Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Gale joined TAS after working in Shanghai, where she served as the Deputy Director of Schools for Shanghai Community International School (SCIS), and the Head of School for the SCIS-Pudong Campus. Within this role, Liz provided leadership, direction, and oversight surrounding the implementation of innovative, research-based, and data-driven practices across three campuses. Additionally, Liz led the systemwide WASC/IB synchronized re-accreditation self-study process, as well as the development of a five-year strategic action plan aimed at standardizing operational and curricular practices, increasing student achievement, and executing a systemic commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion across the organization. Prior to her current position, Liz served as the Lower School Principal for SCIS-Pudong. She also has experience as an Elementary Assistant Principal, Curriculum Coordinator, and Elementary and Middle School teacher.

As a leader in education, Liz strives for excellence, values diversity of thought, and is constantly looking for opportunities to build capacity and ensure the development of an inclusive and innovative learning community committed to making the world a better place. Liz is a member of the Advisory Board for Teacher Horizons and has presented at various conferences on women in leadership in education, as well as other topics primarily related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Liz received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her Ed.D from the University of Nottingham. Her dissertation focused on early numeracy acquisition and the factors contributing to differences in early number knowledge between Mandarin- and English-speaking students. Liz is currently pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University.

The people!  It is an absolute privilege to work with such a committed, compassionate, and exceptional community of educators, faculty, staff, students, and parents.  

Finding and experiencing joy at TAS comes in many forms. My greatest joy comes from helping to create an environment where others experience constant joy in their work and/or learning. Additionally, I love collaborating with passionate educators to reflect upon and further develop research-based and innovative practices that positively impact student learning. I also find tremendous joy walking through classrooms and other common spaces where students are engaged in meaningful and real-world learning experiences.  

Home is Northern Michigan.  

Professionally, I’ve been recently learning about ChatGPT and the ways in which AI can enhance educational practice. Personally, I’ve been relearning what it means to be a mom to an infant given the recent birth of my son Alex in early February.  

Caroline Baugh joined TAS in 2023, after serving as the Director of Enrollment Management, Communications, and Community Relations at the American School of Paris.

While in Paris, she oversaw all advancement functions for ASP, including the school's enrollment, communications, marketing, branding strategies, and fundraising initiatives. She led a unified community engagement approach, grew enrollment, oversaw all community events, restructured the school’s Annual Fund, and contributed to the school’s prior 11 million euro Capital Campaign project.

She has extensive experience in planning milestone events for schools, she organized a four-day alumni reunion and community celebrations, spanning campus and the wider Paris region for event spaces, for the school’s 70th anniversary and most recently their 75th anniversary and she is thrilled to bring this experience to TAS for our upcoming 75th anniversary in 2024-25. Her prior experience is fundraising focused in independent schools in the USA and she has raised over 12.5 million dollars in Annual Giving, Major Giving, and worked heavily on a $100 million Capital Campaign. 

Caroline is also an active volunteer with CASE where she has published articles on best practices in Advancement, presented at many conferences including being a founding member and presenter of Fundraising for Heads of Schools, and has received the stellar speaker award. 

As a leader in advancement, Caroline’s work is centered around building strong relationships, fostering communities, and advancing schools’ missions. She is thrilled to join TAS and is joined in Taipei with her husband Zachary and French bulldog, Gus.

The people and the community - it is truly a joyous place to go to every day.

 I feel that my job has the ability to have visible impact on the community, and that is deeply rewarding for me.

I feel at home in two places - Paris, France, where I have a beloved community of friends as well as Texas where my family all resides. 

I continue to practice the French language, am hoping to pick up Mandarin, and I am eager to learn piano!

Max joined TAS in 2024 after a career that has taken him all over the world. Originally from Switzerland, Max is an avid mountaineer with a love of ice hockey and ski racing. 

Professionally, Max has experience in corporate finance, as Assistant to the Treasurer at Hewlett-Packard in Geneva and Palo Alto, in investment banking, as co-Director at Rothschild in Geneva, and in entrepreneurship as CFO of California start-ups. He discovered his love of education when asked to give seminars to business students, prompting him to begin the next stage of his career in KA-12 schools.

