Dear Members of the SSIS Community,
On behalf of the Board, it is with great pleasure we announce the appointment of Dr. Catriona Moran as the next Head of School, commencing in July 2018.
This appointment is the result of a competitive, comprehensive and thoughtful search process led by the Search Committee that involved our entire School community. After initial interviews with the Search Committee, three finalists were invited to visit School where they met with students, faculty, support staff, teacher assistants, parents, administrators and the board. After feedback from all constituent groups and the Search Committee, Dr. Catriona Moran was unanimously selected by the Board to be our new Head of School.
Dr. Moran has a long and distinguished career as an educator. Beginning initially as a teacher and Technology Coordinator, Dr. Moran then served as Principal of K-9 at Nishimachi International School in Tokyo and Curriculum Director of Kyoto International School in Japan. She then started her 17-year career at Taipei American School in Taiwan, serving as the K-12 Language Arts/EAL Coordinator, the Lower School Principal, and then Deputy Head of School. As Principal, she received the greatest recognition as a school leader when she was named the “National Distinguished Principal of the Year” by the National Association of Elementary Principals and the USA State Department.
With a breadth and depth of experience spanning over three decades in a range of teaching and academic leadership positions, Dr. Moran brings a deep understanding of all facets of schools operations to our School. She has a strong background in strategic planning, literacy development, STEM integration, KA-12 curriculum articulation, professional development, assessments, and facilities development. In addition, Dr. Moran has spearheaded the Wellness Initiative at Taipei American School.
Dr. Moran has a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Limerick, Ireland; a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia; and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of San Diego, California. She and her husband, Gerry, have two sons, Jack and Tommy, currently attending college in Australia.
As Dr. Moran looks ahead to joining our school community next year, she states, “I am greatly honored to be selected as the next Head of SSIS, and I hope to build on the founders’ vision and a strong foundation of 20 years to take the School to the next level of excellence. Working together with its strong leadership team and excellent faculty and staff, I believe we can make SSIS the best educational environment yet, one that allows every student to thrive, every employee to feel challenged and valued, and every parent to rejoice in their selection of SSIS as the school of choice for their children. I look forward to deepening my understanding of the school as I work with the Board and Mr. Sylte during the transition, and to joining the SSIS community next July.”
On behalf of the Board, I give sincere thanks to all the members of our community for your participation in the search process, and for your thoughtful and valuable feedback. And to the members of our Search Committee, Ms. Wai Mun Fong, Ms. Tina Fossgreen, Mr. Jacob Hendrickson, Ms. Molly Burger, Dr. Daniel Keller, and Mr. Robert Kostrzeski, I extend my deepest gratitude for your long hours of dedicated service to this search and our school.
Please join me in welcoming Catriona and her husband Gerry to the SSIS community.
Sincerely,
Gayle Tsien, Chair
SSIS Board
