Faculty & Staff

Katharina Wojak | Preschool Director
Teacher

Katharina was born in Poland and grew up in Germany. She completed professional training in the fields of early childhood education, holistic healing pedagogy, and management, and has eighteen years of experience as an early childhood educator and administrator. In her free time, Katharina enjoys traveling around the world, studying Spanish, and spending time outdoors. Katharina can be reached at kwojak@ebgis.org.

Lars Brenner
Teacher & Assistant Preschool Director

Lars grew up near Worms, Germany. After completing training as a social assistant, he earned his bachelor’s degree as a State-Certified Early Childhood Educator. Previously, Lars volunteered at a youth house working with teenagers. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking and hiking. He also enjoys trying out new hobbies like surfing and downhill biking. Lars can be reached at lbrenner@ebgis.org.

Grace Buka
Teacher

Grace was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to Germany when she was eight years old. She grew up in a small town near Stuttgart. Grace became a state-certified early childhood educator (Erzieherin) in 2013 and taught in a Froebel kindergarten prior to joining EBGIS. In her free time, Grace enjoys being in nature, practicing martial arts and reading. Grace can be reached at gbuka@ebgis.org.

Ida Maerz
Teacher/Trainee

Ida was born and raised in Halle/Saale, Germany. She earned her bachelor’s degree as a State-Certified Early Childhood Educator from the College of Social Pedagogy Halle. Ida has experience teaching in preschool, kindergarten and child-care settings. Ida can be reached at imaerz@ebgis.org.

Judith Hofmann
Teacher

Judith grew up in a small town in Bavaria, Germany. She earned her bachelor degree as a State-Certified Early Childhood Educator from the Academy for Social Pedagogy in 2017 and has worked professionally with children since then in Germany and the United States. Before joining EBGIS, Judith also worked as an English as a foreign language educator in Germany. Judith enjoys hiking, painting and traveling. Judith can be reached at jhofmann@ebgis.org.

Maryam Riahishiraz
Teacher

Maryam earned her bachelor’s degree as a State-Certified Early Childhood Educator from Stiftung SPI in Berlin and a psychology degree from the University of Shiraz in Iran. She has over five years of experience working with children at schools throughout Germany. In her free time, she enjoys reading, ice skating and running. Maryam can be reached at mriahishiraz@ebgis.org.

Petra Phouasalit
Teacher

Petra grew up near Passau, Bavaria, then moved to the United States where she earned her preschool teaching credentials. She has four years of experience as a preschool teacher and finds tremendous joy and excitement in her work. Petra enjoys hiking, cooking, and watching Korean and Chinese dramas. Petra can be reached at pphouasalit@ebgis.org.

Te'ylor Owens
Teacher

Te’ylor grew up in Berkeley, California. While attending Contra Costa College, she earned Certificates of Achievement in Early Childhood Education. Te’ylor has worked in the early childhood education field for ten years. During her free time, Te’ylor loves to travel, journal and blog about her daily life. Most of all, she loves being a wonderful mother to her daughter. Te'ylor can be reached at towens@ebgis.org.

Lisa Whisnant
Teacher/Trainee

Lisa grew up near Munich, Germany. She earned her bachelor’s degree as a State-Certified Early Childhood Educator from the Academy for Social Pedagogy in Munich with an emphasis on the link between practical work and theory. During her studies, she worked with children ages one through ten. Lisa’s studies also focused on multilingualism including German as a second language for kindergarten-aged children. In her free time, Lisa likes to enjoy nature and do creative activities. Lisa can be reached at lwhisnant@ebgis.org.

Ingrid Haider
Director of Kindergarten

Ingrid grew up in a small town in Austria. After completing her education as an early childhood teacher in 2000, she worked as a preschool and kindergarten teacher in Vienna, Austria. In 2013 she earned her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy at San Jose State University and has experience as a therapist in pediatric private practice and schools. Ingrid enjoys time with her daughters, music, podcasts, yoga and the outdoors. Ingrid can be reached at ihaider@ebgis.org.

Bousso Diop
Teacher & Extended Day

Bousso grew up in Münster and has also lived in Senegal. She earned her bachelor’s degree as a State Certified-Early Childhood Educator in Cologne in 2005 and has worked in the educational field ever since while also continuing her education in learning therapy and child protection. Previously, Bousso was the Director of the Preschool and Kindergarten at the German Embassy School in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. She has lived in various countries over the past twenty years and speaks four languages. In her free time, Bousso enjoys spending time with her three children. Bousso can be reached at bdiop@ebgis.org.

