BOARD OF TRUSTEES
2024-2025
The AISM
2024-2025
AISM Board of Trustees
Mr. Monie Captan- Chairman
Mr. Gbovadeh Gbilia
Ms.Vernice Gutherie -US Ambassador’s Representative
Mrs. Annemarie van Duinen
Ms. Helen Hariz
Mr. Nace Crawford
Dr. DieulaTchoualeu
Mr. Joe Barber
Ms. Allyson Brown
MEET the Board Chair
Monie R. Captan was born in Monrovia, Liberia on May 28, 1962 and educated both in Liberia and the USA. He is an Alumni of ‘ACS’ now known as the American International School of Monrovia. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego in San Diego, California in 1985 and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the same university in 1987. Mr. Captan participated in an Executive Education Program on Leading Economic Growth at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2013.
Mr. Captan has lectured at the University of Liberia since 1992 and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the IBB School of International Relations. He has taught courses in political economy and development, negotiations, and foreign policy decision making. Mr. Captan has published a book entitled, An Introduction to Liberian Government and Political System (2015), and co-authored the Liberia Economic Constraints Analysis (2013).
Mr. Captan is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Liberia Electricity Corporation. Mr. Captan’s wealth of experience demonstrates an excellent synergy between public, private and academic interests. He is married to Mrs. Ade Jones-Captan and has 2 daughters and several foster children. He is an avid golfer and member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Gbovadeh Gbilia
A patriotic Liberian, with experience working in the
USA, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East,
Mr. Gbovadeh “GG” Gbilia is an experienced
education, training, and capacity-building
professional. He is currently the Chairman of the
Education Commission and a Member of the
High-Level Steering Committee on SDG4,
Education 2030 at UNESCO. He also serves as
Managing Director of Bridge Liberia, Inc. the
largest implementing partner in the Liberia
Education Advancement Program, where Bridge
supports 300 public schools servicing ~85,000
pupils nationwide.
In 2016, Mr. Gbilia was appointed by Nobel
Laurate President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as the
Deputy Minister for Planning, Research, and
Development in the Ministry of Education. He is
also an alumnus of the maiden cohort of the
Obama Foundation Leaders of Africa Fellowship
Program, 2018-2019. He obtained an MBA in
International Business from Howard University
School of Business in Washington, D.C. GG is the
father of an incoming Pre-K child and a graduating senior at AISM this academic year.
Ms. Vernice Guthrie
Ms. Guthrie is a graduate of Howard and Georgetown Universities and a native of Washington, DC. She has spent her career committed to international development and has extensive multilateral and private sector development experience. Ms. Guthrie has served in leadership capacities in large US-based professional organizations, NGOs and Foundations. She has also worked with a wide range of multilateral development agencies including UNDP, UNODC, and UNICEF.
Ms. Guthrie is a dynamic program manager with over 30 years of global experience leading peacebuilding, justice sector reform, civil society, and governance programs across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Ms. Guthrie has successfully designed and implemented sustainable and transformative programs in challenging and post-conflict environments. She has effectively forged strategic alliances and partnerships with donors, external agencies, and decision makers. Vernice has been described as a unifier and collaborative leader— connecting diverse groups with large-scale organizational vision. Ms. Guthrie currently serves as the Country Director for Peace Corps, Liberia.
Mrs. Annemarie van Duinen
Hi, I'm Annemarie van Duinen, our family moved to Monrovia in August 2022, when our 4 children started to attend AISM. AISM has been a warm welcome to our family and we have enjoyed becoming part of the community, so it was an honor to be asked to participate in the board. This academic year we have 1 enrolled in high school and 3 in middle school.
I am from the Netherlands but was raised abroad. I attended the IICS (Istanbul International Community School) of which I have good memories. From my own experience I know the importance of international schools and good education.
I have a master in Business Administration from the University of Maastricht and in the past years I have worked for several NGOs in organisational and finance capacity. Currently I am the finance manager for Mission Alliance in Liberia.
For 2023/2024 I am looking forward to making a contribution to the further development of AISM both as a board member as well as a parent.
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Dr. Dieula Tchoualeu
Dr. Dieula Delissaint Tchoualeu, from Atlanta, Georgia, is the US CDC Liberia Acting Country Director overseeing US CDC global health security portfolio. She has over a decade of experience in global health, leading public health programs, multi-site operational research, program monitoring and evaluation, strengthening health systems, and responding to public health emergencies in developed and developing countries. Prior to her current role in Liberia, Dr. Tchoualeu was an epidemiologist with US CDC’s Global Immunization Division, where she led immunization workforce development projects, supported developing countries with immunization campaigns including rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. Dr. Tchoualeu was deployed to the US CDC Emergency Operations Center numerous times in different capacities, supporting COVID-19 pandemic and the 2018 Ebola outbreak in DRC.
Dr. Tchoualeu is a wife and mother of three children enrolled in AISM. She likes to travel and spends her spare time with friends and family. Dr. Tchoualeu is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.