professional summary
An enthusiastic leader offering a 11+ year history of successful educational leadership as a Principal, Vice Principal, and Director of Teaching & Learning as well as 22+ years of teaching experience. Beginning as a teacher, moving up as a department head, to teacher trainer, secondary vice principal, and eventually into a multi-division administrator in a day and boarding school, I have developed into a dynamic leader with expertise in achieving collaboration in multiple areas and talent for navigating challenges. Sometimes it takes a little creativity and curiosity to find the answer. I have strong analytical, communication, and teamwork skills, with a proven ability to quickly adapt to new environments, eager to contribute to team success and meet educational goals of the entire community, both staff and students. Known for adaptability, flexibility, creativity, and a results-oriented growth mindset, I am always committed to making meaningful contributions and advancing organizational goals. My collaborative leadership and adept relationship-building fosters community trust and promotes success for students through a positive attitude, commitment to continuous learning, and genuine connection. Being personable and outgoing, I easily develop relationships among faculty and administrators, students and parents, building rapport throughout diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
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featured keynote presentations
2015 KORCOS International Conference
2015 CESEK Annual Conference
2016 KSCEIT Annual Conference
2016 WEF International Conference (China)
2017 CASAK (Counsel of Alternative Schools Association Korea)
languages
English, Native Speaker
Korean, Proficiency Level 1
skills
Click to see a comprehensive list of Chris's skills.
certifications
education
Teaching License, Wisconsin, USA: Certified Teacher Grades 1 - 8
Certified Instructional Coach
Certified Kagan Professional Development Trainer For The Following Courses:
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Kagan Cooperative Learning
5-Day Institute
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Instructional Leadership
5-Day Institute
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Multiple Intelligences
5-Day Institute Multiple
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Cooperative Learning & ELL
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Brain Friendly Teaching
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Accelerating Achievement
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Mighty Vocabulary
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Cooperative Meetings
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Cooperative Learning For Kindy Kids
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Reading Between The Lines
Danielson Framework For Teaching
Framework For Teaching: A Common
Vision Of Instructional Excellence (15 hrs)
Danielson Framework For Teaching
Talk About Teaching: Growth Focused
Observation And Feedback (30 hrs)
Backward Design (54 hrs)
~ Writing Effective Learning Objectives
~ Choosing The Right Assessment Tools For Your Students
~ Planning For Instructional Strategies And Learning Activities
Google Level I
Bachelor of Science
Major: Philosophy
Auburn University
Graduated 1998
TESOL Certificate
Graduate Program (2 of 4 units)
Auburn University
Masters Degree
Masters of Educational Leadership
American College of Education
Graduated 2022
Doctorate Degree
Doctorate of Educational Leadership
American College of Education
TBC May 2027
professional experience
United Christian Academy
location: Cream Ridge, NJ, USA period: 2022 - Present
Head Principal
Director of Teaching & Learning
Middle School Teacher
As the Principal for this day and boarding, multi-divisional private school, I am responsible for the continued development and implementation of the mission and vision of the school. To do this, I have worked closely with the board and head of school to set and manage the budget, develop a strong leadership team, ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the school’s strategic plans, and led by example using a coaching and mentoring approach. This demands a strong sense of accountability in staff for the impact of their work on student learning. My heart is for the highest standards of pastoral care, ensuring that student welfare and social, moral, and personal development inform all decisions made within the school. This is accomplished by being a visible presence within the staff body, encouraging and promoting teaching that is inspirational, innovative, and professional. I constantly assess, monitor, and evaluate teaching standards across the curriculum to continuously improve practice and maintain first-class learning throughout UCA. Recruiting, development, and retention of high caliber staff is constant to ensure that UCA continues to deliver high-class learning at all levels. I promote the personal and professional development of staff, providing appropriate support, guidance, and training on a weekly basis. I also teach middle school math, sub for all grades when a substitute in not available, and help teachers develop engaging lesson plans. During my time at UCA, I continue to successfully lead change, including managing several simultaneous growth projects, whilst ensuring the engagement and support of students, parents, colleagues, school board, and the wider community.
*Highlight* For the first time in its 20 year history, I lead UCA through the successful accreditation process.
Kagan Professional Development*
International Kagan Trainer
location: San Clemente, CA period: 2014 - Present
Every summer for the past ten years, I have traveled all over the United States, over to the United Arab Emirates, and into China delivering Kagan Professional Development workshops to public and private school teachers. I also meet with district and school leaders on how to best implement the training that the teachers receive. Training size rages from smaller schools with 10 teachers to larger schools with 300 teachers. Please note that this is a summer position that I can choose to do or turn down. It is always based on and in alignment with the vacation days that my full-time school position has set for the summer. I am certified in and can delivery any of the different training courses listed above under "Certifications".
