Governance

Ms. Jemsby began her tenure at WIS after six years serving as Head of School at The Galloway School in Atlanta. At Galloway, she was recognized for strengthening the academic program and enrollment, and upgrading the school’s fundraising, marketing, and fiscal planning.

Prior to Galloway, Ms. Jemsby was Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE), an educational non-profit that provides professional development training to independent and public schools across North America. 

Altogether, she has three decades of experience at international and independent schools in the U.S. and Europe—including Frankfurt International School, Internationale Schule Frankfurt-Rhein-Main, and Atlanta International School—and deep knowledge of the IB program. In addition to her native English, she speaks Swedish, German, and French—and is now working on increasing her proficiency in Spanish.

Ms. Jemsby earned BA and MA degrees in Modern and Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge, U.K. In 2015, she became a Fellow in the Head of School Program of the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University. Suzanna also attended the London College of Music, and is an avid cellist. She and husband Bjoern have three daughters, one who has graduated from WIS and two in the Upper School.

Ms. Hotaki joined WIS as Upper School Principal in 2023. She grew up in Northern Virginia and has over two decades of experience in education and counseling. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, a Postgraduate Certificate in Mind, Brain, and Teaching and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. Her doctoral research focused on a holistic approach to dual language learning. 

Ms. Hotaki served as a Secondary School Principal at the Qatar Leadership Academy and as Assistant Principal at The Saudi Academy of Washington, DC. She has held leadership and teaching roles at International Baccalaureate World Schools and has supported learners in an acute care psychiatric hospital in Northern VA.

Ms. Merianos joined WIS as the Director of Extended Learning in 2023, with almost two decades of experience in educational program development and management. She previously served as the Director of Summer and Auxiliary Programs at the Green Acres School in Maryland, and Director of Summer Programs at the Madeira School in Virginia. 

Prior to her work within the independent school community, Ms. Merianos designed, managed, and facilitated programs focused on intergenerational learning experiences at The National Building Museum, the Sam & Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts & Crafts, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 

From 2006-2013, Ms. Merianos directed a large sailing and watersports camp for Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, spending many adventurous summers on Cape Cod. She holds a BFA in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art & Design, and a MA in Nonprofit Management from Claremont Graduate University.

Mrs. Miller joined WIS in 2019 after four years as Lower Primary Principal at Atlanta International School. Prior to AIS, she was Deputy Primary Principal at Vienna International School in Austria for eight years and spent thirteen years teaching in public primary schools in her home country of Australia. 

Mrs. Miller earned a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education from Charles Darwin University in Australia and a Masters of Education (Leadership and Management) from the Open University in the United Kingdom. She has also earned a Certificate in International School Leadership from the Principal's Training Centre and was awarded Teacher of Exemplary Practice in Australia.

Mr. Pedrazo joined WIS in 2020 after two years as area manager at SoFive, Inc. where he established new business locations for indoor athletics facilities in Maryland. His responsibilities included fiscal planning, marketing, hiring, and implementing management teams at the new centers. 

Prior to that, he worked at several athletics organizations, including the German Soccer Association and numerous universities (as soccer and tennis coach). He coached the James Madison University Men’s Soccer Team as the players participated in several NCAA tournaments, including the final eight appearances in 2018. Altogether he has over 10 years of experience in the sports industry. In addition to English, he is fluent in Spanish and a native German speaker.

Mr. Pedrazo earned his BA in Business Management at Birmingham Southern College and has a MS in Sports Management from Georgia State University, where he competed in D1 soccer as captain of both university teams. He and his partner Catalina have two daughters.

Ms. Wood came to WIS in 2019 after more than four years at the Galloway School in Atlanta, GA, where she served as director of Human Resources. Ms. Wood previously worked at the City Schools of Decatur in Decatur, GA, where she managed all aspects of human resources for nine schools and more than 700 employees.

Ms. Wood began her career in education in the classroom as a second-grade teacher. She earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from the University of Rochester. Her work experience also includes working in investor services for Morgan Stanley in New York City and a firm in Washington, DC.

Mr. Wynter joined WIS in 2023, taking on the responsibility of becoming the School's first-ever Director of International-Mindedness, Diversity, and Inclusion. Previously, Mr. Wynter served as the Assistant Head of Pastoral and Operations at Wetherby Senior School in London. His responsibilities also extended to managing Wetherby's Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives.

His work with diversity and inclusion began during his tenure at Dwight School London (his post prior to Wetherby); from 2020–2022 he was the Global Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, developing and executing strategies and programs for Dwight campuses in London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, and Seoul.

Prior to moving into leadership roles, Mr. Wynter was a mathematics teacher. He has served as a mathematics examiner for the IB's Diploma Exams, and has also spoken at an IB conference on the subject of developing anti-racist strategies. He received his BEng in Robotics from the University of Plymouth and his MA in Social Justice & Education from University College London.