SSMS Board of Trustees

Abraham Jones

Abraham Jones is a cybersecurity professional with extensive experience in data security. Abe has worked in multiple industries, including Research and Development, Education, Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Food and Beverage, and Fashion and Footwear. Abe is currently an Information Security Program Manager for Wolverine Worldwide INC.

In his off hours, Abe contributes a great deal of energy and resources to giving back to the community. He is currently focusing on diversifying the talent pipeline through development and training of inner-city and under-employed individuals in partnership with GrrCON, West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT), Grand Rapids Urban League, the Woman’s Resource Center, GVSU MiSTEM, WomSA, and West Michigan Cyber Security Consortium.

Abraham and Tonisha Jones are the parents of Mattea (Matt), at the River Ridge Middle School classroom and Makaio, currently in the Upper Elementary classroom.

Mandy Chardoul

CPA, MST, CFP®

As a tax partner and a leader within Plante Moran’s Family Office Services Group, Mandy is sought out by individuals, family offices, and other professional advisors for her in-depth knowledge of financial planning and taxation. Clients appreciate Mandy’s collaborative approach, and her ability to make complicated concepts easy to understand.

Mandy’s technical strength comes from nearly twenty years of experience helping clients with strategy and execution. At a firm level, she serves on the front line of Plante Moran’s National Tax Office studying emerging issues and providing guidance to tax leadership.

Mandy has presented to professional advisors nationwide on tax law changes and a variety of estate and income tax planning topics, including succession planning. She is a past president of the Western Michigan Estate Planning Council and currently serves on the Professional Advisory Committee for the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.

Mandy and Christian (aka “Chris”) are the proud parents of C.W. (Upper Elementary) and Caroline, a SSMS graduate (Children’s House through the Farm School), who is now at City High School. Mandy previously served on the board of Stepping Stones Montessori School from 2013-2016.

Hon. Jennifer Faber

Jennifer is a District Court Judge for the City of Grand Rapids. Originally appointed in the fall of 2014, she was re-elected to her position in 2016 and 2022. Before joining the bench, Judge Faber worked in Grand Rapids as a general practice attorney for 15 years. She served as Managing Partner at Sherlund, Faber and Van Meter, PLLC, where she appeared in Circuit, District, and Probate Courts throughout West Michigan, handling cases involving family law (custody, divorce, abuse, neglect, and delinquency), general civil litigation, property disputes and both felony and misdemeanor criminal cases.

A Grand Rapids native, Jennifer began her education at the Children’s House program at Marywood Montessori (precursor to SSMS) in 1975. Jen’s mother, already a certified elementary teacher, obtained her Montessori Certification in 1978 and began working at Marywood Montessori. Although Jennifer’s family moved to North Carolina midway through her Upper Elementary years, they have maintained a support and appreciation for the unique value of the Montessori Method.

Meg Russell

Meg is a finance professional with extensive experience and proven effectiveness in financial and business analysis, business intelligence, budgeting and forecasting, event planning, data analysis, strategic implementation, and initiatives, goal/KPI measurement, contract management, negotiation, market research, project planning and maintenance, and relationship management. Her experience runs the gamut from nonprofits to government to private sector.

In her six years at TransUnion, she has worked as a strategic finance partner to people across many U.S. industries. Her current work in business intelligence focuses on improving processes and serving stakeholders across the globe by providing improved insights to help drive decisions. She has a team that spans the globe, with members in Chicago, India, and South Africa. This structure further helps the team to deliver to stakeholders around the world.

Meg is the mom to Leighton, a recent SSMS graduate who will be attending City High/Middle School this fall. The Russell family moved to GR in 2021 and they, especially Leighton, have found a true home here, which is a testament to the wonderful SSMS community.

Meg attended SSMS from age three through fifth grade, so being back has felt like a true homecoming. Her family is one of the original SSMS families and their love for our school runs deep. They attribute their successes to the education - academic and other - they received at Stepping Stones.

After SSMS, Meg attended Forest Hills Central for middle and high school, Hope College for undergrad, and DePaul University for her MBA.

In her spare time, Meg looks for opportunities to get involved in the larger community.

