Dear ISB Community,
We are pleased to inform you that after a comprehensive search and interviewing process that included on-campus visits that engaged many members of the ISB community, the Board of Trustees has reached a decision regarding the next Head of School. Dr. Sascha Heckmann, a dedicated and insightful educator with 20 years of professional educational experience earned both in public American and private international schools, has accepted our offer to assume the position as the Head of School effective at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
Sascha began his professional career as a classroom teacher in the United States in 1999 and currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Learning at the American School Foundation of Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. In the interim progression of his career, Sascha has served in a variety of leadership roles to include High School Vice-Principal (Elk Grove, California), High School Principal (Salinas, California), High School Principal (Shanghai American School, Shanghai, China) and Head of School (American International School of Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique).
Sascha holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from California State University, Fresno, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from California State University, Bakersfield, and Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne.
In Sascha’s application he wrote, “At the heart of every institution are people. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that school is simply not the same without people and community. ISB is a community school that possesses great diversity. My work in Asia, Africa and Latin America provides me with a diverse base of experience to connect with different communities. The key to community is meaningful engagement and common purpose. The Head of School must unite students, parents, staff, alumni, and the greater community.”
We strongly believe Sascha will be able to continue the work that has made ISB so unique and respected across the international school community. This will most effectively be done through his student-centered and learning-focused leadership that further unites the ISB community around meaningful engagement and common purpose.
We would like to thank every single member of the community who has played a part in the selection process, including the leadership team, faculty, staff, students, and parents who have engaged with our field of finalist candidates. This has been a community-driven process through which your insights and feedback was central to our decision making.
We trust the entire ISB community will join us in extending a very warm welcome to Sascha and his family when they arrive in preparation for the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. In the interim, the Board of Trustees and leadership of ISB will be focused on a plan for successful transition that will enable Sascha to arrive in Bangkok in preparation for the 2023-2024 school year with a much deeper understanding of our strengths as a learning community and where there are opportunities for further improvement in our never-ending commitment to learning excellence.
Sincerely,
Andreas Richter
Chair, Board of Trustees
International School of Bangkok
Ira Blumenthal
Chair of the Search Committee
Member of the Board of Trustees
International School of Bangkok