Course Facilitators
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PTC FACILITATORS
Kelly Armitage is Principal of the Elementary School at International School Bangkok. Before taking the role of Principal, Kelly served as Vice Principal and as a learning coach at ISB. Prior to Bangkok, Kelly was a staff developer and educational consultant for 10 years in the areas of literacy, science, assessment, and ESL. During this time, Kelly provided extensive training to teachers, administrators and parents. She also served as Curriculum Coordinator at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela. Kelly has been a classroom teacher for many years, a literacy specialist, and a bilingual/ESL teacher. Kelly holds a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principals' Training Center. She graduated with a Masters Degree in Bilingual Education and ESL with an emphasis in Curriculum from the University of Colorado and holds a teaching license and endorsements in Bilingual Education and ESL from the state of Colorado. Kelly is fortunate to work with her husband, Jim, and have their two children attend ISB as well.
Bambi Betts is the Director of the Principals’ Training Center for International School Leadership (PTC) as well as the CEO for The Academy for International School Heads (AISH). She was formerly Director of Escuela Campo Alegre and has held principalships in three international schools. Bambi has been actively involved with the PTC since its inception as a course developer, trainer, and co-trainer for the Essential Skills courses. She is a leading consultant on a wide range of topics in international schools and conducts on-site training modules worldwide. Bambi has written many articles on practical ways to improve international schools and authors a regular column on the PTC pages of The International Educator (TIE).
Kevin Bartlett has held leadership positions in Tanzania, Namibia, Austria and Belgium, where he is currently Director of the International School of Brussels, a fully inclusive school. Kevin has been deeply involved in designing accreditation systems for the European Council of International Schools and the Council of International Schools, leadership training for the Principals' Training Center and The International Leadership and Management Programme, and curriculum design, as the initiator and early leader of the IB Primary Years Programme. Kevin is currently involved in launching two global initiatives: The Next Frontier: Inclusion and The Common Ground Collaborative, a curriculum project for international and national schools. Most significantly Kevin is, first and foremost, a practitioner.
Nick Bowley is an Accreditation Officer for the Council of International Schools (CIS)He is the former Headmaster of Beijing City International School, the International School of Tianjin, and Icardia Int'l School in Syria. He has also held administrative positions in international schools in Tanzania and Jordan. Nick serves on the ACAMIS board and the board of the Rufiji Leprocy Trust.
Christopher Bowman took up the post of Director of the International School of Luxembourg in July 2007. He worked previously as the Associate Superintendent with Educational Overseas Services, Ltd. Prior to that, Chris was Director of the Bavarian International School, Copenhagen International School and Port Moresby International School. Chris comes from Australia where he served as a school administrator and as a District Superintendent of Education. He has re-joined the ECIS Board of Trustees, having earlier served as a trustee and chairman. Chris is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills Program and has worked as a trainer with the PTC since 1999. He is also a trainer with the Covey 7 Habits Program, and the Conflict Resolution Network.
Treena Casey
currently works as Director of Curriculum at Singapore American School. This is her 24th year working mostly in international education. Prior to coming to Singapore she served as Assistant Director for Curriculum and Instruction at Shekou International School, China where she worked for eight years. Before that Treena was a teacher and teacher leader at Nagoya International School and International School Bangkok. She started her education career in New Zealand, teaching in both urban and rural schools. Treena is, and has been, actively involved in student learning and assessment, curriculum development, professional development, strategic planning and WASC and IB accreditation processes. Treena holds a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principals Training Center. She holds teaching certification and undergraduate credentials from Auckland College of Education, a B.S from Regents College, New York and a Master’s degree from the State University of New York, Buffalo.
Stephen Dare is currently the Head of School at Hong Kong Academy. He was formerly the Assistant Superintendent at International School Manila. He has also worked in state schools in the UK and in international independent schools in the United States and Colombia as a teacher and administrator. Stephen has been involved in curriculum development and leadership in international contexts for over 20 years and during the last five years he has been a co-trainer for the PTC's Summer Institutes for Curriculum and Leadership and, more recently, for Leadership and Group Dynamics.
Steve Druggan Ed.D has been involved in International Education for nearly 20 years and is currently the Deputy Head of School for Learning at the Jakarta International School. Previously, Steve has been a classroom teacher, technology leader and leadership team member at the American School of Milan and Munich International School. Steve is passionate about leading teams that accomplish more than they ever thought possible and assembling the evidence to focus the conversations.
Sue Easton is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the American School of Brasilia (EAB). Sue was recently in Kuala Lumpur at ISKL and Barcelona at ASB and previously worked in Canada as a teacher, assistant Principal, Principal, and system-wide Learning Coordinator. She has a Masters in International Education Administration and Principals’ Qualifications through the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE). Sue has taken an active role in the Accreditation process, and has experience with AdvancEd,MSA, CIS and WASC. She has a passion for learning and a belief that systematized school structures lead the road to school and student success.
