School Board Members
Ariun Zorigt
Chair of School Board
Ms. Ariun graduated from Valparaiso University with a bachelor's in Business Administration and Finance and completed her MBA at INSEAD. She also attended Principal Training Center, where she earned her Certificate in International School Counseling. She earned her Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School.
Ms. Ariun started her career at the American School of Ulaanbaatar as a Student Services Manager moving on as Business Manager, where she worked on the Elementary School expansion in 2013. She also played a critical role in developing the Guidance Counselor program for high school students by providing professional assistance to students, parents, and teachers in student achievement and career and college readiness. Ms. Ariun also taught Personal Finance and Introduction to Business courses at ASU.
Currently, Ms. Ariun is a Managing Partner and Director in companies specializing in real estate, agriculture, and education. Also, she is an independent board member of ARD Insurance publicly listed company leading the Audit committee.
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Eric Heim
School Board Member (Secondary School Principal)
Mr. Heim brings more than 30 years of experience as an educator in American and international schools worldwide. He has worked as an education leader and as a teacher of mathematics, physics, astronomy, and earth science in Bolivia, China, Germany, the USA, Thailand, Venezuela, and the Central African Republic (where he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer). His classroom teaching has ranged from elementary through college level, with experience in the AP, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, and Common Core curricula, as well as the national curricula of the countries where he served.
As an education leader, Mr. Heim served as the founding principal at Peking University Experimental School in Jiaxing, China, and as the Director of Secondary at the American International School of Bolivia. His academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy from the University of Kansas, a Master of Arts in Education from the Towson University, a Graduate Certificate for Executive Educational Leadership from the University of Kentucky, and he is a graduate of the Principal's Training Center Institute, having earned the Certificate of International School Leadership.
Heim also holds official teacher certifications in physics and mathematics from the US state of Arizona, the US National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and a School Superintendent Licence from the US state of Kentucky.
Joanne Effa
School Board Member (Elementary School Principal)
Joanne Effa has been in the education sector for over 30 years with experience in both public and private institutions in Canada and internationally. She has worked as a classroom teacher in elementary education and taught English Language Arts in secondary education. Ms Effa has served as a school leader in Canada in First Nations Education as well as a Collegiate for International students. She also has experience working in adult education, training teachers in English Language Learning Instruction through Oxford Seminars.
Ms Effa received her Bachelor in Education at the University of Saskatchewan and has participated in a Principal’s leadership program through the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation. She has teacher certification for the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada.
The 2021 - 2022 school year is Ms Effa’s 10th year at the American School of Ulaanbaatar and her first as elementary principal.
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Oyunsuren Dugarjav
School Board Member (Managing Director, School Founder)
Mrs. Oyunsuren has been appointed as the Managing Director of ASU in 2006. She holds a bachelor degree in economics from Moscow Technological University. Before joining private sector, she worked in public service for 17 years including Ministry of Social Services, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since 1998, Mrs. Oyunsuren has worked as CEO of multiple private enterprises and Chair of the board of a publicly listed company. She has completed professional development courses in United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.