As THINK Global Head of Operations, Ashley supervises the school’s human resources and finance departments, its visa procurement for students and faculty, and its external relations, including host school development. As the director of WeXplore she brings the TGS curriculum to life by taking the offerings unique to each host city and integrating them to create meaningful educational experiences that go beyond what is possible in the traditional classroom environment.

Ashley is a yoga-practicing world traveler with an insatiable, curious spirit. Her love of travel started at the age of fourteen when she went on her first international trip; spending eight weeks in Israel awakened her passion for experiencing new cultures and gaining a different perspective on life.

Travel took a back seat during her college years, as she pursued her bachelor’s in Business Management, with a focus in psychology, from the University of Florida. She was later awarded a full merit scholarship to St. John’s Law School. After a year of study, Ashley decided to dedicate her time to working with children with autism and learning disabilities. During this time, she learned about the power of differentiated learning styles and her work became a labor of love.

As National Marketing Director at Hobbs Herder Advertising, Ashley developed and expanded the company’s territories throughout the United States, and quickly became one of the top performers on the national sales team. Though successful in her advertising career, she missed both education and international travel. This led her to embark on a new adventure as a certified yoga instructor in south India. Always a global thinker, Ashley has found a home to lay her yoga mat at THINK Global.

Intercultural experiences have ignited Yosefa’s inner passion and propelled her on a journey to inspire others to experience life beyond the comfort of their homes. After graduating from the University of California Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Yosefa moved to Greece to teach English. After five months living and working in a fishing village on a Greek island, she moved to Israel, where she lived on a kibbutz (a collective farming community). Yosefa had the time of her life on the kibbutz as she learned Hebrew and worked with people from around the world. Eventually, she returned to the United States to enter the “real world.”

Upon her return to the United States, she battled reverse culture shock by pursuing a career in the travel publishing industry. Eventually, she realized that there was more she could do to inspire people than simply writing about her own experiences, so she decided to obtain a Master of Arts in International Education from the School for International Training (SIT Graduate Institute). Yosefa has since worked for a large international education company as both a Site Director and a Housing Director for international students of all ages. She is enthusiastic about the cultural awareness that comes from traveling and experiencing other cultures.

Yosefa loves outdoor adventures and especially enjoys mountain-biking, running, and indoor rock-climbing.

As Head of Technology at THINK Global School, Mike is responsible for creating a world-class mobile, technology-based high school environment. He is synthesizing today’s amazing developments in technology with the innovative practices of 21st-century teaching to create new ways for TGS students to learn in the classroom through digital platforms. Mike also designed SPOT, a web-based system that TGS students and teachers use to capture and share their experiences as they travel the world.

Mike spent the first part of his fifteen-year career in computer science working as an IT specialist for IBM, where he consulted for many large organizations. In 2000, he became IT Director and computer science teacher at Appleby College, an independent school in Canada. Passionate about how technology can transform education, Mike has spent the last decade building ways to manage technology in an educational environment and integrate it into the school curriculum in order to improve teaching and learning.

Mike received his Bachelor of Science with Honors in Computer Science from Queen’s University in Ontario in 1998. He completed the Queen’s Executive Development Information Technology Program in 2005, and took Master’s-level courses in Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo from 2005 to 2007.

He is also an avid road and mountain biker, trail runner, and orienteering competitor. For fun and focus, he competes in all kinds of adventure racing events.

Ellie heads the Office of Student Services at THINK Global, where she oversees student recruitment, admissions, and retention. Student Services is the go-to resource for students and parents at every stage of their TGS journey, offering support through the intake and orientation process each term, as well as assistance with special needs after enrollment.

In addition to her responsibilities as student/parent liaison, Ellie also develops strategic initiatives with progressive organizations and individuals around the world to strengthen faculty recruitment, educational partnerships, and corporate alliances.

Ellie’s career spans strategic business development and education. She has also served on various board committees for her alma mater, The Hun School of Princeton, an independent college preparatory school in New Jersey. Ellie believes that there is a vital link between our own lives and the lives of people around the world who experience vastly different political, social and economic conditions. Preparing our children to take responsibility for their own choices means they must first understand their own place in the world. She feels this is the goal of TGS, making it a model for the next generation of educators worldwide.

Jessica Levine brings expertise in international social policy, program coordination, and urban education to her role as TGS Projects Learning Coordinator. Her experience working with underprivileged children, teens, and adults around the world inspires her to seek out-of-the-box solutions for promoting social good. At TGS, she works closely with guest speakers and develops initiatives involving host and partner schools. These activities expand the school’s global reach and inclusiveness, and contribute to the core TGS goal of building a unique curriculum for a collaborative classroom without borders.