Gordon Eldridge is currently Curriculum Director at the International School of Brussels. Gordon was the Head of K. International School in Japan from the time the school was founded in 1997 until 2005. Schooled in Australia, Gordon originally trained as a foreign language teacher (German), and has taught ESL and history. He is currently undertaking a PhD with research focusing on curriculum implementation and is also a researcher for the Principals' Training Center(PTC), Teacher Training Center(TTC) and The International Educator (TIE). Gordon is a graduate of the PTC's Essential Skills program and has co-trained for the PTC's Summer institutes for the past eight years.
Chad Fairey is the Head of School at Sotogrande International School, in the Cádiz region of southern Spain. Prior to this current post, he has worked in public, private and international schools for seventeen years, most recently serving as Associate Head of School at Washington International School in Washington, DC. He led school technology programs for twelve years, as a technology coordinator at public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, and then as the Director of Technology at the American School of Paris. Originally a history teacher, he received his B.A. in History from Florida State University, his M.Ed in Social Studies Education at the University of Virginia and is currently pursuing his Ed.D. in educational leadership and administration from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom. Actively involved with leadership in the US as well as in international schools, he has served as a fellow with the Library of Congress, as a member of the Curriculum Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), as the chair of the IT Committee of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), the chair of the Professional Learning & Action Research Committee for ECIS, and the founding chair of the International Schools SIG of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). He regularly presents at American and international educational conferences throughout the year.
Jeff Farrington is the Director of Learning at St. George's School in Vancouver B.C., where he oversees professional growth and renewal for faculty in grades 1-12. For ten years prior, he was the HS Principal/MSHS Campus Director at the American School Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico. He started his international education career in 1994 and has been actively involved in guiding instruction, assessment and teacher supervision since 2000. He has served as consultant for both SACS/CASI AdvancED, and CAIS in Canada, acting as a member of the Quality Assurance Review teams. Jeff holds a Masters degree in International Education and is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills program.
Lee Fertig is the Superintendent of Graded School in São Paulo, Brazil. Lee has 25 years of administrative and teaching experience in a wide variety of educational settings including four international schools (in Ethiopia, Brazil, and Spain), a private school in New York City, and a voluntary integration public magnet school in Minneapolis. He is a trainer for the Principals’ Training Center (PTC), has taught in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota, and has been a guest speaker on contemporary educational issues at a wide variety of community events. He has consulted for several educational service companies, providing specialized training and project management services to K-12 schools and districts around the world. Lee’s interests in intercultural education, school-based continuous improvement, and the role of schooling in society are at the core of his educational philosophy.
Bill Gerritz received his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley. He has written over 20 journal articles and has an abiding interest in learning improvement. Bill is currently Head at International School Bangkok. He has been a grade 1 teacher, a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley and a researcher at the Far West Labs for Educational Research. Since becoming international, he has held leadership positions at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, The International School of Curacao, and The American School of The Hague. He has served as a board member of the Academy of International School Heads, the European Council of International School, the Council of International Schools, and the International School Association of Thailand. Aside from his family and the outdoors, his abiding passion has been finding and implementing processes and systems that will systematically improve learning, teaching, and schools.
Ji Han is currently the Principal at the Baden Campus of Zurich International School. Before stepping into administration, Ji spent 10 years teaching elementary and middle students in California and Zurich. She holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and has been working as an international school administrator for the past 10 years. Ji’s career in international education includes a broad range of experiences as a workshop leader and educational consultant. She has worked extensively with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program and Council of International Schools on curriculum development, review and evaluation.
Patricia Handly, as an independent educational consultant, has supported teachers and principals in more than 100 schools across five continents. Her areas of focus include school leadership, English literacy development for speakers of other languages, and, most recently, building caring school communities. She currently supports Developmental Studies Center, a non-profit mission driven organization dedicated to promoting children’s academic, ethical and social development. Before consulting, Pat enjoyed positions in the United States as an elementary level teacher, school psychologist and a college level instructor in psychology. As a principal Pat worked in three different international schools, The Carol Morgan School in the Dominican Republic, Saint John’s School in Puerto Rico and Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela. Since 1991 Pat has been associated with the PTC, first as a participant, then site coordinator in Miami, co-trainer for several courses and for the last eight years, has thoroughly enjoyed facilitating the courses on Instructional Supervision and Evaluation.
Robin Heslip is the Director of the American International School of Zagreb and has held leadership and teaching positions in Argentina, Malaysia, Morocco, Zaire and the US. Robin holds a Masters degree in Professional Development and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction. She taught nine years in Wisconsin before moving overseas 24 years ago. Robin has been actively involved in student learning and assessment, professional development, curriculum development, strategic planning and accreditation processes in all of the schools at which she has worked. Robin is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Central and Eastern European Schools Association (CEESA).
