Raymond V. Banks, Jr, Chair

My family and I moved to Warsaw from Brussels (for my 5th consecutive diplomatic assignment) in July of 2016. My wife Kristen and I are United States (U.S.) citizens with a daughter (Katelyn) and son (Jacob) attending Third grade at ASW. As a family, we have also lived in both Central and North Africa. We are now living in Ursynów-Centrum and extremely pleased to be a part of the ASW community.

I am a commissioned U.S. Army officer and I support two U.S. diplomatic missions in Poland and our NATO allies in this region. I am also the U.S. Department of Defense liaison for dependent education for Poland. I hold a BSBA in general management and my voluntary government and non-profit leadership experience is extensive.

Experience has shown me that success requires the full participation of all an organization’s stakeholders. Therefore, I believe that the significant accomplishments of ASW’s students and alumni are attributable to the enduring commitment of the entire ASW community. Together, we must continue to overcome challenges, realize opportunities, and advance the interests of our students. For my part, I will help us refine our strategic plan and work to improve the efficiency of our collective efforts.

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We arrived in Warszawa from Brussels four years ago. We liked the city with its green spaces, its freedom and its memories. We found dear friends here and the school community became our family. Our two daughters, Christa (9) and Despina (16) fell in love with ASW immediately and unequivocally.

I was born in 1960s Bulgaria, which gave me a couple of decades to appreciate some of Real Socialism’s experiences, such as mind-bending youth organizations, Bulgarian People’s Army, South Asian Linguistics at Sofia University and even a couple of months of ‘career propelling’ Communist Party membership. It took me an American college degree and years living in Belgium (in a house, with a family and a dog, like a true member of the petite bourgeoisie) to see the humor of it all. It also taught me to distrust prophets, saviors and a free lunch. Being a Visual Designer and running an independent practice for 20+ years (getting more virtual every year) has shown me the importance of clear strategies and transparent communication. If a book of words can be replaced by a single sentence – I am for that sentence.

I believe being a Trustee (as the name suggests) is a service, a responsibility and not a position of glory. We all want what’s best for our children and not much more.

I've been appointed to the Board and served two years as a Governance Committee Chair, before becoming a Vice Chair and helming the Human Resources Committee.

What I believe I will be bringing to the Board table again, in this fourth year of my appointment, is no-drama conversation and clear, objective reasoning.

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Artur Banaszak

I was born in Warsaw where I live with my family, my wife Andreja and our daughter Laura who is an 8th grade student. I am a Medical Doctor, an alumnus of the Medical University of Warsaw. I am also an IEDC Bled School of Management MBA graduate with honors.

I have been working in the pharmaceutical industry all of my professional life, holding executive positions related to general management, marketing and sales, strategy and business development, as well as change management. I worked in Poland, Croatia and Romania, in leading regional and global generic pharmaceutical corporations: Polpharma, PLIVA and TEVA.

I am goal-, results- and team-oriented and feel comfortable with challenges. My family joined the ASW community in 2015.

My family feels closely connected to ASW. It is a place we deeply care about and have a long-term commitment to, and so it is a great privilege and responsibility for me to serve on the Board of Trustees.

Using my knowledge, skills and experience, I am doing my best to promote the role of ASW as an inspiring, enabling and empowering environment for our children, building both strategic and operational stability and continuity of our School, so that every student loves learning at ASW.

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Christopher F. Biedermann, MBA, CPA

I am originally from New Jersey in the US, however, I have spent the last 23 years in Europe, primarily in Poland. I currently live here with my wife, Katarzyna, and two children, Patrick (13) and Anna (8), both of whom attend ASW.

In 1994, I came to Wroclaw, Poland with the USAID program “MBA Enterprise Corps” which was developed to help startup companies in emerging markets by matching them with recent MBA graduates.

