The leadership team at Dresden International School school comprises the Directors (CEO and CFO) and senior educational leaders (Principals and IB Coordinators/Assistant Principals). Our leadership team is responsible for working together to achieve the mission and strategic goals set for DIS annually.
Director
We are pleased to welcome Dr. James Brightman as the new Director of DIS, starting in August 2025. Originally from Indianapolis, USA, Dr. Brightman brings over 25 years of international experience in education, having held leadership roles in the USA, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Austria, Ethiopia, and the UK. He holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Notre Dame, La Salle University, and a university in London, where his passion for globally oriented education was first sparked. Dr. Brightman also holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and is a certified IB Coordinator with in-depth expertise across all four IB programmes. Most recently, he successfully led the high school section at the International Community School in Addis Ababa. With his strong international background and dedication to educational excellence, Dr. Brightman will guide DIS into an exciting new phase of growth.
Business Manager
Andrea Harnisch grew up on the edge of Saxon Switzerland. After completing her vocational training in the field of taxes, she began a course of studies in business administration with a focus on taxes and auditing, graduating as a Diplom-Kauffrau (certified merchant). Afterwards, Mrs Harnisch started her first employment at Arthur Andersen, Steuerberatungs- und Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft. In 2002 she joined Ernst & Young, also a tax consulting and auditing company. Andrea Harnisch has been working as a Business Manager at DIS since 2006. She is married and has one son and one daughter. Both children enjoy attending DIS with great pleasure.
Primary School Principal
Mr. Boreham is a citizen of Australia and was appointed Primary Principal in 2022. He was Primary Principal for seven years at another IB PYP school, the Luanda International School of Angola. Prior to that, he held various leadership and teaching positions in both Australia and an international school in Thailand. In addition to being an experienced school Principal, Chris is also a PYP workshop teacher trainer and has considerable school development experience working with accreditation agencies and school boards.
Secondary School Principal
Ana Gonçalves is a Portuguese French citizen who grew up and studied in France until she went abroad to study the poetry of Seamus Heany in Northern Ireland. This marked the beginning of her international career in education. She trained as a teacher in England in order to get a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Thereafter, she worked in England, Portugal, Germany and, very recently, in Indonesia, where she worked as an Assistant Principal in charge of Wellbeing. Ana holds a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management. In the course of her career, she held several positions in leadership and is now excited to explore the role of Secondary School Principal at Dresden International School. Ana is an International Baccalaureate school visitor and workshop leader. She is also a New England Association of School and Colleges (NEASC) and a Council of International Schools (CIS) school visitor. Ana speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish and is currently learning German.
PYP Coordinator & Assistant Principal
Hannah Irvine is an Australian educator who grew up as an international school student in Hong Kong, an experience that inspired her passion for global education. She holds degrees in Teaching and Social Work and began her teaching career in 2009, working in schools across Australia and the UK. In 2023, Hannah completed her Master’s degree, further strengthening her expertise in education. For the past two years, she has served as Literacy Coordinator at Dresden International School, where she has led initiatives to support student learning and literacy development across the school.
Preschool Coordinator
Originally from Japan, Miho Karasawa-Moritz graduated from the Faculty of Education and Human Sciences at Yokohama National University in 2002 before moving to Dresden to complete an internship at DIS. Since joining the Preschool team in 2004, she has worked with children of all ages from one to six years old. In 2017, she earned additional qualifications in Childhood Education and is now a registered early childhood educator in Saxony.
DP Coordinator
Wendy Bassam-Coles is the Assistant Principal and DP Coordinator for Grades 11 and 12, in addition to teaching history and individuals & societies. She has worked in IB schools for almost 20 years in the UK, the Philippines and at DIS. Originally graduating from the University of Liverpool, Wendy gained her PGCE from the University of Birmingham and her MA in Education from the University of Bath. At Bath, her dissertation that focused on the experiences of students transitioning into the Diploma Programme received the International Baccalaureate Prize. Wendy continues to focus on the students' experience of transition and aims to enhance pastoral care and student wellbeing in grades 11 and 12. She is particularly interested in the potential impact of restorative practice and positive education.
MYP Coordinator & Assistant Principal
Originally from the United States, Rachel Cozmatchi also grew up in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines, and identifies, as many of our students do, as a third culture kid. She has worked at DIS since 2013. Her career in education began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania, where she taught English as a Foreign Language. In addition to being an MYP coordinator, Rachel also teaches English Language and Literature MYP and DP, and Theory of Knowledge. She is interested in supporting our students' capacity as learners and global citizens.
MYP Pastoral Assistant Principal
Originally from the Island of Grenada and raised in New York, Tesha Harry graduated from the University of Stony Brook in New York before embarking on an eight-year professional volleyball career in Germany. She joined Dresden International School in 2012 and holds a Master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Secondary Education.
In addition to her role as MYP Pastoral Care Coordinator, Tesha teaches Physical and Health Education in the Middle Years Programme and leads the development of the school’s wellbeing curriculum. She is passionate about connecting passion and health to promote holistic wellbeing, creating opportunities for students to develop resilience, balance, and the skills they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
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