Mark Klein is an Attorney at Law in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania and the Superintendent of Schools in Council Rock School District, Pennsylvania. He has been an adjunct professor for both Lehigh University, and Delaware Valley College in conjunction with their Education Leadership Programs. He has previously been nominated for both the National Distinguished Principal Award and the National PTA Education of the Year award. Mark has also been featured in both a documentary “Are We Educating Our Children for the Future” and Cable Access Programming “The Rights of Children”. Mark has presented Law seminars for Lehigh University.
Ronald Lalonde is currently the Middle School Principal at the American School of Dubai. Prior to that he was the Middle School Principal at the American School Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico where he also developed the Instructional Coaching Program. In his thirteen years in international education, Ron has held leadership positions at both ASFM and the American School in London. He holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Philosophy from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and a doctorate from the University of Calgary in International Educational Leadership. He continues to research in the area of his doctoral work, student engagement and student voice. Ron has also served as a consultant for AdvancED as a member of a Quality Assurance Review Team.
Sasha Marshall is currently the Head of the Early Childhood Centre at the International School of Brussels. Prior to this she was Deputy Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator at the International School Dhaka, Bangladesh and several years ago, Head of K. International School Tokyo for a period of three and half years. She has a broad range of experience as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, trainer and evaluation team member in international schools. Sasha has been a Primary Years Program trainer for the International Baccalaureate as well as a team leader for the International Baccalaureate Authorization Teams in the Asia Pacific region. Sasha has been involved in the planning, support and implementation of a K-12 inquiry based, concept driven curriculum and is extremely interested in the development of whole school continuums of international education.
John Mikton is an Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer. He is the current Chair of the ECIS ICT Committee. John works as the Director of Information Technology at the International School of Prague, in the Czech Republic. John has worked in Tanzania, China and Japan at International Schools. Previous to this John worked in television and print advertising in Switzerland and the United States. John runs http://beyonddigital.org/ and http://beyonddigitalworkshops.org and contributes monthly to http://tek-tips.nethawk.net/ and writes http://ecisitcommittee.edublogs.org/.
Douglas Musco is originally from Ithaca, NY, and spent the last 19 years in international schools around the world with his wife Phyllis, and two beautiful daughters, Aubrey and Isabel. He is currently the MS/HS Principal at the Hong Kong Academy. Prior to that, he served as an IB History Teacher, IB Coordinator, and Principal in Venezuela, Morocco, and Ghana.
William Powell has been involved with international education for almost thirty years serving as a university lecturer in Saudi Arabia, Secondary Headmaster and CEO at the Int'l School of Tanganyika, HS Principal at Jakarta Int'l School, and most recently the Headmaster of the Int'l School of Kuala Lumpur. Bill, along with his wife Ochan, are now focusing their attention on teacher professional development. Bill is the co-author of Count Me In: Developing Inclusive International Schools (2000) and Making the Difference: Differentiation in International Schools (in preparation). He is the author of numerous articles on educational leadership, school improvement and governance and is a frequent presenter at educational conferences. Bill has served on the board of directors of the Association of Int'l Schools in Africa (AISA), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) and the Academy of International School Heads (AISH). Currently, Bill is the Associate Director of Education Across Frontiers.
Sarah Putnam brings 23 years of teaching and administrative experience to her trainings. Currently Head of School of the International School of Aruba, Sarah has been Deputy Superintendent for Shanghai American School, served as Curriculum Coordinator for the American School in Japan, and was Principal/Superintendent for eleven years at two public school districts in Montana. For the three years prior to Aruba, Sarah was a national trainer for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS), as well as a Keys to Literacy trainer focused on adolescent literacy. She is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership from the University of MT, has a Master’s Degree in Education from UMASS, and an A.B. from Harvard University.
Julie Ryan taught in Ohio, Illinois, France, and California before getting involved in educational administration in 1984, first as an elementary school principal in California and eventually as Lower School Principal at The American School in London which is her current post. She served as a trainer for the California School Leadership Academy (ACSA) from 1990-95 and for the Principals Training Center from 1998-present. She was selected as a National Distinguished Principal (US State Department and the National Association of Elementary School Principals) in 1999. Julie has consulted at many international schools and is a frequent speaker at major educational conferences including ECIS and MAIS. She is currently serving as a Commissioner to the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Robyn Schilling is currently the Middle School Principal at the American International School of Johannesburg. She started her international career in 2003 at the American School of Bombay where she held teaching, technology coordinator, and associate principal positions. She has also worked in public and private schools in British Columbia as an information technology teacher and department head. Robyn has a Masters in Educational Leadership and is a PTC graduate. She is passionate about assessment for learning and developing collaborative teams. At AISJ she led the middle school in overhauling assessment practices and adopting standard-based assessment and reporting.
