Editor's Note: This post was originally published on August 1, 2023 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. See the end of this post for details.*
Fifteen AMISA member schools throughout Latin America and the Caribbean region approved new Heads of School, who are gearing up to welcome students to the 2023-24 school year. The Heads of School were among multiple individuals interviewed by school boards, school leaders, and community members, during the search process. The position changes are for varying reasons, including Heads of School who have moved to a new location within the region, school leaders promoted to the school director position, and Heads of School returning to the region after previous relocations.
We are excited to congratulate, welcome, and introduce each of the 15 Heads of School. We thank each Head of School for providing information for this post. Click each name below to learn more.
Anne Baldisseri - Avenues: The World School, Brazil (NEW AMISA MEMBER SCHOOL)
Anne Taffin d’Heursel Baldisseri is passionate about building community, motivating people, and sustaining a culture of quality where teachers and students are encouraged to learn alongside one another. Before becoming head of school in August 2023, Anne served as Avenues São Paulo’s founding head of primary division from 2016. Prior to joining Avenues, she served as head of pre-preparatory at St. Paul’s School in São Paulo from 2007 to 2016, having worked as an IB and elementary science teacher and then head of science prior to that. Before becoming a teacher, Anne completed an M.S. and Ph.D. in zoology from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). She also has qualifications in education and education management. Anne is currently part of a research group at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), where she is working towards a post-doctorate degree focused on bilingualism, metacognition and motivation. Anne runs national and international workshops centered on differentiated instruction and formative assessment, as well as courses to help teachers and parents to build a sustainable culture of high performance. She recently wrote a chapter for the book: Aprendizagens visíveis: Experiências teórico-práticas em sala de aula. Goal for Year 1 in new position: Strengthen leadership structures for effective information flow, decision-making, and team health across all levels. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-baldisseri Twitter: @abaldisseri Instagram: @annebaldisseri
Sonia Bustamante - Escuela Bella Vista, Venezuela
Jaime Comandari - Colegio Decroly Americano, Guatemala (NEW AMISA MEMBER SCHOOL)*
David Esch - Colegio Granadino, Colombia*
Dr. Don Francis - American School of Guatemala, Guatemala
Jessica Gilway - InterAmerican Academy (IAA), Ecuador
Wendy Hall - Escuela Santa Maria del Valle, Honduras (NEW AMISA MEMBER SCHOOL)
Shauna Hobbs-Beckley - Georgetown International Academy, Guyana
Dr. Brian Kelly - Carol Morgan School, Dominican Republic
Dr. Kelly Kramer - International School of Aruba, Aruba
Patti Marshall - Colegio Roosevelt, The American School of Lima, Peru
Eric Olsen - Santa Cruz Cooperative School, Bolivia
Jeffery Richardson - Escuela Campo Alegre, Venezuela
Dr. Raymond J. Schmidt - Escuela Internacional Sampedrana, Hondoras
Todd Zukewich - Colegio Internacional de Carabobo, Venezuela
To our new Heads of School, welcome to the AMISA region, and congratulations!
*Since we originally published this blog, AMISA has welcomed a new school and learned of a new Head of School at one of our existing Member Schools. This blog post will continue to be updated as needed.
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