Governing Board Elections 2024

Biographical Data

I am a mother of 3 boys - 2 of whom attend LGB. My husband is an alumni of La Châtaigneraie. I am South Korean and have been living in Geneva since 2017.

Whilst dedicating the majority of my time to my family since the birth of my children, I have been selectively engaged in projects as an executive coach and consultant. Prior to that, I worked in Finance.

I started my university studies in Italy, and finished in the US - majoring in Finance, with a minor in International Business.

Having lived in various countries— I have a passion for travelling, exploring new cultures, languages, and sociology. I enjoy many sports including surfing and boxing. I play the piano and love different genres of music. My personal time is invested in furthering my studies in the field of Cognitive Psychology.
 

What does Ecolint mean to you?

Emphasising educational excellence, innovation and relevance to the international and local environment - Ecolint to me, is a place where in the pursuit of passion and purpose, our future global citizens can obtain the fundamental values to fulfil their potential to thrive anywhere in the world.
 

What skills/expertise can you bring to the School?

As an active member of the Ecolint community for the past 7 years - I’ve accumulated an in-depth understanding of its opportunities, objectives, and challenges; as well as strong relationships with various staff.

Most recently, I collaborated with the Foundation wide Design Teams; the parent panel of the search committee for the Middle School Principal at LGB; and strategic focus groups.

I bring a dynamic blend of solution-based analytical and strategic planning skills.

With this, my team-building, consultancy, and finance background - I look forward to working towards transitioning the conceptual visions of the Foundation into consistent and actionable achievements.
 

Understanding that the Governing Board focuses on long-range and strategic issues, and not specific management, personnel, or curricular issues, how would you support the Ecolint Mission if you were elected to the Governing Board?

Tomorrow’s success is the result of today’s choices.

The choices of today that result in a just and joyful tomorrow.

Those that uphold our Foundation’s mission alongside the investments each of us make for our children - our future global citizens, and their dedicated educators here at Ecolint.

I am making the choice to devote my energy and expertise towards solutions for sustainable growth throughout our Foundation.
With the humility to identify gaps and challenges. I will apply the courage, tenacity and diligence required to plan for the optimisation of Ecolint Mission and its evolving visions.

Should I be elected, I commit to passionately and effectively support the Governing Board; its active commitments, and strategic objectives.

I am particularly interested in the Strategic and Planning Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee. 

I have the time required to invest in other sub committees and task forces where I can add value.

I look forward to working together to intelligently nurture all parts of our community to thrive and win together as one united team.
 

The Ecolint Governing Board is the key governance body of the International School. What is your understanding of the tasks you are called upon to perform in this context? And, what particular skills and experience would you draw on to fulfil this role?

Respectfully, for me— a Board member should be expected to prioritise and focus on the wellbeing and growth of our entire community. Additionally, an important distinction for a potential Board member is not what one brings solely drawn from professional experience but moreover, having an unbiased and strong understanding of our School and its current opportunities and challenges.

Thus, combining that knowledge with professional skill sets is how we can effectively achieve the consistent growth required for the success of our entire community.

Drawing from my immersive experience as an active parent of our school for 7 years, and my professional experiences from my finance, consultancy, and team-building background — I am able to contribute effectively towards the planning, development and execution required for the Board’s strategic imperatives.

The Governing Board sets its priority goals in an annually approved strategic plan focused on Foundation wide objectives. Obligations of the Board are to set policy, approve the finances (including annual budgets for OPEX and CAPEX), recruit and evaluate yearly the daily operational responsibilities of the Director General, and act as the custodian of the Charter, vision and wellbeing of the School and its community.

I shall use my combined experiences and commit my time to work within the various Board Committees and their relevant Task Forces, to help achieve those goals set out for the Foundation.
 

Fair and equitable access to an education of excellence such as that of the International School of Geneva is at the heart of the objectives on which the Governing Board must focus. What might your thoughts be on this matter at this time? Do you have any particular expertise that you could draw upon in such societal matters?

If we were to ask what an education of excellence means within our community, the answers would likely vary as that meaning is relative to each learner’s capacity, objective, and their definition of academic success.

Therefore, the first step to ensure accessibility towards a process that is fair and equitable is— the School’s effectiveness to identify and respect each student’s capacity.

Then, providing consistent support for the learner (and teacher alike) are the initial stages leading them towards a just and inclusive learning environment.

