Tom was born in Australia and spent his early years in Papua New Guinea before returning to Australia. His practical teaching experiences in Fiji and participation in a Commonwealth teacher exchange in England ignited his passion for international education. 

Over the past 30 years, Tom has dedicated his career to schools across Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Myanmar, Germany, and now China. He is currently in his 17th year as a Head of School and his 4th year as the Head of Beijing City International School (BCIS). Tom believes that every child has the right to realize their potential, which is best achieved within a community that celebrates diversity. 

His commitment to fostering an environment where everyone can learn from one another shapes his approach to international education. When reflecting on what he appreciates about BCIS, Tom states, “BCIS is a future-focused school with a clear strategic direction. I value our community's emphasis on personalization, leadership, and collaboration. The school is making significant strides in empowering students with real agency, ensuring they remain at the heart of all decisions.” 

Outside of his professional commitments, Tom enjoys exploring new cultures, reading, and running while listening to leadership podcasts. He also participates in tennis, touch rugby, golf, and squash. Tom is married and has three adult daughters who reside in Brisbane.

Alan is originally from Powell, Ohio in the Great Lakes section United States of America. Having earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary Education from The Ohio State University, Alan spent three years honing his teaching skills in southern Maryland from 1997 to 2000. From teaching in America, he then journeyed to Berlin, Germany where he taught at the John F. Kennedy Schule, a bilingual school in the German public school system, for the next two years. In 2002, Mr. Cox joined an IBPYP international school here in Beijing teaching Grades 5 and 6. It is here that he first became an IBPYP Coordinator and helped to facilitate the school’s 3-year IBPYP self-study report and evaluation. In 2005, Mr. Cox qualified to be trained as an IBPYP Workshop Leader for the Asia Pacific region and began to conduct IB workshops and school evaluations in the region.

Alan joined Beijing City International School (BCIS) in 2006 serving as a member of the Educational Leadership Team first as IBPYP Coordinator and then the Deputy Principal of the Elementary followed by becoming the Early Childhood Center Principal.

In 2019 Alan was appointed Director of YueCheng Education Research Institute, excited to continue his working relationship with the broader YueCheng education group translating current academic research results into powerful pedagogy, creating and further developing future-oriented educational programs.

Alan rejoins BCIS as the Director of Teaching and Learning working closely with the head of school, divisional principals and curriculum coordinators across multiple campuses.  He is proud to continue his work in further developing and refining the high-quality learning and teaching on offer at BCIS.

Amanda graduated from the University of Wollongong, Australia, with a Master's degree in Strategic Human Resource Management. Prior to joining BCIS, she possesses over 20 years of experience in the Human Resources and administrative fields, having worked at various multinational companies across the Automotive, Optoelectronics, Investment, and Government sectors.

In her current role, Amanda is responsible for overseeing the Finance, HR, Campus Management, IT, and Procurement functions at BCIS, operating under the guidance of the Head of School. She has demonstrated a proactive work ethic, complemented by strong strategic thinking and a can-do attitude.

Amanda is passionate about leadership development, personality assessments, and strategic thinking. She is dedicated to effectively leading and coaching teams, while also emphasizing the importance of cross-functional communication. Her professional credentials include a Soft Skill Trainer Certification (TFT from Schouten), MBTI Step I and Step II Certifications, as well as the China Human Resources Professionals Designation (CHRP LEVEL 1).

Ms. Zhang Ting majored in English as an undergraduate, before continuing her studies and obtaining an MBA degree from the University of Maryland. In her more than 20-year career, she has worked for state-owned enterprises, foreign enterprises, and start-up companies, with most of her experience and main area of expertise being the education and training industry. She has grown from a CELTA certified English teacher to a corporate executive and has experienced the transformation of enterprises throughout different stages of development. Ms. Zhang Ting also serves as a corporate trainer, developing and teaching a series of leadership courses for grassroots and middle-level managers. She has also received training and practice as a professional corporate coach with internationally certifications.

As the Director of Admissions and Engagement, under the leadership of the Head of School, she is responsible for admissions, community and alumni relations, communications, branding, event planning, and public affairs. She joined BCIS because of her passion for education and recognition of BCIS values. She will work with the team to truly become a promoter of the sustainable development of the school, an advocate of the BCIS brand and the builder of the BCIS community.

Jackie is from Western Australia and spent her early teaching career in mining towns and remote Aboriginal communities in Australia. These unique experiences afforded Jackie opportunities to work not only in schools, but at regional, state and federal levels of education. More recently, Jackie has served schools in Australia and China. Jackie has a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education and a Masters degree. Jackie is curious and enjoys the challenges of learning about new approaches to learning and education.
Jackie’s diverse experiences in education drive her to ensure all children have the right to an education that embraces who they are. This involves children being active participants in their learning with the teacher extending and developing children’s curiosities while also introducing new experiences that spark awe and wonder. This continuous cycle ensures learning is fulfilling and continuous. With this in mind, strong two-way relationships with families are an important part of learning and education.
Jackie enjoys travel, reading and walking through unfamiliar places and getting lost!

Fred has a Bachelor of Science in Education, grades 1-8, and a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Curriculum. While Fred is from the United States, he has worked overseas for 30 years, including time in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the last 11 years in China (this is Fred’s fourth year at BCIS after 8 years at the International School of Beijing). Fred is very passionate about current research related to how students learn best as well as the power of collective efficacy (how teachers work together to support students). Fred is very honored to serve the BCIS elementary community. 