Following my one year assignment, I determined that I enjoyed it here in Poland and decided to stay a few more years. As a result I continued my professional experience in Poland as the audit manager for Ernst and Young office Wroclaw. After this, I spent some time working with larger US corporations, namely Coca-Cola and GE, in various finance roles. Following this, I spent a number of years with a Polish based NASDAQ listed spirits company CEDC, as CFO for the group. I am at present a Management Board Member and the CFO for PKP Energetyka, which is currently owned by CVC Capital Partners.

Prior to coming to Poland in 1994, I completed a BS in Accounting at Lehigh University and received an MBA from the University of Texas-Austin. In addition, I spent my early career in the US as an auditor with KPMG. I believe that over this period I have been exposed to a broad range business and financial experiences which I hope to be able utilize to support the ASW Board and the broader ASW community.

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Clay Crawford

My family and I proudly joined the ASW community during the 2016/2017 school year, and I have been impressed with the outstanding education that ASW delivers.

I am currently serving as the Regional Medical Officer with the U.S. Department of State, and I am the father of two ASW Warriors, Margot (11) and Malcolm (10). I am joined in Warsaw by my wife, Darcey, an active volunteer in the school community and Emergency Physician, as well as our Norwich terrier, Quincy.

I joined the Foreign Service in 2012, with previous posts including Mali, Morocco, and Iraq. Board certified in Emergency Medicine, I completed my residency at Boston University/Boston Medical Center, and graduated from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in 2000. I completed my undergraduate studies in English Literature at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, I practiced Emergency Medicine in Nashville, TN.

In many ways, my family’s decision to join the Foreign Service was about the conscious decision to give our children an international experience. Working closely with the schools in my region, which include Stockholm, Oslo, Vilnius, Krakow, and Copenhagen, I understand the unique role our schools serve in the life of a child. I look forward to an exciting and productive year ahead!

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Massimo Merighi

I was born in Bologna, Italy and that is where I spent most of my youth until the moment I decided to explore the world. I have been living in Warsaw since 2007. Prior to this, I had the opportunity to live and experience different places such as the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Sichuan in China and Zurich in Switzerland. All these experiences I shared with my family: my wife Elena and three kids Carolina, Giacomo and Guglielmo. Due to these travelling experiences, we understand what it means to move often, to adapt, express and behave in a multicultural environment and, more importantly, have international friends.

I am an engineer with an MBA plus a master in regional development. Here in Warsaw, I work for the European Investment Bank in the energy field and I am also a contract professor for the European Institute of Public Administration in Barcelona.

My involvement in ASW comes from the fact that the school is shaping our kids’ future and that of a global future generation. Plato said it is “the direction in which education starts a man that will determine his future in life”. Therefore, it seems natural to me to support the school and try to contribute my experience gained during these last nine years as a father of three different-level students.

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Audrey Ting

Our family has been a part of the ASW community since we moved to Warsaw in 2017. I grew up as a first-generation Chinese-American in a small town in northern New Jersey. My parents instilled strong values of education over the course of my upbringing, which I now pass onto my daughter and son.

I earned my A.B. in Geology from Bryn Mawr College and hold a M.Ed. in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University. I have over 15 years of experience as an Education professional; I was an educator and running coach at public and elite private schools, a textbook writer for the CME Project, a research fellow at the Center of Mathematics Education at the University of Maryland, a test developer for international, state achievement and graduation tests. I was also a board member for the Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Association, where I worked on issues such as alumnae giving and admission of legacy children.

That said, I am also a parent who believes in active community involvement in our schools. I have been a room parent and volunteer for 4 years in 3 different schools in both the United States and overseas. I will draw from my experience of having worn multiple hats and the ability to bridge multiple views to collaborate in maintaining ASW’s educational excellence. In my spare moments, you might find me running in the Kabaty forest, cooking a new recipe, or planning our next travel adventure.

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Elin Witschas Thomassen

I was born and raised in Denmark. My husband Peter and our daughter Nikoline (Grade 9) have been part of the ASW community since August 2016, and we really like the spirit of the school.

