Faculty Directory

Mr. Kevin Stofocik

Mr. Kevin Stofocik is excited to be part of the AST team this year and share his love for reading and learning with his students. He has been teaching for ten years in both Middle and High School. After earning his BA in English and MEd from George Mason University, he began his career at his old high school teaching alongside teachers who taught him. He later spent two years living and teaching in an Alaskan Native village school on the Yukon River. Then, enjoyed time teaching in Dalian and, most recently, London. In the classroom, he loves connecting with his students and engaging them critically with reading and writing. Outside the classroom, he enjoys running, weightlifting, gaming, and, of course, reading.

Mr. Travis Hayes

Mr. Travis Hayes is thrilled to be continuing his educational journey in 台中 for the 2023-2024 school year. This will be his 13th year as an educator and his pedagogy revolves around trust and care in the classroom. Mr. Hayes love supporting his students in their personal growth and is a big believer in fostering positive self-esteem. The remainder of this biography is courtesy of his current students in Vancouver, Canada: “Mr. Hayes is a supportive, kind and energetic teacher who is passionate about his students and he cares about us as people. His new students will have to learn how to be productive and have time management skills because that is a big part of his teaching style. Although his new class will be busy, he is very funny and very kind. He has high expectations, but you can trust him with anything because he is such a positive person and very laid back. Mr. Hayes will always have time to listen, and if you need help with anything (not just homework) he will always be there for you. He likes basketball, working out and Hello-Kitty. Take care of him because he is older than he thinks.”

Ms. Felicia Ting

Coming Soon

Mr. Luke Abbott MS

Mr. Lucas Abbott is excited to be joining the AST community. He began his teaching career in 2008 as a high school PE and English teacher in Dalian, China. In 2010 he moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where he taught grade 5 for two years. Since returning to Canada in 2012 he has been teaching grade 6 and 7 looping in middle school in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Lucas earned his Bachelor of Education at the University of Victoria, and his Master of Educational Leadership at Simon Fraser University. He enjoys connecting with his students beyond the walls of the classroom through coaching and clubs and has served as the first aid attendant at his school for the past 3 years. Lucas is moving to Taiwan with his wife, who will also be teaching at AST, and his two children. His whole family is excited to start a new chapter in Taiwan with AST!

Mr. Joel Sparks

Mr. Joel Sparks is delighted to be joining AST’s learning community. Joel began his teaching career as an EAL teacher in Korean public schools, and his teaching journey has since taken him home to Canada and onwards to Turkey and China. Joel will be moving to Taiwan from Dalian, China, where he currently teaches English Language Arts, Film Studies, and AP English Language and Composition. Joel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Ottawa as well as a Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University. A lover of stories and outdoor adventures, he enjoys books, films, and video games alongside trekking, motorcycling, and photography. Joel looks forward to sharing his passion for living, learning, and personal growth with the students at AST next year.

Ms. Daisy Chan

Ms. Daisy Chan is excited to be rejoining AST as a secondary school science teacher. Being an alumna of AST, she pursued her B.S.in Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego and her Master's degree in Teaching and Teacher Leadership at Harvard University. Being trained under the NGSS curriculum, Daisy aims to support student learning through creative teaching methods and exploring project-based learning. She is determined to equip students with essential knowledge and skills to become critical thinkers and empowering them to tackle future challenges.

Ms. Lily Hsu HS

Ms. Lily Hsu is excited to be back for her 16th year at AST. She is from Southern California; attended UCLA to get her bachelor of science degree in psycho-biology and her master's of education degree in science instruction. She taught in Los Angeles for three years before moving to Taiwan. This year, she is teaching chemistry, biology, and AP biology. She enjoys swimming, playing badminton, baking with her two kids, and traveling.