John Sperandio is the founding Director of Stonehill International School. He has more than thirty years experience as an IB teacher, a physicist/engineer, a school business manager and as a director of international schools. He joined the U.S. Peace Corps school. and served as a teacher in an Ed. project in Uganda. Followed by ten years of teaching math, physics and accounting in Kuwait, Malta and Tanzania. His first administrative experience came in Malta, helping establish the parent foundation and governing body of the Verdala School. In Tanzania he followed as the School Business Manager for IS Tanganyika. John later returned to the USA as an engineer and scientist for Dames and Moore to model severe accidents in nuclear power stations and developed a multi-user computer interface, SAGE, for Gabor, Kenton and Associates to train power station operators in severe accident management. He returned to international schools as a financial consultant and was appointed Director of Support Services at Escuela Campo Alegre. In 1998, John was appointed the Director of the IS Azerbaijan, and in 2003, at IS Dhaka. In January 2008, having added two new countries to the IB World map, John accepted a commission from the Embassy Group to develop the first accredited, IB World School in Bangalore to offer all three programmes of the IB.
Richard Tangye is the Chief Executive of the International School Dhaka in Bangladesh and was formerly the Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (CIS). He has a degree in Economics and Politics from Cambridge University and, after a brief spell teaching in Papua New Guinea, joined the world of business. After working in North America for ten years, he has spent seventeen years with Jardine Matheson in Asia where, in addition to his business responsibilities, he actively participated in school governance, new school building and advisory bodies on education. He has been Board Chair at the British International School in Jakarta, Taipei European School in Taiwan, and South Island School in Hong Kong. In this latter location he was a member of the Management Committee of the English Schools' Foundation, and Chair of the Teachers' Pay Review Committee. Richard is a Member of the Governing Council for Stonehill International School in Bangalore, the IB Asia Pacific Regional Council and is Chairman of Knightsbridge Schools International.
TTC FACILITATORS
Keith Boniface has worked in seven international schools since 1978, most recently in Muscat, Oman. In that time he has had many roles, teaching kindergarten through high school, and serving as an Admissions Coordinator, Athletic Director, and Principal. At present, he is the Middle School principal at The American International School of Muscat. He has worked with the Principal’s Training Center on and off since 1995, as a co-trainer of the 'Instructional Supervision' and 'Leadership and Group Dynamics' courses.
Theresa Cullen Hill is currently the Dean of Faculty and Curriculum Coordinator at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, a JK-12 coeducational Episcopal day school in Alexandria, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. Over the course of her career, Mrs. Cullen Hill has taught in international, public, and independent school settings. This diversity of settings and breadth of experience has broadened her work with administrators, teachers, and students. Her past international experiences include: coordinating math and gifted programs at Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela; teaching and leading the elementary math program at the American School of London; and leading the differentiation program at the American School of the Hague. While in the United States, she continues to present and conduct trainings on promoting differentiation and meeting the individual needs of students. She is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills Program and holds master’s degrees in both international administration and education.
Philippa (Pip) Curtis has spent more than 10 years in international school education. She is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills Program and holds a Masters of Educational Administration. Born in England and raised in New Zealand, Pip began her career as a High School English, drama and journalism teacher. She is currently the Middle and High School Principal at Shekou International School in Shenzhen, China. Prior to this Pip was the Curriculum Consultant at Shanghai American School.
Gordon Eldridge is currently Curriculum Director at the International School of Brussels. Gordon was the Head of K. International School in Japan from the time the school was founded in 1997 until 2005. Schooled in Australia, Gordon originally trained as a foreign language teacher (German), and has taught ESL and history. He is currently undertaking a PhD with research focusing on curriculum implementation and is also a researcher for the Principals' Training Center (PTC), Teacher Training Center (TTC) and The International Educator (TIE). Gordon is a graduate of the PTC's Essential Skills program and has co-trained for the PTC's Summer institutes for the past eight years.
Mary Jeanne (MJ) Farris is currently the Head of Educational Technology at the International School of Brussels. She taught middle school math, social studies and English in the United States before starting her international career. After teaching in Stavanger, Norway, and Taipei, Taiwan, she returned to the US to receive her degree in Instructional Technology and Media from Columbia Teacher's College. She spent five years at the International School of Brussels, first as a Technology Facilitator, then as the Head of Educational Technology, taking the leadership of the integration of technology and curriculum. After two years as Technology Coordinator at the American Community School of Beirut, she has returned to Brussels to continue to develop the school's 1 to 1 laptop program.
