Molly O'Shaughnessy

Molly O’Shaughnessy is a distinguished AMI Primary (3–6) Trainer, Consultant, and Executive Director Emeritus of the Montessori Center of Minnesota (MCM). For nearly three decades, she led MCM with vision and purpose, transforming it from a teacher training center into a dynamic force for Montessori education and social impact—reaching hundreds of children and families in underserved communities.

In 2008, she spearheaded the development of MCM’s permanent campus in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of East St. Paul. The campus includes an AMI training center, an early childhood program, and the only Montessori museum of its kind in the U.S. Under her leadership, MCM also cultivated a strong partnership with Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School, a public charter school serving children in kindergarten through sixth grade.

O’Shaughnessy is the founding force behind Montessori Partners Serving All Children (MPSAC), a groundbreaking initiative that has helped launch and support over ten high-fidelity Montessori programs in historically underresourced communities. These partnerships—ranging from community-based schools to non-traditional educational settings—seek to create equitable access to Montessori education while honoring cultural context and building strong connections between home, school, and community.

An internationally respected leader in Montessori education, O’Shaughnessy has served on the board of the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) in Amsterdam, chairs the MM75 Fund for future AMI teacher trainers, and was a long-standing member of the AMI Trainers Group. She has played a key role in the Montessori Leaders Collaborative and has consulted on numerous national and international projects. Her keynote addresses and workshops have reached audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

She holds a M.Ed. from Loyola College in Maryland M.Ed. and a Bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Scholastica.