Leadership

Evan joined Avenues in 2017, bringing a wealth of education experience at both the secondary and university levels. Prior to joining Avenues, Evan spent more than ten years as principal of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), a state-chartered magnet high school in Alexandria, Virginia. Under his leadership, TJHSST received the Star Innovator for Science award (2010) and was named the number one high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report (2014) and by Newsweek (2015). Passionate about teaching, Evan also made time to teach math class and offer leadership seminars to students while at TJHSST. Evan’s earlier school leadership experience includes serving as the director of Roanoke Valley Governor’s School for Science and Technology (Roanoke, VA). He began his career in education at his alma mater, Glenbrook South High (Glenview, IL), where he taught math. Evan received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Illinois (Champaign, IL). He went on to earn a Ph.D. in instructional technology from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). Evan has published two books, Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking and Everyday Use of Mathematical Concepts: A Reference Guide.

Nancy Schulman is one of the country’s most prominent and highly regarded early childhood educators, leaders and authors. She was the director of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School from 1990 to 2011 and has been involved in independent schools in New York City for more than 30 years. Under Nancy’s leadership, the 92nd Street Y Nursery School was consistently regarded as one of New York City’s very finest nursery and pre-k programs, building a national and international reputation in the process. Before the 92nd Street Y, Nancy was the admissions director and a teacher at Horace Mann Lower School in New York from 1973 to 1990. Nancy received a B.S. in elementary education from Syracuse University and an M.A. in early childhood and elementary education from New York University. She is the co-author of Practical Wisdom for Parents: Demystifying the Preschool Years (Knopf, July 2007).

Eric Ogden joined Avenues in 2012, the school’s first year of operation, as a 4th grade head teacher. In 2014, he assumed the role of associate division head for grades 3–5, and in Fall 2018, became the head of Lower Division. Prior to joining Avenues, Eric was a 2nd grade head teacher at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in Manhattan. He began his career in education at the Cherry Hill School in River Edge, NJ. Eric received his B.A. in elementary education and English from Dartmouth College and later went on to receive a Master of Science in educational leadership from Western Governors University. An avid volunteer, Eric has lent his time as a patient care aide as a hospice volunteer, reconstructed homes destroyed by flooding after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and mentored a 16-year-old boy under the care of the New Jersey Division of Family Services.

Todd Shy joined Avenues in 2012, the school’s first year of operation, as a humanities instructor for the middle grades. He went on to become the director of the Mastery Program and the program director of High Intensity Practice in writing. During the 2017–18 school year, Todd served as an upper school head at Town School for Boys in San Francisco, California. Avenues had the pleasure of welcoming Todd back in Fall 2018 to assume the role of head of Upper Division.

Prior to Avenues, Todd taught social studies at Cary Academy in Cary, North Carolina; philosophy at North Carolina Governor’s School in Raleigh; and history at Rocky Mount Academy in Rocky Mount, NC.

Todd received a B.A. from the University of Virginia, completed graduate coursework at King’s College London and obtained a master of divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Wendy Chang has more than two decades of experience in the college admissions field within schools across the United States and Africa. She joined Avenues in 2018 from St. John’s School in Houston, Texas, where she served as the director of college counseling. Prior to St. John’s, Wendy was the inaugural director of U.S. college counseling for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, where she created and managed all the first U.S. college guidance program at a boarding school for South African girls. She also served for six years as the director of college guidance at the Collegiate School in Manhattan. Previously, she worked for six years as a senior admissions officer at the Harvard College admissions office. Wendy received her B.A. from Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, with a concentration in biological sciences. She later went on to obtain an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Daniel Greenblatt joined Avenues in the fall of 2018 as the director of operations and administration at Avenues New York. Prior to joining Avenues, Daniel was the chief operating officer for iMentor, an organization that empowers first-generation college students from low-income communities to graduate high school and succeed in college and beyond. Daniel also has a decade of experience with the NYC Department of Education, having served in a variety of leadership roles. He began his career as a New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching math at a Title 1 middle school in Brooklyn and later went on to work with the Superintendent of schools to support the academic achievement of 100,000 students across the borough. Daniel graduated from Connecticut College with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and obtained a Master of Science in education from Brooklyn College, where he was the vice president of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education.

Becca Howlett brings a lifelong commitment to education and more than a decade of talent experience to her role as the director of people and culture at Avenues New York. Becca started her career as a social studies teacher in New York City public schools. After six years of teaching, she joined Achievement First, a high-performing charter school network. During her 11-year tenure, she advanced from the organization’s first teacher recruiter to vice president of recruitment, while the organization expanded from five schools to 31 and from 50 to 1300 colleagues. Becca is also the founder of a non-profit organization, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, aimed at building libraries for incarcerated youth. She earned a B.A. in history at the University of Connecticut and an M.S.Ed from Bank Street College.

