Having amazing staff is the most important piece to having an amazing school. We hope you are able to meet and get to know our people. We've supplied a short bio here in order for you to get an idea of the staff at the school.

Alice Odoch (Elementary Teacher)

Alice is originally from Uganda, East Africa. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Makerere University and a postgraduate diploma in Public Administration and Management from Uganda Management Institute. Alice has over 15 years experience in the teaching profession, both at the primary and secondary level. During this period, she has taught subjects based on national and international curriculum. She has worked in Uganda, the UAE, and Djibouti, experience that has enabled her to live and work with a multicultural community. Outside the classroom, Alice enjoys listening to music, watching documentaries, and sports.

Amy Rose (Elementary Teacher)

Amy is from California and trained with the San Francisco Ballet. She has a B.A. from U.C.L.A. in Art History and Architecture as well as several years of business coursework and business start-up experience. Amy got her teaching certificate in Ireland and has taught in Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia. She enjoys collecting art, antiques, and textiles, along with traveling and photography. Amy believes in lifelong learning and perpetual reading. She looks forward to teaching at ISD and exploring Djibouti.

Tiffany Baker (Middle School Teacher)

Tiffany is originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). She has a B.A in International Development from St. Mary’s University and is currently working on her BSc. in children and trauma. She has spent the past 6 years teaching at a private boarding school in China where she taught English language arts. She established a STEM program for female students and created a school-wide drama program. She has spent most summer breaks teaching at Koç University in their intensive English language boarding program for kids. When she isn’t teaching, she enjoys running, playing hockey or watching her favourite team – Montreal Canadians – play. She loves to travel; loves both dogs and llamas and enjoys a strong cup of coffee.

Linzie Wells (Director)

Linzie is originally from Owensboro, Kentucky, where she has lived most of her life with her family. She has earned a B.A. in English and History from Murray State University, an M.A. in English literature from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of the Cumberlands. Linzie taught first-year writing at The Ohio State University for three years, and she has over ten years of teaching experience, mostly in a high school English classroom. In addition, she has completed coursework for Western Kentucky University’s Principal Preparation program. Linzie loves reading, travel, and playing board games with her family.

Abdi-kadar Osman (Executive Assistant)

Abdi-Kadar Osman has a Bachelor’s degree in Educational Science from the University of Djibouti and a Master’s degree in Educational Management from University of Malaya. He has participated a student outbound exchange program that took place in Colombo, Sri-Lanka. He has worked as English language teacher in the Ecole Bilal primary school for the past two years. He is proactive and eager to implement state of the art teaching and learning practices to make education more appealing to students. Furthermore, he is aspiring to become a prominent researcher in the field of Education. Outside of school, Abdi-kadar is, among other things, fond of learning video editing skills, swimming, and meditating.

Sougal Mohamed (Assistant Director of Finance and Facilities)

Sougal Mohamed has a degree in Business Management. He has studied in places including Bethesda, Maryland, United States; Dunkirk, France; Nairobi, Kenya; Apeldoorn, the Netherlands; and Rabat, Morocco where he obtained his degree from the HECGI University. He has worked for Canon, Hewlett Packard and Nike, where he participated in a cross cultural awareness training program. His fluency in English, French, Dutch and Somali combined with the other skills he has developed or learned throughout his life makes him a perfect fit for ISD. In his free time, Sougal loves history, cinema, comedy, and many sports including soccer, American football, and athletics.

Mariam Terese Mohamed (Assistant Teacher)

Mariam has a number of post-graduate certificates and a high-school diploma. She grew up in Djibouti and is well placed to understand the linguistic and cultural issues of the local context. She will be assisting in the PreK - K classroom this year.

Sam Ngepa Bitumba (Assistant Teacher)

Sam is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has a degree in Electronic Engineering from Vaal University of Technology in South Africa, and has been working as a technical engineer and assistant teacher for years. This is Sam’s first year at ISD. As a member of the school’s assistant teacher team, he is enthusiastic and motivated, with a passion for supporting children with all aspects of school life. In Sam’s free time, he likes reading, running, and watching rugby; his favorite team is the Springboks of South Africa.

Sande Sandagi (Assistant Teacher)