ZIS - Key Persons
Alexandra Hallen Utterman is American and a ZIS parent. She has experience in investment management and joined the Board in 2017.
Job Titles:
- Community Relations Committee
Andreas Apitz is Swiss and German and a ZIS parent. He works in an independent investment firm and joined the Board in 2022.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
Beatriz Pujol is Uruguayan, German and Swiss, and is a ZIS alumni parent. She works in the Medical industry and joined the Board in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board
- Chairman of the Board / Governance Committee
Carl Hollitscher is Austrian and Swiss and a ZIS parent. He works in asset management and joined the Board in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Community Relations Committee
Ceyda Avunduk is Swiss and Turkish and is a ZIS Parent and ZIS Alumna. She is founder and chairwoman of an online clothing retail business and joined the Board in 2023.
Chicco di Stasi is Italian and a ZIS parent. He works in banking and joined the Board in 2020.
Job Titles:
- English Teacher ( AISZ 1972 - 1990 )
Dick Killen received his BA from University of Virginia and his MA from University of Iowa. He taught English for close to two decades at AISZ, ran the weekly assemblies, coached a swim team and organized weekly softball games.
Writes one alumnus, "Mr. Killen, our beloved 10 th grade English teacher, taught us to love life, respect and accept each other and ourselves… I remember assemblies where he played his guitar and sang. ‘Mr. Bojangles' comes to mind. … I remember well his love for his subject and how much we loved and respected his kindness and his passion for life." Another fondly remembers Dick Killen as "an outstanding teacher. His humanism, genuine interest in different cultures and opinions, his tolerance and friendliness made him an invaluable member of faculty in an international school such as AISZ. He has been a role model for me ever since." Countless other alumni refer to Mr. Killen's ability to find qualities in themselves that they were previously unaware of and the lasting impact he had on how our alumni look at life decades after having left his classroom. "Mr. Dick Killen was a man who was able to get through to me by simply impressing on me that each individual has so much to give in this life. Every individual adds something and it is our duty to respect that fact. Mr. Killen didn't impress that on me by his words; he did so by his actions. Mr. Killen taught me how to live."
Dick Killen has two sons who also attended AISZ. He and his wife live in retirement in the Zurich area. If you would like to share your comments about Mr. Killen (video or text), please write to alumni@zis.ch.
Don was known for his excellent teaching, mentorship of students, positive outlook and his leadership on field trips to countries throughout Eastern Europe (including behind the Iron Curtain), Israel and Tunisia. The Bowdens left ZIS after 3 years to teach in Japan, and eventually ended up back in Don's home area of northern California.
Essa Al-Saleh is Kuwaiti and American and a ZIS alumni and current parent. He works in the logistics, strategy, advisory and investment areas and joined the Board in 2020.
Fowler Stillman was born in New York City and grew up in many places in the U.S. and Canada. He attended the University of California (Berkeley), McGill University, Fresno State and Brown University.
Recruited by John Mattern, Stillman left the U.S. in 1967 to join the AISZ faculty as a Biology teacher, as well as a coach for the ski team. He went on to teach additional scientific subjects as well as to lead students in a variety of sports. He was a treasured colleague and a mentor to decades of students during his tenure at AISZ. In 1989, he left the school to join the former AISZ director, Auggie Zemo, who founded the Riverside School in Zug (now ISZL). Stillman retired in 2000 and currently lives in Ebertswil with his wife Ellie.
Said Stillman in an interview in 1987: "I'm always after a sense of purpose, a movement toward excellence for that [student] no matter the level. You honor kids with respect at whatever level they get to. Be generous to their accomplishments; honestly support them and they become enthusiastic…"
Job Titles:
- Chemistry and Mathematics Teacher, Coach, Deputy Principal
He is a native of Essex, England and he received his BA and his MA with honors in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge. While at Cambridge he was vice-captain of his college soccer team. Before joining AISZ, Ian taught science for three years at the International School of Brussels.
In addition to guiding students through science and math courses throughout his 27 year tenure at AISZ, Ian acted temporarily as Deputy Principal, coached football throughout the length of his time at the school, led a photography club, and, as an avid sports car enthusiast, even offered a car repair course to students.
Job Titles:
- Chairman Community Relations Committee
Isabel Almiro do Vale is Portuguese and British and is a ZIS Parent. She works in the chemical industry as a strategy and marketing leader and joined the Board in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Community Relations Committee
Jonathan Toretta is Swiss and American and a ZIS parent. He works in the science and technology sector and joined the Board in 2021.
Lola Kinder is Swiss and a ZIS parent. She works in the pharmaceutical industry and joined the Board in 2022.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director, English and Science Teacher
Margaret Smith joined ZIS in 1972, taking on many roles during her 11 years at ZIS. She was Assistant Director to Augie Zemo, and taught both English and science. Mrs. Smith is from the United Kingdom. She studied at the University of Leeds and received her masters from New York University. She is retired and currently resides in Florida.
"Margaret had the commitment to teach, the compassion to care, and the fortitude to set high expectations and standards. She taught me to expect more of myself, my school and my community," shared one alumnus. Another expounded, "Mrs. Smith was a devoted, kind, and supportive teacher and staff at AISZ for many years. She was firm with students but also friendly, warm, and generous, with a wonderful sense of humor. She was part of the heart and soul of AISZ." Countless other alumni have expressed gratitude to Mrs. Smith for being such a wonderful role model. Wrote one alumna, "When I was a teenager, there weren't many female role models around: women in leadership positions who were strong, intelligent and respected by all. She was the first woman who taught me that you can be a woman and a leader and tough and demanding and caring and funny - all at the same time."
