Board Chair since May 2021

Jessica is extremely grateful for our close-knit school community and enjoys working with fellow board members to help ensure a bright future for Desert Sky. Jessica works as a nurse and spent many years traveling throughout the States and internationally before settling in Bend to raise her family. She is so pleased to have her daughter at Desert Sky as she is thriving in the Montessori environment! Jessica loves living in Bend and spends her free time trail running, playing piano, and reading.

Member since March 2019

Cara Nowak grew up surrounded by educators and has personal experience teaching in public elementary schools, art museums, and as a private tutor. After watching how her first child navigated learning with such joy, she became interested in the Montessori philosophy of child-led education. One of the main factors driving her family’s move to Bend in 2016 was the hope of enrolling their daughters in Desert Sky Montessori when it opened in 2017. She is excited to act as Secretary of the Board and help the school continue to thrive. Cara has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sculpture from Missouri State University. Her free time is spent hiking, camping, reading, creating, and spending time with friends, her family, and their pets.

Treasurer since November 2019

John has been in finance since the 20th century and has experience in general accounting, budgeting, and strategic planning. He has worked in a wide variety of industries and has served on a number of non-profit boards both as a regular Board member and as Treasurer. In his words, "Our family is a strong believer in the Montessori Method in general and Desert Sky Montessori in particular. It's been amazing watching our children grow and thrive at this school. The self-starting and independent thinking skills they are developing will be with them for the rest of their lives. I am just glad to be a part of the Board and help Desert Sky achieve its goals." John enjoys road biking, skiing with his girls, and hiking.

Member since June 2021

Love of learning and nature have been constants in David’s life. He grew up in the National Parks, with a ranger dad and a teacher mom. His remote eastern Nevada community had no school, so he attended first grade at a nearby Montessori school in Utah. The experience sparked a lifelong love of learning, and enriched his later academic and professional endeavors, both in the US and abroad. This foundation informed a rewarding career path that has included leadership positions, small business ownership, teaching, and music. It is a foundation he wishes for any child, including his own. This is why he and his wife, Stephanie, are so grateful that their daughter, Abbie, attends Desert Sky. Abbie is a thriving second-grader in her third year at Desert Sky. David’s goal as a Board Member is to support the success and excellence of our wonderful school.

Member since October 2021

Daisy Sexton joined the Board with a desire to volunteer in a new capacity for our school. She has previously helped with coordinating the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournaments and assisted with various fundraising efforts. Daisy originally grew up in Central Oregon and moved back to Bend about 5 years ago with her husband and kids to be closer to both sets of grandparents. Daisy is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and in her free time enjoys cooking, camping, and playing board games with family and friends. Daisy has two children currently attending Desert Sky and her favorite part of our school is the family feel of the Montessori community.

Member since September 2023

Heather grew up in the Seattle area. She moved to Corvallis, Oregon, in high school, where she met her husband, who both moved to the Portland Metro area and graduated from Portland State University.

​She moved in 2022 from Portland, Oregon, with her family. She fell in love with the community and beauty that Bend has to offer. She is grateful to be a part of the Montessori community and mentality.

Professionally, she has spent the last decade working in tech as a user interface and experience designer.

​​She enjoys spending time with her family, camping, exercising, and being outside in her spare time.

Member since January 2023

Jenna Wazny originally hails from Colorado where she grew up as a Montessori child through elementary school. Throughout middle and high school she worked with children, and then again through her undergraduate studies of Speech/Theatre in Denver, she worked as a nanny and in the restaurant industry for many years.

Jenna then embarked on the study abroad program of Semester at Sea which then changed her teaching and travel trajectory. After graduating, she moved to Thailand to teach English to high-schoolers, where she discovered her love of teaching.

Upon return to the states (and a few years ski-bumming in Vail), she moved to Portland, OR to pursue her AMI certification in Montessori Primary studies, as well as a Masters of Education from Loyola, Maryland.

Jenna was a lead guide at Montessori of Alameda in Portland for a year before moving to Bend, where she continued to teach for the next 8 years at Deschutes River Montessori School, HeartSpace Montessori Pod and Bend Montessori School.

Jenna adores working with children and is currently taking a sabbatical from teaching, and is currently the general manager at Avid Cider Company, where she's also worked for the past 8 years. She has also spent the last 7 years as a yoga teacher, and loves the practice and it's close connection to the holistic approach of Montessori education.

Jenna loves the outdoors, live music, time with her partner Christopher and friends and family, traveling the world (40 countries and counting!) and waxing poetic about all things Montessori.

She is so happy to join the board of Desert Sky Montessori School, and remain tethered to the Montessori community in Bend.