PTA

Our family joined the ACS community in 2021, with children at the High School and Middle School levels. This is our first time living abroad, and we absolutely love life in Abu Dhabi. I’m especially happy that we chose ACS for our kids. They have loved the school since day one. We are consistently impressed with the kindness, effort and flexibility of the ACS staff and community, especially through the complications of the pandemic.

My professional background is in marketing, communications and management. Most recently, I served as Executive Director of a nonprofit foundation that supports educational enrichment. I’ve also volunteered extensively, serving on the boards of various PTAs and the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club. I look forward to serving ACS staff, students and families and hope that my experience will be a valuable asset.

My daughter, Zoe will be a senior in 22/23, and my son, Ion is starting Grade 9. This will be their fourth year attending ACS. My husband, Georg, and I left Germany in 2000 and moved to Al Ain, UAE, where we lived for eight years. Both our children were born in Dubai. In 2008 we moved to Florida and in 2019 we came back to the UAE, this time to Abu Dhabi. While living in Florida I got heavily involved in all kinds of volunteer work at my children’s elementary school. I served on the PTA board for nine years and loved to spend my free time helping students and supporting the school. I volunteered for 10 years in the library. I also produced the morning announcements with a group of students daily and in our collaboration with NBC introduced them to TV news production. I also worked as a mentor in the counseling team. I served as room parent coordinator and was involved in yearbook production and school fundraising among other things. Before the pandemic hit us in Abu Dhabi I had a chance to help at Viper Bites, which I enjoyed a lot. It gave me a good feeling about the ACS community and all the positive energy. In 2021-2022, I served as PTA Secretary.

My favorite thing about ACS is the kindness and all the friendly faces along with the community spirit.

I have 3 sons attending ACS, twins in 9th grade and an 8th grader.  This is our second year at the school and in Abu Dhabi, and we absolutely love it.  What I love about ACS is how we were immediately made to feel welcome and accepted into the community. Although I am a nurse by trade, I am excited to serve as this year's PTA secretary. I enjoy working with other parents for the betterment of our children's school. I look forward to a very successful year with the PTA. 

Professionally, I am a financial advisor. My background is in financial planning and management consulting, and my education is in the social sciences and public policy.  I am serving as PTA Treasurer because "following the money" is something I enjoy, especially when it is for a cause and community I care about. In my role, I imagine Marty Markowitz (all-time cheerleader for Brooklyn) meets the “Numbers & Pencil Gal.”   

I am thrilled to be living in the United Arab Emirates. We (myself, spouse, two daughters) moved from New York City. Although my childhood summers were spent in El Salvador, it is our first time living abroad as a family. I feel like a kid amazed by the science, architecture, public policy, history, language, religion and culture all around me. And, I cannot wait to discover more of the countries close by.