*Worked simultaneously at Kagan PD during summers, The Catalyst Initiative and Fayston Prep year-round.
The Catalyst Initiative*
location: Seoul, South Korea / Guam, USA period: 2013 - 2022
Director of Teaching & Learning, Head Trainer & Instructional Coach
As Director of Education, Teaching, & Learning for the southeast Asia region of Kagan Professional Development, I oversaw all Kagan Professional Development programs for learning and development in private schools, international schools, public schools, alternative schools, hagwans, universities, and businesses in South Korea and Guam. I consistently delivered advanced engagement training, working closely with educational leadership to support their faculty, and using my knowledge and experience with curriculum design and development to help implement the best teaching into classrooms. This has created a track record of developing and implementing exciting professional development programs for school leaders, department heads, and faculty members. I continue to conduct professional development training in the United States and southeast Asia region. Please note that this type of training is not curriculum based. It works with every type of curriculum because it, in itself, is not curriculum. It is a better way of teaching whatever it is educators are teaching. It is for every age, every subject, every level, and not curriculum specific.
*Worked simultaneously at Kagan PD during summers, The Catalyst Initiative and Fayston Prep year-round.
Fayston Preparatory School*
Secondary Vice Principal
Director of Teaching & Learning
Middle & High School Teacher
location: Suji, South Korea period: 2018 - 2022
As one of the three top executive leaders for FPS, my position was defined in two parts. As the Director of Teaching & Learning for K-12, I was responsible for the coordination of effective teaching and learning, development of all best practices for teaching and learning, and delivery of top-of-the-line, relevant professional development. I lead training for the faculty in multiple cooperative learning and collaborative programs, facilitated in-classroom, hands-on coaching, carried out observations and gave real-time feedback as well as presented beginning-of-the-year orientations. As the Secondary Vice Principal, I lead bi-weekly meetings with department heads, academic leadership, curriculum coordinators, and the administrative leadership team relevant to grades 6 - 12. I was also responsible for creating, maintaining, and disbursing the financial budget for the high school. I worked hand-in-hand with the Head of School to maintain a positive, creative, engaging, and effective learning environment for both students and faculty while also creating procedures, policies, and expectations to bring everyone into alignment with the school vision and mission.
*Worked simultaneously at Kagan PD during summers, The Catalyst Initiative and Fayston Prep year-round.
In2English
ESL / EAL / EFL Teacher &
Kagan School Trainer
location: Suji, South Korea period: 2014 - 2015
As an ESL / EAL / EFL teacher, I was responsible for lesson planning, teaching students from all grades, and working with other teachers to ensure that teaching flowed from one teacher to another. While teaching English, I also implemented Kagan Cooperative Learning by training all the teachers, coaching them in the classroom, and helping the leadership implement the new knowledge to support the teachers on into the future. Within one week from implementing the cooperative learning training, parents began to call to tell the leadership how much of a difference they were seeing in their children and the amount of speaking they were now doing. The parents did not know what we had done, but they saw the difference right away.
Central Christian Academy
location: Suwon, South Korea period: 2010 - 2013
English Teacher
& Kagan School Trainer
As a middle school English teacher, I was responsible for lesson planning, teaching, and attending staff meetings. I then became the Kagan School Trainer by recommendation of Dr. Spencer Kagan. I was then responsible for conducting teacher training sessions twice a month for all English educators to help them implement the teaching techniques of cooperative learning in their classrooms.
Jung Chul Academy
ESL / EAL / EFL Teacher
location: Bundang, South Korea period: 2009 - 2010
As the primary English teacher for this Korean hagwon, I taught English to middle and high school students, created lesson plans, and picked curriculum as well as prepared grade cards and student evaluations.
Dancesport USA
Owner Manager
Head Teacher & Coach
location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA period: 2004 - 2009
While co-founding and managing Dancesport USA, I engaged in every aspect of managing a service-oriented business. Varying duties ranged from, but were not limited to, hiring and training instructors in dance, sales, and relationship building to planning weekly goals with the teachers, fielding prospective student information calls and marketing the studio for new student leads. I also was the head instructor for students and trainer for staff.
location: Nashville, TN period: 1999 - 2004
National Dance Clubs
Teacher
& Guest Services Manager
I started my teaching and sales career with NDC under the guidance of industry leaders. I was always surrounded by top instructors, coaches, and managers. Because I learned from the best, I quickly became one of the top teachers. I was also consistently one of the top 3 in customer service, sales and client referrals. I became a leader, example, trainer and mentor for the newer instructors.