With 15 years of experience in highly selective college admissions, Dave joined Avenues in summer of 2018. Most recently, Dave served as a director in the undergraduate admission office at Columbia University. In his 12 years at Columbia, Dave’s responsibilities ranged from directing recruitment for engineering to reinvigorating a joint program for students between Columbia and The Juilliard School. Notably, he was a seasoned chair of an admissions committee with final decision authority on tens of thousands of applications. Previously, Dave served as director of admissions at Bates College in Lewiston, ME, helping to bring in the most selective and diverse incoming class in Bates’ history (at that time). He started his admissions career at his alma mater, Fordham University in Bronx, NY. In addition to graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Fordham College, he also earned a Master of Arts in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

With nearly 40 years of experience in education, Hamilton “Ham” Clark is a respected leader among independent schools in the United States. He served as head of school at Avenues New York for the 2016–17 school year and is now head of school at Avenues São Paulo. Previously, Ham spent three years as head of school at the American Community School at Beirut, Lebanon and one year as assistant director at the American International School of Zurich, Switzerland. Ham’s experience includes 11 years as headmaster of Episcopal Academyin Philadelphia and 15 years as headmaster of Sewickley Academy outside of Pittsburgh. Ham received his B.A. in religion from Trinity College and his M.Ed. from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Ham has also been a Columbia University Klingenstein Fellow and a visiting practitioner at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

John Ciallelo is an internationally distinguished leader and educator with a career spanning more than 35 years in prestigious schools in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, including 25 years in São Paulo at Chapel School, one of the leading international schools in Brazil. After serving as division head in both the primary and secondary divisions of Chapel, he became head of school, spending 10 years in that role. During his tenure at Chapel, John led numerous curriculum revisions and professional development initiatives that increased student performance across all grade levels. Additionally, John successfully spearheaded efforts to better prepare secondary students for the highly selective international universities and the Brazilian Vestibular. John joined Avenues: The World School in 2013, and directed the academic development and design for Avenues São Paulo from the organization’s headquarters in New York. He is now head of Secondary Division of the São Paulo campus.

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 a teacher, Anne completed an M.S. and Ph.D. in zoology from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Anne is currently part of a research group at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), where her aim is to complete a post-doctorate degree related to bilingualism, reading and motivation. Anne served as head of pre-preparatory at St. Paul’s School in São Paulo from 2007 to 2016. During her tenure, she instituted ideas from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. Under her leadership, a phonics program was introduced to provide children with the best strategies for reading and writing. In addition, Anne instituted changes to policies and programs that gave greater emphasis to students’ social-emotional development. 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.

Lisa Lund Peixoto has more than 16 years of leadership and administrative experience in independent education. Most recently, she served as the director of admissions at Graded–The American School of São Paulo. She has worked with tens of thousands of families from Brazil and around the world, and has welcomed generations of students to transformative experiences in education. At Graded, she served as admissions director, responsible for increasing enrollment; developing sustainable financial aid and scholarship programs; and forming impactful partnerships with peer institutions and corporations. She is exceptionally skilled at aligning school objectives with the interests of its students and families. Her extensive experience in international education has led to a deep appreciation for the value of diverse communities and dual-diploma learning programs. As a native of New York and long-time resident of São Paulo, Lisa is fluent in both English and Portuguese. Her husband is Brazilian and she has two children, and considers both the US and Brazil her home.

Luciana D’Angelo brings 30 years of financial and administrative experience to Avenues São Paulo. In senior positions with Pearson and Rosetta Stone in Brazil, she built and managed multidisciplinary teams, oversaw strategy and directed sales with a focus on company results. As COO of Rosetta Stone, Luciana implemented business goals and strategies, participated in leadership discussions affecting all areas of the business and served as an expert on operational matters. Prior to Rosetta Stone, Luciana spent 13 years at Pearson Education do Brasil, serving most recently as CFO and interim CEO. At Avenues São Paulo, Luciana is responsible for campus operations, acting as a strategic advisor, functional expert and thought partner to the CFO and members of the school leadership team. She is passionate about education and delighted to be working in a school setting. A native Portuguese speaker, Luciana is also fluent in English and Spanish.

Cristine Marie Tedeschi Conforti has dedicated herself to education since her undergraduate studies in Literature at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). She began her career as a Portuguese teacher in the Secondary Division of Colégio Santa Cruz, where she remained until 2017. Cristine held a range of roles at Santa Cruz, including teacher of literature and writing, head of college preparation and director of elementary school. In 2010, Cristine became the director of teaching and learning, and vice-general director at Santa Cruz.

Alongside her work as an educator, she has completed a postgraduate course in communications and semiotics at São Paulo’s Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC), a master’s degree and a doctorate in Education at the Faculty of Education at University of São Paulo (USP). She has published several books and taught courses on creative writing and language learning. At Avenues, Cristine leads the Brazilian program. In partnership with the rest of the leadership team, she intends to develop the program as a model of for innovation, as well as sustainable, intercultural and interdisciplinary educational design.