Such a process that is efficiently accessible for our students to build confidence in turn, breeds courage. Students that are equipped with the confidence and courage to succeed individually, integrate effectively, and flourish collectively, will achieve their definition of what an education of excellence is.

Those are my perceptions on how a fair and equitable education process is realised, interchangeably for all of our students and their dedicated educators. One which I do not believe is being currently optimised.

I look forward to collaborating with our School’s teams of highly qualified teachers to emphasise the focus back on the pursuit of educational excellence. Purposefully working towards solidifying and implementing strategic imperatives for the optimisation of this process, so that truly— no child is left behind.
 

Ecolint aims to ensure a framework that serves to provide a distinctive high quality international education through which all students are helped to develop their abilities to the highest level of the potential. In your opinion, what are the different elements that are critical to this framework (buildings, interior and exterior spaces; technical supports and equipment; management team, teachers, and administrative staff; or others...)?

To ensure that “all students are helped to develop their abilities to the highest level of their potential” — I believe that we must focus on how to effectively support and strengthen the students’ learning experience, from the inside-out.

For me, the pursuit of academic success starts within the classroom— with both students and teachers, whom are consistently motivated because, they are effectively supported.

My opinion is first, to prioritise the educational process and the re-evaluation of its needs in respect to the evolving demands of today and the future. This, as a continual process, is the critical component around the framework that ultimately results in a high quality education for our future global citizens, by their dedicated educators.

Referring to the full expression of Ecolint’s mission— within it, it states that “the school exists for the sake of its students and is committed to a continual re-evaluation of their needs in the light of social, economic and cultural change.”

Identifying these core needs by working with our teachers for all of our students is the first step towards fortifying the areas for improvement and enhancing the working elements.

Other complementary elements of the educational process (such as capital assets) have a value added impact that enhances our students’ learning experience, as accelerators rather than initiators.

It is of significant importance for me as a Board member, to work passionately towards ensuring an environment where all of our students can thrive and grow.
 

Ecolint embraces diversity and honours the unique voice and personal experience of all members of the community. What do you think of this statement in terms of your experience as a member of the community? In your opinion what should be the role of the Governing Board in strengthening inclusion of diversity in the Foundation?

Our Foundation’s Charter states that the activity of the school in all fields and especially in the field of pedagogy shall be based on the principles of equality and solidarity among all peoples and of the equal value of all human beings without any distinction of nationality, race, sex, language or religion.

I believe to that extent, we are fortunate to experience the wealth of this diversity which is celebrated in our vastly international community. In addition to walking around campus on any given day— a joyful event to share, displaying the pride of our diversity is our Kermesse that takes place on each campus, every year.

My personal experience in our community has not left me feeling segregated or suppressed due to the colour of my skin, my chosen gender, which deity I serve, or the language I speak. Equally so, have I yet to witness such discrimination anywhere else in the community of our school based on those distinctions. Nor so for those of my children whom are of multi-racial and multi-religious backgrounds.

However, the emphasis on the values of respecting others within our students’ educational experience is one that should be fortified via consistent and clear disciplinary practices— to help our maturing students who are pushing boundaries throughout their various developmental stages.

The consistent implementation of ethical values such as respect and kindness, for me, is what is lacking significantly for our students today. And my opinion is, with those solid values emphasised consistently within our School’s pedagogical approach— equality and solidarity will reign.
 

Are you aware of the financial information related to the Foundation? While efforts have been made, what else can be done in your opinion, to make the Foundation more sustainable in the long term continuing to ensure affordable fee structures while providing qualitative inclusive education in an effort to make global citizens and optimum capital development efforts?

I am aware of the publicly available financial information, and the significant efforts made by the current Board.

In continuation of those efforts— my opinion is to create value from within, and simplify our focus back to the core of what generates our revenue. To redirect some strategic priorities towards the source of our income rather than solely on short term objectives such as cost cutting, or budget extension scenarios.

With respect for our Foundation being a non-profit organisation, education — is our business nonetheless, which yields the needed income to provide for the many branches of our School.

Effective budget allocation to optimise the framework of the educational process is the focal point— for our core assets (our teachers), in order to provide the quality service (education) for our clients (our students).

This approach focusing on culture carriers improves the brand metrics of our School, which equates to sustainability and growth of the financial value of our Foundation.
For me, creating confidence and pride in the Ecolint brand we choose to invest in for the education of our children and their future— is what leads to value creation and sustainable growth.

In brief, I believe such viable solutions focusing on the quality of education and the brand of our Foundation is what will set the path for expansion and financial success.
 

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