Mali came to Aidan as a Toddler Assistant in 2008. Prior to arriving at Aidan, she worked with Chevy Chase Baptist Church Children’s Center as teacher aide for two years and also dedicated time to raising her children. Prior to moving to the US in 2004, she studied both drafting and education, and worked as draftsman and teacher.

Mali grew up in Colombo, Sri Lanka. She currently lives in Rockville, MD, with her husband, teenage daughter, and son. Apart from interacting with children, she enjoys gardening, reading, and traveling.

Julia is the school counselor, and will be providing social, emotional and mental health support to students at Aidan. She entered the field of school counseling because she wanted to combine her interest and experience in both education and mental health and provide a wider impact in the school community. She is excited to be at Aidan Montessori School and in such a nurturing, caring, and child-centered environment. Julia has spent her professional career working with infants through 8th grade. She is a licensed social worker since 2020 with experience in early childhood and special education. Julia holds an undergraduate degree in sociology with a minor in psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University, in Madison, NJ and a master's degree in social work from Indiana University with a concentration in school social work. She has worked in both public and private schools, with very diverse student populations, and has had a year and a half of post-graduate supervised experience providing therapy in schools.

Julia is originally from New Jersey, and moved to DC three years ago after attending graduate school in Indianapolis, IN. She loves exploring DC and her hobbies include hiking, biking, and reading.

Zinat started her career at Aidan in 2004 by spending nine years as a Lower Elementary Classroom Assistant. She expanded her role at the school in 2009, when she joined the After School Program (ASP) staff. She also spent one year as a Toddler Assistant, several years as a Substitute and several years as a Primary Assistant - a role for which she earned AMI certification. Zinat currently serves as the Assistant for the Sassafras Young Children's Community. Her career in education began in her hometown of Ramallah, where she co-founded a private preschool and worked there as a teacher and administrator. After moving to the US, she worked for several years as an Educational Aid at Hearst Elementary and as a Primary Assistant at Franklin Montessori School. She has also completed Montessori workshops on a variety of topics including music and parent education.

Zinat is a native of Palestine and a native Arabic speaker. She enjoys working in her community garden, reading, cooking and traveling. Her daughter, Janine, is an honors graduate of Brown University and recently completed an MBA at Harvard University. Her son, Omar, is an honors graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University.

Mila Rey came to Aidan as a parent in 1995 and joined the staff in 1997. She grew up in the Philippines, and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Far Eastern University in Manila. She also holds a Certificate from the AMI Assistants Course in Washington, DC and from the Montessori Institute at Loyola University in Maryland.

Mila speaks Tagalog, likes cooking, and enjoys reading. Her daughter, Kristine, graduated from Aidan in 2004.

Janet Reyes joins Aidan as a member of the ASP staff for the 2023-24 school year. Prior to her arrival at Aidan, she served as a preschool and after school assistant at the Montessori School of Chevy Chase and St. Michael’s Family Day Care. Janet also worked as a senior sales and services representative for Philippine Airlines for close to twenty years.

Janet was first introduced to Montessori when her grandson enrolled in program a little over two years ago. In her free time, Janet enjoys the arts and music.

Jamie is well-known in the AMI Montessori world. In the past four years she founded Rising Tide Montessori, an online resource center, and Sea Lavender Montessori, a micro-school associated with Wildflower Schools. Her career in Montessori education is now in its third decade, and includes more than 10 years as a classroom teacher and school administrator and over 10 years as a trainer of teachers. She is an Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) trainer, examiner, and consultant at the elementary level. She has coached teachers and advised administrators at schools around the world, and she has presented at conferences and for parents throughout the United States, and in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. She also regularly participates in the podcast All Things Montessori. Born and raised on an island in the Pacific Northwest, Jamie now lives in Washington, DC. She loves to read, cook, and travel with her family in her spare time. Jamie and her husband, Jesse Tarbert, a historian of American politics, have two grown daughters who both attended Montessori schools.

Japera has worked in admissions and education since 2011. In addition to being in all roles in admissions, she has served as a primary school teacher, a professor in higher education, a Board member, the VP of Equity and Inclusivity, and a published, professional researcher in education. As a parent of a Montessori-raised child, she understands and appreciates the Montessori pedagogy and approach to learning and can comment on the benefits of a Montessori education. Japera considers herself a lifelong learner and attributes her passion in education to her personal experiences and educational journey growing up in Colorado.

As a Denver-native, she moved to the DMV with her family in 2021. She currently resides in Maryland and enjoys the diversity, pace, and access to history and cultural Washington D.C. has to offer. Outside of Aidan, she enjoys spending time with her family at the zoo, rock climbing, and doing yoga.