Administration
Natalie Adams
Faculty Chair, 1992
BA, Philosophy, Harvard University; Foundation Year, Emerson College, Forest Row, England; Waldorf Teaching Certificate, Waldorf Pedagogical Seminar, Stuttgart, Germany
As an undergraduate, Natalie sought answers to questions that the study of philosophy provoked in her. She was given a great gift when a friend introduced her to the work of Rudolf Steiner which spoke more deeply to her than anything she had previously encountered. Her readings soon led her to Waldorf education which she marveled at as a treasure trove of wisdom and insight. Deciding to become a part of movement that offers so much to children and through them to the world, she did her best to learn German and traveled via England, to Germany to engage in teacher training.
These early studies also introduced her to Goethe’s scientific works which rekindled a love she had lost for science and mathematics, and over the years Natalie has taken courses whenever possible in the philosophy and science that flows from Rudolf Steiner’s work. After completing her teacher training in Stuttgart, she returned to her hometown of New York City to teach the first grade at the Rudolf Steiner School. She loved her students and was grateful for the experience and depth within faculty. After teaching grades one through five in New York, she married her husband John, and together, they moved to Washington, DC when he joined the US Foreign Service. Within a year they were sent to Bangkok, Thailand where their son, Jay, was born. Life in the diplomatic service has taken the family, with their daughter Sasha as well, to Romania and to Azerbaijan.
Most recently John was stationed in Nepal where the family visited him several times. These overseas postings and the incredible travel opportunities throughout Central Asia, Europe and Egypt during vacations, have given Natalie a deep appreciation of different cultures and religions and a love of the beauty of the earth. In both Bangkok and Bucharest she was involved in a variety of ways in Waldorf education. Most recently she was the class teacher of 2009, grades six through eight, and she has taught main lessons in the high school, most consistently a History of Western Philosophy to seniors. Over the past several years she has enjoyed the chance to work both with the students of the Center for Anthroposophy’s Foundation Studies and those of the Nova Institute’s Teacher Training.
Like her mother and two sisters, she loves to garden. Also, she has always welcomed the Waldorf demand to develop in all the arts.
John Cox
Facilities Manager, 2009
BA, History, Randolph-Macon College; MGA, University College, University of Maryland; 19 Year Member of the International Facilities Management Association
John, a native Washingtonian, has been a facilities management professional for 27 years, working for state and local governments and private industry. He has experience in building and grounds maintenance, lease acquisition, building construction, risk management assessment, and hazmat remediation. His construction management experience has included health clinics, classrooms and libraries, IT facilities, gymnasiums and playing fields, and marina and parking garage projects.
John has "lived aboard" for 14 years, and currently lives on a motorboat in southwest DC with his wife Laura (WWS's third grade teacher), their two daughters (both WWS lower school students), their dog and two - at the moment - cats. He enjoys sailing, running, bicycling, and skin and scuba diving. He is a motorcyclist and a private pilot. Being a product of DC public schools he is entranced and inspired to be watching first hand the education his daughters are receiving here at WWS.
Ann Laurie (Lur) Egan
Reception/Lower School Coordinator, 2010
BA Art History, Boston University, Graduate Credits towards Masters in Special Ed, Hunter College, NY, trained in Orton Gillingham.
Previously Lur has worked as a Professional Organizer, as a Clinician and Consultant for Linda Mood Bell Learning Processes, and as Director of Volunteer Resources for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Los Angeles. After spending twelve years in sunny California, she returned to the east coast and enrolled her two children at Acorn Hill, thus beginning her love of Waldorf Education. In her spare time she enjoys travel, good food and spending time with her partner and daughter, Porter and son, Caleb.
Stacey Kornegay
Assistant to the Faculty Chair; Tuition Assistance, 2005
A fourth generation native Washingtonian, Stacey graduated from DCPS and immediately went to work for government unions. She grew up in a household of the “working man,” so that was a very natural choice. Stacey then enrolled in the Catholic University of America and double majored in social work and psychology while working full-time. While studying educational philosophies, she “discovered” Waldorf education and was very fortunate enough to procure a position at WWS, thus fulfilling a life-long dream to work with children. She hopes to continue her education and acquire her remaining credits to receive her Bachelor’s degree in social work and psychology.
