Skip To Main Content

MEET OUR

BOARD MEMBERS

MESSAGE FROM BOARD CHAIR, MS. AISHATH LU-U-LUA HASSAN

Welcome to the Overseas School of Colombo's School Board's page.  Here you will find out more about our not-for-profit school board governance, including our foundational documents, the role of our Board of Directors and the backgrounds of each board member who works voluntarily on behalf of OSC.  

As Board Members we are very proud of our students, teachers and staff.  We work hard to ensure that our decisions and actions are sustainable and strategic in support of our school for today and in the future. Our students and parents come from 40 + different nationalities and backgrounds and are truly committed to unity in diversity.    

In 2022-2023 OSC will celebrate 65 years of teaching and learning.  We look forward to you joining us in celebration of this remarkable milestone.

OSC is registered as a guarantee company and operates as a nonprofit independent school based on the OSC Mission and Vision. Any revenues that exceed expenses are reinvested to improve the quality of education for OSC students.

Parents of every current full fee-paying student are members of the company and are invited to attend and vote at an annual general meeting each year.

OSC is governed by a nine-member Board of Directors elected from among the full fee-paying parents. The Head of School is a non-voting member of the Board.

 

 

The Board’s main responsibilities are to:

  • Hire, support, and evaluate the Head of School, who serves as the chief executive officer of OSC
  • Provide long-term strategic direction for OSC as an internationally accredited school
  • Ensure long-term sustainability of OSC finances and facilities

The board’s role is not to run day-to-day school operations, mediate parent-teacher conflicts, address student behavior issues, decide on cafeteria menus, or create educational curricula. If you approach a board member with these types of concerns, we will generally refer you to our school’s professional faculty or administrators. The board’s focus is on long-term strategic goals.’

Current School Board Members

Ms. Aishath Lu-u-lua Hassan (Board Chair)

Aisha is a Maldivian citizen and parent of two children at OSC, currently serving the School Board since March 2021 as an elected director. She is a co-founder of Avahteri Gallery, a social business promoting art and culture. Aisha brings her governance expertise and collaborative leadership skills through her previous experiences governing non-profit institutions that constituted to high regulations and standards. She has served the Board of Maldives Pension Administration Office as an independent director for almost 3 years, and the Board of Maldives Inland Revenue Authority for a 5-year term on its inception. Aisha developed her finance/investment literacy through her work at the Maldives Stock Exchange and Care Ratings Maldives (Indian Rating Agency). She was also a part time lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Computing, Maldives. She holds a BA (Hons) Business Management (Finance) from the University of Westminster, London.

Aisha looks to support the Board in ensuring that OSC delivers excellence in education for students from a diverse set of countries and backgrounds, and stays true to its mission, vision and values.

Ms. Heidi Hattenbach

An American citizen, Heidi Hattenbach leads the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka.  She joined the Board in 2022 after arriving in Sri Lanka in late 2021. Heidi is married and has three children, two currently at OSC and one at university after attending four different international schools. An experienced advocate for international education, Heidi is committed to supporting OSC toward continued success as a diverse and inclusive community that encourages young learners to embrace curiosity and excellence. Heidi also serves as the Chairperson of the U.S.-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission, a binational commission which works to promote understanding between the U.S. and Sri Lanka through mutual educational and professional exchanges.

Ms. Ahalya Chellaram

A Sri Lankan citizen, Ahalya has two daughters who are currently enrolled at OSC. She is a Chartered Architect with extensive experience as a consultant architect for an established architectural firm in the recent past. Her career experience in this field extends to over 20 years. She is also a co-founder of Greenfield Farm Organic Life, an award winning organic food brand with
international presence and is the Creative Director at Greenfield Bio Plantations (Pvt) Ltd., a pioneer in organic regenerative agriculture in Sri Lanka and an exporter of organic produce. She is deeply passionate about a holistic approach to education and is looking forward to supporting OSC in fostering a value system in line with the school’s vision that every stakeholder of the school carries through, especially the students into their adult life. Having worked on various sustainability certification projects for Greenfield Bio, she looks forward to supporting the school with the recent eco flag program and other sustainability-focused programs.

Mr. Kevin Price

Kevin Price is a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo.  Before coming to Sri Lanka, he completed assignments in India, Uganda, Nepal, Laos, and Washington DC.  Kevin has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in International Development and is originally from Chico, California.  He is married with two daughters.

