Board of Directors
Samantha Bourque
President — Board member since September 2024
Samantha has spent the last decade working in conservation and environmental education and is excited to bring her experience to the board. She received her BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon and has worked for several environmental non-profits in Central Oregon. She currently works remotely as a consultant for energy efficiency programs in Southern California and is starting her Masters in Sustainable Natural Resources from Oregon State University.
Samantha grew up in Oregon and moved to Bend in 2014. She first heard of Desert Sky Montessori when the school opened in 2017, and she is so excited that her son joined DSM as a kindergartner.
Samantha loves the Bend lifestyle and spends her free time outdoors, hiking, paddling, camping, and adventuring as often as possible.
Heather Marshall
Secretary — Board member since September 2023
Heather grew up in the Seattle area. She moved to Corvallis, Oregon, in high school, where she met her husband, who both moved to the Portland Metro area and graduated from Portland State University.
She moved in 2022 from Portland, Oregon, with her family. She fell in love with the community and beauty that Bend has to offer. She is grateful to be a part of the Montessori community and mentality.
Professionally, she has spent the last decade working in tech as a user interface and experience designer.
She enjoys spending time with her family, camping, exercising, and being outside in her spare time.
Ana Goldfarb
Treasurer – Board member since September 2024
Ana is passionate about the high-quality, accessible Montessori educational opportunities Desert Sky offers to the Bend community. She has worked in the early childhood education field, including Head Start, public elementary and private Montessori.
Ana and her family relocated from Florida to Bend in 2020, where they’ve embraced the many recreational opportunities Central Oregon has to offer. Since her daughter started Kindergarten at Desert Sky, Ana has been volunteering to support the school through what has grown to be Friends of Desert Sky (FODS) with fundraising and school-community building events.
In her free time, Ana enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family and chatting with friends over a good cup of coffee.
Daisy Sexton
Board member since October 2021
Daisy joined the board with a desire to volunteer in a new capacity for our school. She has previously helped with coordinating the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournaments and assisted with various fundraising efforts.
Daisy originally grew up in Central Oregon and moved back to Bend several years ago with her husband and kids to be closer to both sets of grandparents. Daisy is a graduate of Northern Arizona University and in her free time enjoys cooking, camping, and playing board games with family and friends.
Daisy has two children currently attending Desert Sky and her favorite part of our school is the family feel of the Montessori community.
David Trexler
Board member since June 2021
Love of learning and nature have been constants in David’s life. He grew up in the National Parks, with a ranger dad and a teacher mom. His remote eastern Nevada community had no school, so he attended first grade at a nearby Montessori school in Utah. The experience sparked a lifelong love of learning, and enriched his later academic and professional endeavors, both in the US and abroad.
This foundation informed a rewarding career path that has included leadership positions, small business ownership, teaching, and music. It is a foundation he wishes for any child, including his own.
This is why he and his wife, Stephanie, are so grateful that their daughter, Abbie, attends Desert Sky. David’s goal as a board member is to support the success and excellence of our wonderful school.
Chelsea Mayer
Board member since January 2025
Chelsea became passionate about the life-long learning environment that a Montessori education cultivates after watching her son blossom in a Montessori pre-school. She also loves that Desert Sky provides this opportunity to the students in the Bend-La Pine School District.
Professionally, Chelsea is a partner at a local tax CPA firm and has her CPA and CFP® licenses. She has been practicing accounting for over a decade and is excited about the opportunity to help the school through her financial experience and knowledge.
Chelsea grew up in San Diego, went to college in the Pacific Northwest and relocated to Bend from Portland in 2016. In her free time, you will find Chelsea snowboarding, camping, and hiking with her husband and two kids or playing soccer in several local leagues.