Our Faculty & Staff

Nick Combemale has been the Head of School since the founding of The Montessori Schools. He brings an impressive track record in private education to his role that includes the stewardship of premiere academic institutions; the development of a leading-edge online global platform of preparatory and testing tools; and the creation of cultural initiatives designed to inculcate a love of the arts in young minds. From 2006-2008 Mr. Combemale served as COO and Board Member of the Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education in East Hampton, New York, where he managed the growth of the Ross Institute member schools, the launch of Ross Global Academy Public Charter School, the launch of the Ross Institute as an international accrediting body and the launch of the Ross Institute Academy as a provider of teacher professional development based on the Ross Model. He led the design and launch of the “@Ross” programs including the summer concert series featuring artists such as Billy Joel, Prince, Tom Petty and Dave Mathews; and the unique Ross summer camp program.

Mr. Combemale also negotiated an historic agreement with the City of Stockholm to oversee the academic restructuring of Tensta Gymnasium, a public school in Stockholm. From 2001-2006, he served as a Trustee and as COO at Morriss Center School (MCS) in Bridgehampton, New York where he led the successful merger of MCS with Ross School. During his tenure at MCS, he designed and launched a new cultural program, “Morriss Center Dance” in partnership with noted choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, that made leading dancers and dance projects accessible to students at MCS and members of the wider community.

In 2009, recognizing the critical need for early preparation in the U.S. university admissions process, Mr. Combemale founded Access America Prep (AAP), developing proprietary content tailored specifically for international students. AAP designed assessments used by Admissions offices at leading schools and regional accrediting bodies, delivered through a proprietary, biometrically secured digital platform. AAP has partnerships in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, South Africa, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and India.

Prior to his involvement in education, Mr. Combemale worked in a variety of capacities in finance and investment, including a five-year role as the Chairman and CEO of Alper Holdings USA, Inc., a diversified holding company with over $1.3 billion in assets. Under his stewardship, Alper Holdings invested more than $700,000,000 of capital in various manufacturing and real estate entities.

Mr. Combemale also co-founded and served as a managing director at VMI Securities, Inc., a boutique investment banking and securities firm specializing in cross border M&A. Prior to that, he was in the investment banking division at Nomura Securities International, where he was a co-founder of the Latin America emerging markets group.

Mr. Combemale is the father of three children, Olivia, Ian, and Cecilia. He is a native of New York City, and is a graduate of Hamilton College.

Sadiya joined The Montessori Schools as Assistant Head of School - Education in 2019. She has 21 years of experience in teaching, curriculum development and in the field of education, the last 18 of which have been with children under the age of 6. Once she found Montessori she knew it was where the magic happens! She experienced first hand how impactful working with infants can be in setting up a student's future academic success. 

In her previous role as Director of CA Technologies Montessori Children's Center, Sadiya was responsible for the daily operations of a high quality, corporate sponsored AMI accredited Montessori school. She coached and mentored a team of 60 teachers and offered her full support to parents. In 2014, Sadiya traveled to Hyderabad, India and helped open a Montessori school, hired and trained its staff and conducted parent education workshops. Prior to her 12 year career at CA Technologies, Sadiya taught high school Chemistry, Civics, Political Science and college level Biochemistry.

Sadiya has presented workshops at numerous education conferences locally and internationally on topics including child development, Montessori in the home, as well as classroom and family engagement. She has also conducted teacher training workshops at multiple orphanages internationally. She serves on the Education Advisory Board for NYIT’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Education and previously served as Treasurer on the Board of the New York State Montessori Alliance.

Sadiya holds an international AMI Primary Montessori Diploma (ages 3-6) from the Montessori Training Center of Northeast.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Chemistry and Secondary Education from the University of Michigan. In 2011, she earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration, Policy Analysis and Evaluation from Baruch College - The City University of New York. Sadiya was selected for and successfully completed a rigorous year long Corporate Leadership Development Program in 2015. She continues to attend numerous workshops year round to gain information on the latest research and best practices in all things related to child development, neuroscience, literacy, early childhood education, Montessori and social and emotional learning.

Sadiya loves and truly enjoys having the opportunity to get to know each adorable student. She takes great pride in wanting each student to accelerate and optimize their learning experience. Sadiya meets with parents frequently to offer strategies on how to support their individual child's well-being and learning. She also finds joy in contributing to and partnering with our vibrant, talented and passionate community of educators. 