Stacey is the proud Mom of a fifth grade WWS student. Her interests include reading, knitting and traveling. Her travels have taken her to three different countries (Mexico, Belize and Guatemala) and the Caribbean. Her goal is to visit as many of the 50 states as possible (so far she’s visited 12) and hopes to make a trip cross country in the near future. She also enjoys listening to live jazz music, trips to museums, hiking in Rock Creek Park with her son and ice hockey. Stacey is also fluent in Spanglish!
Lezlie Lawson
Enrollment Director, 2006
BFA, University of Tennessee; Education course work, University of New Orleans and Georgia State University; K-12 teaching certification in Maryland, Certificate in Waldorf School Administration and Community Development, Sunbridge College
Lezlie began her work in Waldorf education at Green Meadow and is the parent of two grown daughters who attended four different Waldorf schools from kindergarten through twelth grade. Lezlie loves art and all kinds of music, especially bluegrass festivals. She also enjoys getting out into the country with her husband Rob, singing, berry picking, baking, and looks forward to expanding her vegetable garden every spring. Maybe someday she’ll fulfill her dream of a being a suburban homesteader by adding chickens and bees.
Marcia Leonard
Business Manager, 2003
AA, Accounting, Thornton Community College; post-graduate accounting and computer studies at Southern Illinois University and Northern Illinois University, 2008 graduate of two-year Foundation Studies Program offered at WWS by Center for Anthroposophy
Originally from Chicago, Marcia moved to the Washington area in 1987. In Chicago, she worked for a general contractor and an investment company. After moving here, she worked for an office design firm, a CPA firm and was Accounting Manager at Mount Vernon for five years. She joined the staff at WWS as a part-time office assistant and then became Business Manager in 2003. She loves to cook, read and do handwork (although not all at once!). Marcia also enjoys skiing and traveling with her husband and son.
Caitlin MacKenzie
Capital Campaign Director, 2011
BA, Self-Design Interdisciplinary Major: Structure, Method and Meaning in the Arts, Connecticut College. Master of Architecture, University of Washington. Foundation Studies Certificate, Center for Anthroposophy. Alumna, Washington Waldorf School, Eighth Grade Class of 1982.
Prior to joining the WWS staff, Caitlin has been involved in non-profit affordable housing development, finance and grant writing, working for local and national non-profits in Maine, Maryland and Washington, DC. Growing up in Washington, DC, Caitlin became an avid whitewater kayaker and spent 10+ years teaching whitewater and sea kayaking and canoeing to children and adults. She has co-led a three-week canoe trip on the Allagash River in Maine, and completed a 400-mile self-supported sea kayak trip up the southeast coast of Alaska, with her now husband, Noel. Her interests include sustainable green building design, and community building. She is a LEED accredited professional and has served on the Board of her neighborhood association since 2008. Caitlin enjoys sharing her love of outdoor adventure and travel (she hopes to return to Guatemala, New Zealand and Turkey someday) with her husband and two daughters.
Marie Maurer
Business Office Associate, 2006
BS, Business Administration, University of Maryland
Marie grew up in Maryland, but moved to PA for high school. She returned to MD after high school to attend college. Marie has three children and is married to Steve who works at the Kennedy Center. Before coming to the Waldorf School, Marie worked for 5 years as the Practice Manager at an orthopedic practice in Silver Spring. She is also a trained massage therapist from the Baltimore School of Massage. Before children, Marie and her husband enjoyed traveling to the Caribbean and became certified in scuba diving in the Cayman Islands. Her interests include yoga, reading and travel.
Bonnie McClelland
High School Coordinator, 1999
Liberal Arts Coursework, Hampshire College, Montgomery College, Smith College; Foundation Studies Certificate, Center for Anthroposophy; Antioch Graduate School; alumna, Washington Waldorf School Class of 1988
Bonnie grew up on Overlea Road, just over the fence from the school playground. Bonnie and her younger brother graduated from WWS, and continuing the family tradition, her son did too. Before coming to work at WWS, she was a benefits specialist with the US Office of Personnel Management. Bonnie particularly enjoys swimming and the beach, a good cup of coffee, exploring around and beyond the DC area, and working in the high school. Her distinctive call of “Go Red” can be heard at many school sporting events.