Madeleine Maceda Heide has been the Assistant Superintendent at the American School of Bombay in Mumbai, India for the past five years, and will soon be the Director of Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador. She has had a wide range of experiences in international education as a student, teacher, team leader, principal, school wide administrator, and parent in the Philippines, Brazil, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Belgium, India, and the United States. Madeleine is a specialist in Early Childhood Education and Literacy and Language Instruction, with advanced degrees in both fields from Indiana University. As a teacher, workshop leader, and professional development trainer in many settings, she has shared her skills and passions with two-year-olds through eight-year-olds, as well as college and graduate students, pre- and in-service teachers, parents, Board members, and even household helpers. Madeleine counts it a privilege to have worked alongside many highly skilled individuals who continue to inform her beliefs about best teaching for our youngest students.
Johnson 'JJ' Jacob has worked as an international educator for 27 years. He is currently the Director of Information Technology at the American School of Bucharest in Romania and has worked previously in Venezuela, Tanzania and India. JJ started his career in technology as an Operations Manager with a software development company (Infosys Technologies - now a multi-billion dollar enterprise, recognized for their innovation and leadership). Over the years he has presented many professional learning workshops at several international conferences on topics ranging from deploying and managing 1:1 learning landscapes to transformational leadership. Johnson is very interested in fostering self-efficacy for the use of technology in teaching and learning through personalized learning networks. He was the recipient of a full international educator scholarship from Walden University and ECIS in 2011 and is currently working towards a Ph.D. specializing in K-12 Educational Leadership. He also loves to play music and enjoys photography.
Ochan Kusuma-Powell is co-founder and director of Education Across Frontiers, an organization that promotes teacher education towards the development of professional learning communities. A graduate of Columbia University with a doctorate in international education development, she has more than 25 years experience in international education and is actively involved in supporting international schools to become more inclusive of students with special needs. Together with her husband Bill, she has co-authored several OSAC publications including Count me in!: Developing inclusive international schools; Making the difference: Differentiation in international schools; and Parent advocacy in international schools. Their most recent book, Becoming an emotionally intelligent teacher was released earlier this year (Corwin Press). Ochan has worked as a consultant to international schools in the areas of differentiated instruction, developing teacher emotional intelligence, collaboration and Cognitive Coaching(sm).
Sasha Marshall is currently the Head of the Early Childhood Centre at the International School of Brussels. Prior to this she was Deputy Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator at the International School Dhaka, Bangladesh and several years ago, Head of K. International School Tokyo for a period of three and half years. She has a broad range of experience as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, trainer and evaluation team member in international schools. Sasha has been a Primary Years Program trainer for the International Baccalaureate as well as a team leader for the International Baccalaureate Authorization Teams in the Asia Pacific region. Sasha has been involved in the planning, support and implementation of a K-12 inquiry based, concept driven curriculum and is extremely interested in the development of whole school continuums of international education.
Karen Moreau has been involved in curriculum and professional development since 1987 and in international curriculum since 1998. She is currently the Assistant Superintendent for Learning at Taipei American School (TAS). Prior to this she was Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Academia Cotopaxi in Quito, Ecuador; Curriculum Coordinator at International School of Bangkok; and Curriculum Coordinator in Federal Way school district in Washington State. She has been an international consultant in curriculum, assessment and differentiated instruction as well as presenting workshops at numerous conferences around the world. She has worked with schools to develop curricula based on the principles of American education, international education and the three IB programs. She has taught at all levels of education - elementary, middle, high school and college. Karen resides with her husband, Paul and two cats in Taipei, Taiwan.
Barbara Parker is Regional Curriculum Consultant for the ISS Asia-Pacific Office based in Shekou-Shenzhen, China and was formerly Director, International School of Beihai. She has worked extensively in international schools in the Mediterranean region, in SE Asia, Pakistan and Africa for almost 30 years. Most of her career has been devoted to working with teachers to identify students who need more than the general curriculum is designed to offer, from those with learning challenges to those who are highly capable. She worked as Optimal Match Resource consultant in the MAIS region to develop systems for identifying needs, instructional strategies and monitoring progress of students. She has served as Academic Dean for The Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth and worked as with students from kindergarten through high school in a variety of capacities: curriculum coordinator, elementary principal, high school electives teacher, middle school humanities teacher and self contained elementary classroom teacher. She has shared the difficulty of determining the basis of a student’s learning needs: language acquisition, cultural differences, or processing issues.
Matthew Parr, Matthew Parr, a graduate of the PTC Essential and Advanced Skills program, is currently the Headmaster at Nagoya International School in Japan. A music teacher by trade, he has worked with children of all ages from K-12, both in the UK and Japan, and served as both an Elementary School music specialist and Secondary School department head prior to moving into Administration. Matthew was also responsible for spearheading the Assessment for Learning curriculum initiative at Saint Maur International School in Yokohama and his role as Curriculum Director at that school enabled him to share with colleagues his passion for assessment for meaningful learning. He has a son, Kai, aged seven, who teaches him everything he needs to know about learning!