Max has served as CFO and COO at The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), the American School of Dubai, and Hawaii Preparatory Academy. He also taught full courses of AP and IB Microeconomics, and continues to research and publish within emerging fields in economics related to the understanding and application of ethics, integrity, and wisdom in business decision-making.

The community at TAS is fantastic; I feel motivated every day to help the school be its best so that we can serve our students. I’m planning on teaching IB Economics in the coming years and I am already looking forward to working with our students every day.

I love to walk through the halls whenever I can. Our students' learning is amazing, and their love for whatever it is they're doing is palpable. The Tech Cube and the science labs in the Upper School are incredible, I could spend all day reading the students’ research and watching their projects come to life.

Although lived all over the world, I'd still call the Swiss mountains my home.

These days, I still do research in econometrics and econoethics (the ethics of economics) and enjoy it greatly!

Prior to joining the leadership team, Amanda Jacob served as the Lower School Literacy Coordinator at Taipei American School. She has been a teacher and literacy coach for over twenty years in the US, Haiti, The Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Taiwan.

Amanda Jacob stepped into the role of Lower School Literacy Coordinator seven years ago after having taught in Grades one, two, and five at TAS. In her role as Literacy Coordinator, Amanda works to ensure articulation of the Lower School's reading and writing programs, provides coaching for teachers, and plans professional development. She has led the Lower School language arts committee through the adoption of new curriculum standards, teaching materials, and assessment tools.

In addition to her work with homeroom teachers, Amanda worked closely with the Mandarin team to make sure that children have a similar literacy experience in English and Chinese. As a result of this work, Amanda established the Chinese Literacy Symposium with the Mandarin team; the only conference for Mandarin teachers devoted to using balanced-literacy components to teach Chinese. She has helped organize and present at the symposium for the last four years, bringing together language teachers from international schools in Asia and the United States for a weekend of learning about best literacy practices. 

While Amanda has focused on literacy at TAS, she has a bachelor's degree in mathematics and led K-12 math curriculum committees at the International School of Manila and the American School of Warsaw. 

She has presented at the annual Teachers College Reading and Writing Project's coaching institutes at Teachers College, Columbia University and has consulted at schools throughout the Asia region. 

Amanda appreciates everything that her family, Paul a KA teacher and her son Theo a student in the Upper School, has gained by being a part of the TAS community for the last 15 years. She is excited and honored to serve our community in this new role.

TAS has been a remarkable place for me to grow as an educator. The school embraces learning for all - children, teachers, parents, and administrators. I love learning beside colleagues and trying new ways to better reach and support learners. 

I find joy in many places and experiences at TAS. Kneeling down next to a child to hear what they are working on, celebrating growth, and nudging them to take the next step brings me joy. I also love studying best practices with the different task forces and committees that I am working with. There is such a strong commitment from the members of the teams to improving our instruction. 

I call both Taiwan and Colorado home. I am lucky to have two beautiful places to call home. 

I am currently working on my doctorate in curriculum and instruction. I have been exploring how textbooks reinforce dominant culture by using Critical Discourse Analysis. I am also trying to learn Chinese through short, daily lessons. 

Larry Kraut joined TAS in 2017 with an MBA from Drexel University, an MA from Temple University and a BA from the University of Idaho.

Larry served as the Finance and Operations Director at the American School of Warsaw for seven years. Prior work experiences include three years as the Business Manager at Cairo American College in Cairo, Egypt, four years working as the Assistant Director of Finance and eight years as a classroom teacher in Grades 4 and 8 at Germantown Academy located near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He is also an active volunteer who led the Business Manager Interest Group for the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and supported the Council of International Schools (CIS), Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA), and New York State Association on Independent Schools (NYSAIS) with various school accreditation visits.

Supporting the operational teams with their work which enables the school program to run smoothly and effectively. 

I enjoy the people with whom I work, and value and appreciate those relationships the most. 

Konstancin-Jerziona, Poland.

Improving my golf game, VERY slowly, and learning about Taiwan people, geography, and culture.