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Passionate about education, Jeff is originally from the state of Iowa in the USA. He became a teacher after training as an Army officer and earning his BA in History. After a brief stint in public school, Jeff earned his MA in Secondary Social Studies Education, teaching at the University of Iowa. In 1996, Jeff was fortunate enough to join an international school in Bogota, Colombia, and he has been an international educator ever since. He has worked in both the classroom and leadership roles in top schools in Qatar, Denmark, the Philippines, and Singapore, then back to the Philippines before moving to Taiwan in 2012. Jeff served as a teacher and as senior leadership at another prominent international school in Hsinchu/Zhubei for 10 years, before consulting in Tainan and then joining HCAS.
A classroom teacher for more than 30 years, Jeff has taught various regular, AP, IB, and IGCSE History, Geography, and Political Science courses, and even Musical Production! He had the wonderful opportunity to coach football (soccer) at 4 different schools, including 3 champion teams (2 girls, 1 boys), and he had the privilege of serving on the THIMUN Advisory Board for 13 of his 20 years as an MUN director. His leadership roles have ranged from Department Head to IBDP Coordinator and Academic Dean to Director of Curriculum and Instruction (functionally Assistant Principal.)
At every step along this journey, Jeff has experienced amazing adventures, but the most important weren’t swimming in the Amazon, or going inside the Great Pyramid, or whitewater rafting on the Zambezi. Second only to being a husband to his wife Jackie and father to his teenage children Rhys and Elena, the greatest adventure has been getting to work with incredible students, colleagues, and parents all over the world, establishing lifelong friendships, and helping shape future generations of leaders while always seeking to grow himself as well.
Jeff believes that people are the most important element of any organization or community, highly values interpersonal relationships, and lives by two quotes that drive him to this day: From the US Army — “Take care of your people and they will take care of you,” and from Civil Rights activist and poet Maya Angelou — “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Head of Department and Social Studies/Social Sciences Teacher
Mark Vickers is a high-school teacher of 3 years, and he hopes to help cultivate our school climate and culture of success as well as have a positive impact on the students. He joined HCAS after teaching 3 years as a business, economics, and PE teacher within a high school in Taiwan. He also has over 9 years of teaching ESL within Taiwan. Before Taiwan, Mark worked as a manager and coach at a university in the UK.
He received his bachelor’s degree in the UK from the University of Sunderland but received his master’s degree within Taiwan at MingHsin University.
Outside of work, Mark loves to play basketball and is an avid computer game player. One of his main passions is to travel, and he really enjoys traveling around the island of Taiwan on 2 wheels.
Office Manager
University of the Nations (Singapore Campus), Glad Tidings Bible College
Ms. Chen worked for nearly two decades at an American international school in China as the office and admissions manager. During her time there, she built a dedicated team and developed warm, caring relationships with parents and their children. When she decided to return to her home country, her colleagues and the school community were sad to see her go but wished her the best.
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures. She has visited over 20 countries across several continents
She is passionate about working with students and partnering with parents to support their children’s growth. As she joins HCAS this academic year, she is delighted to bring her strengths and experience to the school community.
While she is a focused and task-oriented person, she has a deep belief that people always come first. Her motto, “To serve, not to be served,” truly reflects this value. Ms. Chen looks forward to a fulfilling and successful year with everyone at HCAS.
General Affairs Director
HDE: National Taichung College of Business
Nunu Sun serves as the Director of General Affairs at HCAS, a role integral to the seamless operation and administration of our school. With meticulous attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to excellence, she oversees the procurement of essential school supplies, ensuring that both educators and students have the resources they need to thrive.
Her responsibilities extend to managing school bus operations, coordinating schedules, and ensuring the safe and efficient transportation of our students. Additionally, she is responsible for overseeing monthly transaction costs, maintaining a keen eye on the financial aspects that contribute to the smooth running of the institution.
Nunu’s multifaceted role encompasses a variety of duties that are vital to the daily functionality and long-term success of HCAS. Her dedication and expertise help create an environment where education can flourish, allowing our school to operate with the utmost efficiency and effectiveness.
Information Services Director
Data Manager
Computer Science Department Chair
AP CS Teacher
Tech Coach
B.S.c.: University of Melbourne
David has been with HCAS since 2019 and has taught all levels of Computer Science. Originally from Melbourne, Australia where he studied Computer Science at The University of Melbourne, David has taught English in Korea and China, worked as an Analyst/Programmer, and as an FX trader. After visiting Taiwan in 2016 and falling in love with Isla Formosa, he made the move to Hsinchu and back to teaching.
Since joining HCAS, he has enjoyed sharing his knowledge of computers with all the inquisitive young minds here. In addition to teaching and solving technical issues, David has also been involved with the school tennis team, ran the first HCAS Hedge Fund, been Green Dragons House Leader, and, along with the MADD Department, started the HCAS Film Festival. He even wrote and directed two teachers movies (can be viewed on our school’s YouTube page). In his free time, he travels, trades, and explores more of Taiwan.