Kristen Pelletier has been leading the IS Brussels learning support team school-wide for five years to develop a range of inclusive support services using a multidisciplinary team based approach. Previously she taught students with special educational needs for fourteen years, first in Maine in public school, and then at the International School of Brussels. She is a founding partner of the Next Frontier: Inclusion (NFI) collaborative launched in 2010, is an associate trainer for Educational Across Frontiers in the area of differentiated instruction and has been a member the European Council of International Schools Special Needs Committee. Her undergraduate degree is in special education with a concentration in cognitive and developmental disabilities and her graduate work is in educational leadership. Her goals include supporting other international schools on their journey toward being inclusive through consultation and professional development.
Gini Rojas, as an ASCD (www.ascd.org) faculty member and independent consultant, conducts professional training on effective programs and strategies for English Learners. This year she is working with international schools in Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia as well as with school districts throughout the US and Canada. She is recognized for her leadership and her commitment to the development of second language proficiency among school populations, especially within an inclusionary and collaborative context. It is her belief that strategies which assist English learners in K-12 settings are beneficial for all learners and that ESL and classroom teachers need to work together to provide seamless language-development and academic achievement programs. This is her message of her 2007 book Strategies for Success with English Language Learners: An ASCD Action Tool and the DVD series entitled Educating English Learners: Connecting Language, Literacy, & Culture published by ASCD. She is married to Thomas Matts, an employee of The College Board where he directs Advanced Placement Assessments.
Melissa Schaub is currently the Elementary Principal at the American International School of Bucharest in Romania where she and her two sons have called home for the last five years. Over the last 20 years, she has worked in international schools in Mexico, Venezuela and Romania. She has worked as an elementary teacher in grades 1, 2 and 4 and previously served as the Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction for grades Nursery through Grade 5 at the American School Foundation of Monterrey where she worked to grow and develop all aspects of the curriculum, including the alignment of clear learning targets, 'best practice' instructional methodology and assessment strategies across the grade levels. She has coordinated the work of Literacy Coach and Learning Leader teams, a Curriculum Council, and the Student Improvement Committee in order to support curriculum design and monitoring through the building of effective teacher leadership. As an instructional leader, it is her greatest educational passion to support the development and implementation of sound curriculum through meaningful teacher training in order to maximize student learning for all. Melissa has her Master's Degree in Elementary Education and Administrative Certification through The College of New Jersey and is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills program.
Ann Straub currently resides in Middlebury, Vermont after serving as the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development at the International School of Bangkok for the past 10 years. Prior to working in Thailand, Ann was an educator in Vermont working with learners ranging from elementary school to adult graduate school students. Previously, Ann has been a co-trainer for the Principals' Training Center course "Creating and Administering an Effective School," and has facilitated the TTC “Leadership Tools” course for 6 years. She has trained teachers and administrators in the US and internationally in Collaboration for Learning, Developing Learning Focused Curriculum, Assessment for Learning, and Collaborative Action Research to Promote Learning at the European Council for International Schools Conference, the East Asia Teachers Conference, the Associate for the Advancement for International Schools, and the National Staff Development Council. Ann consults with International Schools to build teacher leadership skills, enabling teams to focus on student learning, and to develop curriculum and assessment focused on understanding. She holds a Master’s degree and a Certificate of Ed Leadership from SUNY Buffalo.
CTC FACILITATORS
Bernie Longboy has experience working in two of the world’s growing economic powers. She is currently a High School Counselor at the Western Academy of Beijing in Beijing, China. Previously she worked at the American School in Bombay in Mumbai, India, also as High School Counselor. Bernie was the Associate Director for K-12 International Services for the College Board. Bernie served the overseas school community by encouraging and promoting the use of College Board Programs such as the SAT, PSAT, and the AP Program in their curriculum. She came to The College Board from the dot com world where she was a part of the sales/marketing force for an educational start-up software company. Prior to that, Bernie worked for five years as the coordinator of international admissions at a selective liberal arts college. She has a BA in political science from Trinity College in Hartford, CT and a master's in international education from Harvard University.
Shaun McElroy is head of high school counseling at Shanghai American School. A veteran overseas counselor, Shaun has lived and worked in Venezuela, Thailand, Australia and Canada. He has given workshops on college counseling around the world including the National Association of College Admission Counselors, Council of International Schools, Association of American Schools in South America, East Asia Region Council of Overseas Schools and the Overseas Association of College Admission Counseling (OACAC) of which he is elected as Vice President for technology and communication. A recognized authority on university advising and admissions, he has developed innovative practices in working with students and their families. You can follow the latest on news on higher education at his blog, www.internationalcounselor.org.
