GEBG - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Global Partnerships & Programing / Polytechnic School
Ann Diederich currently co-directs the Global Initiatives Program and teaches French, the Global Citizenship Seminar and is currently piloting a global scholars program for Pasadena Unified School District students at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. At Polytechnic, she has collaborated with students and colleagues to develop a compelling events series featuring over a dozen global experts from a variety of fields to promote student leadership and problem solving through an innovative grant proposal project that has funded over a dozen student-initiated global action projects. Prior to joining Poly's faculty, Ann founded the Mandarin Chinese program and a student language coaching program as the World Language Department Chair at The Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn. As a master teacher at the Rassias Center for Global Languages and Cultures at Dartmouth, she teaches accelerated language courses at the college level and co-leads teaching workshops. She has served as a board member of e² education & environment and Acción : Education in Action, where she has contributed to more than a dozen publication projects and bilingual college counseling workshops for LA Unified School District students. She feels fortunate to have been a part of the NAIS Aspiring Heads program, the Klingenstein Summer Institute, the American Forum for Education China Summer Institute and the USC US-China Institute and relishes any opportunity that she can get to learn about the world around her. Ann majored in French, Spanish and Western European Studies at Georgetown University, researched feminist policy in post-Franco Spain as a Fulbright Scholar, and earned a master's degree in French from Middlebury.
Job Titles:
- Director of Professional Learning and Curriculum
As the Director of Professional Learning and Curriculum, Chad Detloff supports GEBG's work with educators who want to infuse their curricula, programs, and schools with education for global competencies. Chad has spent his career seeking to develop self-aware, courageous, empathetic citizens who take on leadership roles to effect positive change in their various, diverse communities. Chad began his journey in this work as a student, studying abroad in Switzerland in high school and in Argentina and Italy in college. Chad spent ten years as the Director of Global Programs at Chadwick School in Southern California, where he led a group of faculty and administrators in creating unique indicators of global citizenship-based on the school's mission and vision-and developed in-class curricula and travel programming to target these competencies. Chad has worked extensively with student leadership development and has taught a wide array of student-centered, inquiry-based courses in the Humanities and Global Languages disciplines over fourteen years in the classroom. Additionally, Chad has significant experience developing risk-management policies and procedures, training faculty and staff, and creating comprehensive systems and budgets. Previously Chad taught at the University of Barcelona and oversaw a university Spanish language program. Chad graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in Comparative Literature (Spanish and Italian). In his free time, Chad enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time outdoors with his family.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Senior Staff Member
Clare Sisisky is currently the Executive Director of the Global Education Benchmark Group, working to support its member schools around the world in all aspects of global education. Clare has written and spoken on many topics relating to global and intercultural competencies in K-12 education in national and international forums. Prior to beginning her tenure with GEBG in 2018, she spent 8 years at the Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia as the founding Director of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship and the Director of Strategic Planning. Her leadership responsibilities included overseeing all programming, curriculum, and professional development in the ares of global engagement, DEI, service-learning, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. She also led the school's strategic planning process in partnership with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees. She began at Collegiate as the Director of Global Education, where she created the International Emerging Leaders program and developed a network of 12 partner schools around the world. She previously worked as the director of a humanities magnet high school for a large public school district, for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in Beijing, and was on the faculty at Phillips Academy Andover. Clare has an undergraduate degree from George Washington University and a graduate degree from Harvard University where her research included a year-long research fellowship in Mauritius and extended time in India. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania's MidCareer program at the Graduate School of Education where her research is focused on global competence development in students and teachers. She was a founding board member of the Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), served two terms as a board member of the Council for Standards in International Education Travel (CSIET), and currently leads the K-12 working group for the World Council on Intercultural and Global Competence.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Academic Affairs Lead
Daniel has over 14 years of experience in traditional education, where he focussed primarily on global education, senior leadership, curriculum design, financial planning, student and staff recruitment, events management and residential programmes. While working as the Director of Global Education at Felsted School, he also served as the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Mental Health First Aider and Round Square Representative responsible for overseas student exchanges and conferences. He has led Global Education focussed residential and online programmes for more than 4,000 students from 40 countries over the years. Most recently, Daniel made the move to GoodNotes, where he leads a research initiative dedicated towards better understanding the future of AI in education. Daniel holds a First Class Bachelor's Degree in Media Arts, a Masters Degree in International Relations and a Level 7 Diploma in Teaching English as an Additional Language. A strong believer in life-long learning, he recently completed an MBA in Senior Leadership.
