Randolph Carter

Randolph (he/him) has devoted his career to promoting equity and diversity in education and communities. He was a Fellow in the Harvard University School Leadership Program, Graduate School of Education, where he received a master’s degree in education with a school leadership qualification. He is currently a doctoral student in the School of Education Leadership and Change at Fielding University. A founding member of Alma Partners, he has been a middle school reading specialist, a school administrator, and while at the National Association of Independent Schools, he directed their equity programming and founded two of their signature projects: People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

Randolph has also served on numerous school boards, including Fielding Graduate University and the Institute for Community Enrichment. As both the founder of East Ed and a member of the original Black Panther Party in Seattle, where the group’s work focused on community service, Randolph has always worked to unite members of communities and bridge differences. He is a member of the Education Committee of the New Press. His publications include peer-reviewed articles and book reviews published in national journals. Randolph’s daughter attended the Sacramento Waldorf School.

Specialties:
-Curriculum Development
-Inclusion and Belonging (inc. affinity groups, diversity responsive pedagogy, hiring for diversity, policies and procedures including Bias Incident Protocol, racial identity formation, strategic planning, student assessment, teacher development, and work with parents and students)
-Facilitation

Meggan Gill

Meggan (she/her) serves as Director of Education and Organizational Culture at Sunbridge Institute, where she designs curriculum for, and teaches in, Waldorf teacher education programs. She is also a Waldorf Early Childhood Educator, mother, yogi, lover of the outdoors, and a co-founder of Alma Partners.

She strives to combine the pedagogical and philosophical tenets of Rudolf Steiner, while meeting the children of today in a responsible and responsive manner. Meggan moved to New York specifically with this task in mind, finding it most pertinent and important in the urban environment, where pressures of all types are acutely felt. Considerations of race, social/economic status, academia, privilege, and safety are daily and ongoing in many Waldorf schools and are awakening in the Waldorf movement at large. Meggan is engaged in these conversations as a board member, speaker, and teacher mentor and evaluator.

Meggan graduated from Evergreen State College with a B.A. in Health Sciences and was a practicing Certified Nutritional Therapist in Olympia, WA. After relocating to New York, she graduated from Sunbridge Institute in Spring Valley and has worked in Waldorf schools in Olympia, WA; Manhattan; and Brooklyn, NY. Meggan is a Certified Yoga teacher and enjoys teaching. When she is not working, she enjoys riding her bike, exploring nature, deepening her spiritual work with yoga, reading, taking workshops, and spending time with close friends. She hails from the mountains of western British Columbia, has lived in Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, and resided for 12 years in Brooklyn, NY, before a move to Minneapolis, and a recent relocation back to NY.

Dichotomy has been an ongoing motif in Meggan’s life. She enjoys drawing connections, bridging gaps, and illuminating potentials for communities to be places where people feel they truly belong.

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including affinity groups for adults; racial identity formation; teacher development, evaluation, and mentoring; and work with parents)
-Early Childhood Curriculum Development
-Facilitation
-Strategic Planning

Vicki Larson

Involved in anti-racism initiatives and community organizing for social justice for more than 25 years, Vicki (she/her) has held positions in publishing, resource development, international women’s human rights, marketing, communications, and inclusion/belonging. She is a co-founder of Alma Partners and a founding member of the Sunbridge Institute Diversity Scholarship Fund Committee.

A facilitator, project manager, writer, and editor who loves working with young people and adults, she was a Waldorf parent for 16 years and has been a consultant to Waldorf schools in the US and Canada since 2014.

Before moving into full-time consulting, Vicki worked at Green Meadow Waldorf School for 14 years. She served as Director of Development for four years and then as Director of Communications and Marketing for 10 years, while also working as a part-time teacher in the High School (teaching ESL, Spanish, and Practical Math), Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee, and an advisor to student clubs.

Vicki is deeply interested in regenerative agriculture and sustainable/equitable/thoughtful food systems, and has supported Buttonwood Hollow Farm — a family enterprise in Chatham, NY that operates on biodynamic principles — with marketing and distribution since 2012.

Vicki graduated with honors from the University of Florida in Gainesville, with a major in English and minors in Religion and Women’s Studies. She also holds a certificate in English/Spanish translation and interpretation from Hunter College in NYC.

Specialties:
-Advancement (including Admissions, Communications, Community Engagement, Marketing)
-Inclusion and Belonging (including organizational audits, committee support, key concepts, policies and procedures including Bias Incident Protocol, racial identity development, and work with parents and older students)
-Facilitation
-Strategic Planning

Associates

Alex Borders

Alex Borders brings a dynamic background in fundraising, marketing, communications, organizational strategy, business development, and executive leadership to Alma Partners. She has a proven track record guiding mission-driven organizations to achieve growth, deepen stakeholder engagement, and support change initiatives.

