If I had to choose one word to sum up Jon’s talent it would be robust. I’m pleased to say that we’ve now worked deeply together at two international schools across the world.

From his very first site visit to the American International School of Guangzhou in Fall 2017 to our current partnership at the International School of Amsterdam, Jon has tackled complex governance, operational, and organisational challenges with determination and leadership. His work has had a strong and lasting impact on both schools.

Governance and Operational Foundations

GSO was initially contracted to restructure and rewrite the entire set of policies and procedures for AISG. The scope and importance of the task were enormous, as policies had evolved piecemeal over many years.

Drawing on his corporate and international school leadership experience, Jon developed a structured framework and implementation plan that allowed the work to be tackled methodically. He engaged patiently with stakeholders across the school community to gather perspectives and build the buy-in that later made implementation successful.

The result was a set of exceptionally detailed and actionable deliverables that created opportunities for transformational school improvement.

Indeed, everyone who worked with Jon in the development of the policies and procedures learned from him in this regard. Throughout the process, wherever Jon was in the world he would meet with us. On time and according to his pre-designed work plan, we received status updates, summary recommendations, insights from observations, etc. 

There is no doubt that the actionable outcomes provided opportunities for us to enact transformational school improvement. 

Strategic and Operational Leadership in Action

Additionally, once we knew what a valuable leadership resource Jon was for the school, we looked to him to help us in many other areas. Due to his vast leadership experience in systems and operations, we relied on his insights in all comprehensive operational areas. 

Most notably, in my final year as School Director, Jon stepped in as Director of Admissions at short notice. Under his leadership the Admissions Office ran more effectively than ever before, achieving the school’s highest enrollment capture with 100% on-time payment, while also leading the final implementation of a new Admissions Portal. He already knew the school and community very well and inspired confidence in prospective parents, while significantly upskilling the team and all stakeholders.

Jon brought a rare blend of people skills, financial discipline, and operational leadership to the role. Critically, he paved a very strong transition path into AISG for my successor and for the new Director of Admissions.

Continuing Partnership

Because of the trust built through this work, I later called upon Jon again in my role as Director of the International School of Amsterdam.

Today we continue to work together shaping the evolution of ISA’s governance and operational structures. Jon provides strategic counsel to me and the Board while mentoring our leadership team as we rebuild a strong, future-ready operational foundation.

I have deeply valued working with Jon and learning from his experience. His intelligence, leadership, and operational expertise have had a lasting impact on the schools I have led, and I continue to rely on his perspective as we move forward. I couldn't recommend this "critical friend" highly enough and believe all of my peers could benefit from this type of wisdom and his personal generosity.

I'd be happy to share more details of my rewards in working with Jon and GSO. Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance. 

Regards, 

Dr. Bernadette P. Carmody 

School Director, International School of Amsterdam (ISA)

Prior Head of School, American International School of Guangzhou (AISG)