Our Educational Leaders

Tara O’Brien
UISZ Head of Primary & PYP Coordinator
Tara O’Brien is originally from outside San Francisco, California and has worked in international education for 17 years. She has taught and served in administrative positions at international schools in Budapest (Hungary), Doha (Qatar), and Lausanne (Switzerland).
She is passionate about education and a lifelong learner. Tara O’Brien holds a Master’s degree, Educational Specialization in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Harvard School Management and Leadership Certificate. After giving birth to her second child, she began her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, focusing on Social-Emotional Learning and Character Development. She finds it rewarding to take intentional steps towards achieving a long-term goal and believes that a school should continually strive to grow and improve.
Tara O’Brien believes that positive and supportive relationships create the foundation for learning. When students feel a sense of belonging in their community, they become active, self-motivated, and courageous learners. Central to education and self-determinism is the human need to learn about and value one’s uniqueness, feel a sense of belonging in one’s community, and understand that one can make a positive impact on one’s local and global community.

Nicholas Heymans
UISZ Head of Boarding
Nicholas Heymans, originally from South Africa, has over a decade of experience in boarding schools across South Africa, Russia, and Berlin. He has successfully led boarding programs, managed ICT and Technology departments, and served as master in charge of hockey. His passion lies in creating positive, inclusive environments for students from diverse backgrounds. Nicholas strongly believes in the principles of positive education, fostering resilience and a growth mindset in students.
Nicholas holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of South Africa and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Advanced Teaching (IB). He has taught ICT, Coding and robotics, English, Math, and History and is actively involved in sports coaching.

Dr. Betsy K. Lee Verb
Director of Innovation & ICT
Betsy joined the UISZ & UISG community at the beginning of the 2021-22 academic year. She has 26 years of experience teaching technology and design thinking, focusing on digital and product design from (STEAM-based) Pre-K to the college level. In addition to her classroom experience, she has served in various leadership positions globally for the past ten years.
Betsy has a Doctorate in International Education and Leadership, focusing on the Cultural Influences in Design Thinking. She also has an Ed.S. in Curriculum Design and Instruction, emphasising Distance Learning and a Master of Science in Educational Media Design and Technology. Betsy has designed and implemented over 50 Innovation & Design Labs worldwide, focusing on maximising the use of space. Her philosophy on education is to create spaces and provide training to educators where students can learn innovative methods of design and technology through experiential learning to increase their knowledge, develop skills and learn various ways to contribute to society.