New Search Associate Oversees Canada

Search Associates is thrilled to introduce our newest Senior Associate Mr. Gary MacPhie. Gary will be joining us this summer after finishing his 10^th year as Elementary School Principal at the American International School of Guangzhou (AISG), China.

Gary will return to Toronto to represent Search Associates in Canada, taking over the reins from Senior Associate Ray Sparks, and running his first Search Toronto Fair in early December. Gary has already had the pleasure of learning the operations of this year’s Toronto fair and interacting with candidates. Ray says,

“I am very pleased that Gary will be joining Search Associates. I have known Gary professionally and personally for a number of years. He will be a great asset to the team. Having Gary based in Toronto will be very helpful in promoting the Search Toronto fair.”

Gary graduated from MacMaster University and the University of Toronto and then earned a Master of Arts in Education: Administration and Leadership from San Diego State University. He has a Certificate of International School Leadership from PTC and a Principal Certificate from Ontario. He started his teaching career in Toronto before taking his first international post in 1988 at the Singapore American School, followed by the Taipei American School. Gary has held leadership positions at Elmwood School in Ottawa, Qatar Academy in Doha, International School Moshi in Tanzania, and AISG in China. He has worked successfully with American, British, Canadian, and IB curricula and has vast experience living and working in multi-cultural environments. This is his 35th year in education, 29th year in international education, and 18th year as a senior administrator.

Gary’s family is also greatly involved in the international community. Gary’s wife Barbara was the Head of Admissions at AISG for nine years, and has a business background in finance and marketing. She is now ready to turn her energy towards Search Associates. Gary and Barbara have two daughters who were born overseas and raised as Third Culture Kids. Maggie is studying visual arts/architecture at the University of Toronto and Jameson is completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Communication degrees at DePaul University in Chicago on a full athletic scholarship for Division 1 volleyball.

Gary is looking forward to living in Toronto again, where he will have an opportunity to be closer to his family. As a bagpiper, he hopes to get back into playing in a band and marching in various parades throughout the city. He is an avid sports fan and is eager to cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Blue Jays in person.

Gary has achieved many career accomplishments, but he takes the most pride in having mentored several teachers who have aspired to and achieved their goals of becoming international administrators. The opportunity to advise and mentor others is one of the strongest incentives for Gary to join Search Associates. He has a passion for advocating teaching overseas and looks forward to inspiring a new generation of international educators.