Ms. Suzanne Pearson

Suzanne Pearson is returning to AST as a middle school science and high school environmental science teacher. She has 13 years teaching experience. Ms. Pearson has taught high school math for 11 years in Olympia, Washington and science for 2 years at AST. She holds a B.A. in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University in Bothell Washington, a Master's in Teaching from St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington and she is a National Board Certified Teacher in EA Mathematics. Ms. Pearson believes that experience is the best teacher and learning by doing is an important part of the process in acquiring and deepening understanding. As a triathlon and swim coach, Ms. Pearson drives home the importance of students doing the work in order to reach the finish line. Much of teaching is coaching, helping students find that they have what it takes to be successful is a skill that they will use their entire life. Suzanne was born in Taipei, as the US air force brought her family here in the early 1970s. She spent the first 45 years of her life in the great Pacific Northwest swimming, camping, hiking and biking. Ms. Pearson is now living in Taichung with her husband and youngest son. She and her husband have a total of 6 children and two grandchildren back in the United States!

Mr. Tom Dodge

Mr. Thomas (Tom) Dodge is excited to teach at AST for a ninth year! Prior to 14 years teaching experience in high school math and physics, Tom obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona conducting research and publishing papers on metal fatigue reliability of alloy steel. He also has 25 years industrial experience as a mechanical engineer in design and development of equipment used in the manufacturing of disk media and semiconductor products. Tom’s most recent classes include AP Physics, AP Statistics, Geometry and Algebra 2. Tom is looking forward to participating as faculty supervisor of the Badminton Club and Team joining in with the students' passion for the game. He lives in Dakeng and enjoys hiking and trekking in Taiwan’s mountains as well as playing the occasional game of golf.

Ms. Jordan O'Brien

Jordan O’Brien is thrilled to be joining the AST team! Ms. O'Brien earned her Bachelor of Science and Arts in Mathematics at the University of Texas along with a certificate in Business Foundations. She has been teaching high school math in Austin, Texas for the past three years. Ms. O’Brien is passionate about helping students see the beauty of math and the way it manifests in the world around us. She is looking forward to meeting all of her new students and getting to experience life in Taiwan.

Dr. Madeline Gonzalez HS

Dr. Madeline Gonzalez is excited about learning and returning to teach at AST. Prior to working at AST, Madeline taught mathematics in Shanghai, was a researcher for two years in Estonia, and taught at numerous universities and state colleges in Florida. She earned her BS in Mathematics Education and MA in Applied Mathematics at the University of South Florida and her PhD in Cryptography at Florida Atlantic University. Madeline believes in the potential for all students to succeed in math and ensures high expectations combined with lots of support. She finds inspiration in seeing her AST students grow academically and socially.

Mr. Johnson Ting

Mr. Johnson Ting, though originally from Taichung, has been in Canada most of his life. He completed his Master’s degree in Digital Learning and Education at National Taiwan Institute of Science and Technology, a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma of Technology Education from British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2012. In addition to his degrees, he has self-taught all the computer science skills he needed and has been making websites, fixing tech, and automating processes for businesses since he was 11. This led him to a plethora of experiences in both tech and education. Johnson is a jack-of-all-trades and able to help with almost anything, and if he can't he can probably point you towards someone who does. He has taught everything from Woodwork and Goldsmithing to Robotics and AP Computer Science. Having worked in the tech industry, he emphasizes practical and technical skills in the courses he teaches to prepare students for the real world. He pushes students to build connections with the community by building projects and websites.

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski has been passionately teaching for the past 16 years, five of which have been at AST and the rest in Florida, USA. He will begin his sixth year at AST teaching 7th & 8th grade Social Studies, AP Human Geography, and AP Microeconomics, as well as fulfilling the role as the High School Student Government Advisor. He is a fervent lifelong learner who enjoys surfing, skateboarding, reading and any type of ocean/water activity. He is a proud father of 2 amazing boys and the lucky husband of Ximena Dombkowski who also teaches at AST.

