Administration

Beverley A. McGhee, BS, MS Ed.
Superintendent

Mrs. McGhee founded Alexander Montessori School in 1963, along with her husband, Jim McGhee Sr.  She was honored in 1999 as a  ”Living Legacy,” a singular national honor of the American Montessori Society.  It is bestowed by the AMS Scholarship Committee on an individual whose exemplary achievements have had significant impact within the AMS community.  She has taught at preschool, elementary, secondary, and college levels.  She is the Founder and the Director of the Montessori Teacher Training Institute (MTTI), whose graduates earn the respected AMS Early Childhood Education Certificate.  She was consultant to Miami-Dade County Public Schools for the Montessori Magnet Schools Program.  She is Florida-certified in Gifted Education and holds Montessori credentials with the American Montessori Society in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.

Her education includes music, foreign languages, and human relations.  She serves as a consultant for the American Montessori Society (AMS), and has been the Chair of the AMS Teacher Education Council Policy Committee.  Former offices have included the Secretary of the Florida Kindergarten Council (FKC), and the Problem Solving Committee of the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education (MACTE).  Mrs. McGhee has been inducted into “Oxford’s Who’s Who” and in March of 1996, was given the Distinguished Educator Award by the Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF), in recognition of her accomplishments in the field of education.

James R. McGhee II
Headmaster

Mr. McGhee has a BA, Intercultural Studies, Trinity College, Hartford, CT; Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Preschool Montessori Teacher’s Certificate, Perugia, Italy.  Mr. McGhee II has an AMS Montessori Certificate for Elementary Education for children ages 6 to 12.  He taught at Alexander for three years in Preschool and two years in Lower School Elementary, and was the Summer Camp Director for ten years.  He is an alumnus of Ransom Everglades School (Class of 1979).

He has been an Administrator since 1993.  He has experience in sales, training, and consulting with the Mortensen Math Program.  He is an American Montessori Society consultant, serves as Secretary on the Board of the National Independent Private School Association (NIPSA), serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Schools of Florida (AISF), and has served on the board of the Florida Kindergarten Council (FKC).

He is also the creator of the Skip Count Kid Musical Math Tapes.

Dr. Joyce McGhee
Headmistress

Dr. McGhee has a BS, Urban Studies, Trinity College, Hartford, CT; MS Ed. (Primary and Elementary Education), Ph. D. (Educational Leadership), University of Miami, FL; Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) Preschool Montessori Teacher’s Certificate, Perugia, Italy; Montessori Elementary Teacher’s Certificate for ages 6 to 12 from AMS, Dallas, TX; Florida State Teacher’s Certificate in Primary and Elementary Education.

She taught at Alexander for three years in Preschool and six years in Middle School Elementary as a Mathematics Instructor.  She has been a trainer and consultant with the Mortensen Math Program.  She is also the Co-Director of the Montessori Teacher Training Institute (MTTI).  She has been an Administrator since 1992.  The McGhee’s have two children, Andrew and Betty Alice. Both attended Alexander Montessori School and now attend Ransom Everglades.

Brette Rothfield
Business Manager

Mr. Rothfield has a BA, Psychology and Drama, Tufts University, Somerville, MA.  Mr. Rothfield is an alum of Alexander (Class of 1990) and manages the School and Camp Administrative Office.

He is a winner of the Paul C. Ransom Founders Cup (Ransom Everglades Class of 1996) and has served as Vice President and President of the Florida Independent School Business Officers (FISBO).  He was formerly a Registration Manager for Landmark Education, LLC, a training and development organization.

Anne Becton
Administrator

Ms. Becton has an MS, Elementary Education, BS, Psychology, University of Miami, and is an Alexander alumna (Class of 1972).  Ms. Becton worked as a psychometrist in private practice for six years and joined our Staff in 1993.  She also directs the Reading Lab.  She served as President of the South Miami Junior Chamber of Commerce and is an alumna of Ransom Everglades School (Class of 1980).