Job Alike Leaders

Arts Job Alike Leaders Melissa DiCesare and Inês Kemp

Melissa is the Department Chair of Secondary School Art at American Overseas School of Rome. She has lived in Rome for the last 12 years and taught Secondary School Art and Tech at AOSR for the past 10 years. When she is not teaching secondary school students she spends time making art with her two girls Giulia, 8 and Camilla 4. She is passionate about sharing her love of the arts with others

Inês is the Area Leader for Art and Design at the Oporto International School, Portugal. She began her career as an illustrator of children’s books, having graduated with an MA in Illustration from Kingston University. She soon felt the pull of education, completing a PGCE at the Institute of Education, UCL. Though she trained in England, she has also worked in China and now Portugal. Working in an international context has provided her with the opportunity to explore other cultures and learn from a variety of experiences and approaches to education.

Counseling Job Alike Leader Dr. Simona Reichmann

A Clinical Psychologist with a background in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, she moved to Rome from the U.S. in 2001 with her family, and began working as a K-12 School Counselor at the American Overseas School of Rome in 2009. This will be her 12th year! Simona now work primarily with the ES and MS, and provide individual and group counseling, develop SEL activities and lessons, and supports teachers and staff. She loves being part of the dynamic MS team!

Design Job Alike Leaders Jim Ellis and Jags Myanger

Jim is co-leading the Design JAL sessions. He is from Phoenix, AZ and studied architecture in university. He is in his 17th year teaching overall, 12th year in Vienna, Austria. He consults globally and blogs about educational design and design thinking facilitation. Motorcycle restoration and playing guitar keep him busy when not with family. Connect with him on Twitter @skhooldesign.

Jags has been in Education Sector since 1994 and currently is at the International Community School of Zurich. She headed the Design Department for 13 years and is very excited to chair this innovative subject area. She also brings knowledge from her leadership role to further support facilitation of this group to meet everyone's needs. In her free time, Jags enjoys running.

EAL Job Alike Leader Jessica Riches

Jessica will be leading the EAL JAL sessions. She has been teaching since 2002 - first as a Reading Specialist, and as an EAL specialist since 2007. This is her 8th year teaching Grade 6 EAL at the International School of Prague. In her free time, she loves reading, writing, critiquing writing, and quilting. Connect with her on Twitter @prahajess.

English Language Arts Job Alike leader Kristen Pollard

Kristen is leading the English JAL sessions. She is from Maryland, USA and studied English literature in college. She started working as a copywriter before returning to university for her master’s. She is in her ninth year teaching overall, and her fourth year in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Cooking and taking her beagle for walks keep her busy when she’s not teaching. Connect with her on Twitter @mskpollard.

Humanities Job Alike Leader Marijke van der Hiel

Marijke will be leading the Humanities Job Alike. She has worked as a Grade 5, 6, 7 & 8 teacher in Boston, Aberdeen (Scotland), Singapore and Budapest (Hungary). She has experience as a humanities teacher, a RLA teacher and a world geography teacher. AISB (Budapest) has adopted the C3 standards, so this is an area of strong interest. In her spare time, Marijke likes to read and putter with her plants.

Leadership Job Alike Leaders Tami Canale and Carol Wallace

Tami is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the American International School of Budapest and the past president of ELMLE. She has been in education for nearly 30 years and has been attending ELMLE conferences since 2010. Connect with her on Twitter @canaleteach.

Carol is the Middle School Principal at the International School of Stavanger, Norway. She has been attending ELMLE conferences since 2001.

Math Job Alike leader Katharine Muir

Katharine is a math teacher at the American School in London. She has worked in Australian, English and American education systems for over ten years. Katharine enjoys connecting and working with others to share ideas, problem solve and create better educational environments.

World Languages Job Alike François Stalder

François started his teaching career in Alsace, France, in 1993. In 1994, he moved to Oman, then to Thailand (Lycée International de Bangkok for 3 years, then Harrow International School). In Bangkok, he was Head of Modern & Foreign Languages for 15 years and Boarding Housemaster for nearly 3 years. In 2008, François spent a year at Harrow School, UK, then returned to Bangkok. In 2015 he moved to Stonehill International School, Bangalore, India, as Head of Languages. He is now teaching at AIS Budapest. François is French and Swiss, he is married to Preethi who is originally from India and also a teacher. They have two boys aged 16 and 18. François is passionate about languages. He has taught French, German, Spanish and English to various age groups, including adults. He is a keen sportsman with running being his constant sport other than kayaking. Connect with him on Twitter @MrStalder.

Physical Education Job Alike Leader Stefanie Wainwright

Stefanie will be co-leading the Physical Education JAL sessions. She has been teaching and coaching in the PE field for 15 years and has a background in athletic training and empowering girls through athletics. As a teacher leader, she is thrilled to both join and lead the conversations to better her craft. Good teaching is a group effort! In her free time she enjoys getting out in her kayak.

Science Job Alike Leader Margherite Dadiego

Margherite will be leading the Science job alike. She has been a MS Math and Science teacher in 7 international schools. She switched from ES to MS in 1994. She attended her first ELMLE conference in Budapest in 2001 and has been lucky to return to ELMLE on several additional occasions. She is looking forward to collaborating with other MS Science teachers. In her free time she loves doing Crossfit.