Leadership

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 2018. Prior to joining Avenues, she served as head of pre-preparatory at St. Paul’s School in São Paulo from 2007 to 2016, where she inspired both young learners and educators.

Before embarking on her teaching journey, Anne earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in zoology from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). She has recently completed a post-doctorate for her research on metacognition and self-regulation in young learners at Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Her work exemplifies her unwavering commitment to advancing education through scientific inquiry.

Anne, a sought-after facilitator, frequently runs national and international workshops on differentiated instruction and formative assessment. She also designs transformative courses that empower teachers and parents to build a sustainable culture of high performance.

Daniela first joined Avenues São Paulo in 2018 as a founding faculty member, serving as associate division head in the primary division. After five years in that role, Daniela became head of primary division in August 2023. Throughout her thirty-year career in education, Daniela has been driven by a passion for engaging students in deep and long-lasting learning. She is committed to fostering inquiry in students by challenging them to solve meaningful, real-world problems, and inspired to bring the Avenues mission to life in classrooms every day. 

Prior to joining Avenues, Daniela served in a variety of roles in independent schools as well as in several education-related initiatives. Daniela has an undergraduate degree in psychology from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and a master of science in linguistics.

Tim McNamara joined Avenues São Paulo in 2019, bringing a wealth of experience in innovative education and project-based learning. After four years as an associate division head, Tim became head of secondary division in August 2023. Before joining Avenues, he served as director of High Tech High Chula Vista in San Diego, California. In that role, he developed a clear vision for project-based learning, designing and facilitating interdisciplinary student projects on poetry translation, sketch comedy, community sustainability, and more. Tim has also taught writing and rhetoric at university level in the United States.

Tim holds a graduate degree in school leadership from the High Tech High Graduate School of Education. He has written articles for publications including Porvir, EdWeek, Solution Tree, and Unboxed: The Journal of Adult Learning in Schools.

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.

Ricardo is a C-level executive with over 35 years of experience in the sectors of education, telecom, consumer goods, food and health. His career has included positions as CEO of Laureate Education Group at Anhembi Morumbi University, Telemig Mobile and a Coca-Cola joint venture for noncarbonated soft drinks. Ricardo was also a shareholders' board member at Marist Group, which includes more than 40 schools in Brazil and PUC Paraná University. He has also served in marketing and sales positions at Johnson & Johnson and Unilever. He is partner and founder of a start-up for the silver economy. Ricardo has a B.A. in business administration from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), São Paulo.