Director of Student Affairs
M.S.: Bristol University
B.S.: National Changhua University of Education
Alicia Chuang is the Director of Student Affairs at HCAS. She was born in Taiwan but raised in Paraguay (South America), graduating from an American school. She then returned to Taiwan to pursue her dream as a teacher and entered into National Changhua University of Education. Alicia started her job as a teacher then she took some time off to do her master’s degree in TESOL from Bristol University (England). She has 15 years of teaching experiences plus administrative experiences in bilingual and private education systems.
Head of Department and English Teacher
B.A. Wilfred Laurier University
Dave Vaughan is a Canadian with experience teaching in Beijing, Taichung, and Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. He discovered the joy and value of teaching growing up in a largely connected extended family in small-town Ontario. Dave has shown great interest in developing his institution’s approach to international education, both through the organization of extracurricular activities (MUN conferences and Young Diplomats training) and curriculum flexibility (project-based learning courses and international learning projects). He enjoys hiking for the sake of feeding his need for adventure and exploration, while also contributing to a coalition of writers and activists online.
Ever since college, William always enjoyed inspiring talented minds. He mentored at several gifted programs in Bellevue and served as adviser for the incoming freshman in his university. Since it had been a tremendous and rewarding experience, William decided to continue serving in education after college. William was a former software PM with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Washington. Prior to becoming a full-time mathematic teacher at an international school in 2009 in Hsinchu, William worked at various engineering firms ranging from aircraft to powerlines to weapon system to cellphones. He would work at a company by day and tutor students in the neighborhood by night. It was then when he discovered his true passion in teaching and devoted himself in it. William joined HCAS in 2018 and brought his two children to this big family. He teaches middle and upper school mathematics, specializing in Advanced Placement Calculus and SAT mathematics.
Head of Department and Chinese Teacher
B.A.: Wenzao Ursuline
College of Languages
M.A.: National Kaohsiung
Normal University
Prior to joining HCAS, Mina Lai taught at St. Theresia Tourism High School in Indonesia. She currently teaches Chinese as an Additional Language at HCAS and leads the World Languages Department. When she is not working, she enjoys her time with family and exploring the world as a backpacker.
Head of Department and Music Teacher
M.: University of Auckland
M.M.: Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover
D.M.A.: Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden
Dr. Afra Su grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, and has been passionate about music for as long as she can remember. She started to learn piano when she was 6 years old and, during her school years, she also learned violin, guitar, and voice across a variety of genres. She attended the University of Auckland for her Bachelor of Music with honors and went onto Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover for her Master and D.M.A in Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden. As a teacher at HCAS, her goal is to encourage students to appreciate music, master their own talents, and be creative! She tries to explore her students’ favorite genres and styles of music, helping them to create a passion for music, just as she has. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, and reading outside school.
Hermann Hesse is one of her favorite writers and once said, “Oh, music! A melody occurs to you; you sing it silently, inwardly only; you steep your being in it; it takes possession of all your strength and emotions, and during the time it lives in you, it effaces all that is fortuitous, evil, coarse, and sad in you; it brings the world into harmony with you, it makes burdens light and gives wings to depressed spirits.
Science Teacher
M.phil, M.Sc (Botany), B.Ed University of Delhi
Garima is from India and served in Indonesia as an IGCSE, AS and A level Cambridge Biology teacher for several years. She has also worked in Thailand.
She has been teaching biology for the last 14 years. She had received letter of appreciation for stellar performance of students in secondary school examination of CBSE from Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister Human Resource Development, Government of India. She also received a letter of appreciation from Edu heal foundation, learning for life, New Delhi for promoting biotechnology in school. She also did research and had publication in the field of microbiology in International Journals.
She facilitates teacher-student collaborative methods to keep students attentive and involved in the learning process. She also believes in active involvement and encourages students to express themselves. She initiated several environmental related activities in her previous school to bring awareness about the environment in the school community.
Garima is passionate about her subject and her goal is to inculcate love and passion towards science in her students too.
主管特別助理
English PhD, Miami University, Ohio
English MA, Northwestern University
English BA, National Chengchi University
Diana在邁阿密大學獲得博士學位,專 攻美國文學、小 說、新聞和跨文化傳 播。她是持證英語教師,在大學作文 和文學、ESL/EML課程、TESOL 、 TEOIC 、TOEFL等方面擁有超過10 年 的教學經驗。她還在課程設計、項目 管理、語言諮詢、商業和英語方面擁 有豐富的專業知識。具備時事通訊寫 作、文件翻譯和分析等專業職場技能 。此外,她還擅長表達、演講和待人 接物的技巧。並且很容易與他人合作 ,作為領導團隊的核心成員。