Liam Browne (Chair)

Director - Franconian International School

Originally from Ireland, Liam Browne’s professional career began at the International School of Stuttgart in 1997. In 2005, Liam took up the position as High School Principal at the Franconian International School and remained there for 5 years. From 2010, Liam was in senior leadership positions at St. Nicholas School, Sao Paulo, Brazil and the International School of Stavanger, Norway. In August 2016, he was appointed Director of the International School of Ulm/Neu-Ulm. In August 2021, Liam returned to the Franconian International School as Director. Liam is also an adjunct professor for Endicott College, teaching summer courses as part of its master’s programme in international education. He has served on ECIS subject committees, Latin American Heads, and Norwegian International Baccalaureate Schools (NIBS) committees. He has been a member of the AGIS board since 2019. Having worked in three AGIS member international schools in Germany he believes that organisations such as AGIS are an indispensable support for the communities we serve.

Melanie Förster

Finance Manager - Metropolitan School Frankfurt

Melanie Förster, Finance Manager at Metropolitan School Frankfurt, joined Metropolitan School Frankfurt from the banking sector over 13 years ago. She gained her professional experience in an Arab bank in the foreign payment department as well as in the investigation department. For this reason, it was clear to Melanie back then that she wanted to continue working in the international field.

When Melanie joined Metropolitan School Frankfurt in 2009, the school had only been in operation for 2 years and was therefore still in its development phase. As the school was still very small at that time, she started working in the school office, where her main responsibilities included finance, ordering and human resources. During these years, she was able to gain a lot of experience in the international school system. In 2012, the school expanded to include the secondary school building, where she was responsible for the accounting. In 2017, a new position was created as Finance Manager, which Melanie took over.

She has two children, one in secondary school and one in primary school.

Beth Ann Dressler

Primary School PYP Principal - Berlin Brandenburg International School

Beth Dressler brings a diverse perspective given her experiences working in independent and international school settings in Thailand, the United States, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. In her work with the International Baccalaureate Organisation and through her own consulting company, she has worked with a variety of schools across the globe, which have afforded her the unique opportunity to see different ways of working, learning and leading organisations. Beth is collaborative and believes that through AGIS international schools in Germany can work together to improve learning for all of their students. She has experience running and organising professional learning for teachers and through this work Beth can help to further the mission of AGIS.

Marco Dahl

Business Director and Executive Board - Bavarian International school

Marco is a German native, who grew into the international school community back in 2006 after finishing university studies in Economics and gathering work experience in various other areas of business . Having started as an Intern in Accounting, he was able to gather experience in the daily exchange with teachers finding out first hand all those challenges the staff experienced with business processes, especially after relocation. His first permanent contract at BIS was a newly created position in Financial and Educational Controlling. One of Marco’s core tasks was to support both Primary and Secondary School in creating the school’s timetable. He learned a lot about teaching and learning during this time. In 2010, Marco became the Business Director of BIS. Campus development and culminating the developing and setting up of their second Campus were challenging yet great experiences. Marco believes that international schools are key to a globalized world and their students are ambassadors for peace and prosperity around the globe.

Timothy Kelley

Director - International School of Stuttgart

Timothy Kelley, the Director of the International School of Stuttgart, an International Baccalaureate World School, has been an educator for 30 years. Formerly the Head of Ross School in East Hampton New York, Tim has also served as the Headmaster for the Leysin American School in Switzerland. While at Ross School, Tim was privileged to work with some of the world’s leading educational experts including Howard Gardner and Kurt Fischer. In Switzerland, as a member of the Executive Committee for the Swiss Group of International Schools, he directed conferences and was responsible for in-depth studies of technology integration in the classroom and mother tongue proficiency. Some years ago, Tim was elected to the Board of the Association of German International Schools and served as the Chair of the Board from 2015 - 2021. He is a founding member of the Stuttgart International Rotary Club and has worked with the International School of Stuttgart for nearly 10 years.

Jamie Perfect

Director - International School in Bremen

Jamie Perfect is originally from Norfolk, holds a Degree in Geology and has taught in Hampshire in the UK for 25 years. For many years an enthusiastic teacher of Science, he currently teaches in the IB’s Theory of Knowledge programme. After working in public and private schools in England, holding multiple Leadership positions including Principal, Leading Teaching and Learning and Pastoral Teams, he assumed the position of Director at the International School in Bremen in April 2018, where he is committed to the diversity of teaching in an International community.

Timothy Thomas

Director - Munich International School

Timothy Thomas has served at international schools in Germany for the past 14 years as a teacher, counsellor, MYP Coordinator, DP Coordinator, assistant principal/principal, deputy director and director. He served as liaison to the Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle in Saxony and helped negotiate legal recognition of international schools by the government in that state. He served at Dresden International School when it was a small, fledgling school, still in the throes of establishing itself and building programmes, and he now serves at Munich International School, which is a well-established school with a proud history and a high level of complexity.

Having studied in both English-speaking and German-speaking contexts, he can negotiate verbally and in writing in both English and German.

Margaret Ward

Deputy for Teaching and Learning - International School of Augsburg

Margaret Ward has worked in a number of educational settings over the past 30 years. She joined the International School of Augsburg when it first opened its doors in 2005. Since then, she has served in a number of roles from Lower School classroom teacher to DP Coordinator to Upper School Principal. As a member of NEASC and CIS accreditation teams, she has contributed to the community of international schools. She credits her own education at St John’s College for preparing her for a career in international education and lifelong learning.