With over 20 years of experience in K-8 education, Alex has a deep understanding of independent school leadership. During her 17-year tenure at the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, she held roles including Director of Advancement and Executive Director, spearheading initiatives that strengthened the school's operations and culture. As Director of Advancement, Alex unified marketing, communications, fundraising, and enrollment, creating a cohesive advancement team, increasing operational efficiency, and yielding positive results across several key areas. As Executive Director, Alex partnered with the Board to strengthen governance practices and advance a culture of inclusivity and belonging through community-wide initiatives. She worked with faculty and administrative leaders to clarify roles, improve accountability, and streamline decision-making processes to support the school's growth. Alex championed student-centered programming and professional development opportunities for faculty, initiatives that continue to enrich the school community. She has also been deeply engaged in multiple strategic planning and accreditation processes, contributing to the school's long-term growth.

Known for her clear vision and strategic approach, Alex leads with enthusiasm, integrity, and purpose. Her ability to foster collaboration and navigate complex stakeholder environments remains a hallmark of her leadership style.

Beyond work, Alex likes to hike the trails of the Wissahickon. A lifelong learner, Alex is completing an MBA in November 2025.

Specialties:
-Advancement (including Admissions, Communications, Community Engagement, Development/Fundraising, Marketing)
-Board Strategy & Leadership
-Independent School Governance
-Strategic Planning

Masumi Hayashi-Smith

Masumi Hayashi-Smith (they/them) is a biracial anti-racism educator and music teacher originally from Coast Salish land in Tacoma, WA. In undergrad, Masumi concentrated in Africana studies, and then with a Fulbright fellowship, researched the political aspects of history education in post-war Sri Lanka. Masumi received a M.M. in Kodaly pedagogy from Holy Names University, and has also trained with SF Orff in their internship and certificate programs. Additionally, Masumi completed the certificate program in Waldorf Elementary Music at Sunbridge Institute.

An Alma Partners associate since 2021, Masumi taught grades 1-7 general music for a private Waldorf school, and has also taught in public and choral settings. Masumi is active in conversations around conscientious use of materials, culturally responsive teaching, and relationships with culture bearers. Masumi has facilitated and taught with RISE for Racial Justice, Spark Decks, the Intergroup Dialogue Collective, Sophia's Hearth, and Holy Names University. Masumi also served as a member of a BIPOC Advisory Committee for AWSNA. As a musician, Masumi performs with Wildchoir and is constantly looking for ways to merge the worlds of arts expression and racial justice.

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including social and personal identities, antiracist community building, and work with parents)
-Organizational Audit Support
-Strategic Planning Support
-Facilitation
-Music Education

Renita LiVolsi

Renita (she/her) joined Alma Partners in 2020 and serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Katherine Delmar Burke School, or Burke's, an independent girls' school for kindergarten through eighth grade in San Francisco. Prior to her current role, she served as Director of Admission at San Francisco Waldorf High School (SFWHS) for several years where, during her tenure, she consistently increased enrollment as well as diversity. She was the Co-Chair for the High School Diversity Committee, Advisor to the SFWHS Black Student Union, and served on the Multicultural Council, collaborating with faculty, parents, and the Board of Trustees. In addition, she was the Co-Chair of the BIPOC Affinity Group, facilitated by the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), working to develop strategies to create equity and inclusion. Renita has worked for both government and private organizations creating effective and inclusive community outreach programs. She is also a Lead Facilitator for the course “How to Talk About Race” at the University of San Francisco.   

Renita has a Juris Doctor Degree from New College of California School of Law, a BA degree in European History and Literature from Franklin University Switzerland, a certificate for French proficiency from The Alliance Française Diplome de Langue, and a Certificate in Teaching English from Cambridge University, obtained while living in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Renita lives with her husband in San Francisco, where they enjoy traveling, cooking, hiking, and all the opportunities the Bay Area has to offer.

Specialties:
-Admission and Enrollment Management
-Community Outreach
-Inclusion and Belonging (including strategic planning and hiring for diversity)
-Facilitation

Aiyana Masla

Aiyana (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, curriculum writer, facilitator, teacher, published poet, storyteller, certified sexual health educator, and picture book author / illustrator who previously served as the first Social Emotional Learning and Wellness Teacher at the Brooklyn Waldorf School, where she worked with students at all grade levels. An Alma Partners associate since 2020, Aiyana is co-author and illustrator of the Liberatory Education Tool’s (LET’s) original curriculum, Teach Affirm Learn Know (T.A.L.K.) Gender, Consent and Sexuality for elementary school. LET’s work is founded in content that is LGTBQIA++ affirming, age-appropriate, inclusive, creative, anti-bias, and body positive.

