"If education is protection to life, you will realize that it is necessary that education accompany life during its whole course."
- Maria Montessori
"If education is protection to life, you will realize that it is necessary that education accompany life during its whole course."
- Maria Montessori
About Our Board Members
The MSC Board of Trustees is entrusted with the school’s governance and strategic direction. It oversees financial management, policy formulation, long-term planning, and appointment and evaluation of the Head of School. While the Board appoints the Head of School, it typically does not engage in other staffing, operations, or academic decisions. The Head of School assumes the role of day-to-day operational leadership, implementing the Board’s strategic vision and managing the school’s administrative and educational functions. This distinction ensures a collaborative partnership between the board and the Head of School, with the Board setting the overarching direction and the Head of School executing it effectively to advance the school’s mission and goals.
Contact the Board of Trustees at MSC: board@montessoricolumbia.com
Chanda Booker
Board Member
Chanda has been a parent at MSC since 2020 and works as the Associate Director of Special Admissions and Testing for Midlands Technical College. She received her Bachelor’s in English from Benedict College and dual Master’s degrees in Human Resources Management and Human Resources Development from Webster University. She has 15 years of service in the field of Higher Education.
Mary Lucas
Board Member
Mary has been a parent at MSC since 2020 and works as a digital rights lawyer for the Open Technology Fund. She was a triple major in college and graduated cum laude from law school before serving as law clerk to the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court of South Carolina and as the Chief Information Security Officer/Chief Privacy Officer for several government agencies. Mary is a proud graduate of the Clemson Montessori School, where she attended from 3K – 6th grade.
Bridgett Shealey
Board Member
Bridgett has been a parent at MSC since 2021 and is a licensed insurance agent. Prior to joining the Board, she played many integral roles at the school like leading committees for development, volunteering for events, and assisting in the administrative office. She serves as an MSC Parent Liaison and Ambassador, being available to welcome and guide new families in the community as well as support staff and prospective parents during Information Sessions. Bridgett has a wealth of experience in different professions both in Columbia and Charleston as well as Augusta, GA. In her free time, Bridgett enjoys discussing politics, music, and literature, and she dedicates a great deal of time to taking care of her dog, Lola, and her family.
Ginny Warren
Board Member
Ginny is the primary licensed psycho-educational specialist and owner of Blooming Minds, LLC. She has nearly 25 years of experience working with students in various capacities from preschool through college age and has served students in independent schools, public schools, and colleges. Ginny received her Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Francis Marion University and her Master of Arts in School Psychology and Specialist in Education from The Citadel.
L. Kobie Wilkerson
Board Member
L. Kobie Wilkerson a.k.a L. Kobie Da Wiz is an award-winning author, poet, speaker, presenter, storyteller, edutainer, master teacher, and powerful transformer of schools and organizations. He ingeniously converts resistance to change into receptiveness for growth. He is a leading authority on helping schools and organizations cultivate relationships that support a healthy culture and climate. Kobie works with schools and organizations where it is his goal to see them systematically operate at their best, so they can effectively impact those they serve. Passionate about continuous growth, he decided to pursue education to shape and mold the values of children by inspiring them to love knowledge and to be life long learners. Mr. Wilkerson has a B.A. in Education and a B.S. in Sociology from Kentucky State University. He obtained his Masters in Education Administration from Kansas State University. Kobie is a graduate of the Les Brown speaker training program and was also selected as a South Carolina Educational Policy Fellow, a program of the Institute for Educational Leadership out of Washington, D.C.
Kobie has taught in Topeka, Kansas and Cincinnati, Ohio (where he was born and raised). During his time in Cincinnati he founded Camp Gye Nyame, a summer camp that focuses on reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. He has presented in South Africa, and most recently participated in a Kenyan delegation put together by Utengo, whose goal is strengthening impoverished Christian churches and schools so that they become places of healing and restoration for Kenyan youth. Currently, Kobie serves as chief consultant of the Love II Learn Educational Group and Love II Learn Music where they work to empower teachers to engage students to transform our world through literacy and music. He is also President of Love II Learn Books and CEO/President of the newly founded Love II Learn Foundation. Kobie has a passion for relationships and personal development, and a sincere desire to see all who he comes in contact with become their very best.