Mr. Micah Olad

Micah Olad is an International Development expert with over 17 years of work experience. He
has extensively worked with governments, leaders and other stakeholders in both Africa and
Asia, to push the agenda of the world’s most marginalized women and children through public
health and policy advocacy efforts. A strategist and change management expert, leading Save
the Children’ largest U.S grant as Chief of Party for the PALAMA project in Sri Lanka, supporting
the ongoing Government school feeding program in over 850 schools, with funding from USDA.
He has worked in Laos, Sierra Leone and Ghana. Micah during his early career has conducted
formative surveys and designed SBCC (social behavioural change communication) modules, to
promote optimum school health and nutrition, particularly for rural schools. He is an active
member of the World Public Health Nutrition Association. Mr. Olad holds a Master of Public
Health degree from the Mountcrest University, PgD in occupational health, safety and
environmental management from Greenhill college, Bachelor of Science in Public Health from
Catholic University, all from his home country Ghana. He has 3 sons at OSC.

Mr. Justin Hawkins

Justin is an Australian and New Zealand dual citizen, an accompanying diplomatic spouse, and a parent with two children attending OSC in grades 5 and 7.

Justin has returned to full-time university studies after a 27-year career with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Australian Government.

A former coach and player of multiple sports at the amateur and professional levels, Justin has extensive experience in cultivating and fostering individual and team growth, advocating an active lifestyle of 'healthy bodies, healthy minds'.

Justin looks forward to learning and supporting the students, faculty, parents, and school board in our continued development of the Overseas School of Colombo - Unity in Diversity

Ms. Michelle Hervy

Michelle, a British citizen, settled in Sri Lanka in 2020 with her two sons and husband. Originally from the Northwest of England, Michelle has lived and worked in England, U.S.A and India.
Originally starting out in childcare, Michelle switched paths and has spent most of her career in global outsourcing for companies based in both the US and the UK. Her experience lies in the Learning and Leadership development arena, working for various markets in retail, financial and telecommunication, involving conducting regular risk assessments, implementing appropriate controls, and monitoring financial performance.

Since settling in Sri Lanka, Michelle started the company MH Academy, a training academy specializing in women’s wellbeing into midlife, based in Colombo and working in both corporate and individual settings.

As a board member, Michelle is passionate about equality within OSC, Michelle is driven by a fervent belief in creating an inclusive and supportive learning environment where every student feels valued and empowered to succeed. Michelle is keen to use her experience in the global community to support the school in delivering its mission.

Dr. Michelle Kleiss (Head of School)

A Dutch/Canadian national, Dr. Michelle Kleiss has built an international school career for the past 27 years. She started her Headship at OSC in July 2019, after 10 years as Head of School in Cyprus – another CIS/MSA and IB authorised school. Prior to Cyprus, she was a Head of School in Saudi Arabia, and an Early Childhood Principal as well as Middle School Principal in Cairo – Egypt. She has worked as a classroom teacher in Munich – Germany, in São Paulo – Brazil, and in the Dominican Republic. She has an Undergraduate Degree in Education from The American University in Washington D.C. – USA, a Master’s Degree in Education in School Administration and Instructional Supervision from Bowie State University, Maryland – USA, and a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania – USA.

Ms. Preeni Manjula Dunuwille Koralege (Company Secretary)

Joined the OSC in January 2023 as Company Secretary

Preeni is an Attorney at Law, Notary Public and Company Secretary and brings with her over 30 years experience. She started her career as an Attorney at Law in October 1988 at M/s F J and G De Saram Attorneys at Law, one of the oldest law firms in the country where her forte was litigation. In 1995 August she joined ABN AMRO Bank NV. Thereafter she moved to Confifi Group of Companies as General Manager Legal and Corporate in 2002 and headed the Corporate Legal and Secretarial office. Subsequently in September 2005 she joined the Peoples’ Bank as Legal Advisor to the Board and Special Executive Legal and was part of the corporate management team. She then moved on to Amana Investments Limited as head of Legal and Company Secretary in 2009 and was responsible for handling all legal, company secretarial and regulatory matters relating to the Licensing and establishment of Amana Bank PLC. She was subsequently appointed a Vice President of Amana Bank PLC and handled diverse portfolios as Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Company Secretary. She retired from Amana Bank PLC in April 2019. During her career she has gained wide experience and expertise in Corporate and Commercial Law, Banking Law, Litigation, Governance and Risk, Company Secretarial practice and in land/property law. 

Apart from being an Attorney she holds a LL.B degree and a Master of Laws from the University of Colombo. She also holds CISI (Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments) qualifications in Global Financial Compliance and a Diploma in International Relations from Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.