MES New Staff Bios

I hope each of you and your families are enjoying the summer and are staying healthy! I am so EXCITED to welcome our new faculty members to Montgomery Elementary! They are full of energy, eager to get started, and bring a wealth of knowledge on teaching pedagogy and building a sense of community in their classrooms!

I can't wait for everyone to meet our new Mustangs! I invite you to read below to get to know our new teachers a little better!

Hello everyone! I’m excited to join the Montgomery school community this year. My name is Christine Williams and I am from New Jersey. This will be my third year in the Dekalb County School District. I graduated from Delaware State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.Ed. in School Leadership at Wilmington University. I have been in the education field for over 10 years. In my spare time, I enjoy writing children’s books, traveling, and enjoying time with my friends and family. I’m extremely excited to create new memories with your scholars at Montgomery Elementary School! This will be a wonderful year!

Hello, my name is Laura Brooks, and it is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the new Assistant Principal of Montgomery Elementary School. MES has a rich tradition of academic excellence, and I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve an amazing team of educators, students, and parents. I am passionate about education and school culture and am committed to champion a continued positive and inclusive learning environment for all students. As Assistant Principal, my goal is to foster relationships with students, parents, and staff members and dedicate myself to helping build a strong foundation of success for our young learners.

I grew up in a small Tennessee town, situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I have been a resident of Georgia for 30 years and have been living in Atlanta for the last 18 months. I am a proud graduate of South Greene High School (Tennessee). I attended Tusculum University on a basketball scholarship and graduated with a BA in Psychology. I earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Berry College and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Lincoln Memorial University.

I have been fortunate enough in my twenty years in education to have a multitude of experiences. I have held teaching positions in multiple special education settings in grades K-8. I have also taught 5th grade general education and had the privilege of coaching high school volleyball and middle school basketball in Floyd County Schools. In addition to classroom and coaching experience, I served in administrative positions as Compliance Specialist for Special Education, Special Education Coordinator and the Director of Special Education for Floyd County Schools. Most recently, I supported the students and teachers at Sagamore Hills Elementary as the MTSS Specialist.

In my free time, I like to stay busy. Family time is extremely important to me. Our small urban farm, with four goats, two sheep, and a mischievous Golden retriever, occupies some of my time away from school. I also enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and kayaking. Playing and watching sports have been a lifelong passion. When I take time to slow down, I enjoy reading. My favorite genres are mysteries, historical fiction, and psychological thrillers.

I can’t wait to become a part of the Mustang family this year!

Let's go, Mustangs!

Hello Montgomery family! My name is Dawn Powell, and I am so excited to begin work this year in the Media Center with Dr. Armer as the Library Media Assistant. If I look familiar, it may be for a few reasons: I am current MES parent; I have a son and daughter in the third grade. Also, I worked at Montgomery last school year as a full-time sub with Ms. Spann in her Pre-K class from October through the end of the school year, which was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Finally, this will be my third year serving on the board of the MES Parent Teacher Organization, this year as President. I am originally from Jacksonville, Florida, and am a proud graduate of the University of Florida. My degree and background are in Advertising, and I worked at a local advertising agency until my twins were born in 2014 and I decided to stay home with them. My love for Montgomery and children gave me the itch to give substitute teaching a go, which I did in 2022 as previously mentioned, and that is what has brought me here. I am an avid reader and am so excited to get started in this new role.

Hello Mustangs! My name is Jovan Ellis, but the students call me “Mr. Joe.” I am originally from Brooklyn, NY. In my spare time, I like playing video games, reading, playing the drums, and cooking for people. If I look familiar, I used to work at Montgomery back in 2016. I am excited about returning to my MES family.

I'm so thrilled and honored to be joining Montgomery Elementary School this year as a STAR substitute teacher. I'm a real estate agent with Atlanta Communities and prior to that I was a sales representative/trainer for Bristol Myers Squibb for 13 years. Prior to Bristol Myers, I started as a merchandiser/sales rep for Kimberly Clark. I have a B.S. in Natural Resources Administration from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. I'm originally from Youngstown, Ohio. I love nature and people. I worked two internship programs while at Ohio State, one at a state park and another teaching arts and crafts at a senior citizen center. I love children and I have a son who is 24 yrs. old. My hobbies are reading, exercising , hiking, playing with my dog, gardening and house projects.

Hello Everyone! I am Lorraine Smith-Kegler and I am excited to join The Mustang Team as a Pre-K paraprofessional. I have been working with children and families locally and abroad for over 20 years. I started my career working as a Dental Practice Manager. I have gained experience with Early Childhood Education age groups in various program structures.

I have a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration / Healthcare Management. My favorite thing to teach is "Story time ." I believe stories teach us about life, about ourselves and about others. Story time is a unique way for children to develop respect and appreciate other cultures.

In my spare time you can find me browsing around a Flea Market, Consignment store, taking on a DIY project or traveling. Looking forward to the school year, "Let's go Mustangs."

Hello Mustangs! My name is Dr. Laura Wiener, and I am very excited to join Montgomery Elementary School. I was born and raised in New York. After graduating from Duke University with a BS in Biology and Psychology, I obtained my Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Germany. To apply science and psychology to education, I attended Hebrew University of Jerusalem graduating with a degree in Specialized Education. I have been teaching at private, public, and special education schools for the past 30 years. My passion is to help children discover their love for learning, nurture empathy, and guide them to achieve their full potential. In my free time, I love to write children’s stories, read, paddle board and travel. I’m very enthusiastic about joining the Montgomery Mustangs!

“Hello MES Families!

I am so excited to be back in action at Montgomery this year 😊 In case we didn’t have the pleasure of meeting before, my name is Sabiha Hussain, and I previously taught 5th grade at Montgomery for 4 years. I stepped away for the past two years, but realized I missed the amazing kids and loving community like crazy. This year I’ll be returning to teach 4th grade for a change, and I’m super excited for this new adventure! I’m a born and raised “Georgia Peach," and I received my Bachelors in Science in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. I am also both ESOL and gifted endorsed. My heart lies with upper elementary kids, and their strange but hilarious sense of humor, and I can’t wait to wow them with the weird way I speak as an “old person”. Possibly one of my favorite feelings in the whole world is being able to make a kid who doesn’t feel like they belong, feel like they have a home in my classroom. Looking forward to seeing old faces and new faces alike, and creating the best year yet!”

Hello! I am Frank DeFilippo, and I am excited to join the Montgomery family as the new Lead Teacher for Special Education. In this role, I will split my work week between Montgomery and nearby John Lewis Elementary. I have 30 years of experience in special education, serving as a speech pathologist, special education teacher, and most recently as a special education coordinator. For the last 27 of those years, I worked in the neighboring City Schools of Decatur. I am excited to bring my passion for students with learning differences to serve the children, teachers, and families of Montgomery.

I grew up in south Florida and earned degrees from Georgetown University, the University of Florida, and the University of Georgia. I moved to Atlanta in 1996 soon after getting married. My wife, Maggie, is a speech pathologist with the Decatur schools, and we have two daughters, one in college and one in high school. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors – hiking, canoeing, riding my bike or just working in my yard. I also love being at home with family and friends. Both of my daughters are musicians, so I get to attend lots of their concerts and marching band events.

Looking forward to my new role at Montgomery and to a great school year!

Website: montgomeryes.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Location: 3995 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta, GA, United States
Phone: (678) 676-7502
Twitter: @MESMustangPride