I would like to share an update regarding our search for the new Head of School at AISC to commence in July 2023.
In February of 2021 the Board of Directors announced that Mr. Andrew Hoover would be leaving the American International School Chennai at the end of the 2021/22 school year. It was also announced that Ms. Joelle Basnight was being appointed as the Interim Head of School for the 2022/23 school year.
A Search Committee was formed, comprising of Mr. Michael Roberson (elected member) Chair of the committee, Mr. Jongho Jung (elected member), Ms. Kami Viswanathan (appointed member), Ms. Louisa Rogers (elected member), and Mr. Sridhar Venkatesh (appointed member).
In October of 2021, AISC contracted with Mr. John Littleford of Littleford & Associates to assist in the search process. The firm are experts in conducting global searches for high performing candidates in academic institutions.
In November of 2021, Mr. Littleford met with key stakeholder groups of AISC. Groups included parents, staff, faculty, and the Board. Based on the inputs of these meetings, a customized position profile was generated. Together with other Head of School search documents, a copy of this document is available on the AISC Board of Directors Blog. The profile was then used to identify and attract ideal candidates to be the next AISC Head of School.
In December of 2021, Ms. Basnight was selected to be the next Head of School for the American Community School in Amman, Jordan. She will be joining them in 2023. The AISC Board of Directors is very excited about this new opportunity for Joelle, and we wish both Joelle and Walter every success in their new endeavours.
Over the past several months, the Search Committee has met with numerous, well-qualified candidates. We have narrowed our search down to three outstanding educational leaders, each of whom would be well-poised to assume the Head of School role at AISC. They are a strong match to our Mission, Vision, and Values. We are confident that they represent AISC and the future direction of this school. Their bios are below for your review.
Due to the uncertainties of travel due to COVID-19, the Search Committee has elected to implement virtual visits for the candidates and our community. Candidate virtual visits are being scheduled for the week of February 28– March 3. These visits will allow students, parents, staff, faculty, and the Board of Directors to interact in interview settings with each of the candidates, to learn more about them, and to provide them the opportunity to learn about us.
You are encouraged to participate in these visits and provide your valuable feedback. If you would like to participate, please contact Angeline Mohan (mangeline@aischennai.org) and she will let you know the logistics of these meetings. Also, look for more direct communications about opportunities to participate in the visits from Ms. Mohan next week.
The Board of Directors will continue to use their blog to assure continuous access to reference points and documents regarding the Head of School search process.
If you need further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at mrobersonaisc@gmail.com.
With best wishes on behalf of the AISC Board of Directors,
Michael Roberson
AISC Search Committee Chair
Head of School Candidate Biographical Sketches
Fiona Reynolds
Fiona Reynolds is currently the Director of Wellbeing at the Avenues The World School in New York, where she has been since the summer of 2021. Prior to her move back home to the United States, Fiona was the Deputy Head of School at the American School of Bombay (ASB), Mumbai, India (2015-2021). At ASB she also served in the roles of Director of Teaching and Learning (2013-2015) and Middle School Principal (2011-2013). Fiona also worked as the Middle School Associate Principal at Graded, The American School of São Paulo, Brazil (2009-2011). She has been active as an Adaptive School Agency Trainer, Positive Discipline Parent Workshop Leader, Cognitive Coaching Foundation and Advanced Trainer amongst many other facilitator roles. Fiona holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Minnesota (USA).
Leigh Fitzgerald
Leigh Fitzgerald is currently the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Mid-Pacific Institute, Honolulu, Hawaii (2019-Present). Prior to this she was the Executive Director at the Hawaii Technology Academy (2011-2019), School Retool Coach/Interim Program Manager at Stanford University (2017-2019), DIrector of Upper School at the Wildwood School, Los Angeles (2010-2011), the Middle/Upper School Principal at the Maui Preparatory Academy, Napili, (2005-2010) and has worked as a English and Social Studies teacher at the early part of her career. Leigh has administrative experience across all spectrum of a school including overseeing educational policy, accreditation processes, admissions, financial planning, and recruitment to name a few. Leigh holds a Master’s degree in Administration, Planning & Social Policy from Harvard University, Cambridge and a Bachelor’s degree in American Civilization and Education from Brown University, Providence.
Vladimir Kuskovski
Vladimir Kuskovski presently serves as the Head of School at the EF Academy in New York (2019-Present). Before arrive at EF Academy, he was the Director at the International School of Basel, Switzerland (2015-2019), Head of School at the Oberoi International School, Mumbai, India (2011-2015), Headmaster at the International School Hamburg, Germany (2009-2011), Headmaster and Assistant Headmaster at the Leysin American School of Switzerland (2002-2009) and has worked as a Principal and taught Russian Studies for a number of years in U.S. schools. Vladimir is also an adjunct professor at the Endicott College (USA) and supervises doctoral students at Grand Canyon University (USA). He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Leadership of Educational Administration from Capella University (USA) and a Master’s degree in Education from the Minsk Linguistics University (Belarus).
