Meet Dr. Montgomery
Faculty Information
Department(s)
Administration
Title(s)
Head of School
Contact Information
(Primary)
Education
Degree(s)
Ph.D., History, University of Chicago
M.A., History, University of Chicago
M.A., Social Sciences, University of Chicago
B.Phil., Political Science, Northwestern University
Other Information
Employed Since
2022
Biography
Dr. Kirsty Montgomery is a British-born educator and administrator. Kirsty is passionate about learning. Despite dropping history at secondary school on account of it being utterly boring, she graduated at aged thirty-ish with a BA in political science from Northwestern (magna cum laude), and later an MA in social science, MA in history, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Chicago. As an educator, Dr. Montgomery has taught history (European Civilization, World Civilization, Ancient World Religions & Philosophy, History of Britain, International Relations, and the History of China & India) at a variety of educational levels from third grade up to 12th grade. She served four years on the faculty of the Illinois Math and Science Academy, five years at Omniscope Academy, also in Illinois, as well as teaching at higher education institutions including Oakton Community College, Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, and the University of Chicago. She has presented at academic conferences across the globe and has published several articles, book entries, and publications, including Around the World in Twenty-One Trumpets, a cross-disciplinary method for teaching the fundamentals of brass playing that has been adopted worldwide. Through this project she continues to explore ways to excite children about history and culture and inspire the next generation of lifelong learners. Dr. Montgomery was most recently Head of School at Lakeview Academy in Georgia, where she was instrumental in leading the school through the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to that, she led Northwestern’s Osher Institute where she was responsible for over 1,500 lifelong learners. She is delighted and honored to serve as head of school at Avery Coonley.
When she is not at ACS, Kirsty is enjoying getting out and about in the Chicagoland area. She enjoys attending theatre, sporting events and concerts with her husband Chris, a professional trumpeter. Kirsty & Chris have six children between them (three of each variety): a son who works for the Chicago Fire (football), a daughter studying French horn at Northwestern University, a son studying business at Indiana University, a son studying film production at DePaul University, a daughter studying at beauty school, and a rising 10th grade daughter. Kirsty & Chris enjoy spending time in Evanston and Chicago, IL, where their family come to gather. In addition, as a British and Irish citizen, Kirsty enjoys traveling home to see family and friends.
