Meet the Board

A resident of the Bluffton community for nearly 20 years, Catherine Donaldson is honored to serve as a newly elected member to the MRM board. A local realtor and mother of four, Catherine moved her youngest child, aged 6 at the time, to MRM after the sudden loss of her husband in 2016. The nurturing environment at such a crucial and pivotal moment in a young child’s life was vital at the time and the four years spent in attendance will never be forgotten. Catherine is well known amongst the community for giving back, having been awarded the Champions for Public Education award in 2021 from the South Carolina School Board Association for her Kindles for Kids campaign during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to her career in real estate, Catherine served as a grant writer for the University of Mississippi and is looking forward to being a creative asset and addition to the MRM board. In her spare time you can often find Catherine on her boat, cruising the estuaries of the Lowcountry with her children.

Jessi has lived in the Bluffton area for over 17 years with her husband and now four children. She practices pediatric speech-language pathology and is the founder/owner of Lowcountry Therapy (established in 2010), providing speech, occupational, feeding and physical therapy for children in Beaufort County and beyond. All four of her biological children have attended MRM as well as children that were fostered in their home. At one point in time, Jessi had a child in every classroom in MRM. While a parent at MRM, Jessi participated in the Parent Association, led/assisted in multiple fund-raising initiatives and volunteered as needed - especially with Farmer B's gardening program while it was getting started. She is a new member of MRM's Board of Trustees and hopes to provide stability with her passion not only for the Montessori method but also for employee satisfaction, training and culture. She strongly believes that MRM holds a very special place in the Bluffton community. She pledges to do her best to maintain the school's integrity and mission for the families that entrust their children with an education at MRM

Born and raised in Bluffton SC, I have seen first-hand the evolution of our community, and along with it the evolution of May River Montessori. When my mother Nancy Golson founded MRM, it was out of pure necessity. There were no options for early childhood learning. From the one room, two teacher program I was among the first to graduate from MRM. I join the board with a desire to carry on the legacy of the school. The need today has changed. Now more than ever, our children demand a space to find their foundation in the world. For my family, our years at MRM were magical. My girls established core values of community while acquiring the building blocks of language and math. I hope that many more families find MRM the perfect place for their families to thrive. As a lifetime restauranteur, I understand the concept of continuing to stay relevant, while adapting to change. I hope to contribute valuable community and parental insight to the board. MRM holds a very special place in my heart.

Chris and his wife Emily have four children who have all attended May River Montessori. Chris's mother-in-law, Mary Vaux, co-founded the school in 1987 and Chris is currently in his third term on the Board. Chris has a passion for giving to children and teens to help them have the best start in life possible. Chris co-manages an orphanage that was built ground up with family and friends in Tanzania, the Valentine Home, where they have up to 70 boys and girls ages 5 through 18. Chris serves on the Palmetto Board for Folds of Honor and helps raise funds for educational scholarships. Chris graduated from The College of Charleston with a B.S. in Economics and is the President of J. Banks, a 40-year-old family company based in Hilton Head. Chris and his family attend City Hope Church.

May River Montessori welcomes Lynn Thurlow to the board. Lynn is strong advocate and proponent of Montessori education. She is an American Montessori Society certified teacher with years of classroom experience. She has served in South Carolina as Lead Teacher and Director of a private Montessori Pre-School as well as Principal of a Public Montessori Charter school grades 1-8, Lynn is married to her husband David they have four Montessori educated children: one serving as a Paramedic, one commissioned and serving with the Navy, one in her final year of Nursing at University of South Carolina and their youngest a senior at Bluffton High School. Lynn is a graduate of Auburn University and the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. She works as an attorney with the Jolley Law Group and is deeply committed to the Bluffton Community as her family has been on the May River for over a century.