When not at work, Fred enjoys cooking Chinese food, reading, walking in nature, playing tennis, and watching American sports (especially American football). Fred also enjoys listening to music (including K-Pop), reading professional books (and also a good mystery) and spending quality time with his wife.

Natalie was born in Hanover, Jamaica. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Language Education: English, from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Arts in Education from Wake Forrest University, a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principal's Training Center, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in International School Leadership with Wilkes University.  

Before BCIS, Natalie worked in various capacities in Jamaica, the United States of America, Venezuela, and Mexico. She was a Middle School Deputy Principal and Principal at the American School of Tampico for seven years. She has been an educator for 23 years and has a wealth of experience in teaching and leading. Natalie believes that forming solid interpersonal relationships leads to a positive school culture,  functional collaborative structures, and exceptional outcomes for students and teachers.

In addition, Natalie is passionate about partnering with parents, promoting student voice, and fostering a sense of belonging and a focus on successful learning outcomes within the BCIS community.

Leesa, was born in Sydney Australia, initially growing up on Sydney Harbour, before moving to the amazing bush lands of the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales.  Leesa is married to Andrew who is joining her at BCIS, and has two incredible adult boys, who are also keen to explore the beauty of Beijing.

Leesa joins BCIS community after working at an International School in Geelong, Australia for the past 14 years. She is an International Baccalaureate (IB) Workshop Leader and School Visiting Team member who supports IB World Schools to create improvement strategies that ignite and inspire their future aspirations.  Leesa is an experienced Early Years Teacher and Leader. She earned two undergraduate degrees at Deakin University in Australia, and her postgraduate Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Early in her career, Leesa discovered the amazing work emerging from a little town in ‘Reggio Emilia’ in the north of Italy, igniting her passion for teaching and learning that is human-centered and transformational. She believes our learners can teach us about who they are, what their strengths are, and how they can apply their strengths for the benefit of self, others and the planet.

Leesa enjoys spending time with family, hiking in and discovering new places, mountain bike riding, swimming, exploring the wonders of the world, reading, and celebrating our learners’ accomplishments, she is looking forward to learning about the wonderful culture in China, and especially Beijing.

Yooah, born in Seoul, Korea, grew up in New York City and Montreal, Canada. She majored in Social Sciences at Marianopolis College, earned her undergraduate degree at McGill University in K-6 Elementary Education, and her Masters in Educational Leadership at the University of New Brunswick. As a multicultural family, she always wanted to move internationally. So, after teaching in Canada for a few years, she made her way over to Beijing in 2008 with her husband, Dave Nguyen, who works in the Secondary School. They were lucky to have two daughters, Sidney and Avery, both born and raised in Beijing.

Yooah has been a homeroom teacher in Grades 3 and 4, the Social Studies and Science Team Leader, and a Grade Level Team Leader. She has been at BCIS since 2008. She is a strong believer that students learn best through inquiry and by giving them a voice, they have ownership over their learning.

Yooah speaks Korean, English, and is loving learning Chinese. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her bike, playing badminton and volleyball, reading, and traveling to experience new parts of the world. She loves the city of Beijing and feels very fortunate to be a part of the BCIS community.

Fiona grew up in Northern China and obtained a master's degree in applied Linguistics in Beijing. During her post-graduate study, Fiona spent a year teaching Chinese in Korea as part of her research program. Since then, she has been teaching at different international schools with experience in a variety of programs.  

Fiona joined the BCIS community in 2012 after her career in an international school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She has been working at the BCIS Secondary School as a Chinese teacher and also served as Team Leader for the Chinese and Speakers of Other Languages department for six years. She deeply believes in the impact of education on each individual student and has fully enjoyed seeing her students learn, grow, and make future impacts in their lifelong learning journeys. She hopes her identity, culture, and roots in BCIS could better support her role as Secondary School Deputy Principal starting in 2023. 

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, visiting art exhibitions in Beijing, and spending time with her family. 

Born in Canada, Darren grew up in Adelaide, Australia where he completed a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education. During his career in Australia, he taught in a variety of school settings, from a small area school in the middle of Kakadu National Park to large, prestigious private schools in Perth. His classroom experience has ranged from Grades 1 through 12, mostly teaching Physical Education and English. Center.

August 2005 saw the start of his adventures in China in Fujian Province. He moved to Guangzhou and the International Elementary Program at Clifford School in July 2006. It was there he gained his first insights into international education and through conversation with friends became interested in the IB.

Darren loves living in China and the myriad opportunities on offer, but dearly misses his beloved ocean activities. Before leaving Australia, he always felt happiest in the wide open, deep blue sea.

Darren with his wife Andy and son Cail enjoy the close and supportive BCIS community.

Mophly was born and grew up in Beijing. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from Nankai University and a Master of Education from Flinders University. She also holds TESOL qualifications. She began her career in education as an English language teacher at an international language institution, where she gained classroom experience and led staff professional development training.

In 2017, Mophly joined YueCheng Education Research Institute, expanding her expertise from practical teaching to educational research. She started by supporting the implementation of educational research findings into classroom teaching and learning practices through professional development workshops. Mophly served in this capacity for two years, before accepting the role of Curriculum Developer, focusing on curriculum alignment in 2019. Moving to BCIS as a Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Specialist, she continues her work in education research and curriculum development. She enjoys collaborating closely with school divisions and curriculum leaders in the development and refinement of a future-focused, articulated international curriculum.

Mophly is a rock music fan who loves reading and travelling in her spare time.