Mrs Ching Oi Chan is the Chief Executive Officer of the ISS Education Group that comprises the International School of Singapore (ISS), the Centre of American Education (based in Singapore) and the Beijing BISS International School. She has been the Chairperson of the BISS School Board since it’s founding in 1994.
Mrs Chan holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons) from the University of Singapore and an M Sc in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California at the San Francisco Medical Center. She started her career as a pharmacist for the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) and then as Head of the Pharmacy Department at the Singapore General Hospital. In all, she worked 28 years with the MOH before embarking on a second career in international education.
Mrs Chan is passionate about education and is a firm believer in the enabling effect of education in the lives of young people. She is fully committed to the success of the educational institutions in the Group.
Mrs Mun-E Tan has a background in banking, starting her career with the Development Bank of Singapore. She was responsible for the banking needs of corporate clients and later managed the syndication of loans as well as the bank's overseas branches when she moved onto international banking.
Mrs Tan made her transition into education 10 years ago in joining the ISS Group. She has spent time in all the schools and campuses under the Group, involving her work in the various departments within the schools. This was in addition to her involvement with the school board since the mid-90s. As preparation for the challenges of work in the educational arena, Mrs Tas has received a Masters in School Counseling from University of Buffalo, the State Unversity of New York (SUNY Buffalo).
Dr. Ettie Zilber joined BISS in August, 2009. She has had over 30 years experience in international schools in five countries outside her native USA, including Guatemala, Spain, Singapore, Israel and, now, China. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, as well as Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from College of New Jersey, Pennsylvania State University and Queens College, NY. She has served as an adjunct professor of education at Endicott College and Lehigh University. She has published and presented widely and has recently published a book entitled “Third Culture Kids: Children of International School Educators.”
In 1987, Mr. Tan graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business. He also obtained two Executive Masters in Business Administration from Stanford University, USA (1991) and Northwestern University, USA (1993) respectively.
Mr Demnar comes from Queensland, Australia, where he has worked in the State, Catholic and private education systems. He has also worked in international schools in Indonesia and Singapore. He has taught in all areas of the elementary school system and has held various leadership positions. Mr Demnar has particular interest in curriculum development and the PYP, while his Master's research focused on the impact of signicant others on a child's self esteem. In his leisure time, he enjoys sports, arts, food and travel.
Originally from Victoria, Australia, Ms. Fredericks has spent the past 14 years as a teacher and administrator at International School Manila, Philippines, Taipei American School, Taiwan and most recently, as Middle School Principal back at International School Manila. Ms. Fredericks is passionate about teaching and learning, believing that education is about empowerment of the individual – both students and teachers. She aims to foster a teaching and learning environment that empowers students with a sense of self, addresses the individual needs of each student, and equips them with the necessary skills to be confident and purposeful global individuals.
Ms. Fredericks has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and History and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Melbourne, and is certified in International School Leadership from the Principals’ Training Center in London and Miami. She enjoys singing and playing the violin, loves to travel and has two cats with Chinese passports.
Mr Henry Wong earned a M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University, California, a M.A. in Intercultural Studies/International Business (Highest Honors) and an undergraduate degree in Organizational Leadership (Magna Cum Laude) from Biola University, California. He also holds certification as a Multiple Subject Teacher from the State of California. Mr Wong's career in education includes positions as Senior Admissions and Marketing Manager, Deputy Dean, General Manager, and Lecturer. Prior to joining the ISS Education Group, he worked as a Management Trainer, Events Coordinator, and Finance Manager.
Mrs Margaret Alvarez was the former Head of ISS, Singapore and was involved in the set up of BISS. She has been on the board since the school’s inception in 1994. Mrs Alvarez is still very involved in the education arena and presently serves international schools as an Accreditation Officer for the Council of International Schools (CIS).
As an Accreditation Officer, Mrs Alvarez is very familiar with the level of quality and standards expected of an international school. As part of her job, she goes for training in the areas of CIS Governance as well as East Asian Regional Council of Overseas Schools (EARCOS) Board training workshops and seminars. As part of her Doctorate in Education requirement, she is completing her thesis on effective School Board practices in the international school context.
Mr Chang Kwai Ming brings a wide range of management and administrative experience to the BISS School Board where he has been a member since 2007. He holds an MBA from the University of South Australia and has worked in Singapore as a Deputy Chairman of the National Theatre Trust, General Manager of Yamaha Music Group, General Manager of Pace Advertising Pte Ltd, Acting Principal at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), General Manager of NAFA Art Services Pte Ltd and served on the Board of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. He currently holds positions as a Consultant, Advisor, Chairman, and Columnist Writer for a number of Singaporean and Chinese organizations and publications.
Mr Ricky Tang has involved with the ISS Education Group for many years. His involvement in ISS has seen him in various positions as Director of Administration, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO in the Group. He is presently working at the Singapore Management University looking after the internship program (China).
Mr Tang has been a member of the BISS school board since 2000. His professional qualifications include a diploma and teacher certificate from the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Northcote College of Education, postgraduate degrees in educational administration, curriculum development, training management, business administration and school counseling. Mr Tang is currently a PhD candidate for Business Administration at the Newcastle University.
Dr Ang Beng Choo holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Singapore, a MA from the University of Hawaii and earned her PhD in Education from the National University of Singapore. Dr. Ang has served over 30 years with the Singapore Ministry of Education in various capacity - teacher, trainer, inspector, curriculum developer, textbook writer, university lecturer and administration.
Dr Ang has been a member of the BISS School Board since 2007. Concurrently she holds positions on councils and committees in Singapore related to education and life counseling. During her career, she has received numerous awards for her service and accomplishments in education and public administration. Presently Dr. Ang does research on current educational issues and is a well respected public speaker on education matters.
Mr Clarence Lim is the latest addition to the BISS Board of Management. His busy career had seen him as an English teacher in the Singapore primary to high school levels; involved in the publishing industry at Times Publishing and EPB Publishers in Singapore, and later as Managing Director of the Oxford University Press, Singapore. He had also taught and produced test materials on English language course for staff at the Beijing Television Station. Mr Lim is presently freelancing as an Editor.
Mr Leong Weng Kam, a senior writer with The Straits Times, is a veteran journalist who started his journalistic career as a reporter with the Singapore Armed Forces' monthly Pioneer magazine in 1975. He joined The Straits Times as a bilingual reporter in 1977 when the paper launched its Bilingual Page. Later, he moved to the other desks, writing news reports and features for the local news, China, foreign, and political desks and the Life! section of the paper. He was one of the three senior journalists from the paper tasked to write the book, Men In White, The Untold Story Of Singapore's Ruling Political Party, which was published in 2009. His current writing interests include Singapore political history, the local Chinese community, Chinese culture and history, Singapore-China relations and new Chinese immigrants in Singapore. He has a bachelor of arts degree in Chinese language and literature from Beijing Normal University, and master of arts degrees in Asia Pacific Studies and contemporary China from University of Leeds and Nanyang Technological University respectively.