Job Titles:
- Head of School
- Member of the Board
- Head of School / Visitation Academy
David Colón joined the Viz family in July 2018, taking on the all-important role of head of school. At Viz, this entails providing direction and leadership for all divisions including the Montessori, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. He also is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), and the Catholic Education Association (CEA). David has presented at multiple conferences for multiple organizations including the National Association of Independent Schools; Virginia Association of Independent Schools; Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference at Villanova University; Jiangsu Province International Educators Conference; and Southern Association of Independent Schools, speaking on topics such as global education, pedagogical reform, and student life. Additional credentials include the Harvard Law School Negotiation Project, Center for Creative Leadership Executive Coaching Training, and the Northwestern University Program for Fundraising for School Leaders. David earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in German Language from American University as well as a Master of Arts degree in European History from Harvard University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President of the Board
- President / National Association of Independent Schools
Debra Wilson began her tenure as the ninth president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) in 2023. From 2019 until 2023, Debra served as president of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), where she led the organization through a period of growth and supported school leaders in her region through the COVID-19 pandemic. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. In addition to her role as chief legal officer, she has presented to school leaders around the country and abroad, including at GEBG. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook, and loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Global Programs
- Member of the Faculty and Administration at the Blake School
Dion Crushshon has been a member of the faculty and administration at The Blake School in Minneapolis for the past twenty-three years over which time he has had a major impact on the lives of students at Blake. He spent the early part of his Blake career as a Middle School Counselor and coach, and then transitioned to the Upper School, where he has served as a Grade Dean, a social studies teacher, as Director of International Programs and Off-Campus Study, and in his current role: Director of Global Programs planning coordinating, and chaperoning numerous international trips, and facilitating international travel and study experiences of many Blake students. Over the past five years, Dion has led Blake's efforts to create a national model of credit-bearing travel and immersion programs for students. He started by bringing a group of students to Cuba in the summer 2016 and most recently led a Blake experience in Rwanda in the summer of 2019. Blake's recent immersion experiences have also included China, Sierra Leone, and Vietnam. Dion has also been an innovative social studies teacher over the last 8 years demonstrating leadership in experiential education and student-centered pedagogy. He currently teaches three different courses; Class and Race in the United States; Global Theories, Local Realities; and two sections of Social Psychology. Dion has also served as a faculty member for the Global Online Academy (GOA) consortium.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Global Education / Buckingham Browne & Nichols School
- Director of Global Education at Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Dr. Karina J Baum is the Director of Global Education at Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N), a K-12 independent school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has a Masters in Molecular Genetics & Biotechnology from the University of Buenos Aires, and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from Brandeis University. Her research on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and best practices in Global Education focuses on the use of case studies, applications of technology, collaborations beyond the classroom, design-thinking, and interdisciplinary learning. Karina's work has been presented in numerous conferences and workshops, and published in peer-reviewed journals in science and education and in an edited book. She received the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence (AASTE) in 2014 and the 2018 Teacher of Merit Recognition by the Regeneron Science Talent Search Competition. Formerly, Karina was an Education Fellow at the National Academies of Science, a Scholar at the Board of Science Education of the National Academies of Science, and a consultant for Oxfam. She has been a fellow and faculty of the Think Tank on Global Education at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education since 2017. She is passionate about science, environmentalism, cooking, gardening, film, photography, learning about different cultures, and travel.
Elsie Stapf has been the Director of Operations for the GEBG since 2014, using her expertise in management of all GEBG operations systems to help support member schools as the organization has grown. Elsie continues to focus on membership and leads both the benchmarking data work for GEBG and the execution of the annual Global Educators' Conference. Prior to her work with the GEBG, Elsie spent 5 years at the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut where she supported students as a Gap Year Advisor in the College Advising Office, coordinated several globally focused on-campus programs, led travel programs throughout the world and chaired a class-wide service learning initiative. Previously Elsie also spent time working for the Becket Chimney Corners YMCA where she directed an international youth travel and service program serving more than 200 teens annually, including hiring and training all program leaders. She served as an officer of the board for Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut and chaired committees. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Truman State University and lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
