Nash Adamson - General Director Mr. Nash Adamson was selected to lead AIS as General Director starting in July, 2022. Mr. Adamson previously served as the Assistant Head of Peoria Academy (PA), a Pre K to 8th grade independent school in central Illinois. During his time at PA, Mr. Adamson has spearheaded efforts to align and enrich the school’s curriculum, expand enrichment opportunities, support professional learning, and maintain a tight knit learning community as the school navigates in-person and blended learning during the pandemic. Previous to PA, Mr. Adamson enjoyed a seven-year tenure at the International School of Panama (ISP), where he served in multiple leadership roles including Upper School Dean of Academics and Social Studies Department Chair among others. Before his tenure at ISP, Mr. Adamson was a social studies, mathematics and elementary homeroom teacher at schools in Ecuador, Honduras and the United States. In addition to his work in schools, he serves as a curriculum consultant, senior examiner and workshop facilitator for the International Baccalaureate. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Adamson holds a B.A. in Philosophy and History from Swarthmore College and an M.S. in International Education from SUNY Buffalo. His family has longstanding ties in Guatemala, where his grandfather served as an educational officer with USAID and his father spent time as a boy. Mr. Adamson looks forward to deepening these ties by connecting with the community together with his wife, Tammi, and their three young children.
Ruth Alegria - Advancement Associate Ms. Ruth began her work at AIS in 2013, she holds a degree in Pedagogy with a specialization in Administration and Evaluation of Education from the Universidad Rafael Landivar, She also has a degree in Language and Literature from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala and she is currently completing a masters degree in Human Resources and Strategic Communication. She truly believes in the mission and purpose of AIS and is very grateful for being part of the change for Guatemala through education.
Luisa Portocarrero - Admissions Ms. Luisa is supporting AIS in admissions. She holds a degree in International Relations from UCLA with a minor in Latin American History. She attended UCLA on a full student - athlete scholarship. Luisa is an Olympic Gymnast who competed in the 1982 Olympic games in Barcelona and ranked 12th in the world!
Jaqueline Armas - Registrar / Administrative Assistsant She joined AIS in April 2021 as an Administrative Assistant and Receptionist. She has worked previously as an Administrative Assistant and as a client support specialist. Jacky holds a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Rafael Landívar.
Apolonia Mendoza - Nurse Ms. Apolonia holds a nursing degree from the Universidad Mariano Galvez. Before AIS she has worked as a director and teacher in the Escuela Privada Para Auxiliares de Enfermeria "Virgen de la Medalla Milagrosa" and in the "Hospital Materno Infantil Juan Pablo II".
Ludving Tay - Tech Coordinator Ludving is originally from Quetzaltenango, and currently he lives in Chimaltenango. He has a Systems Engineering degree from Universidad Mariano Gálvez and a Masters in System Security. He is currently studying for another degree in Higher Education. He has been part of the AIS community for the last 4 years. He likes to play soccer and enjoys outdoor activities.
Monica De Dios - Administrative Director Ms. De Dios has worked with AIS for over five years as Principal, Support Program Director, Teacher and Director for the Ministry of Education. She holds a Masters' Degree in Counseling and Mental Health and a B.A in Social Sciences and High Education both from the Universidad del Valle, Guatemala she also holds a Harvard business school certification in school leadership and management. Prior to AIS, Ms. De Dios worked in the United States in Early Education and in Guatemala at Colegio Interamericano and Colegio Decroly.
Natalia Zmaczynska - Primary Principal Ms. Natalia is originally from Poland and she has been working at AIS since 2014. She studied English Philology, and has a master's degree in Methodology of Teaching English as a Second Language. Miss Natalia has 16 years of teaching experience. She spent most of her career teaching and managing departments in inner-city, elementary schools in London, UK. Miss Natalia had taught 2nd grade at AIS before taking on a role of Elementary Principal. Ms. Natalia loves being a part of the AIS community and working with AIS teachers, who she thinks are extremely committed to providing quality instruction to our students.
Laura Amlin - Secondary Principal Ms. Laura is originally from Texas, but she calls herself a ¡Guatemalteca de corazón! She graduated from Austin College with a B.A. in Spanish and earned her teaching certification and Masters of Bilingual Curriculum and Development from Texas A&M. For 15 years, she taught in various bilingual programs at the elementary and middle school levels. Before moving into the secondary principal role she taught middle school English Language Arts at AIS. Ms. Laura loves practicing yoga, being outdoors, and spending time with her husband and two young sons.
Ximena Madrigal - Administrative Assistant Ximena joined the AIS community in July 2022 as an Administrative Assistant. She has a Bachelor's degree in Science from Universidad del Valle, with a big passion for Biology. She has worked previously as a Client Support supervisor for 5 years.
Brenda Hernández - Accounting Department Brenda has 15 years of accounting experience and 5 years working at AIS. She has a degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Rafael Landívar. One of Brenda's favorite AIS pillars is “serving others”. She loves spending time with her daughter; she is the greatest gift that life has given her.
Edwin Valle - Accounting Department Edwin has been part of the AIS community for the last 4 years. He has previously worked as an Accounting Assistant. He is currently completing a degree in Public Accounting and Auditing from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala. In the future he hopes to study System Engineering.
José Ramos - Accounting Department José is currently completing a degree in Public Accounting and Auditing from the University of San Carlos de Guatemala. Jose has four years of experience in customer service. He is passionate about learning new things, baseball, math, music. He loves to enjoy his life!