Karen has been involved in the Montessori education sector for over three decades. She has been a Montessori teacher, principal, board director, consultant, researcher and parent.  Karen holds the AMI 3-6 and 6-12 Diplomas and the AMI Orientation to Adolescent Studies.  She has a PhD in Montessori Leadership from Monash University in Melbourne and is currently working on publishing material from her thesis.  Karen is a qualified Company Director with over 20 years of governance experience and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.  She has worked for government, large corporates and SMEs and is currently a board director at Sydney Montessori Training Centre and Mansfield District Hospital.  In 2016, she was granted a State Fellowship Award from the Australian Council of Educational Leaders for her contribution to the education sector.