Ms. Laura Moye

Ms. Moye is passionate about global citizenship and helping students develop as critical thinkers and lifelong learners. Ms. Moye grew up in Hong Kong, where she attended British and American schools. She has an M.A. in History with a teaching concentration from George Mason University and participated in a two-year teaching fellowship at Stanford University. After being a student activist for human rights for five years, Ms. Moye developed a fifteen-year advocacy career with Amnesty International USA. She transitioned into teaching, her "college plan A" in Washington, DC, where she taught history and geography for five years. Ms. Moye loves living in Taiwan and helping students make connections and contributions to real-world issues.

Mr. Tim Michael

Timothy (Tim) Michael is happy to be starting his ninth year at AST teaching sixth and seventh grade social studies, film criticism for middle school students, and interior design for high school students. Prior to teaching at AST, Tim taught humanities at Morrison Academy Kaohsiung for seven years, and was the Library/Media Coordinator for two of those years. Tim was also a librarian before becoming a teacher. Education captured him and he received his M.Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan University through a residency program located in Tianjin and Beijing. As an Army "brat," Tim attended Kindergarten at Morrison Academy Taichung, first grade at Taipei American School and attended five different schools in the U.S. and Hong Kong. He finally returned to Taiwan and graduated from Taipei American School. Tim now considers Taiwan his permanent home. Social studies has become his most enthusiastic focus, and he presented at the EARCOS Teacher's Conference in 2018. Tim looks forward to another year of helping students discover the history of the world, and how/why it matters.

Ms. Ximena Dombkowski

Ms. Ximena is looking forward to another year at AST. She is not only the Spanish and Latino Culture teacher for the secondary but also teaches Spanish 1-4 and AP Spanish. Before moving to Taiwan, Ximena taught Spanish to high school students in Florida, USA for 5 years. Ximena is extremely passionate about the Spanish language and its culture and enjoys teaching the different levels of Spanish while incorporating her psychology and Life Coach expertise. She uses this to understand her students and to accommodate for each one’s learning style to maximize their growth and achievement. Ximena likes to travel, cook and spend time with her husband and two teenage boys. She is Colombian and likes to share her culture and histories in and outside the classroom.

Ms. Charlene Chen

Ms. Chen was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan and has traveled and worked in the U.S. She completed her M.A. in TESOL at the University of Florida. Ms. Chen has 12 years of teaching experience as a Chinese and English teacher. She has taught dual languages from K- 12 and community college. Ms. Chen's teaching experiences in the U.S. and in Taiwan has allowed her to understand students from different cultural backgrounds. She is excited to teach Chinese non-native speakers at AST for the seventh year! Ms. Chen's goal is to create a safe learning environment and make Chinese learning a life-long journey for her students. She is also looking forward to teaching AP Chinese this school year.

Ms. Yao-Wei Chang

Ms. Yaowei Chang has been teaching Chinese at AST for 15 years and is still very enthusiastic about teaching. AST provides a great learning environment for both students and teachers, so she enjoys sharing her knowledge and keeping up her passion for teaching and self-growth. Ms. Chang teaches Chinese for native speakers in the secondary. She believes that language learning should be fun and practical so she uses authentic materials in class. For the past 7 years, she has been the supervisor of the HS Red Cross Club, working with the students to be involved in first aid training, donating food to the Food Bank and coordinating culture exchanges with Fazhi ES (from rural Nantou County). This year, she will also be supervising the Interact Rotary Club and hopes to create more opportunities for students to become involved in community service.

Mrs. Anna Abbott

Ms. Anna Abbott is thrilled to be joining the AST team! After graduating with her Bachelor of Education from the University of Victoria, Anna started her career teaching grade 4 and 5 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. She has international experience teaching in Egypt and Vietnam. Anna has also taught English as a Second Language in Tianjin, China. Anna completed her Master of Education from the University of British Columbia and has completed additional qualifications in Special Education. Most recently, Anna has taken the role as Inclusive Support Teacher in Mission, BC where she supports students with autism, chronic health, and behavioral needs. Anna believes strongly in community building and peace/humane education. Anna is moving to Taiwan with her husband (Lucas) and her two children. They are all looking forward to a new adventure and working with the AST Team.