Jamie Benvenuto

As a design architect at Progressive AE, Jamie brings over 15 years of experience with creative planning and programming. She facilitates visioning processes and client collaboration, with a focus on aligning a clear project vision. Jamie is passionate about creating a thoughtful user experience that supports the surrounding community and environment. Jamie also is a co-chair of the firm’s green team, working to integrate the latest sustainability practices into projects and acting as a subject matter expert on inclusive sustainable design. Jamie’s tie to SSMS includes working on a long-range vision plan for the school campus which involved, conducting observation at SSMS and interviewing of staff and committee members.

As a Grand Rapids native, Jamie is passionate about our community and how she can add value to it. She is raising her 8mth old [Elio] and 5yr old [Luca] in Eastown, valuing the exposure to an urban environment it offers for her kids. In her free time, Jamie enjoys family walks through the city, visiting the farmers market, gardening, and has a passion for cooking - always experimenting with new recipes.”

Brian Bakkila

Brian's history with Stepping Stones Montessori School began with his son Garrett's attendance as a pioneer student at the River Ridge Farm Campus. His engagement as a member of the board began at the end of 2020 and he served as both a board member and Treasurer before becoming Board Chair in the late summer of 2022.

Sue and he have been married since the fall of 1998 and spend their time between their home in Ada during the school year and their family cottage in the Les Cheneaux Islands during the summer months. Their son currently attends East Grand Rapids High School where he intends to graduate from in the spring of 2024. As a family they spend time together adventuring often in the outdoors and enjoy great food they prepare together.

In his professional life, Brian started his own technology consulting business in 1995 which he sold to one of his clients in 2014. He is working as the Sales Operations Manager for Applied Innovation's Technology Division, founded in 2014. In his role he supports Applied's offices throughout the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Northern Indiana, and Northwestern Ohio.

His non-profit experiences include being a steering committee and founding board president of Mixed Greens: A schoolyard garden project (2001-2006), and Board Member and Executive Committee Member (Secretary, Vice President, Board President, Past President) for Circle Theatre (2009-2019).

Walter Perschbacher

As a fourth generation Real Estate leader in Grand Rapids, Walter is proud to continue a tradition of service that began over 85 years ago. Now serving as the Vice President of Greenridge Realty, Walter has worked for the company in sales as an agent and later as a branch manager and VP of Branch Development. In his role as Vice President, Walter's focus is on building relationships among the leadership team and salesforce at Greenridge and with other leaders in the real estate industry nationwide. Walter is continually networking with other independent brokers across the country – keeping Greenridge current with national trends and market shifts.

A life-long resident of West Michigan – with roots that go back several generations – Walter has a deep love for our area and likes to act as an ambassador for Grand Rapids. He is actively involved in our community and has served on several boards including Stepping Stones Montessori School, Cascade Hills Country Club, Forest Hills Public School Foundation, Leading for our Kids, Arbor Circle and Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital.

Lauren Reilly

Lauren Reilly is a founder and the Executive Director of SuitUp, a national non-profit organization that increases career readiness for students in underserved communities through innovative business competitions. Her previous experience includes being a founding Board Member and Chief Learning Officer for Practice Makes Perfect and a Teach for America alum, having taught both middle and high school in the Bronx and Harlem. She has received fellowships from the Goldman Sachs 10KSB Program, SOCAP Entrepreneurs Residency, the Miller Center’s GSBI Program, the Gratitude Network, and NYU Senior Leaders Program. Lauren has also been recognized by the Obama administration as a White House Champion for Change and most recently was as a semi-finalist for the NYC Imagine Awards in the Leadership Excellence Category. Lauren is a Governing Board Member at both Stepping Stones Montessori and The Gratitude Network and has been featured in K12Drive, Chronicles of Philanthropy, New Jersey Herald, News12, BronxNet, and NewYork1. She graduated with a Master's degree in Education from Fordham University and a Bachelor's degree in History from Vassar College.

Kelly Bartlett

Kelly Bartlett is the Director of Operations Optimization at Dematic. Her professional background is in Industrial and Supply Chain Engineering, including a Ph.D. and Master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University. Kelly is a Grand Rapids native and currently has two elementary aged children at Stepping Stones. She serves on the Board of Directors and is a co-chair for the Stepping Stones Community Committee.