Board of Directors

First Term (Parent Elected) 2019-2023
Second Term (Board Appointed) 2023-2027
Maria Soo Chung is a Korean-American international lawyer with strong interest in the connections between sustainability, people and social impact. She began her legal career as a City Prosecutor, representing over 50 government agencies, in the State of California. After relocating to Vietnam in June 2009, Maria worked as a Senior Associate in the Dispute Resolution Practice Group of Baker McKenzie’s Hanoi office focusing on international arbitration and corporate compliance. She also served as the General Director of Kennametal Vietnam LLC. Maria is actively involved in community and business organizations, including the Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam, the Korean Residents Association in Hanoi (particularly on the Education Committee), and the Peaceful Unification Advisory Council of the Republic of Korea. She is licensed to practice law in the State of California and is registered as a foreign lawyer with the Ministry of Justice in Vietnam. Maria holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from University of California Los Angeles, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She has one daughter in Grade 6.

First Term (UN Appointed) 2024-2028

Jonathan is the UNESCO Representative and Head of Office in Vietnam since January 2024. He has over 20 years of experience working for UNESCO both at headquarters in Paris and in the field. Prior to his arrival in Hanoi, he was the Regional Advisor for Science and Head of the Science Unit at the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture for Europe based in Venice, Italy where he managed UNESCO programs in the natural sciences, environment and climate change in the region. Previously, Jonathan also worked for UNESCO’s natural sciences sector in Costa Rica and Uruguay. Jonathan had started his career at UNESCO in Paris, first within UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, then as attaché de cabinet and focal point for the Natural Sciences, strategic planning and the private sector in the office of the Director-General of UNESCO. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate from Tulane University Law School. Jonathan has three daughters attending UNIS Hanoi.

First Term (Parent Elected) 2021-2025

Ananth works with Deloitte Consulting US as the Chief-of-Party (Executive Director) for the USAID Vietnam Low Emissions Energy Program II (V-LEEP II). He leads a team of Vietnamese staff to build the capacity of the Government on clean energy policies and planning, and supporting the private sector in Vietnam for mobilization of finance for clean energy projects. Ananth has two decades of energy experience, with strong expertise in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change technologies and innovation. Ananth holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Ananth and his family have been part of the UNIS community for over five years (since August 2019). He has now one son in Grade 10, with one son who graduated last year from UNIS, matriculating to University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

First Term (Parent Elected) 2023-2027
Trang joined the Board as a parent elected member in 2023. She was born in Vietnam where she spent her formative years before moving to England during her high school period. Following her graduation from Durham University with a Law degree, Trang pursued a career as a social welfare lawyer for a not-for-profit organization in London. After 20 years living in England, she relocated to Hanoi with her family in 2022, and her son is currently enrolled in grade 5 at UNIS.

First Term (Parent Elected) 2018-2021
Second Term (Board Appointed) 2021-2025

Michelle is British and arrived in Hanoi in 1999 and has been working in Education in Hanoi since then. Firstly as a Teacher/Trainer and later Educational Management before becoming a School Owner/Director. Michelle joined the Board as a parent elected Board member in 2018 and became Board Chair in August 2021. Michelle has two children, her eldest is studying in the UK and her daughter is in Grade 11.

First Term (Board Appointed) 2024-2028

Patrick is an international lawyer with 20 years’ experience working with clients in the United States, Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom. He is admitted to practice law in New York and New South Wales, and holds a Master of Laws degree from Georgetown University. Patrick was a senior associate at White Case LLP in New York and Washington D.C., and served as General Counsel and Company Secretary of Rugby Australia (RA). He currently advises RA, World Rugby and the United Nations, among other clients. He is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Patrick has two children attending UNIS, in Grade 3 and EY, and relocated to Hanoi in 2023 from Colombo, Sri Lanka.

First Term (Board Elected) 2022-2026

Lynne is a career diplomat, with experience in ten different countries around the world. Currently, she is the Mission Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy. After she and her family became part of the UNIS community in 2020, Lynne joined the Finance Committee in 2020-2021, bringing prior school Board experience to the UNiS Board. She attended the Governance as Leadership Training Institute at UNIS Hanoi in 2019 and holds a Non-Executive Director diploma. She has a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University. Lynne has two children at the school; her daughter is in grade 10 and her son is in grade 7.

First Term (Parent Elected) 2023-2028
Peter is appointed for a four year term. Peter studied law in Australia and is also a qualified lawyer in the UK. Peter is currently the Chief Financial Officer for a foreign invested power project in Vietnam. He and his family are long term residents in Hanoi having arrived in Vietnam in 2010, he has two children currently attending UNIS (grade 2 and 8).