In my experience at ASW, I have observed that it is a place distinguished by an atmosphere of enjoyment, enthusiasm and great care for our kids. I also see a school with a great willingness to innovate. I would like to strengthen and further develop this dynamic, and help expand the community’s knowledge through cultural and social interactions. Throughout my career, I have been working with culture as a way to facilitate meeting and learning about others and generally enriching our lives. I have experience within the NGO field, such as Roskilde Festival, Homeless World Cup - Save the Children, and Danish Food Culture at the Food and Environment Ministry, including economics, culture and campaign management, strategy, development and fundraising as well as management of volunteerism.

I am looking forward to a new term and to being of service and help to ensure the creation of a good and rich school life for all our children. I am an enthusiastic person with great energy and drive, who enjoys bringing concepts and ideas to life. I hold a Master of Arts in Education studies and Social Welfare Studies from Roskilde University, Denmark. I am also the Cofounder for the Polish chapter of "Here we are global".

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Olgierd Swida

I was born in Warsaw. I left Poland at the age of 20 and since then have lived in Germany, Spain and the USA. I worked with South America for many years. I hold a degree in business administration from Universität zu Köln in Germany and in video production from the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale in Florida. I speak six languages fluently.

I had the privilege to be part of the technological revolution almost since the inception. I spent ten early, innovative and exciting years with Microsoft, where I pioneered high impact worldwide programs, led multicultural teams and managed substantial P&Ls. Later, I switched careers and spent several years in TV news broadcasting in the USA and in Poland. Currently, I am an executive coach supporting European business leaders in their professional development.

My wife Teresa and I moved to Poland in 2005. Our two kids are attending the ASW Elementary School and are very excited about it. I have been volunteering for different causes for most of my life: I have been involved in supporting underground Solidarność in the early 1980s, in issues of my local community in Corals Springs, FL, as well as in different activities related to sports and personal development in Poland - just to name a few.

I am a proponent of multicultural environments, of encouraging leadership since early on and of making dreams come true.

I feel honored to be able to support the ASW and the community with my knowledge and skills.

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Marek Zdziech

ASW has been an inseparable part of our family’s life for the last 14 years, and it should remain that way for the next years to come. Staś graduated and moved on to Tufts University after starting here at Kindergarten, while Antek is a sophomore and Helena a 7th grader. I probably fall behind my family in giving back to ASW community since Izabela, my wife has been voluntarily teaching Polish for PTO and our sons help at summer camps each year. Nevertheless, I am trying - by singing up for jury duty of Speech & Debate, the timer’s job at swim meets and coaching basketball at Elementary in the past. Yet, I believe I can give back more, therefore I have put myself forward in to the board election process this year and proudly was elected to the board.

I am Polish born and raised while also international by career choices, as I used to live in Moscow and in London for a good stretch of time.

I am a partner and head of the CEE region at OC&C Strategy Consultants, a renowned international strategy consulting firm from London. I advise management boards in building winning growth strategies and investors for successful M&A transactions.

I believe I can bring good advice and, more importantly, contribute with empathy and attachment to this school.

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Sheri Brienza-Wypyski

I grew up in Long Island and the Adirondacks (New York) but always dreamed of living abroad. I am truly living my dream. Poland is the 5 th country I have lived in, and the 4 th for our children. We arrived here in 2017, and with a child in HS, MS and ES and the kids starting their 3 rd school in three years, it could have been a rough year. But ASW provided a wonderful landing for them, and I found a genuine sense of community here. I am honored and humbled to serve on the ASW Board.

I have a B.S. (Marketing), and early in my career I worked in several sales positions. I then obtained my M.B.A. and C.P.A. and worked my way up to audit manager at one of the Big 4 accounting firms. I worked with many clients in many industries in N.Y. and Germany. After marrying Thomas, a naval officer, I found myself moving between the east and west coasts in the U.S. and also moving abroad again. With so many moves, I find that I am pretty good at reinventing myself. I have taught college courses, I have had many independent contractor gigs, and I have volunteered in many capacities. I will soon start working at the U.S. Embassy in the Economic section here in Warsaw.