Aerian Gray is originally from Dublin, Ireland and is currently the lower school counselor at the American School in London. She has been a Middle and High school counselor and health teacher. In her life before education she was a radiographer and a Cordon Bleu cook! Over the past 35 years her work has taken her to Greece, South Africa, the USA and Hong Kong. She is also a graduate of the PTC’s Essential Skills program.
Mary Russman has been the middle school Principal at the American School of The Hague for the past eight years and is now in her fourteenth year as a principal in international schools. Mary was previously an academic university counselor, middle school/high school counselor and K-12 counselor in international settings. She is a graduate of the PTC's Essential Skills program and has previously both presented and co-trained Teacher Training Center courses.
Martin Walsh graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in History. Additionally, he holds graduate degrees in education and law from San Francisco State University and the University of California - Hastings College of the Law. From 1993 to 2004 Martin worked with international education programs in Russia, Cambodia and Venezuela. From 2004 until 2008 he helped managed the undergraduate admission process at Santa Clara University and Stanford University. Martin is a member of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC) and the California International Baccalaureate Organization. Additionally, Martin has been a guest speaker at WACAC, NEACAC and at numerous universities and high schools. His areas of expertise include: Trends in University Admissions, Access to Education for Undocumented Students, Higher Education for International Students, and Application Essays that Work.
Angela Wooles has been involved in teaching, curriculum and administration roles at The American School in Japan and The Jakarta International School. During the past decade Angela has been a professional development trainer and actively leading student, parent and community support programs. She has worked as an administrator supporting school counseling departments, counseling school families and as a leader of pastoral care programs. Angela is a 2008 Graduate of the PTC’s Essential Skills program. She works full time for the Principals Training Center (PTC) with programs and administration. Angela holds a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in Education from The University of Melbourne, Australia.
BTC FACILITATORS
Michael Johnson is the President of Clearpath Global, LLC (formerly ISG Advisors, LLC), an internationally-focused risk intelligence firm. In 2010 Mike retired from the U.S. Government as a senior law enforcement manager with 27 years of international and domestic experience. He spent 18 years of his career with the Diplomatic Security Service, US Department of State, serving ten years outside the United States. In his security roles at various US Embassies, Mike worked with international schools to help strengthen their security and crisis planning programs. In addition to his work in school security, Mike has experience in high-threat protective security operations and crisis management; complex international criminal investigations; law enforcement and security operations; and written/oral communication and public speaking with extensive experience in policy-level briefings and presentations. Mike is a past recipient of a Gold Medal from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of United States National Security. Mike also serves as a Director for iMarshals, a non-profit U.S. corporation that uses social media techniques to assist law enforcement in locating missing children as well as fugitives from justice. Mike is a Certified Protection Professional as awarded by the American Society for Industrial Security, the most recognized international security professional association.
Mark Klein is an Attorney at Law in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania and the Superintendent of Schools in Council Rock School District, Pennsylvania. He has been an adjunct professor for both Lehigh University, and Delaware Valley College in conjunction with their Education Leadership Programs. He has previously been nominated for both the National Distinguished Principal Award and the National PTA Education of the Year award. Mark has also been featured in both a documentary “Are We Educating Our Children for the Future” and Cable Access Programming “The Rights of Children”. Mark has presented Law seminars for Lehigh University.
John Sperandio is the founding Director of Stonehill International School. He has more than thirty years experience as an IB teacher, a physicist/engineer, a school business manager and as a director of international schools. He joined the U.S. Peace Corps school. and served as a teacher in an Ed. project in Uganda. Followed by ten years of teaching math, physics and accounting in Kuwait, Malta and Tanzania. His first administrative experience came in Malta, helping establish the parent foundation and governing body of the Verdala School. In Tanzania he followed as the School Business Manager for IS Tanganyika. John later returned to the USA as an engineer and scientist for Dames and Moore to model severe accidents in nuclear power stations and developed a multi-user computer interface, SAGE, for Gabor, Kenton and Associates to train power station operators in severe accident management. He returned to international schools as a financial consultant and was appointed Director of Support Services at Escuela Campo Alegre. In 1998, John was appointed the Director of the IS Azerbaijan, and in 2003, at IS Dhaka. In January 2008, having added two new countries to the IB World map, John accepted a commission from the Embassy Group to develop the first accredited, IB World School in Bangalore to offer all three programmes of the IB.
