Our Teaching Team at Gilbert Nature School

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Clarissa is a second-generation Montessori student and grew up living and breathing the Montessori philosophy.  She was named a National Merit Scholar and received two Presidential Service Awards for outstanding volunteer service while in high school and went on to attend University on a full-ride academic merit scholarship.

She is a mother of two children and a trained and certified Montessori educator. Clarissa is an RYT 500 yoga instructor, Suzuki music teacher, and Maricopa County Master Gardener. 

Clarissa is committed to creating a welcoming, nurturing, and positive learning environment for her students that serve the whole child-- mind, body, and spirit. She has always believed that nature is the ultimate learning environment and is thrilled to be offering this educational opportunity to her community. 

Jamison considers herself a lifelong student and is passionate about nurturing children’s innate connection to Mother Nature. Montessori philosophy resonates deeply with her and she is thrilled to be co-creating a loving and Earth-minded learning environment in her own community. She has studied nutrition and physiology with a passion for health and whole body well-being attained through awareness and nourishment of one's physical and energetic environments.

Jamison has been privileged to reside in the Arizona desert for over 20 years and enjoys practicing yoga and meditation, exploring metaphysical healing modalities, and any kind of adventure that involves the great outdoors!

Rachel Pollack attended Montessori schools from childhood through high school and has been a state-certified elementary teacher since 2004, with licenses in Montana and Arizona. She is most passionate about helping children become expert readers and enthusiastic mathematicians. She uses phonics-based, proven methods of reading instruction and a hands-on, physical approach to math. 

She has experience with a range of all academic abilities—gifted students, students who might find sitting still a challenge, and students who have dyslexia or dyscalculia.

Jasmine began her teaching journey at a forest preschool in Washington in August 2020. Inspired by the rich tradition of European forest schools, she believes children thrive in a natural and nurturing environment. She embraces the philosophy that learning is guided by three teachers: the educator, the students, and nature itself.

Jasmine is passionate about fostering a safe and enriching play experience, where children feel empowered to explore and grow. She incorporates verbal mapping, a technique that enhances communication and supports children in navigating their play, and social-emotional growth. Above all, she strives to cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trust, gentleness, and self-control.

Sarah is a passionate forager, farmer, certified educator, and skilled potter. Holding a degree in biochemistry and possessing a deep appreciation for the arts, she blends a scientific and artistic perspective in the classroom. 

Her extensive agricultural background spans organic farms across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Arizona. For the past seven years, Sarah has called the Sonoran Desert home, cultivating a profound connection to its variety of unique ecosystems. An avid hiker, she’s trekked both the Pacific Crest and Arizona Trails, constantly drawing inspiration from nature in her teaching. Sarah is dedicated to nurturing her students’ connection with the natural world and is eager to grow, learn, and collaborate at the Gilbert Nature School.

With a degree in Environmental Education and Outdoor Leadership, Billie values learning through, with, and from nature. Her own non-traditional educational journey, combined with three years spent serving in autism education, has shaped her highly adaptable approach to teaching—meeting both students and the environment where they are.

After Billie experienced the devastation of Hurricane Helene in the hardest-hit county, her perspective on education expanded to equipping the next generation with essential survival skills, including seed saving, water conservation, and resilience in an unpredictable world. By fostering authentic connections with both students and nature, Billie is committed to preparing young learners not only to thrive in the outdoors but to become stewards of it. 

Billie  believes that by being who you are in the world, you are a teacher every day. Every interaction is an opportunity to foster growth, and Billie's life’s purpose is to facilitate positive transformation toward self-actualization. Rooted in authenticity, Billie approaches education with honesty, openness, and a deep respect for each student’s unique journey.

Above all, Iya Affo is a wife, mother and grandmother. Professionally, she is a Culturalist and Historical Trauma Specialist. Iya is the Director of Training and Development for the Arizona Adverse Childhood Experiences Consortium, serves as a member of the Arizona State University Disparities in the Justice System Advisory Board, and was recently appointed to the Gilbert Community Engagement Task Force. 

She is the founder of Heal Historical Trauma Culture and Indigenous Wellness Academy and the International Historical Trauma Association. Iya is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Arizona Trauma Institute, the author of the trauma-informed curriculum for educators in Maricopa County schools. 

Through educating about culture,

trauma and subsequent neurological dysregulation, Iya strives to transcend tolerance through cultivating love and respect for people all over the world.

Rob Spiro is an entrepreneur currently co-founding many companies in parallel via his startup studio Imagination Machine, focused on startups with positive social and environmental impact.

Rob is a believer in the power of entrepreneurship to reshape our world, the power of idealism and inspiring missions, and a seeker of harmony.

He previously founded Aardvark (acquired by Google), product managed at Google, and founded & served as first CEO of Good Eggs.

Sally Uhlmann considers herself a citizen of the world, currently retired and residing in Italy and Florida. The mother of 4 grown children, her professional career has included founding Salaminder, a designer clothing company; Ariat, a boot and clothing company, raising 3-Day event horses, and being a real estate agent for a Christie’s affiliate in Bozeman, Montana. 

She has served on numerous boards focused on community and the arts, and believes the future resides in nurturing children to appreciate the world and nature’s balance. She is an avid gardener, cook, and traveler.

Our Montessori pedagogy advisor, Karen is the Program Director at Authentic Institute of Montessori.  An expert in Montessori education, Karen has served as the Level Coordinator for Early Childhood teacher trainings, Internship Coordinator, and Residency Instructor.  Before that, she owned & taught at her own Montessori school in rural Montana. Karen has her Bachelor of Music in Music Education, a Montessori Early Childhood certificate, and holds a Master's of Education in Advanced Montessori. Karen is newly certified in American Sign Language. 

Andres Fortino leads his own company, Fortino Global Education, providing education and training consulting services. He is an adjunct faculty member at the NYU School of Professional Studies, where he teaches Business Analytics, Data Mining, Data Visualization, and Innovation.

The author of eight books, Dr. Fortino has practiced the application of information technology and business analytics to solving business problems for the over 40 years. Dr. Fortino has received many honors, including IBM’s First Invention Level Award for his work in semiconductor research. He holds three US patents and ten invention disclosures.