Ms. Catherine Stark

Ms. Catherine Stark started her adventure as an educator over 15 years ago and has since taught English in China, Turkey, South Korea, Spain, and the Czech Republic as well as Spanish in the United States. She holds a master's degree in Spanish and Applied Linguistics and a bachelor's degree in Communications from Ohio University alongside teaching certifications in ESOL and English Language Arts. Most recently, Catherine has been an EAL Specialist for 4 years at an international school in China. She is proud to bring her passion for learning languages and for language learners to her position as the EAL Specialist at AST. When she's not working with her students, Catherine enjoys exploring the world around her - both near and far. She also enjoys quality time hiking, cooking, and taking photos. She is very excited to be joining the AST community!

Ms. Jenny Chen

Ms. Jenny Chen is the guidance counselor at AST. She will be working with students in guidance and college counseling. Ms. Chen has over two decades of experience in education and 6 years of academic and college counseling. Her goal is to help students resolve their anxiety, discover their strengths and potential, and make informed academic and career choices. Ms. Chen is looking forward to a great year ahead!

Ms. Joanna Morgan

Originally from England, Ms. Joanna Morgan has been an international educator for over ten years. She has worked with secondary students from grade 6-12 and has taught a variety of different subjects. Her passion and experience centers around learner’s language development and in 2020, Ms. Morgan completed a Master’s in Education with a focus on multilingual learners. In recent years, she developed an instructional coaching program that was focused on student language acquisition and advancement. She is looking forward to working with the AST community.

Ms. Rubecca Hou

Ms. Rubecca Hou is excited to join AST as the new through school counselor. Prior to joining AST, she worked as a whole school counselor at Taipei European School in Taipei and before that as a school counselor at National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Services. She is a professionally licensed counselor with broad experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in both education and community settings. Ms. Rubecca received her B.A. in Psychology from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s degree in Counseling from the Johns Hopkins University. She has also attained her counseling certification both in Taiwan and China. Ms. Rubecca loves working with students and believes in the potential of every individual. She looks forward to joining the AST team and a great journey ahead

Dr. Colin Brown

Dr. Colin Brown joined AST in July, 2020. He has over 25 years in the education field and has held administrative positions or taught in Canada, China, Guatemala, Hungary, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. Dr. Brown is currently the Board President of the Council of Administrators of Taiwan Expatriate Schools (CATES). He has presented at leadership conferences in Bangkok, Kentucky, Atlanta, Medellin, Abu Dhabi and Cairo on innovations in curriculum development, standards based grading and reporting and a unique teacher professional growth program. Dr. Brown has had numerous educational articles published and has led many workshops for teachers and administrators on new initiatives in education. He has frequently led or served on Cognia/AdvancED accreditation visits around the world (since 2011), and he has also served on or led accreditation visits for CIS/WASC/NEASC. Most recently, Dr. Brown was a contributing author of the book, International Education Leadership: Stories From Around the Globe (2022). Dr. Brown is passionate about continuing to support and guide AST towards academic excellence. His wife, Laura, who teaches third grade, and his two daughters are pleased to be a part of AST's warm community. Dr. Brown's family is truly international as he is Canadian, Laura is Australian, Keira was born in China and Maya was born in Guatemala. ​

​Mrs. Annie Tung

Ms. Annie Tung is a proud alumnus of the American School in Taichung. She returned to AST after living and teaching in the United States for over ten years, where she taught in both public and private schools in Northern and Southern California. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of California, and a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Education from the University of California, Irvine. In 2016, she received her administrative credential from the States of Washington. Throughout her years as an educator, Ms. Tung has held a variety of leadership positions, including Elementary School Coordinator, Summer Camp Director, and chair of the Professional Development Committee. She also piloted Mandarin Immersion programs and taught for several years as a classroom teacher. She has presented at TESOL International Conventions and Rotary Clubs. Ms. Tung is passionate about her students and fostering Excellence, Integrity, and Responsibility at AST. She is a wife, mother, and swimmer. Last year Annie swam across Sun Moon Lake and participated in several triathlon relay events with her husband, Joey. She enjoys being on adventures and continues to find joy along the way!

