Dear ISO Association Members,
In preparation for next week’s May Association meeting (May 17th …in seven days), we have some advanced material to share with you:
A. On May 3rd, one week after our last Board meeting, the Policy Committee sent proposed amendments to ISO documents. There are four sets of proposals, which, for safety’s sake, have been divided up:
- ISO Constitution
- ISO Mission and Vision
- ISO By-Laws
- ISO Policy Manual
The Policy Committee encourages you to review them in advance of the Association meeting. For those who were present at the actual Board meeting, we thank you for both attending and for watching the “Board in Action”, as we went through each proposed amendment, line by line.
B. The second item attached is a list of the candidates running for the 3 vacant seats on the Board of Trustees for the 2022 – 2023 School Year. We are very fortunate that we have high quality candidates who are willing to serve their time on the Board (with no remuneration) to support the school in achieving its vision of ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE, ECONOMIC SECURITY, AND LONG-TERM SCHOOL STABILITY.
Their Biographies are below and attached.
Candidates for the 2022-2023 Board of Trustees
Biographies
Random Order:
Mr. Fillippo Ghezzi is of Italian/French and Nigerien descent. As a European raised some of the time in the neighboring country of Niger, he both knows the language and has a great understanding of the local culture. With his European background he clearly has the intentional mildness that our community needs. His wife works for Mercy Corp, and he has a Master’s Degree in Public Relations, which should help keep the Board “on task.” As a former International School student, he knows that having the right culture here at the school will help us all succeed.
Ms. Estelle Tonde is running for re-election on the Board and has two students at the school. She is the Director of a real estate company, and a graduate of the business university of Burkina Faso. Ms. Tonde likes to serve in noble causes and to add solidarity to our International School of Ouagadougou community.
Mr. Bashir July Hanif is originally from Tanzania and his current occupation is “Charge de programme/premeditation.” He is already a great asset to our community, as in addition to earning a Bachelor’s in Math and Physics, he has a Master’s in Defense and Security and Crisis Management. Working with NGOs in conflict zones, he has knowledge and has actively done contingency planning in the event of an emergency. He knows this period of COVID is not easy but “would be honored in (hopefully) moving into a post COVID phase where activities could accelerate again.”
Mr. Samuel Martin is of French and Swiss nationality, and is presently the managing Director of the MARGE, a consulting firm in the field of energy access, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Mr. Martin has two children at the school, one in Elementary and the second in Upper School. He has a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has lived in both Asia and Africa for the past 20 years, and is a team player who can moderate discussions between people with different opinions to reach consensus. As per his biography, “I know that there are not many good schools in Ouagadougou, and this one has gone through some challenging times in recent years. I would like to bring my contributions to ensure the school can grow in a sustainable way in the future.”
We are extremely fortunate to have such highly qualified members willing to assist the school in moving firmly forward. The core goal of Governance is not just to focus on the “here” and “now”, but also to have the unique responsibilities as a Trustee in holding the school’s future viability “in trust.”
This year’s Board of Trustees discovered that the challenges and demands of trusteeship are considerable, and so are the rewards: being part of an honorable enterprise, realizing the power of collaboration, and enjoying the satisfaction of service.
We thank all members for being willing to contribute to the Board in a positive way, and we look forward to seeing them personally in a week’s time.
Final Notes:
After three weeks of not making masks mandatory at school, we are still COVID-free. Let’s continue to trend, as the Embassy is offering a Free Vaccine Clinic this Saturday in their parking lot, from 8:00 – 16:00hrs. Vaccines are an extremely important tool in our arsenal to control the virus.
We know that here in Ouagadougou when working together, the impossible becomes possible, and it is clear that this is a community in which we all support one another.
Have a great afternoon and see you next week.
ISO Board of Trustees
Partners in Education.