First Term (UN Appointed) 2023-2026
Shane is the Communications Lead with the WHO in Vietnam, working with government and other partners on a broad range of public health issues. Prior to this, Shane was part of WHO's Western Pacific Regional communications team, supporting countries across the Region in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has worked in communications and stakeholder relations for over 20 years across the government, university, non-profit and corporate sectors. This work has included roles as media adviser to Australia's Assistant Foreign Minister and lecturing on global and cross-cultural communications in Australia and Vietnam. Based in Hanoi, Shane has a PhD in Communications (Monash University) and a MA East Asian Studies (Australian National University). Shane has three children attending UNIS Hanoi in grades 5, 7 and 9.

First Term (UN Appointed) 2022-2026

Tara O'Connell has worked in the Education Sector for more than 20 years. Tara is currently UNICEF Chief of Education in Viet Nam, managing a USD17 million programme focused on strengthening government systems for improved quality and equity in Education. Tara was previously: UNICEF Chief of Education in Ghana and Zambia; and Global Partnership for Education Senior Education Specialist and Operations Officers at the World Bank based in Washington DC. Tara also spent time as a high school teacher in Saipan, Commonwealth of Mariana Islands, and as a Jesuit International Volunteer in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. Tara holds a Master of Arts in International Development Studies from University College Dublin, Ireland, and a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in the United States. Tara and her family have lived in Hanoi for 2 years, during which time Tara has been on the Board. 

First Term (UN Appointed) 2024-2028

Ms Silvia Danailov has more than 25 years of global professional experience in international development, human rights, gender equality and humanitarian action – with the United Nations, Government, International NGOs and the academia. She has specific expertise in leading multicultural teams, the design and implementation of development and human rights focused programmes; evidence-based advocacy, policy development and high-level negotiations; public and private partnerships; as well as prevention and response to humanitarian crises and post-disaster recovery. Her full CV can be found here: Silvia Danailov | LinkedIn

Since August 2024, she is the Representative of UNICEF Viet Nam, leading a team of 80+ and the organisation’s ambitious child rights programmes and initiatives on behalf of the most vulnerable girls and boys throughout the country: https://www.unicef.org/vietnam.

She has held many diverse senior roles with UNICEF across the world. Immediately prior to moving to Viet Nam, she served as UNICEF Representative in Senegal for 5 years. During her tenure, the team achieved strong programmatic results for children, placing children’s and women’s rights at the forefront of the national agenda. Other key past functions include: Senior Adviser/Team Leader for Europe and Central Asia in the Public Partnerships Division in NY/USA; Chief of the Humanitarian Field Support Team with the Office of Emergency Programmes in NY/USA; Senior Recovery Advisor for post-earthquake recovery in Port au-Prince/Haiti; Deputy Representative in Vientiane/Lao PDR; Chief of the Emergency Response Team in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Child Protection Chief in Somalia and Myanmar. She also has an extensive experience working on human rights as an expert in the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bern/Switzerland, with the UN High Commissioner Office for Human Rights and advising several INGOs in Geneva/Switzerland. Her career started holding academic assistant functions in Switzerland focusing on international human rights law, as well as on public administration.

Silvia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), and a Master’s degree in International Relations, focusing on public international law, from the Geneva Graduate Institute (Switzerland). She has also studied at the Humboldt University in Berlin/Germany and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem/Israel.

A dual national of Switzerland and Serbia, she is married and a mother of 2 children - in grade 3 and grade 8 at UNIS Hanoi. Silvia loves to read, play and watch theater, swim, practice Pilates and have coffee at any time of the day.

Jane (Canadian) has been Head of School since 2018. Jane holds a M.Ed in Administration and Policy, a B.Ed in Intermediate/Senior Math and Science and a B.Sc in Mathematics all from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada. Jane began her career as a Mathematics teacher in international Schools in Rome, Cairo and Bangkok. In 2001, Jane moved to be the IB Coordinator/College Counsellor and subsequently the High School Principal at the American School of Warsaw. In 2008, Jane became the High School Principal at the American School of Bombay and moved to the position of Assistant Superintendent in 2013. Prior to joining UNIS, Jane was the Director of Vientiane International School, Laos from 2015 - 2018. Jane has two daughters, the eldest recently graduated from the University of Toronto and her younger daughter, Gaby, is a UNIS Hanoi alumni - Class of 2021.