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Director
American School of Quito (Ecuador)

 

 

Dear Search Associates Colleagues,

On behalf of the Search Committee and the Board of Directors of the American School of Quito, I am pleased to announce that Ms. Cristina Pachano has been appointed to assume the role of Director General in August 2025.

Ms. Pachano is currently the Elementary Principal at the American School of Quito, a position she has held since 2018.  In addition to her current leadership position at the American School of Quito, she has also served as the Diploma Vice Principal (Grades 10-12) in 2016-2018, Middle Years Vice Principal (Grades 7-9) in 2008-2016, and English teacher from 1996-2008.  Ms. Pachano is an alumnus of the American School of Quito, and her children have also graduated from the school. 

Ms. Pachano earned a BA in Education from Pontificia Universidad Catolica in Ecuador, and an MA in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Universidad de Cadiz Andalucia in Spain.  She has also completed the Principal Training Center for International School Leadership. 

The Search Committee, Board of Directors of the American School of Quito, and Search Associates would like to thank all candidates who expressed interest in the Director General position and those who assisted and supported the search process.

Sincerely,

Brent Mutsch

Senior Consultant 
Search Associates

 

 

 

American School of Quito

Quito, Ecuador

seeks a new

Director General

effective August 2025

                                                                                                                

The School

Colegio Americano de Quito opened its doors on October 14, 1940, with 162 students, offering a secular education based on democratic principles.  Its founders – Galo Plaza Lasso and Boaz Long began a long relationship between the two countries, Ecuador, and the United States, educating future leaders on principles of equality, active participation, freedom of expression, and respect for others.

The founders lived in a fascist era and with a timely vision, determined the need to educate young people with deep democratic principles.  The fulfillment of this vision is evident in the long list of outstanding alumni in politics (including Rodrigo Borja, President of Ecuador), finance, industry, law, medicine, art, music, education, and journalism, among others.

The American School of Quito is a private, non-profit, coeducational institution offering an educational program from Nursery through Grade 12 for students of all nationalities.  While American in nature and philosophy, the school is distinctly Latin compared to its counterparts in the international community, as a significant majority of the students are Ecuadorian nationals.  The school year is comprised of two five-month semester system. 

The American School of Quito is officially recognized by the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education, the International Baccalaureate Organization, and is accredited by AdvancED, an international accrediting organization.  The school has a National Section comprised of primarily Ecuadorian students where 50% of the classes are taught in English and 50% in Spanish. The school also has an International Section with both Ecuadorian and international students where 90% of the classes are taught in English in an immersion program.  The American School of Quito operates in three sections: Primary National Section (Nursery to Grade 6), Secondary National Section (Grade 7-12) and International Section (Pre-K – Grade 12).

Our Mission

To educate with excellence in an environment of liberty, well-rounded human beings with integrity, committed to their well-being, that of society and the environment.

Our Vision

To be recognized as a leading bilingual school for excellence, in the forefront of academic and humanistic programs, educating in a safe and harmonious environment, well-rounded human beings with integrity, capable of making positive change.

Our Values

Respect: To demonstrate consideration toward ourselves, others, and everything that surrounds us, accepting and appreciating differences.

Solidarity: A sincere commitment, free of ulterior motives, to take individual or group action that will benefit others.

Honesty: Transparency in our actions and relationships with others.

Responsibility: To fulfill with excellence our obligations and assume the consequences of our actions.

Inner Strength: To face life with optimism and courage.

Our Ends

Academics: The School must offer a cutting-edge curriculum thus allowing students entry into the university of their choice.  Additionally, the School will create a positive learning environment with high academic standards, 100% bilingual that develops inquisitive, creative students with research, problem-solving, and decision-making skills capable of reflecting on their own learning processes.

Change Agents: The School must create opportunities and prepare students to propose and lead, displaying responsibility toward themselves and the community, and positive changes for the environment aligned with our institutional values.

Global Vision: The School must provide opportunities and reinforce in the curriculum connections to local and global realities, to create self-reflections that promote a commitment to service and respect for differences.

Life Skills: The School must maintain, strengthen, and innovate in inclusive programs, to develop students who display a strong sense of self-confidence, excellent communication skills, perseverance, a connection to nature, and respect for others through the use of tools that will enable them to take responsibility for and accept the consequences of their decisions.

Values: The School must strengthen programs that promote the institutional values: of respect, solidarity, inner strength, responsibility, and honesty.  It is often within the context of the rich traditions of the school (i.e., Carnival festival, Fiesta de Quito, and Halloween) that these values are further extended and deepened across the school community.  Students, parents, and staff must commit to living these values daily.

