Andy Williams

Head of School

A passionate educator with deep expertise in curriculum and assessment design, Andy Williams served as director of teaching and learning at Avenues São Paulo before becoming head of school at the end of 2019. As director of teaching and learning, Andy oversaw the development of the Avenues São Paulo curriculum from nursery through 12th grade. Before coming to Brazil, Andy served in the same role at Avenues New York for several years. Previously, Andy spent 20 years working for the Morris School District in Morristown, NJ, where he was director of curriculum, instruction, assessment and evaluation. He also served as principal of the Alexander Hamilton School and as a teacher at Thomas Jefferson School. He has directed summer and after-school programs and worked with gifted and talented, bilingual and English as a second language programs. Andy has a B.A. degree from Liverpool University and an M.A. in educational administration and supervision from Seton Hall.

John Ciallelo

Head of Secondary Division

John Ciallelo is an internationally distinguished leader and educator with a career spanning more than 35 years in prestigious schools in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, including 25 years in São Paulo at Chapel School. After serving as division head in both the Primary and Secondary Divisions of Chapel, he became head of school, spending 10 years in that role. During his tenure at Chapel, John led numerous curriculum revisions and professional development initiatives that increased student performance across all grade levels. Additionally, John successfully spearheaded efforts to better prepare students for the highly selective overseas universities and the Brazilian vestibular. John joined Avenues in 2013, and directed the academic development and design for Avenues São Paulo from the organization’s headquarters in New York.

Anne Baldisseri

Head of Primary Division

Anne Taffin d’Heursel Baldisseri is passionate about building community; motivating people; and sustaining a culture of quality where teachers and students are encouraged to learn alongside one another. Before becoming a teacher, Anne completed an M.S. and Ph.D. in zoology from Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Anne is currently part of a research group at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), where she aims to complete a post-doctorate degree related to bilingualism, reading and motivation. Anne served as head of pre-preparatory at St. Paul’s School in São Paulo from 2007 to 2016, where she led the implementation of a phonics program to provide children with the best strategies for reading and writing. Anne runs national and international workshops centered on differentiated instruction and formative assessment, as well as courses to help teachers and parents to build a sustainable culture of high performance.

Lisa Lund Peixoto

Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management

Lisa Lund Peixoto has more than 16 years of leadership and administrative experience in independent education. Most recently, she served as the director of admissions at Graded–The American School of São Paulo. She has worked with tens of thousands of families from Brazil and around the world, and has welcomed generations of students to transformative experiences in education. At Graded, she served as admissions director, responsible for increasing enrollment; developing sustainable financial aid and scholarship programs; and forming impactful partnerships with peer institutions and corporations. Her experience in international education has led to a deep appreciation for the value of diverse communities and dual-diploma learning programs. As a native of New York and long-time resident of São Paulo, Lisa is fluent in both English and Portuguese. Her husband is Brazilian and she has two children, and considers both the United States and Brazil her home.

Luciana D’Angelo

Director of Operations and Administration

Luciana D’Angelo brings 30 years of financial and administrative experience to Avenues São Paulo. In senior positions with Pearson and Rosetta Stone in Brazil, she built and managed multidisciplinary teams, oversaw strategy and directed sales with a focus on company results. Prior to Rosetta Stone, Luciana spent 13 years at Pearson Education do Brasil, serving most recently as chief financial officer and interim chief executive officer. At Avenues São Paulo, Luciana is responsible for campus operations, acting as a strategic advisor, functional expert and thought partner to the global CFO and members of the school leadership team. A native Portuguese speaker, Luciana is also fluent in English and Spanish.

Cristine Conforti

Head of Brazilian Program

Cristine Marie Tedeschi Conforti has dedicated herself to education since her undergraduate studies in Literature at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). She began her career as a Portuguese teacher in the Secondary Division of Colégio Santa Cruz, where she remained until 2017. Cristine held a range of roles at Santa Cruz, including teacher of literature and writing, head of college preparation and director of elementary school. In 2010, Cristine became the director of teaching and learning, and vice-general director at Santa Cruz.

Alongside her work as an educator, she has completed a postgraduate course in communications and semiotics at São Paulo’s Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC), a master’s degree and a doctorate in Education at the Faculty of Education at the University of São Paulo (USP). She has published several books and taught courses on creative writing and language learning. At Avenues, Cristine leads the Brazilian program. In partnership with the rest of the leadership team, she intends to develop the program as a model of for innovation, as well as sustainable, intercultural and interdisciplinary educational design.

Juliana Salles

Director of People and Culture

Juliana Salles joined Avenues São Paulo in 2017 as director of people and culture. She brings more than 15 years of experience in talent management and development gained at leading schools and multinational corporations. Juliana previously served for five years as human resources director at Colégio Santa Cruz. At Santa Cruz, she implemented end-to-end talent management plans that optimized school organization and strengthened campus culture. Prior to her time at Santa Cruz, Juliana worked in the energy sector. As human capital executive manager at EDP Energias do Brasil, she developed global human resources programs and oversaw leadership development and succession planning. Juliana earned her bachelor’s degree in business management at Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and her executive MBA at Fundação Dom Cabral. As director of people and culture for the São Paulo campus, Juliana is responsible for recruitment, onboarding, engagement, culture, performance management, compensation and benefits, non-financial rewards and recognition, human resource administration and leadership development.

Catalina Guzmán

Director of Student Wellbeing

Catalina Guzmán joined Avenues in 2019 from the Johannesburg International School in South Africa, where she led the college guidance program. Previously, Catalina served as college counsellor at the Taipei International School in Taiwan, where she supported students on their paths to colleges in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan among other destinations. Catalina has also worked in higher education, supporting undergraduate admissions at the University of Pennsylvania and graduate admissions at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to her deep experience in college counseling, Catalina brings a rich international perspective to her work, having lived and worked in countries as diverse as Brazil, China, Mexico, Venezuela and the United States. Catalina earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania and her masters degree at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in Portuguese.