OUR TEAM

Stefan Montalbetti

🔭 Education Visionary | 🚀 Equity Advocate | 🎓 Lifelong Learner

Living and working in Kelowna, British Columbia, Stefan Montalbetti has shaped minds in cities across Canada. As a certified educator focused on blending classroom teaching with community initiatives, he is powered by a deep belief in education’s transformative essence, aiming to mold resilient, empathetic community members.

From personal academic challenges, Stefan learned the value of a supportive community. These experiences catalyze his mission to make every student valued and feel seen. Merging artistic flair with critical thinking, he emphasizes real-world societal change and the arts in his teaching philosophy. As a co-founder of the Ponderosa Education Community (PEC) in Kelowna, BC, he strives to embody the vision of offering comprehensive academic support in a playful and trustworthy environment.

Beyond the classroom, Stefan champions sustainability and first peoples principles in his approach to offer as wide a perspective as possible. He is an outdoors enthusiast with a drive to explore. Whether it’s camping/ snowboarding in B.C’s legendary wilderness or lecturing on the merits of writing conversations, Stefan believes that collaboration, dedication, and knowledge-sharing is the path to real-world outcomes.

In his view, “Education is about working with the boundaries of the status quo in order to nurture critical thinkers and change-makers.”

Jamie Stevens

Jamie Stevens knows education holds the power to transform communities. She earned her liberal arts B.A. in 2006 and her B.Ed, with a speciality in Special Education, in 2011 and has been a champion for learners ever since. Jamie strives to ignite imagination and action, nurture critical thinking, and foster connections – all tailored to the rhythms of each learner. Jamie’s vision is to foster a generation that approaches our complex realities with open minds and hearts, capable of shaping a more sustainable, just, and healthy world for all.

Jamie is a co-founder of Ponderosa Education Community (PEC) in Kelowna, BC where she continues her dedication to mentorship, land-based learning, and developing learner-centric curriculum. Within the PEC, Jamie is a curriculum developer, one-on-one tutor, and the teacher mentor for the Better World Club (BWC). This youth-led community-action club empowers teens to take action today, for a better tomorrow.

Each day, Jamie hikes the trails of Kelowna with her loyal dog, Ollie, who reminds her to seek joy in the present moment. These daily hikes provide space to dream up new worlds of possibility, which is a practice Jamie first honed in elementary school with a voracious appetite for fantasy literature. This practice continues to shape her approach to education—seeing beyond the horizon of ‘what is’ to ‘what could be.’

Sierra Lammi

Sierra Lammi has a background in ecology and community work, but has a passion for environmental education and the outdoors.

After finishing a BA in ecology, she worked in the conservation sector for a while, but missed being in community and happily transitioned into place-based education for several years, before completing an MA in community engaged research. Sierra has worked with students all over the world, and specialized in backcountry experiences and outdoor experiential learning. Sierra has guided students on backcountry trips in Alaska, Wyoming, Minnesota, and the Eastern Caribbean, and worked on developing science curriculum in Washington and Wyoming. She loves learning with students and from the places they explore together.

Sierra‘s goals as an educator are to connect students to each other and the land they are visiting and learning from. She hopes this inspires students to become active community members, stewards and advocates for each other and the land.

Alexandra Krieger

Connecting Head 🧠 and Heart ❤️ in Leadership

Alexandra is an authentic leader, empowering learners of all ages to discover their gifts and purpose.

With a background in business coaching, brand culture, and personal development, she helps individuals and organizations to grow and reach their highest potential. Her professional background includes certifications as a Life Coach, Personality Dimensions facilitator, Train the Trainer facilitator, as well as studies in behavioural economics, marketing and sales, and comprehensive experience in personal development and coaching. Alexandra has developed online courses in marketing and business growth, which have over 15,000 students in 153 countries.

Alexandra strongly believes that all children deserve a nurturing learning environment where they can be curious, challenged, feel that they belong, and are supported in their journey of growth and development.

Her role within the Ponderosa Education Community is in operations, brand culture and communication.

She resides in beautiful Kelowna with her husband, their 13-year old daughter, and their Bengal cat, Chilly. She is involved in the PAC of her daughter’s middle school, loves to travel and go on adventures with her family, and when she finds time, she enjoys the challenge of a good logic puzzle.