Meeting moms and dads from all over the world, it is clear that no matter where we are from, we all worry about our children’s education and their future. Getting to know the ASW educators, admin, and parents over the past year has given me great hope for the future and for our children, as I see the core values of the school being used every day and in so many ways; instilling the value of learning within the whole community while embracing our differences. In addition to working with the Board, I hope to help continue to build great ASW spirit. Go Warriors!

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Governance Committee

The purpose of the Governance Committee is to provide oversight of the Board’s governance practices with the objective of ensuring good governance, accountability and transparency. The Committee is responsible for organizing elections and appointments to the Board of Trustees, inducting new Trustees, ensuring that the Board of Trustees assesses its own performance annually, maintaining the Bylaws and Policy Manual.

Members: Artur Banaszak (Chair), Clay Crawford, Olgierd Swida, Audrey Ting

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Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is responsible for developing annual budget guidance for Board approval, reviewing annual budget execution, monitoring income and expenses throughout the year, ensuring that the question of risk management is properly managed, and nominating for Board of Trustees approval an independent auditing firm to audit the School’s financial statement and accounts.

Members: Chris Biedermann (Chair), Massimo Merighi, Sheri Brienza-Wypyski, Olgierd Swida 

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Human Resources Committee

The Human Resources Committee is responsible for overseeing the school’s compensation and benefit policies, ensuring its long-term ability to remain competitive in terms of attracting human capital that will best serve the school community.

Members: Simeon Netchev (Chair), Massimo Merighi, Audrey Ting, Marek Zdziech

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Strategic Planning (ad hoc)

The main objectives of the Strategic Planning Committee for the current school year are to review, update, and/or affirm the school’s Core Values, Mission and Vision; identify strategic initiatives, outcomes or impacts that are relevant and goal oriented in addressing the direction of the school toward the achievement of mission and vision define and align action plans and articulate methods for progress measurement and ultimate assessment of main strategic initiatives’ outcomes.

Members: Elin Witschas Thomassen (Chair), Raymond Banks, Sheri Brienza- Wypyski, Marek Zdziech

INTERESTED IN SERVING?

Board members come from many backgrounds. Typical backgrounds that add value and perspective to the Board include experience in finance, marketing, construction, risk management or law but there are many other skill/knowledge areas relevant to the school’s work. The most important personal characteristics include, among others, the ability to ask good questions, to maintain a broad and long-term perspective, to put the best interests of the School ahead of personal interests, and a willingness to work constructively with others as a team member.

If you feel you can contribute to the benefit of the school community, you can follow one of the following paths:

Run for election

To be eligible, candidates must be parents or guardians of a current student or students who will remain enrolled at ASW for the following two academic years. Board elections are held in May. Please see the 'Elections' tab on this page for more details. [Note: ASW employees and family members of employees are not eligible for election to the Board of Trustees.]

Apply for board appointment

Interested individuals should contact the Board Chair to express interest in serving on the Board. The Board of Trustees normally appoints new members for one or two year appointments. The appointment process for the following school year is completed by the end of June.

Apply for committee membership

Interested individuals may be selected to support one of the following committees: Finance, Governance, Human Resources, or Strategic Planning (ad hoc). Committees meet monthly. Non-Trustee committee members are typically selected for their expertise in a particular subject matter area, and serves as ad hoc, non-voting members.

Updates coming soon

The ASW Board of Trustees deals with issues relating to the school on a strategic level. If you have an issue or question regarding school finances, the strategic plan, long-term building goals, or school governance, you can email the Board of Trustees directly at aswtrustees@aswarsaw.org .

To participate in one of the Board committees, contact Board Chairman, Mr. Raymond V. Banks, Jr, through the ASW's Chief Administrative Officer: bwaliszkiewicz@aswarsaw.org