10 AMISA Schools Welcome New Heads of School for the 2025–26 Academic Year

Bio: Dr. Colin Brown steps into his new role as Superintendent with over 28 years in education and was the Founding Board Chair for the East Asia Pacific International Schools Association and the President of the Council of Administrators of Taiwan Expatriate Schools. Dr. Brown has authored chapters for two books on international educational leadership, has had numerous educational articles published and has led workshops around the world on innovative teaching and learning practices for educators and administrators. Dr. Brown enjoys serving the international schools' community and has frequently led WASC and Cognia accreditation visits around the world since 2011. Dr. Brown is thrilled, and humbled, to be serving the Mighty Bulldog community!

Goal for Year 1: LOL — Listen, Observe, and Learn. Building relationships and trust across the school community.

Excited About AMISA: Colin is excited to connect, collaborate, and reengage with leaders across the AMISA region.

Quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

Bio: Monica Chiriboga is a passionate educational leader with over 20 years of experience. She has fourteen years of classroom experience and ten years of leadership as an administrator—three as Early Years Instructional Facilitator and seven as Elementary Principal. Monica holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Universidad de Costa Rica and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from The University of Alabama. She has also completed leadership programs with the Principals Training Center and Nord Anglia University.

Her key strengths include strong communication skills, building rapport with stakeholders, and a commitment to the continuous improvement of schools.

Goal for Year 1: To strengthen meaningful connections with students, families, faculty, and the broader community while fostering a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment. She also aims to cultivate high academic standards and skills to ensure all students thrive intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

Excited About AMISA: Monica looks forward to engaging with AMISA as a thought partner focused on continuous improvement and best practices.

Connect with them on LinkedIn.

Bio: Marta Lewis de Cardoze is a psychologist with a master’s in Education. She has taught since 1986, beginning her career at Academia Interamericana, a private school in Panama, where she worked until 1990.

In 1990, Marta founded Jardín de Niños, a preschool in Panama, and has served as its owner and director since its establishment. In 2008, she founded El Colegio de Panamá, where she has been both Head of School and owner ever since.

Marta also serves as the Executive Director of the Gabriel Lewis Galindo Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote change to improve the quality of education in Panama. Among its achievements, the foundation has trained over 13,000 educators from public schools in Panama and established IT spaces in over 30 public schools to support the integration of technology into education. The GLG Foundation partnered with Microsoft through their “Partners in Learning” initiative to help schools incorporate technology into their curriculum.

She has been an important contributor to several government initiatives in Panama, including Conéctate al Conocimiento, English for Life, and Panamá Bilingüe, which promote technology use and English language acquisition in public schools. Marta is also a member of COSPAE, an organization that develops programs to improve education in Panama, and APEDE, which advances initiatives to influence the Panamanian economy.

Her contributions have been widely recognized. In 2014, Marta received an Honoris Causa Doctorate from Latina University for her work in Panamanian education. In 2019, she was awarded the María Ossa de Amador distinction by the First Lady of Panama. In 2022, she was honored as a Notable Citizen by the Commission of Moral and Civic Values. Additionally, she received the David Eissenman Medal for her perseverance in upholding principles of integrity and civic responsibility.

Beyond her work in education, Marta serves on the board of directors of cardboard box companies in Panama and the wider region.

Goal for Year 1: To ensure stability and continued growth at Balboa Academy while deepening relationships with students, staff, and families.

Excited About AMISA: Marta is eager to connect with other school leaders across AMISA to exchange ideas and best practices that benefit the region.

Bio: Jane McGee is an experienced educator with a passion for building and creating a safe and supportive culture for students, faculty, staff and the parent community. She is committed to developing and implementing innovative strategies to enhance learning and bring to life the mission, vision and values of schools.

In her career, Jane has taken on many roles--math teacher, department head, IB coordinator, principal and head of school--across seven countries and a wide range of American and international schools. She has taught at the American Overseas School of Rome, American International School Egypt, and International School Bangkok (where she was mathematics department head). Additional leadership roles followed at American School of Warsaw, American School of Bombay, Vientiane International School and most recently UNIS Hanoi. These experiences and opportunities to learn have taken her to her current role as Superintendent at Graded-The American School of São Paulo.

Throughout her career, Jane has regularly shared her experience with others, either through mentoring student teachers, presenting at conferences or sharing articles with the international education community. Having had the privilege of learning from incredible mentors and colleagues throughout her career, she believes in “paying it forward” to new and aspiring leaders to support student learning.

Jane balances her work with her personal life and enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, going to the gym, and exploring cultures and cuisines. She is married to Brian Chanen (High School Principal at Escola Concept São Paulo) and is the mum of two daughters (VIS alum and UNIS Hanoi Alum). Her own schooling was in Canada at Queen’s University (M.Ed, Administration and Policy; B.Ed and B.Sc.(Hons) Mathematics and Statistics).

Goal for Year 1: To build upon the school’s strengths while establishing strong connections with the International School community.

Excited About AMISA: Jane looks forward to becoming an active member of the AMISA network and collaborating with peers throughout the region.

Bio: Doug Murphy has served in international schools for much of his career, developing strong programs that prioritize both academic excellence and holistic student development. He is recognized for fostering faculty collaboration and championing student-centered learning.

Doug Murphy is beginning his 33rd year in education. Prior to serving as Director of the Uruguayan American School, he was the secondary school principal at UAS for three years. Along with Uruguay, Doug has international experience in education in Peru and the Cayman Islands. Doug previously held educational leadership roles in California and served as principal in California and Cayman International School. He holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University, along with advanced degrees in Sport Management and Secondary Education.

