Leadership

ASA LEADERSHIP TEAM

Richard Reilly
Director

Before joining ASA, Richard was High School Assistant Principal and IB Diploma Programme Coordinator at Hong Kong Academy. Richard is an experienced General Science and Physics teacher, who has also taught in his native Scotland, and at International School Manila in the Philippines. Richard has a BSc in Physics and Mathematics and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Strathclyde University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Management from Napier University, a Certificate of International Leadership from the Principals’ Training Centre and an M.Ed (Leadership and Management) from the Open University (UK). He has particular interests in the areas of student leadership, global issues and service learning. Before going into teaching Richard worked as a Counter Terrorism Analyst and Political Attaché for the British Government.

Kristen VanOllefen
Principal

Kristen is an accomplished teacher and leader with a Certificate of International School Leadership from the Principal’s Training Center. She also has a New Jersey Administrator’s Certificate in Supervision (K-12) from Kean University. Kristen is a U.S citizen with 17 years of experience teaching at schools in New Jersey and New York before coming to Madagascar. She has a Bachelor of Music from the College of New Jersey and a Masters in Music Education with a Kodály focus, from Capital University, Ohio.  She has also studied Music Education at the Kodály Institute in Hungary, and instructed at the graduate level in pedagogy and folk music at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. Kristen has been working at the ASA since 2017 and is excited about her role as a whole-school principal.

Michael Hemsley
Assistant Principal

Michael has joined ASA as Assistant Principal and IB Diploma Coordinator, and teacher of IBDP Physics. Michael has been both teaching and working as a consultant in Digital Learning systems and Scheduling in Spain for five years.  Michael is an extremely experienced international educator with more than 20 years of experience in Spain, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the UK, and UAE, acting in both leadership and teaching positions.  Michael has also worked in event management and theater production, and for a time in the 1990s managed a pub and restaurant in his home town of Stamford, England.