Santa Fe Montessori Staff Bios
Christina Mata – Founder & Director
Christina Mata is the Founder and Director of Santa Fe Montessori Childcare Program, established in 2021. With over 21 years of Montessori education experience, Christina has dedicated her career to making high-quality early childhood education accessible to all families regardless of economic background.
Christina holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Studies from Walden University and a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education. She earned her Montessori Teaching Certificate from the North American Montessori Center and has been a Montessori educator since 2004. Before founding Santa Fe Montessori, she spent a decade as Lead Teacher and Co-Director at Growing Up Montessori.
Under Christina's leadership, Santa Fe Montessori has earned New Mexico's highest 5-star CYFD rating, FOCUS accreditation, and prestigious NAEYC recognition—an accomplishment reached by fewer than 10% of childcare programs nationwide. She was recognized as a 2025 Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Award recipient and has been featured by CBS News advocating for universal childcare policy.
Christina's vision extends beyond her current facility as she continues to advocate for early childhood education policy and professional development in the field. Her bilingual program serves diverse Santa Fe families, ensuring educational accessibility across all communities.
Mario Griego – Roots Primary Teacher
Mario Griego was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, bringing deep cultural understanding and local roots to his role in the Primary classroom. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, an Associate's degree in Human Services from Santa Fe Community College, a 45-hour Certificate of Achievement through The Childcare and Education Association, and a Teaching Certificate in Early Childhood Education from the North American Montessori Center.
Before joining Santa Fe Montessori, Mario worked as a family case manager at a local preschool, where he learned the invaluable importance of strong partnerships between home and school. This experience helped him understand the unique dynamics and needs of each family.
Mario believes that a child's education is the most valuable thing in the world—knowledge truly is power, and the foundation built in the early years sets children on a path for lifelong success. He is driven by the opportunity to guide young learners as they develop into independent, responsible, and compassionate individuals.
Celia Basset – Seedlings Infant Teacher
Celia Basset brings a wealth of experience to her role teaching our youngest learners, including five years teaching in a Montessori toddler classroom, two years running a home daycare, and a year as a substitute teacher at Growing Up New Mexico.Her academic credentials include a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and an Associate's degree in Exercise Science, providing her with deep insight into both cultural and physical aspects of child development. Her specialized training encompasses certificates in Elementary Education and Montessori Early Childhood Education, along with completion of the Foundations course in Early Childhood Dance through Discover Dance.
Celia uniquely integrates her love of Irish Dance into her teaching approach, helping preserve traditional movement forms while fostering children's physical and cultural awareness. She teaches dance in both our infant and primary classrooms.
When not in the classroom, Celia enjoys hiking Santa Fe's trails with her young family. Her creative spirit extends to knitting, demonstrating her appreciation for both movement and stillness in nurturing young minds.
Paola – Sprouts Toddler Teacher
Paola brings over three years of dedicated experience at Santa Fe Montessori to her role as Lead Teacher in the Sprouts classroom. She recently completed her Montessori Infant/Toddler Certification, demonstrating her commitment to professional development and the Montessori method.
Paola is passionate about supporting young children through their most formative years and creating a nurturing environment where toddlers can explore, grow, and develop independence.
Lenny – Sprouts Toddler Teacher
Originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, where she studied physical therapy, Lenny brings both her medical background and bilingual abilities to support children's development. Her journey to early childhood education began when she moved to White Rock with her family, where she worked as a teacher assistant at a bilingual Montessori school and discovered her true calling—nurturing and guiding young children through their most formative years.
As a mother to her son Dante, who attended the Montessori program with her, Lenny understands both professionally and personally how precious these early years are. She brings a parent's heart to her work and believes that every child deserves patient, loving guidance as they explore and discover the world around them.
Having recently made Santa Fe her home, Lenny is excited to be part of this community and to build lasting relationships with families.
Blake Lee Ogren – Blossoms Toddler Teacher
Blake Lee Ogren was born and raised in Washington state and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College. She brings over 15 years of educational experience from her work as an educator at Colonial Williamsburg, The Henry Ford, and the Hands on Museum.Blake has developed educational programming for Colonial Williamsburg and the History Channel, and now joins the Montessori movement with great enthusiasm. Her love of history and the arts feeds her passion for sharing these subjects with her students.She looks forward to continuing her education in both early childhood education and creative movement to facilitate the growth of the young students in her care.
Jamie Torres – Blossoms Toddler Teacher
Jamie Torres was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but has been blessed to have lived in multiple places throughout the world. She is an avid world traveler, education enthusiast, and mother to a fun 4-year-old girl.
Jamie holds a Master's degree in Autism Spectrum Disorders and a Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language - English Interpretation from Columbia College Chicago. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Namibia, Africa, teaching English as a Second Language and HIV awareness and prevention. She has over 10 years of experience teaching locally and internationally in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
Jamie has a deep-rooted love for cultivating fun and engaging learning pathways that encourage ongoing curiosity and a desire to explore further. She is naturally drawn to the adventure of exploring, which has fed her love for travel, culture, food, languages, and wonder.
In her spare time, Jamie enjoys looking up new places to scuba dive and venturing around town. She is also looking forward to marrying her amazing fiancé (who is also an educator) this upcoming summer.
Dolores Mata – Teacher
Dolores Mata was born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a long 30-plus year background in communications and has always had a love for strong relationships with family and children.
Dolores became a first-time grandmother in recent years and realized her love for children and their education is strong. She completed her Early Childhood Education teacher training and has been studying the Montessori way of learning, truly believing that providing a nurturing, creative environment is key to early foundational education.
Dolores has worked with children as a volunteer to give back to the community and contribute to children's success for several years. When Dolores is not volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her family, especially her granddaughter Luna Sol. She also enjoys cooking and long walks in the mountains.
Porter Pryor – Seedlings Infant Teacher
Porter Pryor has been a valued member of the Santa Fe Montessori team since 2022, serving as an Assistant Teacher and Substitute Teacher. She is currently completing her Infant/Toddler Montessori Certification.
Porter has proven to be reliable, dedicated, and skilled in her work with young children in our Montessori environment. Her gentle approach and commitment to nurturing our youngest learners makes her a perfect fit for the Seedlings infant classroom.
Diane Medina – Seedlings Infant Teacher
Diane Medina brings extensive training and certification to her role in the Seedlings infant classroom. She is Pediatric First Aid and CPR certified and has completed Early Head Start Training in Policy and Procedures.
Diane's specialized training includes AgriLife Extension courses in Infant/Toddler Nutrition, Learning Environments, Social Emotional Development, and Understanding Infant/Toddler Development. She has also completed ITERS Training, the 17th Annual Virtual Birth to Three Institute, and ChildCare Education Institute courses in Foundations in Learning and Active Learning.Additional certifications include Child Abuse Prevention, Mental Health and Shaken Baby Syndrome Training, Bloodborne Pathogens, Fire Safety, and Cultural Diversity Training. Diane's comprehensive background in infant and toddler care makes her an invaluable member of our team.
Autumn Scoggan – Dance & Creative Movement Teacher
Autumn Scoggan is the founder of Clearly You, a movement-based program that supports educators, families, and communities through dance, wellness, and embodied self-expression. She brings a wonderful background as both a professional dancer and educator, with over a decade of experience working with children in educational settings.
Autumn teaches creative movement classes to our toddler and primary students every Tuesday and Thursday. Her classes offer children regular opportunities for joyful movement and self-expression, building body awareness and coordination, creative play and community connection, and stress relief and emotional wellness.
Her creative movement program is a beautiful complement to our Montessori approach, supporting the whole child through movement, creativity, and mindful expression.