Search Assists New Director Appointment for the American School in Warsaw

The Search Committee and Board of Trustees supports Senior Associate Ralph Jahr, in his proud announcement of the next Director of the American School of Warsaw. Mr. Theodore J. (TJ) Coburn will take his new position beginning in July of 2015. Ralph says,

“The Search Committee was looking for a candidate with a background in both business and education. TJ brought both of these skill sets together, and the Board was pleased to offer him the position.”—Senior Associate Ralph Jahr

TJ is currently Executive Vice President of the Dwight Schools, an International Baccalaureate (IB) Open World School. Based in New York City, the institution has several branches in London, Vancouver, Seoul, and Shanghai.

TJ began his career in business, earning a BS from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Colombia University. In 1996, however, he left a successful career on Wall Street to pursue his passion for education. His studies at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University earned TJ advanced degrees in counseling, psychology and cognitive development. For the past twenty years, TJ has been founding and working in not-for-profit organizations. Additionally, he has worked with companies that have managed educational institutions in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The American School of Warsaw (ASW) began in 1953 in a church basement, with one teacher and twelve students speaking nine different languages. Over the decades, the school has blossomed into a full K-12 program with over nine hundred students representing fifty different nations. In 2001, the flourishing school moved to its third location, a twenty-five acre campus south of Warsaw. The school continues to live by its mission of providing English language to all children, in addition to promoting cultural awareness and good will. This has led to a strong desire for second language acquisition as a key component to the curriculum.

Mr. Coburn will be working as non-voting member of a twelve-member Board of Trustees whose Board Chair and Vice Chair have been appointed by the U.S. Ambassador.

Search Associates congratulates Mr. Coburn and wishes him well as he begins his position at the American School of Warsaw for the 2015-16 academic year.

*Adapted in part from http://www.aswarsaw.org