Enrollment

The American School of Quito currently has 2,160 students from Nursery through Grade 12 and has among its students, the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the first families.  The National Section currently has an enrollment of 2,067 students of which 96 are in Nursery, 1,118 in Preschool and Primary (Elementary), and 946 in Secondary. The International Section has 93 students. 

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate Program and includes the PYP, MYP, and Diploma Programs while also meeting U.S. college preparatory expectations and local ministry requirements. Students take year-long courses in Computer Science, English, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science), Social Sciences (Economics, History, Theory of Knowledge, Global Politics, and Psychology), and Spanish.

As the school is accredited by AdvancED in the United States, and the Ministry of Education of Ecuador and is recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (offering the PYP, MYP, and IB Programs), graduating students can earn three diplomas; one recognized in the United States, the diploma of the Republic of Ecuador and the diploma from the International Baccalaureate.

Faculty and Administration

The professional staff consists of 222 faculty of a variety of nationalities.  All faculty hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in their area of assignment, a teaching certificate or local license and/or an advanced degree.

Calendar

The school years consists of two five-month semesters which extend from September to January and February to June.

 

Campus and Facilities

The school is located on a 25-acre site to the north of the city in Carcelèn. The facilities include a centralized administration building, 145 classrooms, three cafeterias, two libraries, 12 science laboratories, seven computer labs, playing fields for soccer, basketball, and volleyball, a regulation-size track, a covered area seating approximately 1,300 students to be used for assemblies, theater productions, and other student activities, two covered regulation-sized gymnasiums, an auditorium and a parking lot.  The School also includes a state-of-the-art facility that currently houses the Nursery program.

The school has recently acquired property on which to construct a new campus and is currently engaged in the design phase in preparation for launching construction.

Governance

The school is governed by a 20-member Board of Directors elected to four-year terms by the General Assembly of the American School Foundation.  The Director General works directly with the Board.

The Community

The American School of Quito is located in the city of Quito, the capital, in central Ecuador. Quito is located at 9,400 feet above sea level with a population of approximately 2.9 million inhabitants.  Quito lies at the foot of Mount Pichincha, which is also an active volcano.  Quito is known as the City of Churches, due to the spectacular colonial churches and architecture in the historical center of the city.  The city is also a designated UNESCO Heritage Site.

Quito has all of the conveniences of a modern city with shopping malls, movie theaters, art galleries, cafes, clubs, and restaurants.  Quito has spring-like weather year-round where the temperature range is between 55-75 F with no major seasonal changes other than times of increased rainfall.

Quito lies in the highlands in the center of the country with beautiful beaches to the west and rainforests to the east.  The Galapagos Islands are 600 miles off the Coast of Ecuador.

Facts about Ecuador

Independence: Earned from Spain on May 24, 1822

Total population: 17,757,000

Capital City: Quito

Main Cities: Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca

Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (Mixed Indian and Spanish): 72%, Indian 7%, Spanish and others 21%.

Religion: Roman Catholic 74%

Languages: Spanish, Indian dialects

Government: Democratic Republic with Executive, Legislative and Judiciary Branches

Provinces: 24 provinces

Current President: Daniel Noboa

The Position

The Board of Directors of the American School of Quito is seeking a new Director General for a minimum four to five-year contract beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year.  The Director General will be responsible for all aspects of the School’s operations and work closely with the Board on strategic and long-term planning with an eye toward educational and financial planning, as well as new campus development, serving as the priorities.  

The Director General will:

• Model the American School of Quito’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values.
• Honor the American School of Quito’s history and traditions.
• Ensure excellence in both the educational program and the administration of the School.
• Provide learning-centric leadership to students, parents, faculty, staff, and administrators.
• Work with the Board of Directors and School’s management to develop and implement policies, procedures, and best practices and ensure successful implementation of the American School of Quito’s Strategic and Master Plans.
• Maintain financial discipline and fiscal accountability.
• Maintain the American School of Quito as the leading national school of choice amid increasing competition in Quito.