Maria Monteverde-Jackson
Associate Director, Development, 2011
BA, English, College of William and Mary; Professional Certification in Event Management, George Washington University.
As an Army Brat, Maria moved seven times before the age of 13. As a result, her default hometowns became St. Paul, MN and Ensenada, Mexico where her grandparents lived. Living in such a variety of places could explain why she loves Manhattan as much as she enjoyed a six week RV trip cross country in 2000. Maria worked at America Online as an editor and project manager for serveral years before starting her own event management business, which she closed in 2007. She was the Director of the Leonsis Foundation for four years, served on the Board of Directors for the Fund for William and Mary from 2000-08 and was an elected member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 2008 to 2012. Besides spending time with her husband, two boys (both at WWS) and their yellow lab, Maria enjoys cooking, baking, throwing parties, running, the Olympics (she's attended three - as a spectator!) and taking advantage of all DC has to offer.
Eron Picus
Executive Chef, 2010
Attended Culinary Institute of America; Head Chef Rudolf Steiner Institute; Chef Omega Institute; over 20 years of catering and restaurant experience
Chef Eron began his work at WWS recently after extensive experience in the restaurant and catering world. He brings his classical French training and fine dining skills to prepare delicious, healthy and organic lunches for the school community. In addition to running the food program at WWS, Chef Picus also runs a his own event catering company. He has been the owner and chef of this company for the past 10 years. Chef Eron is an avid Maryland basketball fan and enjoys season tickets with his wife Sarah, but his favorite pastime is laying on the floor with his new daughter Nora.
Marta Schley
Registrar, College Advisor, and Foreign Exchange Coordinator, 2002
BA, Drama—Speech, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; MAT, Museum Education, George Washington University; Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits in college counseling; Member National Association of College Admissions Counseling.
Marta grew up on a federal trout hatchery in rural Vermont and moved to the D.C. area at age 10. After graduating from UNC-Greensboro in 1972 with a B.A. in Drama-Speech, Marta's work in local theatre lead her to the Smithsonian Institution where she worked several years on the annual Festival of American Folklife. Upon completing her M.A.T. in Museum Education from George Washington University in 1979, she became Curator of Education for Hale Farm and Village, a living history museum set in the 1840's in northeastern Ohio for seven years. Upon returning to the east coast, she and her husband Paul Squire discovered Waldorf education. While a mostly stay-at-home mom of daughters Cody and Becky, Marta worked part-time for several years for the Washington Revels as public relations director and associate producer. She has worked for eight years as Registrar, Foreign Exchange Coordinator and College Advisor, and continues her interests in theatre, travel, history, animal and human behavior, and, of course, visiting as many colleges as she can find time for.
Steve Smith
Director of Development, 2005
BA with honors, Syracuse University (phi beta kappa); MA, The Johns Hopkins University
As Development Director, Steve is responsible for whole school fundraising efforts, communications, including the weekly Bulletin and WWS website, and events, including the fall bazaar and spring gala. Prior to coming to WWS, Steve had more than 25 years of project planning, communications, and development experience as a consultant to federal government agencies, local governments, and non profit organizations, with a special focus on energy and environmental issues.
Susan Walsh
Librarian, Therapeutic Eurythmist, 2006
BA, German, Franklin and Marshall College; MLS, Library Science, Drexel University; Foundation Year, Sunbridge College; Artistic Eurythmy Training, Eurythmy Spring Valley; Pedagogical Eurythmy Training, Antioch New England Graduate School; Therapeutic Eurythmy Training, Peredur Centre for the Arts, East Grinstead, England. Member, Eurythmy Association of North America; Member, Association for Therapeutic Eurythmy in North America (ATHENA).
Originally from New Jersey, Susan grew up in Arlington, VA, and, after many years away, returned in 2006 to the D.C. area. As librarian, she worked at the Art Institute of Chicago Library, the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City, Sunbridge College Library, and several New York State public libraries. Her most unusual jobs during college were in a potato chip factory and at the Oktoberfest in Munich! Her interests include bookbinding, swimming, walking, and travel. Travels have taken her around the United States and Europe (especially to Germany thanks to a German mother), to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, to northern India and Katmandu, Nepal, and to Turkey where she has visited more than five times. Susan speaks German and has studied French, Latin, and Turkish.
