Head of School
Executive Director
2009 - 2019
“The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.”
Antigua Green School
Scaling Progressive Education in Guatemala
The foundations of the Antigua Green School were laid in 2007, rooted in a deep commitment to progressive educational philosophy and its potential for transformative education. In 2009, following the successful launch and stabilization of our first Montessori institution in Cobán, I spearheaded our strategic expansion into Antigua, Guatemala.
My vision was to architect a progressive, bilingual learning environment that honors the innate curiosity of the child while preparing them for a complex future. The school was engineered to be more than just a campus; it is a laboratory for sustainability and equity, designed to empower a community of students to lead the transition toward a more resilient and balanced world.
The Antigua Green School Campus
In 2014, I spearheaded a strategic partnership with the La Azotea Coffee Farm to secure the site for a purpose-built educational facility. As the project’s executive lead, I orchestrated a multi-disciplinary team of architects, contractors, investors, and educators to design a campus that serves as a regional model for sustainability. The facility was engineered to meet U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) standards, featuring specialized, progressive learning environments specifically tailored to the developmental needs of Early Childhood through Secondary School students. This project represents a successful fusion of capital development, environmental stewardship, and modern pedagogical design.
Cambridge International Accreditation
Following the successful completion of our Phase II capital development project, I orchestrated the comprehensive institutional alignment required to meet the rigorous standards of Cambridge International Education. In 2015, this culminated in the Antigua Green School becoming the first certified Cambridge International School in Guatemala—a milestone that validated our facilities, faculty, and curriculum on a global stage.
From 2009 to 2019, I executed a controlled-growth strategy, successfully launching one new grade level annually. This disciplined expansion resulted in a 10x increase in annual revenue and solidified the institution’s reputation as the national benchmark for inquiry-based, environmentally conscious education.
Child Centered
Modern education stands at a critical inflection point. Inspired by the 'Education Revolution' championed by Sir Ken Robinson, my work focuses on the practical application of progressive theory at scale.
Inquiry-Based Frameworks: Leveraging Montessori and Deweyan principles to foster agency and self-directed learning.
Technological Integration: Utilizing the scalable, mastery-based models pioneered by Sal Khan to individualize the student experience.
Systemic Change: Moving beyond incremental shifts to lead institutional transformations that prioritize creativity, adaptability, and real-world application.
Community Focused
Successful school leadership is an exercise in complex stakeholder alignment. My experience has taught me that a school’s mission must be strong enough to unify a community, yet flexible enough to honor the individual path of every student.
Stakeholder Synthesis: I facilitate the rigorous work of bringing together educators, parents, and board members to share one, future-proof vision for their children’s education.
Operationalizing Pedagogy: I ensure that 'student-centered' is not just a catchphrase, but a measurable standard that coexists with clear institutional goals.
Cultural Cohesion: I build the organizational structures that transform a group of individuals into a mission-driven community.
Immersed in Nature
I founded the Antigua Green School to prove that environmental sustainability belongs at the core of the educational experience, not on the periphery. For ten years, I directed the school’s evolution from a startup concept into an internationally accredited institution. By aligning our physical infrastructure with USGBC Center for Green Schools standards and our curriculum with progressive global benchmarks, I led a decade of growth that redefined what a modern school can achieve for its community and the planet.
AGS Design & Build
I led the development of the Antigua Green School campus with the conviction that a school's physical environment is its most powerful 'silent teacher.' Serving as the project executive, I managed the complex alignment of stakeholder interests, from investor ROI to parental expectations, to realize a facility built to USGBC standards. My leadership focused on creating a cohesive learning ecosystem, featuring bespoke, age-appropriate spaces that facilitate individualized progress while maintaining a core institutional commitment to environmental stewardship.
As the Founder & Head of School I…
Developed the school’s mission and vision and built a child-centered curriculum based on the Montessori method, that focused on environmental education, was designed specifically for the Antigua community, and met the needs of our students and the standards of the Ministry of Education of Guatemala.
Managed the accreditation process to meet the strict standards for facilities, staff, and curriculum to become Guatemala’s first certified Cambridge International School in 2015.
Designed and oversaw development of policies, procedures, and performance and assessment standards for students, teachers and administration to meet strict standards of the school board, Ministry of Education, and Cambridge International.
Recruited, hired, oriented and trained a team of educators. Mentored teachers and staff to align with the values and goals of the school, to meet performance standards, and to grow professionally.
Developed staff and parent handbooks, created school schedules and calendars, and facilitated and led parent/teacher conferences and the formation of the Parent / Teacher Organization.
Ensured the financial stability of the school by opening one new grade per year, achieving an increase in annual revenue by 10x over 8 years establishing the school as the community standard for quality, child-centered, and environmentally-focused education in Guatemala.
Early Years
Prior to founding the Antigua Green School, I spent over a decade architecting a diverse portfolio of educational institutions and non-profits across Guatemala—including key developments in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, El Hato, and Antigua. My approach has always been one of bespoke institutional design: engineering unique educational concepts that address the specific socio-economic needs of each community. To date, 100% of these ventures remain financially viable and operationally active. In 2009, I synthesized the cross-functional expertise gained from these six successful launches to found the Antigua Green School, scaling it from a foundational concept into the nation’s premier progressive, Cambridge-accredited green school.
My professional purpose is defined by the strategic architecture of institutions that matter. I am at my most impactful when transforming a nascent concept into a thriving, scalable reality, a process that requires a delicate balance of creative vision and rigorous operational leadership.
The Antigua Green School stands as the milestone achievement of my career to date. It represents the successful synthesis of my work as an entrepreneur and an educator. I am deeply proud of the institutional culture we built, one rooted in trust, nurturing, and academic excellence. My experience leading this community through its foundational years has provided me with an unparalleled blueprint for how to build mission-driven organizations that achieve both social impact and fiscal sustainability.