My wife Krissy and I have 2 children, Julian (10) and Benjamin (3). We discovered Montessori after we moved to Hilton Head in August, 2020. Julian experienced 2 wonderful years at Sea Pines Montessori before enrolling at Hilton Head Christian when our family moved to Bluffton. Benjamin is in his 2nd year at May River Montessori having greatly enjoyed the Cottage, now the Sunflower Room and always Farmer B. We previously lived in Santa Monica CA and are both originally from Harrisburg, PA. I studied economics at Penn State and have a law degree from George Washington in addition to completing a Fulbright in Cologne, Germany. I have practiced corporate law, been a partner in an internet marketing company and now manage a real estate fund. I have previously served on the board of Lancaster Mennonite HS and Penn State where I was a trustee for 6 years. I continue to serve as member of the endowment oversight committee at PSU. We have found our "home" in Bluffton and are delighted to be part of this wonderful community.

I am the Father of Matthew Stratis (Oak Room 6th grade) who has been attending May River since 2020. My Wife, Karen, and I moved to Hilton Head in 2020 from New Jersey with our two sons, Matthew and Christian (19 attending University of Alabama at Birmingham on a baseball scholarship) and dog Mickey. When we moved to Hilton Head, we heard about May River Montessori and visited the campus and were thrilled at the opportunity to enroll Matthew. May River Montessori is a place where children are nurtured, educated, and developed into future leaders. I believe in the Proverb that you “Train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” That applies to all of us as parents as well as the teachers at May River Montessori who put the children first. I am a lawyer and member of the Bar of the State of New Jersey for 32 years and continue my legal practice with my office in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. My practice is a general litigation practice in both State and Federal Courts. My practice includes working with a number of non-profit organizations and litigation on their behalf. I served as advisory counsel to many non-profit organizations and served for many years on boards and committees of many non-profit organizations in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. I am excited to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees and hope I can be an asset to the MRM community

We found May River Montessori when our three children were two years old after being invited to the annual Gala. The Cottage was a wonderful place for them to start their education journey. As the years went by, a decade to be exact, they all thrived at MRM and graduated from the Oak room last year. This is my second year on the board and I am proud to serve as a Board Member and help the school and it’s current and future students and staff grow and move forward. The MRM community has helped my family through the years and we are thankful to have been apart of it for so long.

Mr. Vaux attended schools in Beaufort County and the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut, followed by the University of South Carolina School of Business Administration (1968) and then the School of Law (1972). He was the Assistant Director for the 1st Heritage Golf Classic (1969). He worked for a small local law firm before opening Vaux Law Firm in 1973. The firm became Vaux & Marscher in 1992. Mr. Vaux has been active in local affairs, having served as Chairman of the County Emergency Medical Services Commission, Beaufort Memorial Hospital, Broad River Health Care, Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation, Town of Bluffton Beautification Committee, Town of Bluffton Development Corporation, co-founder Hilton Head Island Bar Association, Assistant Solicitor 14th Judicial Circuit, Vestry St. Lukes Church, and Church of the Cross. He is married to the former Mary A. Bolen, one of May River Montessori’s founders and has four children.

Alison Howard is a long-time resident of Bluffton and a passionate advocate for the Lowcountry lestyle. Onginally from Alpharetta, Georgla, Alison and her husband relocated to Bluffton in 2003, along with their two daughters, Bayleigh and Molly.

Upon moving to Bluffton, Alison and her husband sought to provide their children with an intimate and meaningful education that would not only support their academic growth but also instill a lifelong love of learning and a commitment to giving back. They found that in Cross Schools. Alison became deeply involved with the school community volunteering extensively Her dedication and leadership were soon recognized, and she was invited to take on a formal role, which evolved into a 12-year tenure as Director of Admissions.

During her time as Director of Admissions, Alison played a pivotal role in shaping the school's early educational environment. She not only oversaw admissions but also developed and implemented teacher training programs to ensure that staff met continuing education requirements. Her efforts helped foster a culture of excellence and growth among both students and educators.

Alison's passion for early education is deeply rooted in her family's history. Her parents established the first private early childhood education center in Alpharetta, running It successfully for over 30 years and positively impacting the lives of countless families. Having witnessed the transformative power of a nurturing and supportive educational environment-both as a child and as a parent-Alison is thrilled to bring her expertise and enthusiasm to May River Montessori.

Alison is honored to serve the May River Montessori community and is committed to contributing to an environment that supports not only students but their families as well. She looks forward to continuing her lifelong mission of fostering meaningful educational experiences that inspire a love of learning and a sense of community.