Christiane Hissbach
Teacher

Rebecca Hoyt
Teacher

Rebecca grew up near Göttingen, Germany. She completed her professional training in Early Childhood Education at the Vinzenz von Paul Schule, College for Social Pedagogy. She previously worked as a preschool and kindergarten teacher while earning a second degree in Early Childhood Education from the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Art in Hildesheim. In her free time, she enjoys music, being in nature, and spending time with family and friends. Rebecca can be reached at rhoyt@ebgis.org.

Mónica Lomas | Director of Elementary School
English

Monica grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She studied Modern Languages at the University of New Mexico with a concentration in Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Monica went on to study Elementary Education at the College of Santa Fe. She has been in the field of education for a decade working with all ages from kindergarten to high school. Her experience ranges from teaching in a bilingual Spanish program to curriculum development to consulting work with the San Francisco Unified School District. Monica enjoys time with her family, dancing flamenco, and creating block prints. Monica can be reached at mlomas@ebgis.org.

Lisa Vestewig
Teacher

Lisa grew up near Ulm in the South of Germany. She earned her education degree from the University of Education in Ludwigsburg with a concentration in German, English and PE. Lisa has eight years of experience teaching in elementary schools in Stuttgart, Germany and the US. Lisa enjoys traveling, being with friends and dancing. Lisa can be reached at lvestewig@ebgis.org.

Anna Walter
Teacher/Trainee

Anna grew up near Konstanz in southern Germany. She earned her education degree from the University of Education Weingarten, with a concentration in German, Mathematics, and Art before becoming an elementary school teacher. She loves travel, yoga and being with friends. Anna can be reached at awalter@ebgis.org.

Carolin Hummel
Teacher & Learning Support Specialist

Carolin grew up in southern Germany. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2012 and later a second degree as teacher of children with developmental disabilities. Carolin has worked in a preschool and kindergarten as well as a rehabilitation clinic for special needs children. In her free time, Carolin loves being outside, hiking, biking, dancing and traveling. Carolin can be reached at chummel@ebgis.org.

Jana Ezawa
Teacher & Art

Jana grew up outside of Bremen in Northern Germany. After earning her primary and secondary education degree at the University of Oldenburg she taught Art, Math, and German Language and Literature for ten years in Germany and the US. Jana has always enjoyed raising the cultural and artistic profile of her schools by creating collaborations with local art institutions. Jana can be reached at jezawa@ebgis.org.

Johanna Haertl
Teacher

Johanna grew up in a small town in southern Germany. She earned her degree in primary education from the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg with a concentration in Biology, German, Mathematics and Art. Johanna then taught elementary school near Nuremberg and in Munich. Johanna enjoys all kinds of outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, swimming and traveling. She can be reached at jhaertl@ebgis.org.

Julie von der Heyden
Teacher

Julie grew up near Düsseldorf, Germany. She earned her education degree from the University of Education in Essen with a concentration in German, Mathematics, and PE. Julie has eleven years of teaching experience at elementary schools in Germany, Spain, Italy, and the US. Julie enjoys traveling and various outdoor activities including hiking, biking and swimming. Julie can be reached at jvdheyden@ebgis.org.

Lina Dikkaya
Teacher/Trainee

Lina grew up in Mannheim, Germany. She holds a master's degree in pedagogy for elementary school with a concentration in German, Mathematics, and English from the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Lina enjoys spending time with her family as well as cooking and baking. Lina can be reached at ldikkaya@ebgis.org.

Olivia Kistler
Teacher

Olivia grew up near Zurich, Switzerland and earned a degree in primary education in Rorschach. After teaching in Switzerland she traveled around the world before returning to Europe and teaching first grade at the Swiss School in Milan. Olivia believes in creating an engaging school environment through stories and imaginative lessons. She still loves traveling to new places, hiking in nature, reading and playing board games. Olivia can be reached at okistler@ebgis.org.

Elia Singer
English Language Arts

Elia grew up in Toronto and earned their Bachelor of Education at the University of Toronto and their MFA at Columbia College Chicago and York University. Elia has over twenty years of teaching experience, primarily teaching English and Humanities at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels in Canada, the US and Turkey. Elia has also written and implemented several courses and started the media program at their school while working at the Toronto District School Board. Recently, Elia spent seven months training as a Hospice Chaplain at Portland Providence Medical Center. Elia seeks joy in all that they do. Elia can be reached at esinger@ebgis.org.

