telecommunications industry as a computer engineer for 15 years before discovering that she would rather be around children than computers.

Daryl Bell
Assistant Director
Biography
Mr. Daryl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Education from the College of New Jersey. He has over 20 years of teaching and training experience in the nonprofit sector. Most recently he served as the Lead Educator at a local children’s museum. He also has extensive experience in managing international learning programs for adults and educating teachers on learning opportunities in the Washington DC area. Mr. Daryl has been with MCDBG since 2015.

Maram Hammad
Office Administrator
Biography
Ms. Maram is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from George Mason University. While going to school, Ms. Maram held the positions of an Enrollment Support Specialist in the Career Services Center and as a Resource Navigator at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC). Prior to these positions, she worked as a
substitute teacher in Manassas City Public Schools, along with other customer service roles.
Lead Teachers

Rosa Campos
Infant Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Rosa is returning to MCDBG after working eight years with us in various capacities, including Spanish Teacher, Aftercare Teacher, and Infant Assistant Teacher/Intern from 2012 to 2020. She is a Montessori certified teacher from Institute of Advanced Montessori Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Debbie Black
Toddler Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Debbie is a Montessori certified teacher from Palm Harbor Montessori Teacher Education Center in Palm Harbor, FL. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Valdosta State University in Georgia. She worked in a Montessori classroom for 12 years in Florida, nine years as a Lead Teacher. Ms. Debbie has been with MCDB since
2019.

Amanda Hurt
Primary Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Amanda has a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina, Upstate. She is a Montessori Certified Teacher from Northern Virginia Montessori Institute in Ashburn, Virginia. She has been working with children since 2008. She has been with MCDB since we opened in 2011.

Marina Ventura
Toddler Lead Teacher
Biography
Ms. Marina is a Montessori certified teacher from Institute of Advanced Montessori Studies in Silver Spring, Maryland. She has an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from Northern Virginia Community College. She has been with MCDB since 2012.
Assistant and Extended Day Teachers

Stephanie Atkins
Toddler Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Stephanie studied Early Childhood Education at University of South Carolina Upstate. She has been working with children from infancy to teenage years since 2004. In addition to helping in our Toddler Classroom, Ms. Stephanie provides direct implementation of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment plans related to skill acquisition and behavior reduction to children with autism in a one-on-one setting. She has been with MCDB since 2018.

Cherene Chung
Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Cherene has an Associate of Science Degree from Northern Virginia Community College. She is working towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from George Mason University. She has been with MCDB since 2016.

Nancy Dickerson
Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Nancy has 8 years of experience working with children from infant to five years old at a local children’s center. Prior to that she worked for the Federal Government for almost 40 years, most recently as an Administrative Specialist for the Office of Naval Intelligence. She has been with MCDB since 2019.

Naheed Kausar
Infant Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Naheed has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from University of Punjab in Pakistan. She taught in a Montessori school for six years, in addition to working in a traditional elementary school in Pakistan for several years. Ms. Naheed is also fluent in Urdu. She joined MCDB in 2019.

Roya Lombeshkon
Assistant and Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Roya has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Alzahra University in Iran. She has been working as lead and assistant teacher at local preschools since 2001. She joined MCDB in 2019.

Madhumati Meka
Assistant and Extended Day Teacher
Biography
Ms. Madhu has a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesley Women’s College in Hyderabad, India. She worked as a Math and Science teacher for third grade students in India. She worked as an Assistant Teacher with 3 – 5 year olds at a local preschool prior to joining MCDB in 2019. Ms. Madhu is fluent in Telugu and Hindi.

Remedios (Remy) Narvaez
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Ms. Remy has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Santa Isabel College in the Philippines. She taught Pre-School and Elementary age children in the Philippines for more than ten years before moving to Northern Virginia. She worked as a Primary Montessori Teacher in the Philippines for four years, and at a Montessori Center in
Arlington for 16 years. She has been with MCDB since 2012

Jacqueline Cisneros
Infant Assistant Teacher
Biography

Ashanti Collins
Infant Assistant Teacher
Biography

Shayla Hamid
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography

Fiorella Izquierdo
Primary Assistant Teacher
Biography
Specials Teachers

Anaisa Jauregui
Spanish Teacher
Biography
Ms. Anaisa is an Early Childhood Educator with over thirty years of experience teaching preschool-age children in both the US and Mexico. In addition to teaching our students Spanish, Ms. Anaisa currently serves as a preschool instructor in the Family Literacy Program with Fairfax County Public Schools. Ms. Anaisa is fluent in both Spanish and English. She has been teaching Spanish at MCDB in Chantilly since 2018.