Administration Team

Alexa, Head of School
Alexa has been an educator for over 30 years. She holds a School Administrators Certification from the Association of Montessori International (AMI), a M.Ed. in Education from St. Catherine University, and an AMS Early Childhood Credential from the Princeton Center for Teacher Education. She earned a B.A. in History and is currently pursuing the Advanced Educational Leadership program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Alexa has completed Bowen Systems Family Training at the Princeton Family Center for Education, ABA Training at Eden Autism Services, DERS Training through the National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector (NCMPS), and Adolescent Introduction and Orientation Workshops through Train Montessori (AMI). With over 30 years of experience, Alexa has served as a Head of School, Director of Admissions, Montessori Consultant, Interim Head of School, Montessori Teacher, and Princeton Center for Teacher Education Field Consultant and Evaluator. Alexa’s two daughters, who were Montessori educated, have blossomed into independent and confident women—qualities that flourished as a result of their Montessori education.

Andreea, Director of Admissions and High School Guidance
Andreea has worked in education for 21 years. She is passionate about the Montessori educational model and is so proud to work in a place that nurtures a joy for learning in each child. Andreea has a B.A. in French Literature as well as a certification in Management of Information Systems from NYU and an MBA from Rutgers. Prior to joining HPMS, she spent the majority of her career in educational technology, managing (and working with young readers on) literacy products, and previously, grant writing for non-profit foundations. Andreea joined the HPMS administrative team as well as the Blue Room teaching team in 2016 and completed her Montessori Teaching Certification for Early Childhood later that year. Her son, Julian–another proud Montessorian–recently graduated from HPMS and is thriving in High School. You may have met him previously in front of the school promoting the “HPMS Middle School Times”, the school’s first newspaper–of which he was the zealous Editor-in-Chief.

AnnMarie, Director of Operations
AnnMarie is a New Jersey native and grew up in a small town called Lyndhurst. She received her diploma from her local high school and then went on to manage her own store. She continued her background in managerial work for almost 20 years before she took a pause to raise her three wonderful children, the youngest of whom is a proud HMPS alumnus.

Casey, Director of Student Accounts
Casey has worked in education for over 10 years. Casey holds a B.S. of Behavior Science from Mercy University. Casey previously worked in higher education, in all capacities ranging from Admissions to Assistant Director of Bursar’s office for Mercy and Fordham University. Casey has been a part of the HPMS Community since 2021 managing all aspects of enrollment and financial aid.

Christina, School Counselor
Christina is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 5 years experience and is a Certified School Counselor. Christina has had extensive experience working with children and adolescents in various settings, including outpatient settings, a private practice, a community home setting and an elementary school. Christina received her B.A. in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling from East Stroudsburg University, her M.A. in Clinical Counseling from Centenary University and her School Counseling Certification from New Jersey City University. Christina is looking forward to promoting the students social and emotional development. She is eager to work with, empower and provide a safe space for the students and HPMS community. She is thrilled for the opportunity to teach, support and be there for the students, while also encouraging change, acceptance and growth. When Christina is not working she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends, family and two cats, Sasha and Blue, right here in Jersey City. 

Erin, Director of Communications
Erin was a teacher of English and Communications at the middle, high school, and university level for over 20 years before pivoting to copywriting, marketing, and school communications full-time. A native of New York City, Erin moved to Jersey City in 2021 and has fallen in love with the community. She has a PhD in English from St. John’s University, an MPhil in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin, a MA in Secondary Education from Brooklyn College, and a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley.

Gina, Community Coordinator
Gina holds a B.A. Design Arts from Drury University in the midwest, before jetting off to New York City to work for creative departments at Sports Illustrated, SI Kids, and Getty Images while also running her own creative design business. In the last ten years she has put down roots in Jersey City with her husband. This year their daughter will move from Early Childhood to Lower Elementary at HPMS. Gina is passionate about the community of parents, administrators and educators who all contribute to make HPMS a wonderful place for kids to learn and grow. You can find a visual representation of that joy in the mural she painted with a fellow parent in the Great Hall of the upper campus. 

Lala, Director of Education and Student Services, Middle School Coordinator, and Summer Program Coordinator
Lala has been a Montessori educator for 21 years. She has her AMS Early Childhood teaching credential through West Side Montessori School and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education and Special Education through New York University. She has 10+ years of teaching experience in two Montessori schools and has supervised students teachers for Princeton Center of Teacher Education (PCTE), mentoring them as they earned their credentials. She attended the Teacher College Writing Project at Columbia University, where she was trained in the Writers Workshop Program and she completed her AMI Adolescence Training through Train Montessori last year. Lala is from Taiwan and enjoys sharing Taiwanese culture with the HPMS community!

Samantha, Founder
Samantha has been an educator for over 30 years. She holds an M.Ed in Educational Administration from Columbia University’s Teachers College (New York, NY), an M.A. in Teaching from Trinity College (Washington, D.C.), a Montessori Early Childhood Teaching Credential from The Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies (Silver Spring, MD), and a B.A. in Psychology from Denison University (Granville, OH). Samantha has been State Certified as an Administrator and Teacher, and she has over 25 years of combined experience as a Montessori educator in both public and private school settings. Samantha is also a Field Consultant for The Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies, and she has been an Evaluator and Instructor at IAMS. Her two sons attended HPMS before the family moved to Virginia. Samantha enjoys experiencing the vibrancy of our community on her frequent visits back to HPMS.