Monica is one of the founders of Riverwood, and she has been an educator, administrator, and board member since the inception of Riverwood.  She led her first class from second through eighth grade. Then, she taught a class of second and third graders. Next, she was the lead teacher for the fifth and sixth grade class.  She enjoyed carrying her students forward as the sixth and seventh grade teacher last year.  In addition, she is the lead Handwork Specialty Teacher. Prior to Riverwood, she operated the Enchanted Forest home preschool for two years, and before that was a founding member of Fingerprints Preschool in Chewelah, Washington.  She holds a B.A. in Scandinavian Studies and a B.B.A in Business/Marketing from Pacific Lutheran University.   Since she discovered Waldorf education in 2008, she has completed a wide variety of Waldorf teacher training courses and conferences throughout the country. She enjoys skiing locally and around the world with her family and friends, mountain biking, playing with the family dog, reading and knitting.

Grade 7 intensive at Micha-el Institute in Milwaukie, OR and a Curative Education intensive at the Mulberry School in Gold Beach, OR.  In addition, she holds certificates in the following teacher training courses:  Grade 6 online 2020 summer intensive at Sunbridge Institute in New York; Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Online Teacher Conferences with Eugene Schwartz; Math Intensives for Grades 1 – 3 and Grades 6 – 7 with Jamie York/Making Math Meaningful; a grades summer intensive at Sound Circle Center in 2019 entitled Beyond Labels - Nurturing the Genius of Each Child and Building New Skills for Waldorf Teaching; a one year online course - Thinking, Feeling, Willing –  with Waldorf Essentials; the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA) Summer Conference in Austin, Texas; The Magic of Waldorf Summer Teacher Training Conferences at Shining Star Waldorf School in Portland, Oregon, from 2010 to 2013; Early Childhood Symposiums at Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento, California in 2010 and 2011; Juniper Tree Puppetry Workshop at Windsong School in Spokane; Helle Heckmann Workshop for Educators at Seattle Waldorf School; and a workshop with Rahima Baldwin-Dancy, author of You are Your Child’s First Teacher at Portland Waldorf School. Both of her daughters have now graduated from Riverwood.