Responsibilities of the Position

The General Director will:

• In collaboration with the Leadership Team and the Board of Directors, further evolve the multi-year strategic plan that serves as the roadmap for continuous improvement across all aspects of the school operation. (The current plan has identified the strategic priorities of academic excellence, social and emotional well-being, talent management, telling our story, and designing, constructing, and relocating to the new campus.)
• Ensure further consolidation and maturation of educational initiatives that are in various stages of implementation, consistent with the strategic plan.
• Assume a significant leadership role in the further development and construction of the new campus, as well as orchestrate a smooth and successful relocation from the location to the new campus.
• Work in collaboration with the Board of Directors to establish short, medium, and long-term goals that will focus on mission and vision achievement and reflect a commitment to both the core values and the “ends” of the Foundation.
• Successfully execute the resolutions developed in collaboration with the Board of Directors and the School’s Leadership Team.
• Ensure that the American School of Quito sustains the highest level of national and international school accreditations.
• Develop and implement plans to successfully recruit, retain, and develop the quality of faculty, staff, and administration necessary to successfully achieve the mission and vision of the School.
• As part of the strategic plan, develop a comprehensive plan for ensuring excellent communication both internally and externally with all School constituent groups.
• Ensure the financial stability of the organization, as well as further develop a program of advancement that will include; communication, alumni relations, community relations, and fundraising.
• The Director General participates in all meetings of the Board of Directors and has a valued voice but no vote.  The Director General is the chief advisor to the Board of Directors on all policy-level matters.
• Serve as the chief representative of the School with appropriate entities of the government

The land that has been acquired for the construction of the new campus.

 

Professional Qualities

Preferred professional qualities of the new Director General include the following:

• A learning-focused leader who can successfully communicate an inspiring vision for continuous improvement across all aspects of the school and in particular for the innovation that will ensure that the American School of Quito remains current in delivering a high-quality education program that reflects research-proven best practices.
• Demonstrated capacity to successfully recruit, retain and further develop outstanding faculty, staff and administrators in support of the school’s mission.
• Commitment to the further development and implementation of a new campus master plan as well as further improvement of the teaching and learning environment.
• Models a collaborative leadership style and understands and empowers each group within the American School of Quito community to make quality contributions that result in improved student learning.
• Demonstrates a clear commitment to providing the best possible education to students and creatively resolves problems that detract from the ability of the school to deliver at a high level of excellence.
• A strong background in finance and a proven record of translating available financial resources into creating comprehensive learning opportunities for all students.
• Experience as a Head of School, or in lieu, a proven track record of demonstrated international educational leadership experience and success to be considered by the Search Committee.
• A strong leader who can work effectively with a Board of Directors who bring both considerable passion to their Board role and an abiding commitment to the success of the American School of Quito.
• You have demonstrated the ability to be open-minded, and flexible and to effectively lead and work with a diverse population of students, parents, faculty, and staff.
• They have demonstrated commitment to a four to five-year tenure of service in the role of Director General.
• A graduate degree (MA, Ed.D. or Ph.D. in education or educational leadership.)

Personal Attributes

Desired personal characteristics of the new Director General include the following:

• Excellent interpersonal skills which include; being approachable, being a good listener, and possessing fluency in Spanish and English.
• Someone who embraces, respects, understands, and values the Latin American culture.
• In providing clear direction to the entire school community, the American School of Quito needs a leader who is competent, confident, firm, fair, visible, and a thoughtful listener.

Salary and Benefits

The salary and benefits package for the Director General is competitive and will be commensurate with the candidate's qualifications and experience.

Procedure for Filing Application

The Board of Directors has appointed Search Associates as its partner in its search for a Superintendent, with Dr. Brent Mutsch serving as the lead consultant. The deadline for applications for the position is April 19, 2024. Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials listed below as early as possible as the Search Committee reserves the right to close the selection process at any time if the right candidate is identified.

The review of files will begin as soon as applications are received. Finalists will be selected by the Search Committee and at least three finalists will be identified. Finalist candidates together with their spouse, (if applicable) will be invited to Quito to meet with the Board of Directors, visit the school, and meet with faculty, non-teaching staff, parents, students, and administrators.

The new Director General will be selected after the site visit, final interviews, and reference checks. The new Director General will assume his/her professional responsibilities in July 2025.

Candidates should send the information listed below as a single PDF file attached to an email:

• A letter of application, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are interested in the Director General position at the American School of Quito.
• A statement describing your management and educational philosophy, not to exceed two pages.
• A current résumé not to exceed two pages.
• A one-page list of references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.
• A maximum of four letters of reference (scanned at low resolution) that may already be in your possession.

Total document size should be kept to less than four (4) MB if possible. Applications should be sent to: bmutsch@searchassociates.com .  Additional information about the American School of Quito can be found on the school’s web site at < www.fcaq.k12.ec> .