Ms. Kelly Konicki

Ms. Kelly Konicki joined AST in the 2022-2023 school year. Although originally from Chicago, Illinois she's lived in Seattle, Washington for most of her life. For the past 4 years, she has been the Associate Principal at Juanita High School and the Summer School Principal in the Lake Washington school district. Ms. Konicki is passionate about building and supporting systems focused on developing skills and character traits needed for life-long learning. In her previous middle school, and at the district level, she led work in advancing science curriculum, multi-tiered systems of support, standards based grading and district-wide social emotional learning. Ms. Konicki has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Washington State University, a Master’s in Teaching degree from Western Washington University (WWU) and certification in Educational Leadership and Administration from WWU as well. She will be moving to Taiwan with her husband Nacime, who is a Pacific Northwest native and works in the film production industry. Ms. Konicki and her husband are looking forward to the incredible culture Taiwan has to offer and to being active members of the AST community.

Mrs. Jen Sylvester

Mrs. Jennifer Sylvester has been a part of the AST community since 2022. She has served students and families in Texas and China for the past 13 years as a curriculum coordinator, Special Education teacher and English teacher. She holds a Master of Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from the University of Houston. As a lifelong and life-wide learner, she is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in leadership and management with an emphasis on global and international education from Drexel University. She has also served as a Western Association of Schools and College's accreditation visiting team member in Tokyo, Japan and Yangon, Myanmar. She is passionate about supporting teachers, so they can help students achieve their highest potential. She will be moving to Taiwan with her husband and daughter who will be a 10th grade student at AST.

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski is a passionate teacher and administrator with 8 years experience as the Social Studies Department Head, 2 years of experience as the AST Activities Coordinator, and 2 years of experience as the AST Secondary Coordinator. He has a Master’s of Educational Leadership (MSc) degree from the University of Leicester; a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Jacksonville University; and is a State of Florida, U.S.A. certified teacher. His goals as an administrator are to strengthen the robust AST community, guarantee a happy and safe learning environment for all students, and to serve and support teachers so that AST will continue to be the prestigious institution that its history and future are built upon.

Tanya Turner

Ms. Tanya Turner moved to Taiwan with her husband and young daughter more than 20 years ago, and they loved it so much that they decided to make it their permanent home! Over the years, Ms. Turner has taught a wide variety of subjects to G1-G6 students; most recently, she has acted as head teacher, computer science teacher and course coordinator, and educational technology coach. Ms. Turner has a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English and Classical Civilizations, and a Master's in Education degree with a focus on educational technology. She is passionate about teaching computer science and collaborating with various stakeholders to further the usage of multimedia for enhanced cross-curricular technology integration. She believes in getting the most out of every situation to gain as much experience and knowledge as possible, and this is clearly visible in her student-centered style. Ms. Turner is delighted to be joining the AST team, and she is excited about working with this amazing learning community!

Mr. Anthony Timpano

Anthony Timpano is excited to be returning to teach ES STEM, Design Thinking, Innovation coaching and coordinate the Makerspace at AST. He has taught for 19.5 years and came to AST keen to develop our Makerspace. Anthony came from Geelong, a coastal town near Melbourne, Australia. After getting married in May 2020, Anthony and his wife decided to move to Taiwan to be closer to her family. He holds a Masters of Education degree (Digital Technologies focus) from Tabor Adelaide, a Bachelor of Teaching degree (Primary and Secondary) from Deakin University, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environmental Management, a Biological Resource Management degree from Federation University, and a CELTA from Cambridge University. He even is a qualified life coach, something he obtained to better his homeroom duties. Anthony is certified to teach from 1st grade to Senior High School. He has taught 14.5 years in Australia, 3 years in Japan and 2 years in Taiwan, so far. His teaching experience is diverse, spanning many different year levels and curriculum areas. Anthony loves DIY, weight training and salsa music. He is a life-long learner with a short-term plan of beginning his PhD. He loves making learning engaging and seeing students flourish! Anthony will host our new Makerspace and devote his time to making design thinking at the heart of all students’ daily lives.