Linda Schamo
Intern

Alicia Polte
Trainee

Alicia grew up near Hamburg in the north of Germany. She graduated with a degree in elementary education in Vechta, Lower Saxony, where she majored in German and Nature & Society. In her free time, Alicia enjoys traveling and spending time with friends. Alicia can be reached at apolte@ebgis.org.

Neil Hetrick | Director of High School, IB Coordinator
English, Middle and High School

Neil grew up in Northeast Ohio. He acquired a passion for German language and culture in his junior year of high school when he participated in a youth exchange program near Bremen, Germany. Since then, he has lived, worked, and studied in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Spain. Neil earned his undergraduate degree in multi-age German education from the University of Toledo, and his MA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) and international education management. In his free time, Neil enjoys traveling, trail running, and baking bread. You can reach Neil at nhetrick@ebgis.org.

Daniela Klimetschek | Director of Middle School
Ethics, German, History

Daniela earned her Gymnasium teaching degree (equivalent to a US master’s degree in education) at the Technische Universität in Berlin. She has eleven years of teaching experience in Germany and the US including German, English, Drama, and Humanities, as well as preparing students for the German Abitur university-entry examinations. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling around California and the US. Daniela can be reached at dklimetschek@ebgis.org.

Chi Chi Chang
Spanish

Chi Chi was born in Taiwan and grew up in the United States. They majored in Spanish and Sociology at Middlebury College in Vermont, and during that time also studied abroad in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Chi Chi has taught youth of all ages in a range of subjects. Most recently, they taught Spanish and Mathematics at a local high school. They love to dance, cook, play soccer and garden. Chi Chi can be reached at cchang@ebgis.org.

Emily Rubis
Music, Studio

Emily grew up in Minnesota where she attended St. Olaf College, double majoring in German and Biology. Deciding after this that music was her passion, she earned a Bachelor and Master of Music at San Francisco State University in Piano Performance, and most recently completed her MA in Musicology at Humboldt University of Berlin in 2015. Emily has performed, taught and written about music for over 10 years and has spent 7 years living in Germany where she also taught music and worked as a translator of musicological texts. Emily can be reached at erubis@ebgis.org.

Eva Strohmeier
Art

Eva grew up in Frankfurt, Germany. After completing her Abitur, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she received her bachelor’s degree from Sonoma State University, a Post Baccalaureate Degree in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute, and a Master of Fine Art degree in painting from The California College of the Arts. During her twenty-two years of teaching, Eva has taught elementary through college level students including seventeen years of teaching in a high school International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking and bike riding. Eva can be reached at estrohmeier@ebgis.org.

Haley Wooning
English Language Arts

Born in California, Haley spent her childhood between the Bay Area and the Netherlands. She received her MA degree in English Literature and writing in 2019 and has ten years of teaching experience. An avid reader and writer, Haley has over thirty publications under various pen names and one book of poetry. In her free time, she enjoys reading, horseback riding and puzzles. Haley can be reached at hwooning@ebgis.org.

Kevin Wuttke
Mathematics & Chemistry

Kevin grew up in a village near Berlin. After graduation, he earned his master’s degree in education from the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, specializing in Mathematics and Chemistry. Kevin has four years of teaching experience, including preparing students for the highest German high school diploma, and has worked with the Technical University of Darmstadt with a focus on diversity in the STEM fields. He broadened his knowledge of bilingual instruction through internships at German international schools in London and Brussels. In his free time, Kevin enjoys healthy baking, going to the gym, and playing a good computer game. Kevin can be reached at kwuttke@ebgis.org.

Sabina Veit
Art, Geography, PE, Middle School

Sabina grew up in Switzerland and earned her education degree at the University of Applied Science in Berne. She has a wide range of teaching experience including Art, Physical Education, Geography, Ethics and Arts and Crafts from kindergarten to high school. Sabina has taught at schools in Switzerland including a school for hearing impaired students, as well as the German International School in Sydney, Australia. Sabina enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, hiking, nature, good food and cooking. She can be reached at sveit@ebgis.org.

