Principal's Training Center for International School Leadership

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 23^rd 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. Starting in August, he will be working at Hong Kong Academy as Head of School. Stephen has been involved in curriculum development in international contexts for over 20 years and is a trainer for the Principals’ Training Center.

Sue Easton is the Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). Sue was recently in Barcelona as the Assistant Director for Learning at ASB and previously worked in Canada as a teacher, assistant Principal, Principal, and system-wide Learning Coordinator focusing on Literacy and Numeracy for struggling learners. 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 MSA, CIS and now 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 Associate Head of School at Washington International School in Washington, DC. He has been leading school technology programs for the last twelve years, first as a technology coordinator in Fairfax County, Virginia, and most recently 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), and the founding chair of the International Schools SIG of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

Jeff Farrington is 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 and assessment for the past 11 years. He has served as consultant for SACS/CASI AdvancED, acting as a member of a Quality Assurance Review team. 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.

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 Foundation of Monterrey, Mexico. Prior to that he developed the Instructional Coaching Program at ASFM. In his eleven 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 Deputy Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator at the International School Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prior to this she held the position of 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 is 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. Before leaving Australia to work overseas eleven years ago, Sasha held the role of Education Advisor – Learning Technology, for Queensland Education. In this role she worked with schools and teachers across Queensland. 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. He is currently the Director of Information Technology at the International School of Prague. He is the Chair of the ECIS ICT Committee. John has worked in Tanzania (IST) , China (WAB) and Japan (ASIJ) at International Schools. He has been an elementary school classroom teacher, IT Specialist, IT Coordinator and IT Director. Previous to this John worked in television and print advertising in Switzerland (Television Suisse Romande) and in the United States, Warner Communications and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. John presents as a keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator at international school conferences and also works as a consultant. John runs http://beyonddigital.org, http://www.beyonddigitalworkshops.org/ and is a regular contributor to http://tek-tips.nethawk.net/. John has a keen interest in the impact of digital media on facilitating and managing IT systems to support student learning.

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.

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 is a specialist in Early Childhood Education and Early Literacy Instruction. She completed an M.S. degree in Early Childhood Education as well as an Ed.S. in Reading and Language Education from Indiana University. She has had a range of experiences as a student, teacher, administrator and parent in international schools in the Philippines, Brazil, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Belgium and the United States. She is currently the Assistant Superintendent at the American School of Bombay. Prior to that she was the Principal of the Lower Primary division of Hong Kong International School. She was also the founding Head of the Early Childhood Center of the International School of Brussels where she worked for six years. Madeleine has taught all of the early childhood grades from two-year-olds through eight-year-olds and has led numerous presentations and workshops for educators and parents of young children. She worked as the Education Coordinator of a six-county Head Start program in southern Indiana and taught undergraduate Education majors at Indiana University. Madeleine counts it a privilege to have worked alongside many highly skilled teachers and administrators who have informed her knowledge of best practices for the youngest learners. Her most important informant has been her daughter, who is now a busy college student!

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 Deputy Head of Primary and PYP Coordinator at the International School Dhaka, Bangladesh. Prior to this she held the position of 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 is 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. Before leaving Australia to work overseas eleven years ago, Sasha held the role of Education Advisor – Learning Technology, for Queensland Education. In this role she worked with schools and teachers across Queensland. 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, a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills program, is currently the Secondary School Principal 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 five, 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 shares an amazing school experience with her husband and two sons. Over the last 17 years, she has worked in four different international schools in both Torreon and Monterrey, Mexico as well as in Caracas, Venezuela, teaching first, second and fourth grade. In her last posting, she served for five years 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 coordinated the work of a Literacy Coach team, a Curriculum Council, and the Student Improvement Committee in order to support curriculum design and monitoring through the building of effective teacher leadership. Building balanced literacy programs and providing meaningful teacher training are her educational passions as an instructional leader. Melissa has her Master's Degree in Elementary Education through The College of New Jersey and is a graduate of the PTC Essential Skills program.

Ann Straub has been the Director of Curriculum and Staff Development at the International School of Bangkok for the past nine 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." Most recently, she has presented sessions on Collaboration for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, 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. While residing with her husband Peter in Bangkok, she maintains long distance contact with her four children all living in the U.S.

CTC FACILITATORS

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.

BTC FACILITATORS

Michael Johnson is the President of ISG Advisors, LLC. Mr. Johnson retired from the U.S. Government as a senior law enforcement manager with 27 years of international and domestic experience. His past assignments included Special Agent in Charge at the Office of Export Enforcement and Special Agent in Charge at the Diplomatic Security Service, US Department of State. In his role as US Embassy security officer, Mr. Johnson worked with international schools to help strengthen their security programs. In addition to his work in school security, Mike has proven expertise in high-threat protective security operations and crisis management; complex international criminal investigations; law enforcement operations, intelligence collection, and analysis; counterintelligence/counterespionage investigations and operations; the disruption of illicit procurement and smuggling networks; and written/oral communication and public speaking with extensive experience in policy-level briefings and presentations. Mr. Johnson 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. Mr. Johnson is a Certified Protection Professional as awarded by the American Society for Industrial Security, the most recognized international security professional association.

Phillip Stroup, Ph.D., is an educational consultant in marketing, development and admissions. Phil has nine years experience in international education including Director of Marketing and Development at the IS Bangkok from 2001-2006. His dissertation, “What corporate executives expect from educators who ask for funds/partnerships” led to a million dollar grant from the US Dept. of Education to train educators. Prior to his international experience, Phil was a Federal Project Director with Boulder Valley Schools in the USA, taught at Colorado State University on business/education partnerships, and served on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Partners in Education in Washington D.C. His experience includes local, state, national and international levels in marketing, admissions and fund-raising. He brings a process and strategies for international and independent schools to ensure financial stability for school improvement.

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.

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 a member of the TC support team and has spent half of her career, 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.

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.