Ms. Christine Lin

Ms. Christine Lin is the visual arts teacher at AST. She is an AST alumni and grew up in Taichung, Taiwan. Ms. Lin studied at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia; majored in Art Education and minored in Art History. She moved to Northern Virginia for four years after she graduated and became an art teacher at Freedom Hill Elementary School and Bailey’s Elementary School. Ms. Lin also pursued her early childhood education Master’s degree at Arizona State University while she was working. She enjoys traveling, going to music concerts, food exploring, and painting. She has a passion for art, especially 2D art like painting, graphics, illustration, and drawings. Ms. Lin looks forward to creating with young passionate artists in the classroom.

Mr. Godfrey Semwaiko

Mr. Godfrey Semwaiko is excited to be returning to teach at AST. In addition to the two years he spent teaching art and digital media at AST, Godfrey also brings his experience from paintings, sculptures, and digital arts including interactive books, animations, graphic design, and video production. His projects as a Children’s Book Illustrator, Designer, and Animator have won recognition from UNESCO, Heinemann-UK, Water Aid project, PACE - UK, FEMA magazine and Mkuki na Nyota Publishers to name a few. For nine years, he worked as a creative producer and graphics designer at the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation, helping establish TBC’s new interactive, online media convergence department. Godfrey holds a MultiMedia and Film Technology Diploma from Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT) with an emphasis on emergent digital Broadcasting and New Media industries. In 2016, Godfrey designed a project for DIT to create a 3D Virtual Tour Guide, the project won him the Best Student of the Year Certificate (2016). Godfrey is looking forward to continuing to be a part of the vibrant AST community along with his daughter, Jada.

Dr. Michael Wiles

Dr. Michael Wiles is excited to be teaching performing arts at AST for a seventeenth year. Prior to working at AST, he taught music for two years at Taipei American School. He holds a doctorate in education from the University of Durham with an emphasis on creativity education, and a diploma in performance studies from the Royal College of Music, London. His research has been published in Musicae Scientiae, the Journal of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music. He is passionate about teaching, learning, and nurturing students’ artistic talents. Michael lives in Taichung with his wife, Jenny, and looks forward to another amazing year as part of the AST community.

Tambi Mutharika

Tambirai (Tambi) Bingu Mutharika is excited to be a part of the AST community. Before working at AST, he taught for ten years at Washington Elementary Bilingual School, International Department. As a teacher there, he taught a variety of subjects including Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Computers and Physical Education from grades 1-6. Eventually, Tambi was promoted to Headteacher, a position he held for four years. Tambi was born in Zimbabwe but was raised and schooled in Michigan, USA. Tambi is both a certified US soccer and USAB basketball coach. Growing up, he traveled the world learning about many different cultures, and this has helped make him a people person! As a teacher, Tambi strives to motivate and encourage students and athletes to realize and reach their full potential! Tambi believe in teamwork and believes that as a unit, people are capable of the impossible!

Dr. Yasmin Pakzad-Mayer

Dr. Yasmin Pakzad-Mayer is excited to be returning to teach PE and Nutrition at AST for the next school year. After teaching 4 years at AST, she is looking forward to continuing to improve the PE program. Yasmin brings experience from teaching middle school and high school in Germany and teaching ESOL in an elementary school in Taiwan. After studying at the premium Sports University in Cologne and earning her Master's degree and education degree, she came to Taiwan with her husband, learned Chinese and started a PhD program at the Taiwan National Sport University in Linkou. After taking a break to spend some time with her new son, Yasmin finished her PhD in Sport Science (2019). Yasmin has a passion for martial arts and has been practicing it since she was a child. She strongly believes being active and eating healthy is key to a healthy lifestyle and models this by actively participating with students in PE classes. She hopes that every student can find enjoyment in one kind of physical activity and thrive and excel at it.