Alun Cooper, Head of School
Lesley Peacock, Middle/High School Principal
Conal Atkins, Elementary School Principal
David King, Business Manager
Michael Wagstaff, Staff Representative
Marissa Hofmann, Board Scribe

Michael Iademarco, was elected to the Board to serve from July 2007, and serves as the Board Secretary. He has lived in Hanoi since September 2006 with his wife and two children, who are UNIS students. He is an international public health practitioner, works at the United States Embassy, and is an adjunct faculty member of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He has been travelling to and working in Vietnam regularly since 1998. He holds degrees in mathematics, medicine and public health.

Jackie Kearns is a Parent Elected member of the UNIS Board, since July 2007. She has been very active in the school community, having served as a Class Parent, the ECC/ES Co-Chair of the Parent Teacher Association, and coordinator of UNIS Summer Camp for two years. Jackie has both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Social Work, specialized in medical and hospital-based social work. She is living in Hanoi with her husband, Greg, who works for World Vision, her daughter Madison in Grade 2, son Jonah in Kindergarten, and daughter Charlotte who has not yet started school.

Quang Nguyen is a parent-elected member of the UNIS Board since July 2006. Quang Nguyen (Nguyen Van Quang in Vietnamese) and his wife Hai Chi have two boys: Hai Anh (UNIS Grade 6) and Quang Anh, 3 years. Quang obtained an engineering degree from Monash University, Australia in 1976 and an MBA from the UK in 2003. He is the Managing Director of Connell Wagner Vietnam. Previously, Quang produced and presented a children’s science television program in Vietnam for eight years. He contributes regularly to the Vietnam Automation Association Magazine, and speaks about project management at various universities. Quang’s overseas assignments have taken him to Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Africa, the UK and the US.

John Shirley, elected to the Board to serve from July 2007, has three children attending UNIS. John holds a degree in Aeronautical Engineering & Design from Loughborough University (UK). He is a member of the IoD (UK) and a founding shareholder of Gapit Communications JSC. John first came to Vietnam in 2003 as the Product Director for Comvik where he developed MobiFone VAS revenues and oversaw $50m of mobile network investments. John was previously the Asia-Pacific based Programme Director of O2 in Hong Kong. During this time he directed O2‘s implementation of advanced data services for various companies in Asia. John is a keen distance runner and a founder member of Hanoi’s Red River Road Runners.

UN-Appointed

Edith Morch-Binnema is a UN-appointed member of the board since July 2007. She moved to Vietnam from Kenya in January 2006 with her husband and three sons, two of whom are students at UNIS. Edith has a Masters Degree in medical anthropology and has been involved in public health – mainly with UN agencies and on maternal health and HIV prevention - since 1988 in South-East Asia and Africa. Edith currently works as a freelance consultant.

Neil Reece-Evans serves in the role of liaison between the Board and the United Nations, and as a member of the Finance Committee. A former UNIS School Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, (June 2002 - June 2007), Neil is married with one child who is studying at UNIS. He holds a BSc in Economics and History, and a post-graduate degree in Human Resource Management. He is the Deputy Country Director of UNDP Vietnam. Prior to joining the United Nations in early 1991, he has had worked extensively in the Private Sector, mainly in the UK, and his UN service has included three HQ postings to New York and a number of overseas assignments including Somalia, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Nepal and Viet Nam.

Margaret Sheehan is the Chairperson of the Board. This is her fifth year on the UNIS Board. Margaret is currently the Technical Officer for Adolescent and Youth and Health Promotion for the World Health Organization and consulting to the ADB Youth HIV Prevention Project. Margaret has a Bachelor of Education and Masters of Public Health and before coming to Vietnam in 2001 worked in public health in Australia for 15 years. Margaret has a daughter in Grade 10 at UNIS.

Board Appointed

Steven Cresswell, Steven Cresswell is the School Treasurer and was elected to serve on the Board from July 2007 after serving for one year on the Finance Committee. He has an accounting background, with 20 years of financial experience and has worked for the last seven years in publicly listed companies. He is currently the Finance Director for Nui Phao Mining Joint Venture Company, continuing over 10 years working in the mining industry, including work in South, North and Central America. Steven has lived in Hanoi since January 2006 accompanied by his wife and two sons who both attend UNIS.

Preben Hjortlund has been the Vice-Chairperson of the Board since July 2007. He came to Vietnam in 1990 and after three years with UNIDO he became Managing Director of HITC Ltd and Schmidt Vietnam Ltd. Mr Hjortlund has two daughters at UNIS and is also involved in the Danish Mother Tongue Programme situated at UNIS. He has a Master of Economics from Aalborg University Centre, Denmark and is involved in many companies and organizations in Vietnam as Advisor and Board Member.

Marissa Hofmann, the Board Scribe has a MSc in Social Policy and Planning for Developing Countries and ten years development experience across southern and east Africa, Turkey and Azerbaijan as a consultant to UNHCR, UNDP, UNAIDS and various INGOs. Marissa has lived in Hanoi for one year with her husband and two sons, William in PreK-RC and Oliver just two years old.