Meet Our Executive Director, Munir Shivji

Munir Shivji’s entire professional life has focused on Montessori education.

He is founding head of 2 Montessori schools in Texas and founding director of Cambridge Montessori Institute, an AMS-affiliated teacher education program in Massachusetts. He is also a former program director at the AMS-accredited Cambridge Montessori School and former Montessori Early Childhood teacher.

When Munir joined the American Montessori Society as staff in 2020, he already knew our organization intimately, having served on our board of directors for 7 years, and guided us through several major organizational changes, as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

As chair of the Development Committee of our board, Munir helped AMS raise $1.5 million, and organized some of our most memorable fundraisers. He also served as co-chair of our Recognition Committee and member of the Directorship and Finance Committees.

Among Munir’s many other accomplishments are the founding of The Institute of Montessori Education, an organization that advocates for and fosters advancement of Montessori; and a Montessori Centennial Celebration in Houston, Texas, in 2007, which attracted more than 5,000 attendees, including the mayor and mayor-elect.

In addition, as the child of a Montessori educator who fled Uganda during the dictatorship of Idi Imin and founded her own school in Texas, Munir has lived “the Montessori life” since his earliest years, both in the classroom and at home.

Would you like to know more about Munir?

Read Munir’s Leadership Statement.

Read “How Maria Montessori Inspired My Mother,” by Munir, Montessori Life, Summer 2020.