As GEBG's Program Manager, Florence plays a leading role in managing GEBG's Student Dialogues program and our array of professional learning programs. Florence was previously the Director of Global and Community Engagement at Crystal Springs Uplands School in California, leading all aspects of global and community engagement programming and creating thoughtful learning frameworks for these areas. Florence also served as the Dean of Faculty, Director of Curriculum, Director of Global and Experiential Education, and chair of the science department in the Upper School at the International School Campus in Hamburg, Germany, where her accomplishments include establishing a new teacher-evaluation program, designing and implementing a ‘week without walls' project-based experiential program for all students in first through ninth grade, and preparing teachers for the launch of the IB Diploma program. In addition, Florence's professional experience includes leading teacher training for Boston Public Schools, serving as a director and dean for Oxbridge Academic Programs, and teaching for five years on the science faculty at Harvard-Westlake School in California. Florence has a master's degree from Harvard University in education leadership and administration, where she was a Media, Literacy, and Visualization Fellow at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning; a podcast producer; and member of a committee to support Asian and Asian-American student wellbeing. Florence has an MS in Marine Environmental Biology from the University of Southern California and a BS in Marine Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Florence lives in California, enjoys scuba diving, and speaks conversational Mandarin.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chief Officer for Global Initiatives, Equity, and Belonging / Miami Country Day School
Glen currently serves as the Chief Officer for Global Initiatives, Equity & Belonging at Miami Country Day School, after having previously held the positions of Upper School Director, Director of Global Studies & International Programs, and World Languages Department Chair. In 2001, Glen arrived at MCDS in the role of Upper School Spanish teacher, a job he also held at his former schools - Isidore Newman in New Orleans, LA and Charlotte Country Day School in Charlotte, NC. Glen received his BA in Spanish Language and Literature from Colgate University, his M.Ed. in Foreign Language Education at the University of Virginia, and was a Fulbright Teacher in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina. Glen created Miami Country Day School's GATEway (Global Access To Education) and X-Term programs.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the Board
- Executive Director of the Heads Network
Jen Evers serves as the Executive Director of The Heads Network, a nonprofit that promotes active collaboration and professional growth for independent school heads and leaders who are committed to the education of girls and advancing women's leadership. Previously, Jen spent nine years at the Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development at the International Coalition of Girls' Schools implementing all professional development programs as well as identifying, cultivating, and sustaining strategic partnerships and sponsorships that benefitted ICGS member schools. Prior to joining ICGS, Jen taught middle and upper school Mandarin Chinese at the Latin School of Chicago and held a variety of roles in admissions, development, and residential life at a range of independent schools. Jen began studying Mandarin as a student at The Madeira School and earned her B.A. in Asian Studies and Religion from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Stanford University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Experiential Education / Lawrenceville School
- Director of Experiential Learning at the Lawrenceville School
John Hughes serves as the Director of Experiential Learning at the Lawrenceville School. In his current role, John is the administrator in charge of the global Harkness Travel Program, and the school's Big Red Farm, ropes course, outdoor, residential summer camp, and sustainability programs. Previously, John held a faculty position at George Mason University's Center for Team and Organizational Learning and it's Hemlock Overlook Center for Experiential Education. He has worked with many organizations, including Bement Center, Concord (NH) High School, Inner Quest, Inc., Leapfrog Innovations, and World Challenge. John began his connection to global education as a high school student with homestays in France and China. He led his first global service program to the mountains of Jamaica in 1997 and since coming to Lawrenceville has led student programs to the Grand Canyon, Austria, Germany, Iceland, Nepal, and Tanzania. His favorite experience is the next one.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Global Civic Engagement and Social Impact / Brooklyn Friends School
- Director of Global Civic Engagement and Social Impact at Brooklyn Friends School
Kevin Murungi (He/Him/His) is Director of Global Civic Engagement and Social Impact at Brooklyn Friends School. Before BFS, Kevin was the Director of Global Extensions at Avenues The World School. He deeply enjoys working with young people to activate their global citizenship and develop the core competencies that will enable them to actively, thoughtfully, critically, and ethically engage with the world around them and help make it a more just and sustainable place. He was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and encourages everyone to visit Kenya. He loves to travel and is a big fan of football (or what's referred to as soccer in the U.S.). He received his BA from Middlebury College in Political Science with a minor in Economics, and his MA in International Affairs from American University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of the Global Citizenship Institute / St. Mark 's School
- Is Director of the Global Citizenship Institute
Laura Appell-Warren is Director of the Global Citizenship Institute and is also the Director of The Global Citizenship Program at St. Mark's School. She teaches religion, anthropology and The Global Seminar. Laura has been working and teaching in secondary schools, first at Milton Academy and then at St. Mark's School, for over 30 years. She earned her B.A. in anthropology and psychology from Wellesley College and her doctorate in Psychological Anthropology from Harvard University. She is the author of numerous journal articles, the editor of The Iban Diaries of Monica Freeman and the author of Personhood: An Examination of the History and Use of an Anthropological Concept. She has written extensively on the teaching of anthropology in secondary schools.
Job Titles:
- Director of the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies
Marley Aloe Matlack is the Director of the Alvord Center for Global & Environmental Studies at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT. An international educator since 2004, Marley has extensive experience in the areas of program development, risk management, and strategic planning. With her special focus on the interconnection of global and environmental studies, Marley (and her team) create off-campus travel programs, on-campus sustainability and place- based projects, and professional development opportunities that provide students and faculty with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge, values, and attitudes about the world's systems and build skills that prepare them to take action to make positive and lasting change. Marley also has a strong interest in developing global competency assessment tools, which she explored as a 2021-2022 GEBG Global Action Research Fellow.
