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Mark Phillips

Principal

Meet our Principal, Mark Philips. Mark is deeply committed to helping students thrive, having been involved in the education sector for over 35 years. Prior to joining CGA, Mark was Deputy Principal of Macleans College with students achieving Top in NZ and Top in the World results under his leadership. Mark looks forward to continuing this leadership to allow our CGA students to reach their highest potential!

Ronan Kearney

Deputy Principal

As Deputy Principal at Crimson Global Academy, Ronan Kearney brings a wealth of academic, pastoral, and leadership experience to the role, having worked extensively both in the UK and internationally. With a career starting in 2014, Ronan's multifaceted background includes positions as Head of Biology and Psychology, Data & Assessment Lead, Head of Sixth Form and University Applications, Curriculum Manager, and Head of Boarding. In the UK, Ronan began his career as a Science, Psychology, and Biology teacher at Saint Felix School, rising quickly to become Head of Curriculum. As such, he was responsible for implementing a new information management system, and revamping the school's timetabling processes. As Head of Sixth Form and Curriculum Manager, Ronan spearheaded initiatives to raise academic standards and broaden student scholar opportunities, leading the school to earn a 'well above average' Progress Score rating from the Department of Education. Internationally, Ronan has served as the Head of Centre, Data & Assessment Lead, and Head of Biology & Psychology. In this capacity, he led significant improvements in exam results, increasing iGCSE and A-Level grades notably in Biology and Psychology. An adopter of technology and data analysis techniques, Ronan implemented another information management system, and introduced CEM data as baseline assessments, enhancing the school’s academic tracking systems to support student achievement. Now at Crimson Global Academy, Ronan initially joined as a Biology & Science teacher before taking on the role of Head of Biology after just five months, and was promoted to Deputy Principal later in the academic year. Ronan is passionate about professional subject development, is also a Biology examiner and has been involved in coaching teams to success in national competitions such as the UK National Science & Engineering Competition and the British Biology Olympiad.

Brittanie Bates

Head of US Diploma Pathway

Brittanie Bates is our CGA, Head of US Diploma Pathway. Personalizing education and the science behind “how kids learn” are the cornerstones of Brittanie’s educational practices. She has served as a teacher, principal, educational coach, and school director over her 15 years in education. She is experienced in traditional “brick and mortar” schools as well as global online school settings. Brittanie has a passion for developing school programs, and she emphasizes curiosity, mutual respect, and partnership when working with teachers, students, and families.

Stephanie Todaro

Academic Dean US Diploma Pathway

Stephanie has been in the field of education for almost 18 years. She received her M.Ed in Science from the University of Pittsburgh and B.S. in Chemistry from Allegheny College. Most of her teacher career, spanning 16 years, was dedicated to instructing Chemistry and Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry in independent schools. In the fall of 2022, Stephanie joined CGA as an AP Chemistry instructor and Head of the Science Department. She earned her National Virtual Teachers Association Certification in 2023 and currently occupies the post of Academic Dean of the US pathway.

Andrew Daniel

Associate Principal Greenwich

Meet Dr. Andrew Daniel, our CGA Greenwich Dean and Math teacher. Andrew has taught in five different schools, in the UK and overseas, and also been involved in areas such as university preparation and extra-curricular programmes. Many of his former students are now studying at Oxford or Cambridge, or the Ivy League universities in the US. Andrew has a particular interest in technology and IT in education and leads our 3D Game Development Club. He has recently been involved in training with American universities in areas such as the mathematics of 3D computer game design, and artificial intelligence.

Kenny Knight

Pastoral Dean
Chemistry and Physics

Meet Kenneth Knight, our Physics and Chemistry Teacher. Kenneth is a seasoned teacher with experience in school leadership roles (as Deputy Principal) as well as extensive teaching experience with IGCSE and A-Level sciences across multiple countries. In addition to his teaching experience, Kenneth has 13+ years of experience working in several of the worlds largest and leading companies in the chemical industry. Kenneth has been a star teacher at Macleans College, one of New Zealand’s top schools with regard to successful admission of students to prestigious US and UK universities.

Sam Yates

Head of Academic Enrichment History and Law

Meet Sam Yates, our History and Law teacher and head of academic enrichment. Sam has spent the last 12 years teaching in a large and successful independent school in the North of England. He has held a variety of roles including deputy head of department, sixth form tutor, head of academic extension and Oxbridge Coordinator. He has particularly enjoyed supervising students for their Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ). Before going into teaching, Sam qualified as a solicitor and spent five years in private practice as a commercial real estate and restructuring lawyer.

Beth Haresnape

Director of Pastoral Care and Student Leadership Greenwich

Meet Beth Haresnape, our Psychology teacher! Beth had a convoluted journey into psychology, as she studied for a Bachelors in Philosophy, a Masters in Cognitive Science and her PGCE teaching specialism was ICT. After six years of teaching both ICT and psychology, she decided to follow her passion, becoming Head of Psychology, first at an outstanding UK comprehensive and then most recently at a top tier British International School in Bangkok, Thailand. Her students have achieved "Top in the World" and "Top in Thailand" awards and many have gone on to study Psychology at leading universities around the world such as UCL and Yale.

