Changing of the Guard In June 2015, the ISA Board will say farewell to Leo
“ISA is a fantastic school.
van Os and David Masters after 15 and 19 years, respectively. Their experience and knowledge have deeply impacted the developments of our school over the last two decades. Their contribution has added enormous value, thanks to their continuous dedication,
The size of the campus; it was for around 600 students when I started, and now it’s nearly double that! The most significant change has been the atmosphere – the warmth in the school, the happiness of the staff, parents and students. The Director, the PTA and the
commitment and time.
Board played key roles in creating this ambience.
I’m jealous of
Leo van Os – Chairman
What makes ISA special?
the students
What inspired you to join the Board of ISA?
today who
ISA culture was a huge incentive. And the idea of
have this opportunity.”
I wish I’d been a student here. The campus makes it special, of course, but most of all the students, thanks
I consider myself an ‘Internationalist’, therefore, the giving back was important. By the way, I was born in Amstelveen and lived the first 18 years of my life here; in fact, I used to skate where the school is located
to the very special, uniquely committed teachers. What has been your greatest achievement? Supporting the Board to work together as a team. It was rare not to achieve a unanimous decision when
today.
voting. We organised several away events to help
What roles have you had on the Board?
perhaps even more importantly, supporting the
the Board bond and work effectively together. And,
I have been a non-parent Board member, Vice ChairInterviews by
man, Chairman and have sat on many committees,
Wendy Mackey Jones
including
the
Governance
Committee,
Finance
Committee, Policy Review Committee and Marketing and PR Task Force. This last one strictly in an advisory role! What has been your biggest ‘giving back’? I have used my years of experience as a global marketing professional to support ISA in understanding how the outside world perceives the school offerings and how to meet the needs of international families in the Amsterdam region. Also, being Dutch, I have been able to use my national network, for instance to work with government officials in projects such as supporting our teacher’s 30% ruling and helping to ensure guarantees for the sizeable investment of the new building.
“ISA is not a business, but it needs business processes 4
What changes have you seen over the last 15 years?
and practices”
Director to shine and allowing him to operate and succeed.