In addition to her passion for Montessori and Early Childhood Education, Sadiya loves spending time with her family and friends.

She enjoys cooking for them by experimenting with meals and playing barista with her manual espresso machine while dabbling with latte art. She grew up playing many sports, but was best at Tennis. She marvels at all things related to science, history, sports, music and travel. You can find her glued to college football on Saturdays (Go Blue!) and the NFL on Sundays (Go Lions!), with multiple screen view to include Tennis and F1. She looks forward to having the privilege of meeting you and your child.

Chelsea brings a dynamic background in early childhood education, independent school admissions, and family engagement. She began her career in the classroom, including experience in Montessori environments, where she developed a deep appreciation for child-led learning, independence, and the importance of thoughtfully prepared spaces.

Prior to joining our team, Chelsea received a Masters degree in Early Childhood Development from Bank Street. She served as an Admissions Officer at Trinity School in New York City, where she was an integral part of evaluating Kindergarten applicants. She also spent ten years as a teacher at P.S. 414 Brooklyn Arbor School and as a lead guide at West Side Montessori.

Chelsea’s unique blend of Montessori-informed practice, classroom teaching, and strategic admissions experience allows her to thoughtfully guide families through the admissions journey. She is deeply committed to building authentic relationships and ensuring that each family feels seen, informed, and connected to the school community from the very first interaction. Chelsea is a native New Yorker and lives with her husband, their two and a half year old daughter, Madeleina, and their dog Alfie. As a family, they spend much of their time outdoors exploring parks and neighborhoods, and enjoy getting out of the city to spend time in nature whenever they can. Chelsea also enjoys cooking and frequent trips to the American Museum of Natural History, a favorite pastime which she now loves to share with her daughter.

Joan Ong brings more than a decade of experience in early childhood education and school administration across the Philippines and the United States. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from De La Salle University and began her career in both teaching and administrative roles, developing a deep commitment to supporting children, families, and educators.

Since joining The Montessori Schools in December 2017, Joan has grown alongside the school, serving in a variety of teaching and administrative roles before assuming increasing leadership responsibilities. Working closely with faculty, staff, and families has deepened her appreciation for the Montessori philosophy and the importance of creating warm, welcoming, and thoughtfully prepared environments where children can thrive. Her connection to Montessori is also personal—her daughter attended The Montessori Schools from toddler through graduation, reinforcing Joan's belief in fostering independence, curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.

Joan is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education (Birth–Grade 2, Dual Certification) at the University of Mount Saint Vincent while working toward her New York State teaching certification. She considers it a privilege to partner with families during their children's earliest years and is committed to ensuring every family feels welcomed, supported, and connected throughout their Montessori journey.

Christine graduated from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook with a degree in Social Sciences, and Child and Family Studies.  Following graduation, she began working as a toddler associate at the CA Montessori Children’s Center in Islandia, New York.  From there, she went on to complete her AMI training ages 0-3 where she was later promoted to a toddler lead guide teaching toddlers for the next four years.  During her time at the CA Montessori Children’s Center, Christine had changed positions from recruiting teachers for the center, working as an infant lead guide, working as a primary associate guide, to becoming a supervisor.  Her love and passion for the classroom continued to flourish and Christine went on to complete her Master’s in Early Childhood Education from C.W. Post, Long Island University.  While there she completed her student teaching requirements and obtained her NYS teaching certification ages Birth through to 6^th grade.  In addition, Christine also completed her AMI training in Hartford, Connecticut where she obtained her Primary 3-6 diploma. Christine was a Primary Lead Guide for the CA Montessori Children’s Center for five years.  Her additional experience at the Montessori School at Flatiron includes but is not limited to teaching toddlers for 3 years and running a primary classroom in SoHo mid-year to see the students through to the end of the year. With a total of eight amazing years here at our schools, Christine currently works as the Director of Education wearing many hats. However, it’s her passion for children and teaching that never wanes. She is committed to creating and preparing a nurturing, and positive environment where children feel comfortable and safe to learn, explore, and develop the social and emotional skills needed to become lifelong learners.  She strongly believes in the Montessori approach and philosophy and has seen how valuable it is to children.  In her free time, she loves cooking, walking, and going to the gym.