Our Team

The people who run this school.

Founders and guides. Each one chose this work for the same reason: every child is uniquely gifted, and our job is to help them discover what they're for.

Barbara Jauregui Wurst, MD MSc

Co-founder, Executive Director

Barbara is an Argentine-American physician specialized in global health and research. She has extensive experience implementing project-based learning, and is an adjunct professor at George Washington University, where she uses the Socratic discussion method. She has always been actively involved in her children's education and found a renewed passion for education innovation during the COVID pandemic. She delights in creating and documenting captivating projects with a multidimensional and multicultural approach for young learners.

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle."— San Francesco of Assisi

Hernan Dario Feler, MBA

Co-founder, Director of Finance and Operations

Hernan is a committed Argentine entrepreneur with post-graduate studies in Business Administration and Online Business. He specializes in toys, games, and other children-specific products, including educational and developmental materials. Hernan brings twenty-eight years of international experience as a business owner in Argentina, and is used to working in multicultural environments. He has a focus on innovative strategies and has travelled around the globe. Hernan found true inspiration in Acton, and hopes to make a difference for future generations.

"If the heart is empty, the head doesn't matter."— Jerry Maguire, 1996

Julieta Jauregui, PhD in Sociology

Co-founder, STEM and Spanish Education

Julieta is Barbara's sister and Hernan's wife, with a PhD in Sociology and a background in Graphic Design — blending her love for children and art with a passion for innovative education. She specializes in program design, believes deeply in hands-on, project-based learning, and currently contributes as a program designer at The Learning Quest, a nonprofit focused on learner-centered education and community outreach.

"Pray, hope, and don't worry."— Padre Pio

Tim Chen, American Montessori Society Early Childhood Credential

Head of School · Spark and Discovery Studio Guide

We feel honored to have Mr Tim as part of our foundational team — we couldn't have built this school without him. Tim is a Taiwanese American who has lived the majority of his life in the United States. After college, he enjoyed a productive 12 years as a youth pastor and is now a Montessori educator (15 years and counting). Tim was a Field Consultant and Early Childhood Instructor at a Montessori institute. He holds a B.S. in Biology from UCLA and received his AMS Early Childhood Credential from the Institute for Advanced Montessori Studies. He is also a certified Positive Discipline Trainer. Tim believes that making meaningful connections with his students is his primary goal as a guide.

"We cannot protect our children from life. Therefore, it is essential that we prepare them for it."— Rudolf Dreikurs

Cristina Villas, Psychology degree

Discovery Studio Guide

Born and raised in Mexico, Cristina brings a warm cultural perspective and a deep love for children. She holds a degree in Psychology and recently completed her Associate's degree in Education. Cristina believes every child learns differently and that it's an educator's job to meet them where they are — creating space to explore, discover, and build confidence at their own pace. She sees mistakes not as failures, but as one of the most powerful parts of learning. As a native Spanish speaker, she progressively incorporates Spanish in the Discovery studio throughout the day.

"Children are not things to be molded, but people to be unfolded."— Jess Lair

Marcela Montoya Hoyos, MS in Info & Comm Technology (ICT)

Spanish Language Acquisition

Marcela is a passionate languages specialist guided by her vocation and love for embracing learners into a new language. Born in Colombia, she has over four years of experience showing learners of all ages different ways to explore a language in a positive, loving, and holistic way at their own pace — which is why she believes the Montessori methodology is a wonderful environment to learn a second language. She holds a master's degree and specialization in ICT applied in the classroom, plus a TESL certificate from the TEFL Academy.

"I have a day. If I know how to make the most of it, I have a treasure."— Gabriela Mistral

Fernanda Ribeiro Gonçalves Lima

Extended Day Program

Graduated in Social Work, Fernanda has worked in pediatric hospital settings, supporting children and their families. Her journey also includes experiences in playful and educational contexts — children's parties, camps — where she strengthened her sensitive listening and attentive perspective on human development. She is currently pursuing studies in Psychopedagogy. Brazilian and mother of teenage twins, Fernanda finds in motherhood one of her greatest sources of learning and inspiration.

"The main goal of education is to create individuals capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done."— Jean Piaget

Mary Pat Schlickenmaier, MEd

Catechist

Mary Pat began her professional career teaching high school biology, chemistry, and physics, did a few years as a medical assistant, returned to the classroom as a middle school science teacher for 13 years, and then as the principal of a PreK-8 school for 21 years. She loved being in the classroom and continued to teach one class a day all her years as principal. Having retired from the principal position in 2019, Mary Pat teaches a class in school leadership for Marymount University. Mary Pat advises us on school management and our faith identity, and she leads our optional after-school catechesis program.

"Integrity – Humility – Mission."— Her personal motto