- 73 - Kathryn Imbrogno CEO Ridgewood Montessori School Although Kathryn Imbrogno always wanted to be a teacher, after college her path took her in a different direction and she began climbing the corporate ladder at AT&T. Kathryn always felt there was something missing from her career, then 9/11 happened, and Kathryn realized she needed to make a difference in the world. While volunteering in Ridgewood, NJ, Kathryn visited her friend Evelyn Moshier who ran a small Montessori School. Kathryn fell in love with the inviting learning environment, centered around each individual child’s needs. Three months later, in January 2002, Kathryn left corporate America and ‘went to pre-school’, where she quickly began to not only grow the school but support children in ways she never imagined. By 2009, Ridgewood Montessori School outgrew its original space. The school relocated, allowing room for expansion to include an elementary program, based both on the request of parents and Kathryn’s own dream. Kathryn is dedicated to providing her students with something she did not have as a child - a positive, peaceful, safe place to learn, explore, and develop a sense of independence. Kathryn’s dream was realized the day Ridgewood Montessori School opened their Elementary School doors in 2011 for Kindergarten through 3rd Grade and then again in June 2014 expanding to include the upper grades and finally Middle School. Kathryn is quoted as saying. “What a proud moment for our school, our parents and most importantly our students.” This year Ridgewood Montessori School continued to push for new heights in education by applying and being accepted to the 2023 Montessori Model United Nations Conference in New York City, the first conference since the Covid shutdown. What sets Kathryn apart as CEO is that every child is honored and respected for who they are, and the unwavering partnership she has with parents. “We aren’t perfect, our students don’t have to be perfect, however we recognize that everyone brings something to the table that they do perfectly”. Kathryn strongly believes that children have a need and a right to be heard and it is the adult’s responsibility to listen. The CEO of Ridgewood Montessori School can be found everywhere, be it greeting children on the car line, serving lunch, doing crafts, monitoring state testing, etc. in addition to all the business responsibilities of running a school. Kathryn’s job description is simply ‘everything’. Kathryn is also committed to do everything she can to support the end of food insecurities for children. During the Covid crisis Kathryn had the opportunity to speak with Senator Robert Menendez regarding the important issue children were faced with as a result of the Covid shutdown, that of increased food insecurity. If children relied on food programs at school, and schools were shutdown, how were they being fed? The result was the passing of the Food Insecurity School Age Act in New Jersey. This past summer it was expanded, providing access to free meals for schoolchildren in middle-income households signed by Gov. Murphy. Kathryn is incredibly proud of the part she played in helping to ensure no child goes hungry. During Kathryn’s tenure, she has taken the school from a 3-classroom pre-school to a pre-school and a full elementary school serving over 240 students. She consistently rises to the challenge putting her school, her students and their families, as well as her staff of 48, at the forefront of every decision. If you ask Kathryn Imbrogno what her greatest achievement is, she says “each and every day I have the ability to change the world, one child at a time.” CEO Today Global Awards 2023 - USA -
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