His leadership philosophy emphasizes emotional intelligence, integrity, and relationship-building. He is committed to engaging the hearts and minds of students and to developing an environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and personally. Doug is committed to fostering innovation in education, developing strong academic programs, and building an inclusive community that empowers students to reach their full potential. Powerful learning engages the hearts and minds of the entire educational community and provides relevant experiences that meet the individual needs, interests and abilities of all students.

Goal for Year 1: To focus on listening, learning, and building trust across the school community while setting the foundation for long-term growth.

Excited About AMISA: Doug looks forward to engaging with AMISA colleagues and exchanging ideas that strengthen both his school and the wider network.

Bio: Cristina is a proud alumna of the American School of Quito. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Educational Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador and a Master's in Early Childhood and Special Education from the University of Cádiz, Spain. She completed training in International School Leadership through the Principal Training Center.

Cristina’s career began as a teaching assistant and evolved through roles as an English teacher, Vice Principal of the Middle Years and Diploma Programs, and most recently as National Elementary School Director. Her experience across all school levels has given her a deep understanding of the needs, challenges, and contributions of each role within the school community.

Her educational philosophy is grounded in lifelong learning, reflection, and strong, authentic relationships. Cristina places students at the center of the learning process, recognizing and honoring their diverse backgrounds, needs, and learning styles. Inspired by A. Lyford-Pike’s Tenderness and Firmness, she believes in balancing empathy with high expectations to nurture both emotional well-being and academic success.

As a leader, Cristina is committed to fostering a collaborative culture built on trust, empowerment, and shared purpose. She believes leadership is about inspiring others to grow, innovate, and thrive. By encouraging open dialogue and shared ownership, she works to create environments where people feel valued and invested.

Cristina embraces continuous improvement and sees challenges as opportunities to reflect, adapt, and evolve. She is dedicated to strengthening the school’s mission and ensuring students are equipped to face the future with confidence and resilience.

Outside of school, Cristina enjoys running, walking, and spending time with her family. She is honored to serve as Director General.

Goal for Year 1: To ensure alignment between the school’s mission and vision while promoting a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence.

Excited About AMISA: Cristina is most excited to reconnect with the AMISA network and to share experiences with other school leaders.

Bio: Lural Ramírez was born and raised on the west coast of the United States, though she and her family now call Mexico home. With Bachelor's degrees in Communications and Spanish, Lural started out as a journalist before transitioning into education after completing her Masters in Teaching with a specialization in Bilingual Education. Lural started her education career in the elementary grades as both a teacher and a dual language (Spanish/English) program co-founder. After 11 years working as a teacher and program leader in the US, Lural transitioned with her husband and their three kids into international education.

The adventure first began with Lural taking a Head of School role at an inspiring independent Prek-12, bilingual, IB World School in the jungle of Costa Rica and then moving on to lead as Head of School at a Prek-12, IB World School, with both day and boarding programming in Thailand.

Now, after 22 years in educational leadership, and having taught and led from preschool through college levels studies, with a focus on IB World Schools and innovative educational contexts, Lural has most recently begun Doctoral studies focused on Educational Innovation and Reform, with a Doctoral minor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Lural is also an International Baccalaureate (IB) examiner and has contributed to consultant and innovation work with the IB. A frequent conference speaker and leadership mentor, Lural is also actively involved in educational innovation projects internationally, providing consultancy and volunteer governance support.

In her spare time, Lural loves to spend time with her family and to be active and in the outdoors, including spending as much time as possible surfing, hiking, running, and playing volleyball. Lural is honored and overjoyed to be joining the Academia Cotopaxi community as the school's next School Director and she is committed to supporting the school in its growth and development in the years to come.

Goal for Year 1: Strengthening Academia Cotopaxi’s reputation for innovation and preparing students for a dynamic future.

Excited About AMISA: Lural has been blown away by the level of care and professionalism in the AMISA network and is eager to contribute to it.

Quote: “There is more in us than we know if we could be made to see it.” — Kurt Hahn

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Bio: Frank is excited to serve the CNG community as its new Director. He brings extensive experience in education, most recently serving as the Director General of the American School of Quito, and has over two decades of leadership experience in China and the United States. He was drawn to CNG’s inclusive vision of education and to the Innovation Learning Initiative, which is working to transform teaching and learning at CNG and beyond.

Frank holds master’s degrees in Special Education and Counseling, as well as a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. He is joined in Bogotá by his wife and their daughters, who will attend CNG.

Goal for Year 1: To build relationships within the community while gaining deeper insight into the foundations that support CNG’s tradition of excellence.

Excited About AMISA: AMISA has by far the best collaborative culture among heads of school of any region I’ve had the opportunity to work in.

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Bio: With over 25 years dedicated to fostering global citizens, Dr. April Yetsko brings a wealth of international leadership experience. She has previously served as Head of School and Principal in diverse educational settings across India, Germany, Panama, Venezuela, and the United States. Dr. Yetsko holds a doctoral degree in K-12 Educational Leadership, a master’s in Special Education for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse learners, and a bachelor’s in Spanish and Psychology. Her career is built on the belief in education’s power to cultivate empathy, compassion, and agency, creating a more just world. Her work has been focused on developing the whole child through a commitment to inquiry-based learning, multilingualism, equity, justice, inclusion, and global citizenship.

Goal for Year 1: Creating a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation for all community members.

Excited About AMISA: April looks forward to the amazing network of leaders and educators in AMISA and the opportunity to grow alongside them.

Quote: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Gandhi

Connect with her professional profiles:

LinkedIn | Instagram: @dr.yetsko