Maria Cristina Encinas
Ms. Encinas has dedicated her life to education and advocacy. She currently serves as the Board President of the Multicultural Spanish Speaking Providers Association (MSSPA).
She has Montessori certification from the Northeast Montessori Institute, Infant and Toddler Certification from The New York Center for Montessori Studies, a B.A. in Human Services from Springfield College, and two Master’s Degrees: one in Education Administration from Trinity College and a second in Early Childhood Special Education from Catholic University.
In 2014, Cristina was named Most Outstanding Principal of the Year by the DC Association of Chartered Public Schools. As co-founder and former Principal of the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School (LAMB), Ms. Encinas led LAMB to achieve Tier 1 status for more than four years in a row, and expanded the school from 57 students to 462 students.
Her lifelong mission is to provide environments where students thrive in a self-directed learning environment where they can exchange culture and language. In addition, she supports minority adults to reach their fullest potential through empowerment, education and leadership.