Andrew Rugg

Academic Dean
History and English

Andrew is a passionate educator with nearly two decades of teaching experience in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Denmark. He has taught at both public and private institutions, including at some of the world's leading schools. Andrew is a student-centred teacher and leader, with the well-being and happiness of students central to his practice.

Kate Thompson

Senior School Dean English

Meet Kate Thompson, our Aoraki Dean and Literature teacher. Currently based in New Zealand's South Island, Kate has been teaching in New Zealand for 10 years, after teaching in various countries, including Switzerland, during the 15 years she spent living abroad. While teaching at Auckland's Macleans College, Kate's students were top of NCEA L3 English every year. Kate left a Head of Department position to join CGA and is passionate and enthusiastic about developing her students' active engagement and critical thinking skills at all year levels.

Di Austin

Aoraki Dean

Meet Di Austin, our Psychology teacher and dean of Pre-International GCSE. Di started teaching over 30 years ago -- before the arrival of the internet -- in a small town in South Africa. Her experience has been enriched by teaching at schools in New Zealand and South Africa. Whether it is teaching 15 year olds or scholarship students, at the end of their time at high school, Di's aim is to support, encourage and push students towards academic excellence. As a teacher, she has had a variety of roles and responsibilities including head of department, year level dean and been a check marker for external examinations. For the last 10 years, she has been involved in online learning teaching students from Whangerei to Dunedin.

Sheryl Husband

Science Head of Department

Meet our Head of Department for Science, Sheryl Husband. Sheryl has had over 20 years of teaching experience in both New Zealand and the United States. Having taught students all the way from Lower Secondary to Tertiary level curriculum, Sheryl is an expert at conveying the skills students need to achieve perfect scores in all curricula. Under Sheryl’s guidance, our CGA students will learn to unlock their passion for science!

Andrew Karlsberg

Social Science Head of Department

Meet Andrew Karlsberg, our Head of Department for Social Sciences. Holding a BA in History with Sociology (Combined Honours) from Bath Spa University, Andrew has had 15 years of experience teaching History, Global Perspectives, and Geography in both New Zealand and Europe. With such a love for his field, Andrew looks forward to showing our CGA students the many opportunities that the social sciences offer!

David Storey

Mathematics Head of Department

Meet David Storey, our Head of Department for Mathematics. David has more than 25 years of experience teaching in both New Zealand and the UK, including serving as the Head of Faculty for Mathematics at ACG Senior College and teaching both the A-Level and IB mathematics curriculum. David’s wealth of experience in implementing new technology in schools will allow him to help seamlessly transition our CGA students into their digital learning environment!

Elise Marlow

English Head of Department

Meet Elise Marlow, our CGA English teacher based in the French Pyrenees. During her career, Elise has taught English Language, Literature and Drama in four UK schools and four international schools. She has also been involved in directing plays, volunteering and service learning and the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Scheme. Her qualifications – Bachelors degree and PGCE in English and Drama and Masters degree in Education – were studied in the UK, but she has always been interested in exploring other countries and culture. Learning foreign languages is one of Elise's hobbies; she studied her Bachelors degree in Wales, living in a Welsh-speaking Hall of Residence and having lived in Thailand, the Middle East and now France, she has had to learn the everyday basics of several languages. From this, she has developed an interest in the different sounds and structures of languages and the formation of World Englishes.

Rebecca Close

Economics, Business Head of Department

Meet Rebecca Close, our business and economics teacher! She left the traditional classroom in 2018 to build a career as a digital nomad in the education sector and design a professional life that blended economics, travelling and sustainability together. She was previously employed in a highly academic school in England, as the Head of Economics and Business before becoming the school's first Digital Learning Support. She is also an associate examiner with four different exam boards.

Mikayla Wagner

Head of Department, Humanities

Hello! My name is Mikayla Wagner and I am the Head of Department for Humanities for CGA US, and educator of AP Psychology. I am currently based in sunny Tampa Bay, Florida in the United States. I earned my Master’s degree in psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University. I have been an educator for the last 8 years, and have taught multiple courses, including world history, geography, culture, psychology, and college readiness. In addition to CGA, I am also a college professor at Keiser University in Tampa, Florida. What I love most about working with CGA is the calibre of student I encounter. I have yet to meet a student who did not genuinely care about their education. In fact, most students I encounter are hungry for education, and are eager to learn as much as possible and chase their dreams to a prestigious university. Outside of my classrooms and educational duties, I will be in one of two places: Curled up in my hammock (weather permitting) reading a book while my dogs play in the yard, or in the gym training Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu!

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