Sandra Schmidt
German, Geography, Social Studies

Sandra grew up in Lübeck, in Northern Germany, on the Baltic coast. She earned her education degree from the University of Leipzig with a concentration in German and Social Studies. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and geography from Heidelberg University. As an exchange student, Sandra spent a year studying at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and two years studying and teaching in China. In her free time, Sandra enjoys reading, dancing, and going to the beach. Sandra can be reached at sschmidt@ebgis.org.

Sarah Ernst
Mathematics, Physics

Sarah graduated from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich with a physics degree and is a private teacher for Mathematics and Physics up to university level. Sarah has been working as a university physics laboratory instructor for the past two years. She is passionate about both theoretical/mathematical as well as experimental physics. Sarah is happiest when surrounded by nature; she practices yoga and enjoys hiking and riding her bike on the Bay Trail. Sarah can be reached at sernst@ebgis.org.

Alexandra Milonas
Intern

Alexandra was born in a small village near Ulm in Germany. Raised by a Greek father and a German mother, she early developed a sense for what it means to grow up bilingual and bicultural. These experiences led her to study German as a Foreign Language and Intercultural Communication at the University of Augsburg. Additionally, she minored in English and American Studies. Afterwards she spent several months abroad in Southeast Asia, the US, and South America to deepen her knowledge about languages and the impact of culture. After returning, she studied World Religions, Dialogue and Education at the University of Hamburg and achieved her master’s degree in August 2022. In her free time, Alexandra enjoys yoga, hiking, and writing. Alexandra can be reached at amilonas@ebgis.org.

Carolin Hummel
Teacher & Learning Support Specialist

Carolin grew up in southern Germany. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2012 and later a second degree as a teacher of children with developmental disabilities. Carolin has worked in a preschool and kindergarten, as well as a rehabilitation clinic for special needs children. In her free time, Carolin loves being outside, hiking, biking, dancing and traveling. Carolin can be reached at chummel@ebgis.org.

Constanze Dangelmaier
Extended Day Teacher

Constanze grew up in the foothills of the Alps in the beautiful Allgäu region of Bavaria. She earned her Masters Degree in Sinology, Philosophy and Psychology from Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. She also studied Chinese in Taiwan and Beijing, living in China for two years. Constanze has over five years of experience teaching German and English in Asia, Europe and the US. She loves singing, playing the violin and viola, arts and photography. She can be reached at cdangelmaier@ebgis.org.

Sarah Spruch
Extended Day Teacher

Sarah grew up in Dortmund, Germany, where she earned her certification as a Physical Education teacher at the Academy for Gymnastics and Sport. She came to the United States in 2011 to play college tennis in Mississippi and Arizona. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and a master’s from Holy Names University in Oakland, where she is currently completing a master’s degree in Educational Leadership with a multi-subject credential. Sarah can be reached at sspruch@ebgis.org.

Yoko Kurotani
Extended Day Teacher

Franklin Brown
Office Manager

Franklin grew up in Prague, Czech Republic and Akron, Ohio. He studied Linguistics and German at Gordon College, in Wenham, MA and continued his education with a MSc in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh, concentrating on Semantics, Philosophy, and Language Classification. Franklin has lived and worked in Lithuania, Scotland, New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, reading, exercising, and gardening. Franklin can be reached at fbrown@ebgis.org.

Pia Newton
Admissions and Enrollment Manager

Pia grew up in Stuttgart in southern Germany. She studied Business Administration for Non-Profit Organizations, graduating in 2018. Pia has experience in the fields of administration, organization, marketing and communication, and volunteered at a children's camp in Stuttgart over an eight year period. In her free time, Pia likes to be active and loves being in nature. Pia can be reached at pnewton@ebgis.org.

Samuel Hedrick
Operations Manager

Samuel was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. After completing an exchange year in Wiesbaden, Germany as a Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholar, he went on to earn his BA in German Studies and International Relations from Kent State University, and his MA in Political Science from the Goethe University Frankfurt. Samuel has lived and worked in Germany for over six years, where he was working in the diplomatic field. In his free time, Samuel enjoys traveling, hiking, running, and playing the cello. Samuel can be contacted at shedrick@ebgis.org.

Colleen Wilberts
Accounting Specialist

Geru Mabrey
Custodian

Svenja Stender
Intern

Svenja grew up near Wolfsburg in northern Germany. She studied marketing management in Hanover and worked in the field of marketing and communications including an internship at Volkswagen Financial Services. In her free time, Svenja enjoys sports, traveling and spending time with family and friends.