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chair of the Board
Mariana Grigorian is Spanish and Armenian and a ZIS parent. She works in career guidance and joined the Board in 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Finance Committee
- Finance Committee
Markus Klose is German and a ZIS parent. He works in the Finance industry and joined the Board in 2023.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Relations
- Media Relations
Job Titles:
- Board Secretary / Chair Governance Committee
Noelle Ahlberg Kleiterp is American and Swiss and a ZIS parent. She has experience in the finance sector and in consulting and joined the Board in 2021.
Rob Caramella, an American citizen, came to ZIS in the fall of 2001. He had been hired by Paul Lieblich in London and was at that time working as an educational consultant with the George Soros Foundation in Bosnia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan. Rob received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education at a state university in the United States and began teaching in Montgomery County, Maryland. With fifteen years of teaching experience in the public school system, he moved to New York City and received his Masters degree at Bank Street College. He worked at Bank Street College for 15 years supervising and evaluating graduate student teacher interns, as well as lecturing to graduates and helping several school districts develop and implement curriculum that supported a child centered approach to education. He also worked for an organization called Children's Resources International in Washington, DC, training teachers in several Eastern European countries and Pakistan in Step by Step - a child centered teaching methodology. It was from this vantage point that he began his more than fifteen years teaching at ZIS.
"I've taught all grades from one through fifth for at least three years each. AT ZIS, I taught first, second and EAL. I then worked at the ECC and worked with any children who seemed to be stressed upon entering school. It was designed to support both teachers, families and children."
Suzanne E. Rapetti-Hunsicker is American and Swiss, a AISZ (ZIS) alumna and alumni parent. She is a partner in a project management and consulting company and joined the Board in 2019.
Tony Keys was born and raised in Battersea, central London. He grew up alongside two older brothers and twin younger sisters. Sports was a shared passion in his household. Tony represented Battersea schools in football and clinched first place in the London Schools swimming finals. Though accomplished in swimming, football was his true calling. As a teenager, he represented Great Britain's Under 18 team in European Tournaments.
During a hospitalization for knee surgery, Tony's eldest brother opened his eyes to the wonders of mathematics. Drawing inspiration from his early math educators, he pursued a degree in Pure Mathematics at the University of Warwick.
At 22, Tony began his teaching career at Salesian College, Battersea, his alma mater. There, he not only taught mathematics but also coached football, collaborating with several of his former educators. After six dedicated years in London, Tony ventured to Japan for a teaching stint he thought would last just one year. Instead, the charm of Japan kept him there for 18 years, during which he served in international schools in Yokohama and Tokyo. It was in 1995, that he met Suzanne - now known to many ZIS students as Mrs. Keys, the Assistant Principal of the Middle School. Their shared journey led them to Switzerland and subsequently to ZIS in 2003, where Tony left an indelible mark on both students and faculty.
After a 43-year-long teaching career, Tony had to retire due to ill health. Staying in Switzerland, he is being treated for an incurable disease but remains active, reading fiction, poetry, mathematics and philosophy along with playing the guitar and piano. He treasures his connections with former colleagues and students. He feels that teaching has been a joyful, rewarding, and a delightful career.
Mr Keys made maths a fun subject and always inspired students to leave the classroom a little bit lighter… But his brilliance as a teacher didn't stop there; he also had a way of being truly thoughtful and considerate with his students.
He always made class entertaining with his anecdotes of the lives of mathematicians, and would sometimes even play the piano or guitar while explaining the mathematics of the music theory behind the chord changes. I would not be working in science today had it not been for Mr. Keys' influence.
Tony Keys was a colleague of mine at ZIS for 18 years. I considered myself a solid teacher and staff member but I was in awe of Tony's ability to teach mathematics while at the same time teaching his class all the things that he rightly regarded as important for life after ZIS."
Tony Keys was a colleague of mine at ZIS for 18 years. I considered myself a solid teacher and staff member but I was in awe of Tony's ability to teach mathematics while at the same time teaching his class all the things that he rightly regarded as important for life after ZIS.
Although not liking maths at all when I started his class, Tony Keys managed to get so many of us excited to learn and do well. And not without results - many of my peers got their highest ever maths results after taking his classes and even began to enjoy the subject.
He was a fantastic teacher who conveyed his knowledge with great passion and fine humor. He also helped many students to enjoy studying mathematics. As a colleague he shared his great charisma and his musical talent.
Mr. Keys never allowed me to give up and I very quickly became a A/B student in his class. The way he taught was very inspiring.
His style of teaching and caring for his students made him one of the best teachers. My friends and I still talk about him to this day.
Tony Keys is quite simply the best math teacher in the world. Even students with no great gift for math appreciated his humour and humanity.
His teaching style, his humor and commitment to helping students will always stick by me.
A Renaissance Man he inspires students, alums, colleagues and parents. He has dedicated his life to being an educator in life and mathematics.
Mr. Keys was super witty and funny. He made math one of my favorite subjects to learn and he will go down as one of my favorite teachers from my time at ZIS.