EF Academy Pasadena

George Stewart Founding Head of School, EF Academy Pasadena

George holds an MA in Spanish and Latin American Literature and a BA in Spanish and Political Science. He is a Kingenstein Research Fellowship recipient from Columbia University and brings more than 20 years of experience as a teacher and administrator at private boarding and day schools.

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Annie Hall Pathway Director, EF Academy Pasadena

Over the last 14 years, Annie has worked in a range of roles from a curriculum leader in English to a student guidance leader and, most recently, as Senior Assistant Head Teacher responsible for curriculum and student guidance areas in a London school of 1500 students. As a Designated Safeguarding Officer, she has had experience in dealing with a broad range of issues around Child Protection and has extensive knowledge of how best to support young people. She has taught English Language and English Literature under a variety of exam boards at GCSE and A Level, including Cambridge IGCSE, as well as the Level 3 Extended Project Qualification. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Secondary English.

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Dan Denoncourt Campus Director, EF Academy Pasadena

Dan has worked in the field of international education for over 20 years, both in the US and abroad. He was the Director of Operations for Hult International Business School’s Boston campus for eight years and just prior to joining EF Academy he was part of EF’s Real Estate division, running the operations of EF’s North American Headquarters campus.

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Catherine Hsieh Pathway Manager, EF Academy Pasadena

Catherine has a BA in Psychology and Social Behavior, with a minor in Education, as well as a TEFL Certificate from the University of California, Irvine. Catherine has spent the last 8 years working in China with EF. She has held a variety of roles, including ESL Instructor, Teacher Recruiter, Talent Development Trainer & Career Coach and most recently, National Coordinator for Teacher Engagement. Being part of EF has given her the opportunity to be creative in an international environment and she is looking forward to continuing to work with people and students from all over the world in Pasadena.

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Christian Andres Residential Director, EF Academy Pasadena

Christian U. Andres holds a BS in Statistics from University of California, Riverside and an MA in Intercultural Studies from BIOLA University. He also attained a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Certificate through the LinguaEdge Teacher TESOL Training Program. Christian started his teaching career in Los Angeles as a Reading and Math teacher in schools across Compton Unified School District and Norwalk- La Mirada Unified School District. However, he found his true passion teaching ESL to international students. After attaining his Masters Degree, he went on to be an ESL professor at Cal Poly Pomona University and Hope International University(HIU). At HIU, he became more involved in the campus community by becoming an Assistant Tennis Coach and Residence Director. During his experience as Residence Director, he has cultivated a deeper appreciation for residence life and campus community development. At the EF Academy Pasadena campus, he hopes to contribute towards building a safe and healthy environment where students and other community members feel safe to grow, problem-solve, and develop as people.

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Kimberly Stein Deputy Head of School, Academics, EF Academy Pasadena

Kim Stein holds a Masters in Educational Leadership, a Bachelor´s in Biology and Connecticut state teacher certification from Saint Joseph University. She has spent the last 10 years working in academic leadership roles in International Baccalaureate schools , including the post of Deputy Head of School at EF Academy New York and the Deputy Head of School for Academics at SEK international School in Madrid, Spain.

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Vanessa Delgado Business & Humanities Department Head, EF Academy Pasadena

Vanessa Delgado has a BS in Secondary Social Studies Education, focusing on Political Science, History, Geography, and Economics. To gain first hand experience in the social studies field and a greater understanding of cultures and societies, Vanessa has spent time teaching in the State of Michigan, Washington D.C., the People’s Republic of China, and Taiwan (ROC). With ten years of experience in the field of education Vanessa looks forward to engaging students in activity based and project based learning experiences. She believes students make the greatest personal growth when they are excited and involved in their own learning.

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Brianna Becerra Director of Student Activities, EF Academy Pasadena

Before her 3 years as a Los Angeles Area Manager for EF Tours, Brianna worked in the film industry as a Production Office Manager. She was born and raised in Los Angeles and has lived most of her life in the beautiful Pasadena area. Brianna was drawn to the field of international education because of her passion for providing a sense of self and support for students from all backgrounds. Brianna has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film & Communications from California State University, Fullerton and enjoys traveling, watching movies, being outdoors and eating new foods!

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Jason Battung Dean of Students, EF Academy Pasadena

Jason has a BS in Economics and Management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MA in Yoga Studies from Loyola Marymount University. He spent 5 years working in experiential education and service learning as a Director of Global Logistics. Jason then settled in Los Angeles to apply his passion for self-awareness and holistic health as the Yoga teacher at Santa Monica High School, growing the program and refining the curriculum over the past decade. He is excited to join EF Academy and help cultivate an international learning community in Pasadena while supporting students’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

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Jeff Robinette Mathematics Department Head, EF Academy Pasadena

Jeff brings 7 years of experience as an inner-city Los Angeles math teacher and department chair and 5 years in sales and marketing. He has coached multiple high school sports and has produced several collegiate athletes. Jeff has a BS in Mathematics Education and is currently working on a MA in Educational Administration.

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Mathilde Colard English & World Languages Department Head, EF Academy Pasadena

Originally from Normandy, France, Mathilde holds a master’s degree in Linguistics and French didactics, and a BA in French Modern Literature from Caen Basse Normandie University. She has been teaching French as a Second Language teacher for 20 years in France, the UK and in the US. She also has a strong 13-year experience of international schools and the IB. She is enthusiastic to teach communication and cross-cultural skills, and eager to share her passion for French cinema, literature, and art.

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Sylvia Jeannot Residential Director, EF Academy Pasadena

Originally from the south of France, Sylvia moved to the UK to pursue her studies in languages and getting a postgrad in Education. She taught French and Spanish for 6 years in the UK and the UAE before moving to EF Academy NY in 2018 where she joined the World Languages Department and the Residential Life Team.

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Wayne Lee Arts Department Head, EF Academy Pasadena

Wayne joins EF Academy, Pasadena from Geffen Academy at UCLA. Prior to that, he worked at the French American International School/International High School in San Francisco, delivering Chinese curricula in both the International Baccalaureate and the French Baccalaureate programs for 12 years. As an educator, his experience includes teaching ESL in Taipei, Taiwan; teaching undergraduate courses of Intro to Acting and multiple levels of Chinese Language classes at UC Davis, and teaching Drama and Chinese Humanities at the Chinese American International School in San Francisco. One of his professional highlights is that he served as the High School Director/Head Teacher at STAR Academy in Marin County, a private/non-public school for students with learning differences, teaching High School English and Math. Wayne holds the International Chinese Teaching Certificate and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the Graduate Acting Program at UC Davis.

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Xavier Le Renard Sciences Department Head, EF Academy Pasadena

Xavier was born in Normandy, France. He holds a Masters of Architecture. He worked on city planning and individual house projects, as well as building theater sets. He was also a luthier before starting his teaching career as a visual art, technology and design teacher. He has worked in an international school for 10 years and thrives teaching to diverse and international students.

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