Leadership Team Bios
Ms. L. Hites
Founder and Head of School Emerita
Ms. Hites was born in Colombia, and spent a good part of her childhood and adolescence in Italy with a three year interlude in Washington DC and Chile. From Rome, she moved to Belgium where she studied communication at the Université de Louvain. After moving to the United States, while searching for the best education that would allow her six children to develop their potential, Leslie came upon the work of Dr. Maria Montessori. Since then, she has dedicated her life to studying Montessori, teaching in Montessori environments and as administrator of The Renaissance International School, a Montessori school that is the only genuine trilingual Montessori school in the United States. Leslie is a parent-educator and coach as well as a trainer for the International Network of Children and Families. She regularly teaches an eight-week Redirecting Children’s Behavior course to Bay Area parents. She serves on the Board of Trustees for The New Gate-Field School, a model school of the Montessori Foundation in Sarasota, Florida, and is also on the Board of the International Montessori Council. Ms. Hites lives in Oakland, California with her husband and enjoys traveling to visit her six children and eleven grandchildren who live around the world.
Ms. R. Hites
Head of School
Ms. Hites has a background in both music and fundraising development in educational settings. After studying vocal performance at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, Ms. Hites moved to Boston where she got a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Music from The Boston Conservatory. While in Boston, she successfully led the Boston Opera Collaborative, a not-for-profit volunteer opera company, for five years; she continues to serve on their board. During that time she also worked in the development departments of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later the New England Conservatory. In 2014, Ms. Hites moved to New York City where she continued her development career at Columbia University. Thereafter, she moved to the Bay Area in May of 2017 at which time she started at TRIS overseeing the administrative team. In her free time, Ms. Hites loves to go running and enjoys spending time outdoors.
Ms. Cisne
Early Childhood Program Coordinator
Ms. Cisne was born and raised in the Bay Area and joined the TRIS community in 2017. She has a BA in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Diego. Ms. Cisne received her AMI Montessori training and certificate for ages 0-6 from the Montessori Institute of San Diego in 2011. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, dancing, and reading.
Mr. Pontes Filho
Elementary Program Coordinator
Mr. Pontes Filho has over 17 years of experience in education. He began his educational career as a middle and high school math teacher. Originally from Fortaleza, Brazil, Wellington holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, a degree in Education with an emphasis in Math from the Universidade Estadual do Ceara, and a degree in Special Education, specializing in the hearing-impaired, from the Universidade Estadual Vale do Acarau in Brazil. Mr. Pontes Filho taught elementary, middle school, and high school students in Brazil before coming to the U.S. Since coming to the U.S., he completed his AMI Primary Montessori training in Mountain View, California as well as an AMI Elementary Montessori training program in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Pontes Filho has been working at TRIS since 2005, where he has taught in Primary and Elementary; he is currently teaches and manages the Elementary Program. He has trained many teachers in his classroom on classroom management, and how to use and integrate the Montessori philosophy in their lessons. Mr. Pontes Filho's four children have attended TRIS. He believes that every child should be valued and treated with respect. An education should empower a child and help her or him make a positive contribution to our world. Mr. Pontes Filho is thrilled to be working with an international community, dedicated teaching staff, and sharing his passion for math and Montessori education with his students.
Ms. Hites
Middle School Program Director
Ms. Hites has a Bachelor’s of Science, with an emphasis in Zoology, and a Master’s of Science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. She returned to the Bay Area in the fall of 2005, after 10 years abroad, and joined the TRIS Elementary team in the spring of 2006. In 2009, Ms. Hites completed her AMI Elementary Montessori Training in Minnesota and opened an Upper Elementary classroom at TRIS. Then, in 2013, she completed the AMI Montessori Orientation to Adolescent Studies in Ohio, and opened the Middle School classroom at TRIS. She is currently teaching in the Middle School classsoom and working as Interim Program Coordinator for the Elementary and Middle School. Ms. Hites enjoys any activity which takes her into nature and spends time with her four children, all of whom attend TRIS.