Educational Administrators

Robert Brindley

Robert Brindley is Headmaster of Atlanta International School. He has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Administration, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Keele, UK, and a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Geophysics from the University of Exeter, UK. Previously, he served as Head of Middle School / Director of Secondary Academic Studies for four years. Prior to joining AIS, Dr. Brindley was Deputy Head of School and Headmaster of the Secondary School at the British School in Caracas, Venezuela. Dr. Brindley has taught in Australia, Italy and England, and has lived and worked in Ireland, Tunisia, Israel, Greece and New Zealand.

Dal Sohi

Dal Sohi is Head of Curriculum & Professional Development. He has a Master's degree in cross-cultural counseling from the University of San Diego. He also has a Teaching Certificate from the University of British Columbia, where he completed in addition his Bachelor's degree in Sociology with a focus on Ethnic Relations. Mr. Sohi is fluent in English, French and Punjabi. Prior to joining Atlanta International School, he worked as the principal of a dual-track school offering instruction in English and French in Canada.

Dusty Fretwell

Dusty Fretwell is the Head of the Lower Primary School. She holds a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Leeds, and a Post-Graduate Certificate specialising in Early Childhood Education from the University of Southampton, UK. She also qualified as an Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) Inspector in the UK, where she carried out nursery/kindergarten inspections. Her teaching and educational management career includes working in international schools in Spain, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Caribbean, as well as national schools in the UK and USA, and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) programs in Mexico and France. Apart from her current position at Atlanta International School (AIS), her prior senior leadership experience includes the roles of school management advisor, curriculum specialist and Head of Primary. Dusty speaks French and Spanish and has a strong interest in second/foreign language acquisition. One of her educational accomplishments includes the establishment of a kindergarten which offered a second language program.

Alain Poiraud

Alain Poiraud is the Head of the Upper Primary School. Alain’s professional background includes teaching positions and educational management positions. Between 1986 and 1993, he taught grades 5K to 5 in France and grades 3 to 8 in Lafayette, LA. He also taught French in a pilot immersion program in Cecilia, LA. Alain joined Atlanta International School (AIS) in 1993 as a French teacher, taking on the role of French Coordinator for the Primary School in 1997. From 2004 to 2008, he held the position of Assistant Head and French Coordinator at AIS. Alain has a B.A. in Elementary Education and Teaching Certification from the École Normale de la Roche-sur-Yon, France. He also has an Associate degree in Primary Education (DEUG) and a National Coaching Degree (BE 1er degree) from the University of Nantes, France. From the University of Caen, France, he obtained a BA, with honors, in French as a Foreign Language and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Education.

Marsha Huitt

Marsha Huitt is Head of Middle School. She has a Master's in Education from the University of Florida in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Reading. Her BS from the University of South Alabama is in Elementary Education, and she has done postgraduate work at the University of Arizona. Marsha has taught elementary, middle school and college levels, and has served in the Peace Corps in the Truk Islands in Micronesia. She has also taught at Navajo Community College (now Dine College) on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. Most recently, Marsha served nineteen years as Head of the Middle School at Valwood School in Valdosta, Ga.

Patrick Hurworth

Patrick Hurworth is the Head of the Upper School. For four years, Patrick taught geography in the UK before moving to Switzerland where he taught geography at the International School of Geneva for six years. In Geneva, he also served as the Head of the Humanities Department, managing the development of its bilingual curriculum. He joined Atlanta International School in 2002, and has served as Assistant Head of the Upper School until June 2008. An IB North America workshop leader and academy member, Patrick has a BA in geography from the University of Hull, UK, a teaching certification from the University of Nottingham, UK, and a certificate of Leadership and Management from Webster University, Switzerland. He is in the final stages of a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management, with a concentration on International Education, from the University of Bath, UK. Patrick speaks English and French.