Aiyana grew up in a rural farm town in western Massachusetts, and attended the Hartsbrook Waldorf School as a child. Because of her family’s business, she also grew up and attended school cross-culturally, in Mexico, in a small fishing village in the state of Jalisco. This shaped her to be passionate about the value of cross-cultural exchange, intersectionality, difference, and belonging. Aiyana studied Contemplative Education and Liberatory, Anti-bias Curriculum for early childhood, receiving her BA from Naropa University. As a bilingual artist and educator, she has worked and performed both across the US and internationally for the last 18 years.

Aiyana's family is a part of the Jewish diaspora. She currently lives with her soon-to-be-wife on N’dakina (Abenaki) / Pennacook / Wabanaki unceded territory, in Southern Vermont. She loves to laugh, play dress up, sing, and garden.

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including anti-bias, anti-racist curriculum development and Organizational Audit Support)
-Facilitation
-Gender, Consent, and Sexuality Education
-Social Emotional Learning and Wellness
-Strategic Planning Support

Joaquin Muñoz

Joaquin (he/him) grew up on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation in Arizona, where he learned early on about the complicated issues of race, culture, history, and oppression. Since then his continuous work to develop his understanding of being a mixed-race person (Pascua Yaqui Indian and Mexican-American) continues to inform all aspects of his professional career. During his time as a teacher in K-12 and post-secondary environments, his desire to support others in the development of their intercultural competency and their passion for social justice grew. As such, he has spent the past decade developing skills for this work by using methods that include Indigenous Circle Work, the Theatre of the Oppressed, various forms of art, and dialogue and literacy tools.

An Alma Partners associate since 2020, Joaquin is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. His main focus is on helping people develop capacities for working with diverse student populations in culturally responsive and humanizing ways. Joaquin also consults for a number of groups and organizations both nationally and internationally, including in Canada, Germany, and Mexico.

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including curriculum development, diversity responsive pedagogy, racial identity formation, strategic planning, teacher mentoring, and work with parents)
-Facilitation

Heather Scott

A Core Faculty Member of Sunbridge Institute’s Waldorf High School Teacher Education Program and an Alma Partners associate since 2020, Heather (she/her) teaches middle school English Language Arts at Sant Bani School, an independent private school in central New Hampshire, whose motto is “Be Good, Do Good, Be One.”

Heather served as Pedagogical Director at the Waldorf School of Lexington (WSL) outside Boston, earning WSL both their AWSNA accreditation and WECAN membership, and as a High School Humanities Teacher at The Waldorf School of San Diego (WSSD), where she also enjoyed being a Class Teacher for over a decade. She also spent time teaching at The Community School for Creative Education (CSCE), a public, Waldorf-inspired charter in Oakland, CA.

Heather has had a decades-long interest in African-American culture and literature, especially attuned to Black women writers.  She is passionate about supporting anti-racism through a grounding in history and biography, and diversifying Waldorf middle- and high-school curricula. 

Heather earned her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her MA from The University of New Hampshire, Durham.  

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including diversity responsive pedagogy, racial identity formation, teacher development and mentoring)
-Facilitation
-Curriculum Development

Kenya Strong

With a diverse and eclectic background, Kenya (she/her) finds her greatest joy in helping others reach their potential. An Alma Partners associate since 2021, she has taught for more than 25 years in various settings including lock-up juvenile facilities in upstate NY, preschools in Virginia, adult transitional services in Michigan, and as a Waldorf school lead teacher in California. She carries all of her experience into her work, bringing equality and social justice to the forefront of education. During her Waldorf teaching years, Kenya founded and chaired the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to help move her community into relevant and timely transformation. She recently completed teaching a combined grade 7/8 class in a hybrid homeschool, and works with Sound Circle Center for Arts and Anthroposophy as a teacher training assistant and diversity consultant, and with Golden Bridges School.

Kenya holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Waldorf teacher certification. She is also a certified Equity Literacy facilitator and a certified Life Coach. As a coach and consultant, she has helped schools, teachers, and students adjust to shifting social expectations and overcome barriers to success, regardless of where they land on the color or culture spectrum. Her certifications as a fitness instructor and Access Bars Practitioner complete the circle of total health and wellness she values so deeply in individuals and communities. 

Kenya currently lives in Los Angeles. 

Specialties:
-Inclusion and Belonging (including diversity responsive pedagogy, racial identity formation, teacher development and mentoring)
-Facilitation
-Grades 1-8 Curriculum Development