Faculty and Staff

Jodi Burnside 

Director of Instruction 

I have been in education for 33 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. I have taught all ages preschool through college, and everything in between.  I have taught and coached in 4 (IL, CO, MN, VA) states, and in the country of Belize. I still enjoy being in the classroom, so I continue to teach Biology as well as being the Director of Instruction.  My husband Kent and I are completing our 3^rd year at AIS and we love it here in Ashgabat. We do miss our 4 children and our 4 grandchildren but Zoom makes it easy for us to stay in touch with our family.  

Isabella 

5-year-old teacher 

This is my first year at AIS and although it has been different than a normal school year, I have loved working with the AIS community. I was born and raised in America and taught there for one year in an elementary self-contained classroom. In my free time, I enjoy reading a great book and drinking coffee. I also love being outdoors any chance I can get

Emily Barbuto

5YOC Teacher

I have been teaching internationally for 21 years.  I have taught 5, 6, and 7-year-olds in Egypt, UAE, Israel, South Korea, Myanmar, Congo (DRC), Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan.  Ashgabat has been my favorite city so far, because it is so beautiful and walkable.  I miss Ashgabat International School very much while teaching online via Seesaw, and I hope to return to AIS in the future. 

Terese Quesnell 

I am an expat from the USA.  I have a bachelor-of-science degree in elementary education and have taught 6-YOC with QSI for eight years

Angela Warner 

7YO Teacher 

This is now correct:

I have been in education for over 16 years teaching a range of students from preschool to secondary school. Originally having taught in the United States, I have also taught in Moldova, China, and Turkmenistan. I strive to create a classroom that focuses on child-centered learning, building classroom community, and helping all students achieve academic success.

Thanks, 

Carol Record.

I am Carol Record. I am the mother of five children. I drove a school bus for 17 years before meeting my husband Scott, who talked me into getting my Master of Education in Elementary/General Special Ed. I completed my student teaching in an International school in Egypt while working in Learner support. For the past 7 years, I worked at International School of Myanmar where I taught grade 3 and grade 2. My last year there, I looped from second to third with a group of the most amazing students. I love to crochet and to make stuffed animals for my students for their birthday. I also love to sing karaoke and do puzzles on my iPad.

Steve Mann

9 year old teacher

I was born in Hawthorne, California—home to Mattel Toys and the Beach Boys. I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota for years. In a former life, I played in loud, obnoxious rock bands, was a soda jerk, flipped burgers and flap jacks, among other things. I taught for years on an Indian reservation school in northern Minnesota. For five years, I have lived in Ashgabat, the City of Love, thusly, I met my wife here and now we have 2 young boys. In my next life I would like to be a writer.

Emily Grifffiths

I have been teaching for six years, and I love being with my students! I taught grade two (7 year-olds) in China for two years then I moved to Ashgabat. This is my fourth year at AIS; I have taught both eight and nine-year-olds here. 

Jessica Smith

10 YO Teacher 

I have been in education for 7 years, I’ve taught middle grades in Atlanta, Georgia and then in Shenzhen, China as well as at the university  level in my home state. Prior to my teaching experience in Atlanta; I worked as an Information Technologist in the corporate sector. I have 12 years of military experience, a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and master’s degree in Education. I am from a very small town in the state of Arkansas. I love to hike and spend time in nature. I am completing my 1st year with AIS and have enjoyed the experience. 

Brad Har

My name is Brad Hart and I come from Seattle, Washington. I have enjoyed 6 years of teaching 10- and 11-year old's at Ashgabat International School. Before that I taught mostly history in middle and high school in the Seattle area. My wife Bev and I enjoy staying in touch with our 5 children and 2 grandchildren as well as working on Russian language, hiking/walking, and reading. 

Andrew Warner 

12yo Homeroom Teacher 

Creating a lifelong love of learning and fostering curiosity about the world is what I aspire to do every day for my students. Before teaching, I had the opportunity to successfully work in the corporate sector for 15+ years in the US. Over the last 7+ years, I have had a truly rewarding experience helping others and teaching students in Moldova, China, and Turkmenistan. I hope that all of my students become as lucky as I have been and are someday able to combine their education, skills, and passions to make their positive impact on our world. Stay healthy and keep on doing amazing things AIS!  

Thanks,

Stephen Hallstrom

Hello.  In my 11 years of teaching, I have taught in Oregon, Romania, Macedonia, and now at AIS.  I began my career as a middle school science teacher but have come to really enjoy teaching literacy and math classes, as well.  My Peace Corps experience in Romania introduced me to international travel and, subsequently, the rich cultural diversity of our species as well as the majestic natural beauty of our host planet, both of which are abundant at AIS and in Ashgabat.  Pre-COVID, I particularly enjoyed the sunrises when arriving to AIS each day and tracking the change of the seasons by the shifting colors on the slopes of the nearby mountains.

Lisa Clipp

I started teaching middle and secondary English in 1992 after graduating from the University of South Florida. However, I have taught at nearly every level up to Secondary 4, and I once owned my own preschool in America. I was also a newspaper journalist when my children were small, and I feel that interviewing people and writing their stories is one of the best ways to explore and understand the human experience. I love to teach poetry, fiction and nonfiction writing and enjoy seeing students reading for their own pleasure and to find out more about themselves and this great big world we all live in. (Lisa Clipp) 

All the best,

Mrs. Shel Mullennax 😊

Teacher of English

I have been in education for 20 years 7 as a full time teacher.  I have loved working with students of many ages through after school programs, tutoring and teaching.  I enjoy working with the arts and have been involved in musicals and drama throughout my career. My favorite place is the classroom working with students and watching them learn to enjoy learning. My handsome husband and our family have been living and working in overseas education for 7 years.  This is our first year at AIS and we have enjoyed getting to know your students.  We are blessed to have a very supportive family including 2 beautiful granddaughters who we love to spoil every summer.

Gary Mullennax 

Social Studies teacher 

I have been teaching social studies for 26 years. Most of my teaching was in California, but I have also taught in Utah, Saudia Arabia and Kuwait. Along with history I have taught speech classes and coached debate and MUN teams. I enjoy working with students and have loved teaching overseas. This is the first year that my wife and I have taught for QSI which we have really enjoyed.