Marley has a B.A. in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University, an M.S.W in Social Work from The University of Connecticut, an M.A. in International Education from The School for International Training (SIT), and a Certificate in Place Based Education from Antioch University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Diversity, Wellbeing, and Global Education / Holton - Arms School
As Director of Diversity, Wellbeing, and Global Education, Melissa Brown leads an office of educators dedicated to developing and implementing school-wide programming at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a National Board Certified Language Instructor with over 25 years of experience in public and independent education who works closely with parents, students, faculty/staff, and global partners to design and integrate opportunities for students to develop the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind necessary to thrive in our complex and changing world. In addition to designing and leading off-campus programs in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, Melissa presents nationally on global education, has recently co-authored NAFSA's manual on Health and Safety for Secondary Programs, and hosts a National Coalition for Girls Schools Headways Conversation dedicated to Global Education. Mellissa also serves the National Coalition for Girls Schools as a member of their Board.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Assistant Head of School, Global Education / Appleby College
Rob McGuiness has been working at Appleby College for the last 17 years, where he oversees Global Education at Appleby College. This includes experiential, intercultural, and international programs, as well as integration with the academic curricula. Combining aspects of all of these areas, Rob led the development of the Appleby College Global Leadership Diploma. Under Rob's leadership, the school has developed an extensive program of global experiential learning which includes a dynamic and diverse range of intercultural and international service learning trips, as well as integration of global experiential trips with the school's academic program. The last seven years have also involved significant work focused on integrating global perspectives, partnerships and pedagogies into the classroom, including extensive faculty professional development, and effective integration of local and international students. Rob was promoted to Appleby College's Senior Leadership Team in 2008 as the Assistant Head of School, Global Education. Since taking on this role, he has been involved in the development of two strategic plans with global and experiential learning objectives well embedded. Before joining the Appleby College community, Rob worked at schools in Australia and England, combining his love of adventure and travel with teaching. Rob is active with a number of independent school organizations including the Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario Experiential Education Network (serving as a member of the executive committee), the Independent Schools Experiential Education Network, Round Square and the World Leading Schools Association.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of Porter 's Center for Global Leadership
- Director, Porter 's Center for Global Leadership / Miss Porter 's School
Sophie Paris is the Director of Porter's Center for Global Leadership at Miss Porter's School. After earning a Bachelor's Degree with High Honors in Art and Art History from Colgate University, Sophie began a fourteen year career as a Photojournalist for the United Nations, Bill Gates Foundation, Clinton Foundation, newspapers, and the wire services. In 2004, the UN sent Sophie to Haiti, within days her love for Haiti was ignited and she made it her home until moving to Connecticut in 2012 to join the Miss Porter's School faculty. Sophie has lead innovative global initiatives at Miss Porter's including implementing a Global Citizenship curriculum, launching a Global Studies Certificate diploma and establishing partnerships with international institutions around the world.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership / Pace
- Pace Academy in 2004 As Director of Service Learning
Tricia Anderson joined Pace Academy in 2004 as Director of Service Learning and Multicultural Affairs. From 2006 to 2015 she served as a dean in the Upper School and taught Ancient World History as a member of the Upper School history faculty while continuing to direct the Service Learning program through 2014. In 2014, she was appointed Director of the Isdell Center for Global Leadership, and oversees global leadership education in all three divisions. Currently, she teaches Global Studies in the Upper School. Trish was born in Jamaica but spent most of her growing-up years in South Africa. Prior to coming to the United States, Trish earned an Honors Bachelor of Theology degree, summa cum laude, in 1995 from the University of Southern Africa. She came to Atlanta in 1995 to do graduate studies in religion and theology at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, where she earned her Master of Theological Studies, magna cum laude, in 1997. Trish went on to pursue a Ph.D in historical studies in Theology and Religion at Emory, and has completed all the work except for the dissertation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- High School Principal / Georgetown Day School
- Principal at Georgetown Day School
Yom Odamtten Fox is the High School Principal at Georgetown Day School, in Washington, D.C. She formerly served as Interim Director of DEI and is also the Director of Community and Global Partnership at The Dalton School, Yom's expertise includes World History, Civics, Experiential and Service Learning, Global Travel, and Professional Development and Mentorship. She has also made contributions on student, faculty, and family Anti-Racist Programming in the Offices of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; the Office of Advancement; and Parents Association.