Jessica previously worked as a global strategy and communications consultant for a wide range of non-profit, corporate, and government clients. A passion for social change has been the common thread in her career, which also includes work with the United Nations international volunteer engagements in New York, Philadelphia, England, and the Middle East that focused on public health, access to education, community development, child development, and conflict resolution.

Jessica holds a Master of Science degree in Evidence-Based Social Interventions from the University of Oxford, where she specialized in implementing and evaluating anti-poverty programs. Jessica previously graduated summa cum laude from the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Honors Program at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies.

In her free time, Jessica enjoys travel, exercise, museums, and reading. She completed the New York City Half Marathon in March 2011. Like most of the TGS team, Jessica continually seeks new adventures and experiences to expand her horizon and global perspective. She is active in a variety of international charity organizations benefiting communities in need and the environment.

As a member of the TGS Department of Admissions, Lily guides students and their families through the admissions and enrollment processes. Her 14-year career includes work in college admissions and financial aid as well as in corporate marketing strategy. Lily studied philosophy and psychology as an undergraduate at Yale University and later obtained an MBA from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.

Lily grew up in the United States, but traveled frequently to and from her birth country of Mexico, and learned to appreciate cultural diversity at an early age. At 15 her parents offered her the choice between a traditional quinceañera party, and a more progressive girls’ trip to Europe. She chose the latter and ever since then experiencing the world has been one of her lifelong priorities. Lily has visited over 20 countries on four continents, and continues exploring with her husband and intrepid travel partner Bryan.

Monique was born and raised in Westbrook, Maine, right outside of Portland. She was very active growing up, and spent countless hours running through the trees in her backyard. A competitive gymnast for 10 years, she also ran track and long-distance cross country throughout high school. She continues to run regularly and hopes to organize sports activities with the TGS students!

Monique has a natural curiosity and has always enjoyed learning new things. An honors student, she holds a degree from the University of Southern Maine in Environmental Planning and Policy, with a concentration in Ecotourism. Monique is also the first student from her university to finish the certificate requirements for Environmental Education. Her passions lie in combining environmental science and education, specifically through experiential learning. She brings teaching experience from a diverse range of volunteer activities with students spanning from preschool to college level. She was an English tutor at her university and, more recently, an Environmental Educator with the Maine Audubon Society.

Monique is no stranger to travel, and spent two years with the People to People Student Ambassador Program. She served as an ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, along with France, Italy, and Greece. In college, she served as an AmeriCorps Student Leader and completed 300 hours of community service. Her leadership activities included the development of an “Alternative Spring Break” program that allowed students to travel in order to do volunteer work. When funding failed and the program was cancelled by the university, Monique fulfilled her volunteer commitment and drove to Grand Isle, Louisiana, to complete research on migratory birds. For this, she was honored as a Student Leader and featured in a video played at her graduation commencement.

Service learning remained a passion for Monique after graduation. She spent a month aboard a sailing vessel researching the condition of the Gulf of Mexico sperm whale population in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Other ongoing interests include creative nonfiction writing, hiking, and photography. She also has an extensive collection of vinyl record albums.

Monique spent two years as a Resident Assistant in college and loves to develop fun activities that help students build relationships and a sense of community. She is thrilled for the opportunity to join TGS and its ResLIFE program.

Brad first discovered the benefits of experiential education as a teenager when he went on a seven-week backpacking trip in the Utah wilderness. He went on to study natural resource management at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he enjoyed introducing friends and family to rock-climbing, backpacking, skiing, and many other activity outdoors. Along the way, Brad also traveled through the western United States and earned his certification as a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician.

A university study abroad program helped Brad discover his desire to lead young people on international excursions. He studied in Tanzania for five months, learning first-hand how issues of population growth, land use, wildlife conservation efforts, and tourism development present challenges for local communities. While in Tanzania, Brad also studied Kiswahili and conducted a research project. Brad continued his travels in Nepal before going back to Colorado to finish University.

Once back in Colorado, Brad was eager to begin his career as an educator. He taught English to native Spanish speakers, taught environmental studies to students at a local elementary school, and received grants to continue his research in Tanzania. Less than a year later, he was back on the road again, leading high school programs in India. He is a strong believer in the transformational power of travel, and feels blessed to be able to give back by facilitating positive, life-changing adventures.