Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting school policies, fiduciary oversight, and promoting the mission of CMS. The Board of Directors comprises parents, community members, teachers, and the Head of School.
Country Montessori School is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational institution that is committed to making a difference in the local and global community by:
- Developing life-long learners who are ambitious, problem solvers who care about the world
- Providing opportunities for our students, staff, and parents to serve others
Adela Corrales
Board Member
Dragana Petrovic
Board Member
Rebecca Colman
Board Member
Murali Mantravadi
Board Member
Adela Corrales
Named Head of Country Montessori School in 2008, Adela Corrales has been with the school since our 1989 opening. Before stepping into the leadership role, Adela was a teacher in the Early Childhood program for 20 years and served as the Early Childhood Curriculum Director.
In 2021 CMS acquired the Montessori Center For Teacher Education, San Diego, an American Montessori Society training center where Adela is also the program Executive Director.
Adela holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Services and a 3-6 Early Childhood Montessori Certification. Adela is the parent of two Country Montessori School graduates, Victoria, class of 2004, and Katherine, class of 2007.
Dragana Petrovic
Dragana Petrovic studied pharmacy and worked as a managing director of European international companies. She brings vision, leadership, and organizational skills from her past management experience and substantial career in international trade, marketing, and product development to her role on the Board.
Dragana’s son, Matia, started attending CMS in 2016, and she understands firsthand the educational and social benefits of Montessori education. Dragana is actively involved in fundraising, community outreach, and school events.
In her daily life, she enjoys walking on the beach, listening to music, trying new foods, and spending time with her family and friends.
As an avid proponent of Montessori philosophy, she is excited to continue to contribute to the success and growth of our fantastic CMS community.
Murali Mantravadi
Murali is a Principal Engineer at Qualcomm, Inc., working in the Qualcomm Game Studios Division. He has a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the University of California Irvine.
Advocates of Montesorri education, he and his wife Soumya have three children attending CMS.
Rebecca Colman
Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Colman has been part of the community since March 2016 when both her children joined Country Montessori School. Over the years Dr. Colman has filled many integral roles including classroom volunteer, Bumblebee Ambassador, Ambassador Coordinator, and now serves on the board.
Becky’s mother was a Montessori teacher for over 30 years, which not only allowed Becky to experience a Montessori education as a child but also presented countless opportunities to volunteer in classrooms. The passion this created for Montessori education and for hands-on approaches to learning continued through her own children’s education.
Outside of parenthood, Becky has a joint appointment at University of California San Diego in the Department of Medicine as an Assistant Professor and with FIND, a global non-profit, as a scientific advisor with a research focus on the genetics of infectious diseases. Becky received her PhD from Northern Arizona University, and her BS in biology and chemistry from Linfield University.
Peter Townshend
We’re proud to have Mr. Townshend on our board. He is a Managing Partner at Townshend Venture Advisors, LLP. Mr. Townshend has a BA in English and Economics from Yale University, a JD from the U.C. Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law, and an MBA from the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business.
Wendy West
Country Montessori has been lucky to have Ms. West since 1994. She holds an NCME (AMS) Early Childhood Education (Ages 3-6) Montessori Teaching Credential and has over 27 years of experience in Montessori Education. All three of her children have attended Country Montessori School.
She is excited to teach the Bumblebee classroom, welcoming new and returning students.
Vicki Rehkopf
Country Montessori has been lucky to have Ms. Rehkopf in our community since 1991. She is an Upper Elementary teacher in the Owl’s classroom. Ms. Rehkopf holds an AMS Lower Elementary Montessori Teaching Credential, AMS Upper Elementary Montessori Teaching Credential, AMI Primary Montessori Teaching Credential, and a Bachelor of Science in Child Development. Both of her sons proudly attended CMS.