As director of teaching and learning, Andy Williams oversees curriculum development from nursery through 12th grade, including identifying overall curricular outcomes and articulating the sequential steps at each grade that lead to those outcomes. Before coming to São Paulo, Andy served in the same role at Avenues New York for several years. Before joining Avenues, Andy spent 20 years working for the Morris School District (Morristown, NJ), where, since 2008, he was director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and evaluation. He served previously as principal of the Alexander Hamilton School and as a teacher at Thomas Jefferson School (both in the Morris School District). In Morristown, he worked with curriculum committees in most academic disciplines, gaining experience in both student and faculty assessment techniques. He has directed summer and after-school programs and worked with gifted and talented, bilingual and ESL programs. Andy has a B.A. degree from Liverpool University and an M.A. in educational administration and supervision from Seton Hall.

Juliana Salles joined Avenues São Paulo in 2017 as director of people and culture. She brings more than 15 years of experience in talent management and development gained at leading schools and multinational corporations. Juliana previously served for five years as human resources director at Colégio Santa Cruz. At Santa Cruz, she implemented end-to-end talent management plans that optimized school organization and strengthened campus culture. Prior to her time at Santa Cruz, Juliana worked in the energy sector. As human capital executive manager at EDP Energias do Brasil, she developed global human resources programs and oversaw leadership development and succession planning. Juliana earned her bachelor’s degree in business management at Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and her executive MBA at Fundação Dom Cabral. As director of people and culture for the São Paulo campus, Juliana is responsible for recruitment, onboarding, engagement, culture, performance management, compensation and benefits, non-financial rewards and recognition, human resource administration and leadership development.

Catalina Guzmán joined Avenues in 2019 from the Johannesburg International School in South Africa, where she led the college guidance program. Previously, Catalina served as college counsellor at the Taipei International School in Taiwan, where she supported students on their paths to colleges in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan among other destinations. Catalina has also worked in higher education, supporting undergraduate admissions at the University of Pennsylvania and graduate admissions at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to her deep experience in college counseling, Catalina brings a rich international perspective to her work, having lived and worked in countries as diverse as Brazil, China, Mexico, Venezuela and the United States. Catalina earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania and her masters degree at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in Portuguese.

Andy is a highly experienced school leader who began his career in education in his native Oregon more than 30 years ago. After nearly a decade as a classroom teacher he moved into administrative roles at middle and elementary schools in Oregon before moving overseas.

In 2001, Andy joined International Schools Group-Yanbu International School in Saudi Arabia, where he served as the site director and pre-K through grade 12 principal. Andy moved to Shanghai in 2005 to serve as elementary principal at Shanghai American School, Pudong campus. He was promoted to middle school and elementary school principal in 2006, and then deputy superintendent in 2007. Andy’s nine-year tenure marked a period of significant growth at the school, the largest in China at the time. In 2014, Andy was selected to be the director of the 1500-student Universal American School in Dubai. Andy holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Eastern Oregon University, an M.A. in Teaching from Pacific University and will soon complete his Ph.D. in organizational and educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. Andy is married and his adventurous wife, Amanda, and their two school-aged children are excited to have returned to China with Avenues Shenzhen.

An expert in language immersion with a passion for teaching, Angela joins the Avenues Shenzhen team after six years at the Avenues New York campus, where she was a founding faculty member. Most recently, she served as the coordinator of Avenues New York’s Chinese immersion program, with responsibility for curriculum, implementation and student assessment, as well as the professional development of 40 Chinese-speaking faculty members. Angela was born and raised in Xinjiang Province before she moved to the United States for higher education. She is married with two children, the youngest of which is a student in the Small World program. From fall 2019, Angela will serve as the head of Avenues Shenzhen Kindergarten.

Matt brings a wealth of education and administrative experience to Shenzhen, where he is responsible for the non-academic operation of the campus. Since 2017, Matt served in the same role at Avenues New York; prior to that, he worked as director of education design at Avenues’ headquarters. Before joining Avenues, Matt spent 10 years with Harlem Village Academies (HVA), helping to grow the organization from one to five schools. He began his career as a teacher with Teach for America in Chicago and holds a B.A. in religious studies from Indiana University. Matt is married and has two daughters aged 2 and 7. In his spare time, he enjoys running in Shenzhen Bay Park and exploring the regional cuisines of China.

Freya joined Avenues in March 2019 as director of people and culture for Avenues Shenzhen. Previously, Freya spent more than 10 years working in human resources for multinational companies, non-profit organizations and start-ups in China. Most recently, she served as senior HR business partner at Amazon China, supporting a team of more than 500 employees. Before that, Freya was the HR director of education non-profit Teach For China. Passionate about education and personal development, Freya is certified as a trainer in the The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity course, among others. She holds an M.A. in human resources management from Peking University.

Amy joined Avenues in its opening year, 2012, as the director of college counseling for the New York campus. There she introduced Avenues to the most well respected colleges and universities around the world. After launching the dean of students program in New York, Amy now brings her invaluable expertise in college counseling and student support to the leadership of Avenues Online.

Having lived on four continents for a total of 26 years overseas, Tim has been fortunate to lead some of the world’s most iconic international schools, including the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia and the American School in Japan. Prior to Japan, positions in Costa Rica, Brazil and Tanzania afforded Tim eclectic settings for the pursuit of student-centered education with a global scope.