Dear Members of the AES Community,

On behalf of the AES Board of Governors I am happy to share the news that Paul Chmelik has accepted our offer to become the next Director of AES, beginning with the 2013-14 school year.

Many of you had the opportunity to meet Paul and his wife Betsy during their recent campus visit. Paul is currently the Head of School at the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) where he has grown enrollment from 1300-1650 students in a highly competitive school market. He facilitated the creation of a new vision and mission for the school, expanded and enhanced faculty recruitment and gained 10 year dual accreditation for the school from CIS and WASC. Prior to ISKL, Paul was the HS principal at the Singapore American School (SAS) and at Cairo American College (CAC). He has experience with both AP and IB programs. Before moving into administration, Paul was a social studies teacher for nine years. He taught in Minnesota and in Lusaka, Zambia. Betsy is a career librarian.

The Board evaluated more than 40 applications for the Director’s job, received through an international search. Paul stood out for his experience and success in leading schools similar to AES, and for his personal qualities. Feedback from the campus community was very positive. Referees contacted by the Board repeatedly noted his commitment to academic excellence, his compassion, and his engagement with students, teachers and parents. One colleague of his wrote of him: "Paul is one of the most intelligent, caring and ethical people I have ever worked with and I have learned so much from him. He truly is an inspirational leader."

The Board voted unanimously on Monday to invite Paul to join the AES community and we are thrilled that he and Betsy will be joining us in the summer of 2013. As we look ahead to Paul’s leadership, the Board also wanted to recognize the extraordinary job that Bob Hetzel has done, and continues to do, in establishing AES as one of the premier international schools in Asia. We look forward to working with both Paul and Bob in the coming year and a half to ensure a smooth transition for AES.

Sincerely,

Steven Solnick
President, Board of Governors
s.solnick@gmail.com