Our Staff : THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Our school and staff maintain memberships with the Oregon Montessori Association (OMA), the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association (NAMTA), the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), the American Montessori Society (AMS), The International Montessori Council (IMC), Oregon Federation of Independent Schools (OFIS), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and others. These memberships keep us in touch with current issues and recent developments in the field through publications, conferences and workshops. We also support local training centers by occasionally hosting student teachers. Many of these organizations are also available to parents as great resources. If you are interested in further information, we are happy to provide it

Stacey Edwards Russo
Head of School / Owner
Stacey Edwards Russo is originally from a small farm town just west of Chicago. She moved to Portland in the Fall of 2011 with her husband Michael. Stacey is trained as a primary and infant and toddler guide; for the past 20 years she has served as a classroom guide, educational director, school director and owner as well as business consultant.

Stacey has taught in classrooms in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York and even Poland. In 2011, she received her Master's Degree in Child Development with a specialization in Program Administration from the Erikson Institute in Chicago. Through her work with the Montessori Accreditation Council of Teacher Education (MACTE) she has assisted in the accrediting process of Montessori teacher training centers all over the United States as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Saudi Arabia. For 7 years she sat as the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors of MACTE. She is a past Vice Chair and Advocacy Chair of the Oregon Montessori Association (OMA); current Vice President and Board Chair of Professional Development for the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (ORAEYC), as well as current board member for Heart and Hand Teacher Education Program. She holds personal and school memberships with NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children), AMS (American Montessori Society), OFIS (Oregon Federation of Independent Schools) OSLA (Oregon State Literary Association) and CN&N (Children and Nature Network).

During the last 13 years, Stacey has put all of her efforts into serving the needs of local families in Southwest Portland by expanding CVMS from a 2-room primary center to a 7-classroom community that spans 3 locations! Above all, she loves finding moments to laugh with husband Michael and learn more about the world through the eyes of her 4 children ages 18, 10, 7 and 6!

In Stacey’s own words:

Classroom Teams

CVMS is committed to hiring quality professionals. All classroom guides hold or are gaining certifications in the Montessori method of education from MACTE (Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education) accredited training institutions. Classroom Assistants have education and/or rich experiences in Early Childhood Education and Child Development. Our school welcomes employees of any race, ability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identification, language, nationality and ethnicity, religion, and family constellation into our classrooms and among all programs facilitated by our school.  The school does not discriminate in its hiring and/or school-administered policies.  It is our goal that CVMS reflects the rich diversity of our community, including varied cultures, economic status, and individual or exceptional educational needs. If you are not comfortable with our commitment to a community of belonging, then this may not be the best community for your family.

All staff members are required to have first aid and CPR certifications; hold a current Oregon food handler’s card; be registered with the Oregon Central Registry as well as fulfill a minimum of 24 hours of additional professional development each year. During such a hardship in our nation’s workforce, we are proud of the dedicated individuals that choose to empower our children each day!

Linda Russo
Administrative Assistant
Linda is originally from Wisconsin and recently moved to Portland with her husband after retiring from a career in Information Systems Management at several Fortune 500 Companies. Her experience includes project management, direct team supervision and change management. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Alverno College and a Master of Science Degree in Management from Cardinal Stritch. In her spare time, Linda enjoys gardening, hiking, cooking, spending time with family and discovering the northwest.