Phillip Stroup, Ph.D., is the Director of Development and External Relations at the American School of Doha in Qatar. In addition to fundraising he oversees admissions, and teaches a student leadership program which includes career internships with organizations in Qatar. He is an educational consultant in marketing, development and admissions. Phil has 12 years experience in international education including Director of Marketing and Development at the IS Bangkok from 1997-2006. His dissertation and current research focus on building mutually-beneficial partnerships as the foundation for strategic fundraising, marketing and admissions for international schools. Having received his first fundraising donation in 1978, he has continued to fundraise to improve educational practices, and support best practices. He has received donations from 1-million USD for training school leaders in the USA on business and education partnership development. Recently, he launched fundraising at American School of Doha and has raised 1.5 million USD in the initial two years. Prior to his international experience, Phil was a Federal Project Director at the School-to-Career Program with Boulder Valley Schools in the USA, taught at Colorado State University on implementation of business/education partnerships, and served on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Partners in Education in Washington D.C. for fundraising and as a national trainer. He conducts training for PTC/BTC in Fundraising, Marketing and Admissions.
Richard Tangye is the CEO of the International School Dhaka in Bangladesh and was formerly the Executive Director of the Council of International Schools (CIS). He has a degree in Economics and Politics from Cambridge University and, after a brief spell teaching in Papua New Guinea, joined the world of business. After working in North America for ten years, he has spent seventeen years with Jardine Matheson in Asia where, in addition to his business responsibilities, he actively participated in school governance, new school building and advisory bodies on education. He has been Board Chair at the British International School in Jakarta, Taipei European School in Taiwan, and South Island School in Hong Kong. In this latter location he was a member of the Management Committee of the English Schools' Foundation, and Chair of the Teachers' Pay Review Committee.
Dr. David Willows is British and studied at the Universities of Durham, Oxford and London, UK. He is currently Director of External Relations at the International School of Brussels (ISB), Belgium. With experience working and writing in the fields of Education, Philosophy, Marketing and Brand Development, Pastoral Care and Counseling, David is a regular presenter at international conferences, blogger and author of several books and articles in these fields. He is currently serving on the Board of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) and a Member of the Commission on Marketing and Communications for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He is co-editor of the new ECIS/CIS book on Effective Marketing, Communications and Development in International Schools.
TC SITE COORDINATORS

Joan Bastianini is originally from Hingham, Massachusetts and graduated from Boston University. She has lived for many years in Caracas, Venezuela where she first worked as an elementary teacher and an assistant principal at Colegio Jefferson. Joan later became the Director of Admissions at Escuela Campo Alegre and was a member of the administrative team. She recently returned to the US and began working at the PTC in February 2011.
Daria Burrell has been with the PTC since 2007 and works out of our Cape Cod, Massachusetts office. Prior to joining PTC, Daria held positions within the nuclear power and biotech industries. Daria handles PTC memberships and works with our course facilitators, preparing all materials for our summer institutes. She is originally from Long Island, NY and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Biochemistry.

Carol Crittenden is the on-site coordinator for the Summer Institutes in London. A 2004 graduate of the PTC's Essential Skills program and worked at the American International School of Budapest, Hungary for nine years, serving first as elementary music teacher and then as Upper Elementary School Principal. Carol currently enjoys teaching elementary music in Houston, Texas.
Nikki Gundry is the on-site coordinator for the Summer Institutes in Miami. Based in the U.S. in Tennessee, Nikki has helped to coordinate Principals' Training Center programs since 1999. She is a drama teacher, focusing on training teachers to use drama in the classroom to enhance student learning. She is also certified in conflict resolution. Nikki is the Corporate Advertising Coordinator for The International Educator (TIE), an educational newspaper and web site serving international schools worldwide.
Jane Shartzer is the Elementary Principal at the American Community School of Abu Dhabi. She has held administrative positions in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., Venezuela and Burundi, in addition to teaching in London, Sudan, Zaire and the U.S. Jane has presented workshops on supervision/evaluation, differentiating instruction, team-building, and ESL instruction. She holds a Masters in Education and a Masters in Education/Supervision. Jane is a graduate of the PTC's Essential Skills program and has both trained and coordinated for the Teacher Training Center since 2003.
Angela Wooles is Program Coordinator for the PTC. She is based at the Miami office and during the Summer Institutes she is located at the London site. Prior to this role she spent ten years working in International Schools. She has been involved in teaching, curriculum and administration roles at The American School in Japan and The Jakarta International School. Angela is a 2008 Graduate of the PTC’s Essential Skills program. Angela holds a Bachelors and a Masters Degree in Education from The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Gary Worth is Operations Manager for the PTC. Prior to that, he taught TV Reporting/Journalism at New Mexico State University and served as News and Public Affairs Director for KRWG-TV, the PBS affiliate for southern New Mexico and West Texas. He has also worked as a TV reporter in New Mexico and Texas and was Public Affairs Director for Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation from 1980-1983. From 1997 to 2008, Gary worked with a US State Department program to offer professional development to young broadcast journalists in emerging democracies in eastern Europe, including annual workshops at the University of Zagreb Political Science Department. He has produced and hosted numerous TV public affairs programs, live debates and documentaries. He holds a BS in Mass. Comm. and an MBA.






