Faculty

Austin Matte
Founder, Head of School, & Guide
Ed.M., Harvard University

It was during his time in the Peace Corps, serving communities in Nicaragua, when Austin realized that the first years of life are tremendously important for future growth and development, and, unfortunately, they are far too overlooked.

Returning stateside and wanting to learn more, Austin sought out a role in educational research, first at the Education Development Center, and later at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He read the evidence that corroborated what he saw for himself in Nicaragua: early childhood is a period of unmatched influence with experiences having effects across the lifespan.

Still wanting to know more, Austin enrolled at Harvard Graduate School of Education. He explored the research on the way people learn, the neuroscience explaining why early childhood is so formative, and the evidence supporting student-centered pedagogies, all of which dovetailed perfectly with everything Austin had found to be true through his own experience.

After graduate school, Austin sought out a position in a Montessori school, and he has been a Montessorian ever since. He appreciates how the Montessori Method reflects real life; it touches on all aspects of a child’s growth, and it does so in a way that is developmentally appropriate. Among everything else that it does so well, the Montessori Method honors the sanctity and uniqueness of early childhood.

Austin has a B.S.B.A. from Stonehill College, an Ed.M. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Montessori Credential from New England Montessori Teacher Education Center (NEMTEC). He is also a graduate of Bishop Guertin High School here in Nashua, and is honored to be able to use his experience to serve the community which was so important in his formation. When he is not thinking about how young children learn, Austin can be found spending time with his intelligent and talented wife, Dr. Stephanie Phillis, who is a local orthodontist. He also loves staying active and learning new things, which include playing music, mountain biking, snowboarding, or just diving into a good book.

Board of Directors

Jonathan Scheff, President
Data Scientist, Splunk
B.A., Macalester College; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education; M.S., Vanderbilt University

Bryan Nelson, President-Elect
Research Associate, Harvard Graduate School of Education
B.A., University of Notre Dame; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education

Dr. Luis Hinojosa, Treasurer
Deputy Superintendent, CityScape Schools
B.A., University of Missouri; M.B.A., Notre Dame; Ed.D., University of Texas at Austin

Chris Teare, Secretary
Director of Extended Programs, Children’s Day School
B.A., University of California at Santa Cruz; Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education