Fairmont International School Staff

John Barrier

Following a successful career in hotel sales and management, Mr. John Barrier joined Fairmont Schools in 2001. He has been instrumental in the growth and development of Fairmont’s International Academy, founded in 2002, and now works to foster partnerships with educational institutions throughout the globe. Prior to Fairmont, Mr. Barrier worked in various management positions for Marriott and Hilton hotels—including spending a year in Warsaw, Poland, conducting a hotel management study. Mr. Barrier holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton.

Mr. Barrier began his work with Fairmont as Fairmont Preparatory Academy’s Junior High Director. From there, he was promoted to Campus Director of the International Academy (FIA). Under his guidance, FIA has grown to become an internationally recognized language learning program that has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 2009.

Mr. Barrier’s position has expanded to include overseeing the many programs offered by Fairmont International School, including: Joint Programs, Short Term Immersion, and Teacher Training. His strategic leadership of Fairmont International School has led to a number of milestones including the establishment of Fairmont’s first Joint Program in 2010.

Dr. Rebecca Wood

Dr. Wood focuses on building and developing partnerships with schools throughout mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea. She helps blend the best of local education with Fairmont’s time-tested methods of preparing students for success in high school and college. A proud Fairmont graduate herself, Dr. Wood seeks to provide Fairmont’s international students the same excellence in education she received from Fairmont Schools.

Dr. Wood joined Fairmont Education Group in 2002, following the completion of her studies at Wellesley College and the University of California, Santa Barbara. After teaching English for several years at both UCSB and Fairmont, Dr. Wood moved from serving as English department chair to leading Fairmont Prep Academy’s Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Medical Magnet and Engineering Magnet programs. Dr Wood has chaired both WASC and Cognia/AdvancED accreditation review teams, as well as serving on Cognia’s California Advisory Committee.

Jonathan Dunn

Mr. Jonathan Dunn has been instrumental in the building of Fairmont’s college counseling program. He has worked with Fairmont’s partner schools in China since 2012. Mr. Dunn has years of experience in counseling and teaching in private schools throughout California. He is a member of both the National and the Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling. He serves as an AP grader with the College Board for AP U.S. History. Mr. Dunn graduated from Oberlin College, earned his teaching credential from University of California, Los Angeles, his Master of Arts in history from University of Southern California, and his certification in guidance counseling from the University of California, San Diego.

Kenny Zhou

Mr. Kenny Zhou brings eight years of educational marketing and sales experience to his role with Fairmont International Education. A graduate of Sichuan International Studies University with bachelor’s degrees in English and French, he has worked in the US, UK, and China developing, supporting, and growing international programs. His past sales and marketing experience includes serving as Senior Marketing Manager for the Institute of Online Education, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Sales and Business Development Manager for EF Education, the world’s largest language training company. He also brings a keen understanding of language education, having designed courses to prepare Chinese students for entrance to university in France.

Jon Matthews

Jon Matthews has worked with Fairmont International School since 2015. He serves as a Program Manager supporting partner school programs in mainland China and Taipei. Mr. Matthews has over seven years of experience teaching and leading international programs in Asia. Prior to working and living abroad, Mr. Matthews taught in the United States for over nine years. He is a credentialed social science teacher, he has training from the College Board in the AP Capstone Program and is one of its pioneers in mainland China. Mr. Matthews holds his BA from Boston College and his MS in Education from Southern Connecticut State University.

Christian Overman

Christian Overman has been working with Fairmont partner schools in China since 2016, teaching a wide variety of subjects including AP World History, AP Human Geography, and various English language arts courses. He graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a degree in secondary education – social studies with a focus in history and is a certified social studies teacher in the state of Pennsylvania. Mr. Overman currently serves as a Joint Program Manager at 21st Century International High School in Beijing where, in addition to teaching, he also provides professional development and logistical support to the staff.

Ryan Douglas

I have been with FIS since the summer of 2020 and currently work as a program manager. Assisting in overseeing Fairmont programs in both Shanghai and Beijing. I greatly enjoy my employment with FIS. It enables me to work closely with partner school leaders in an effort to achieve a consistently high performance among their teams. I also enjoy the opportunity of working with students in an effort for preparing them for future education and life in the US / outside of China.

I have over 14 years of work experience in the field of education. During this time l have worked in US school programs, test preparation, International schools, Montessori education, kindergartens, and ESL schools. I have experience in operational management, school administration, training & academics, HR & recruitment, curriculum implementation & development as well as teaching all age groups.

During my time in China, I have been located in Dalian, Qingdao, Chengdu, Chongqing, and now Shanghai. Internationally l have experience working with schools in California, Texas, Ontario (Canada), and Vietnam.

I have a bachelor’s degree from the UK and l am currently studying for my Masters in education leadership. I am also Montessori and CELTA certified. Away from work l greatly enjoy participating in sport and general fitness activities, especially football. I also enjoy traveling and experiencing new cultures. However, my greatest passion is spending as much time as possible with my family and two young children.

Clay Burrell

Clay Burell has spent his entire 21-year career as a high school teacher and administrator in East Asia. He began his career at Shanghai American School as K-12 ESOL Department Head and Asian History teacher. Afterward, he taught AP English Literature at Korea International School in Seoul, and Chinese History and AP World History for seven years at Singapore American School. In 2016, his fascination for China compelled him to explore the world of Chinese International Schools, where he served as the Chinese Culture Program Co-Director and English Department Head at an International Baccalaureate school in Suzhou before joining Beijing 21st Century International School as a Joint Program Manager, Professional Development Trainer, and AP Capstone teacher. Mr. Burell received his B.A. in Humanities at the University of Oregon in 1996, his Secondary English Teacher Certification from The College of New Jersey in 2004, and his Master’s in Educational Leadership at State University of New York, Buffalo, in 2012.

Jay Del Moore

Mr. Jay Del Moore began his career teaching in China through Princeton in Asia
in 2007. He has over ten years of experience working at top Chinese universities
and high schools, including two Project 985 universities (Northeastern
University, Xiamen University) and two international programs at public high
schools (Xiamen Double Ten High School, The Affiliated High School of Hangzhou
Normal University). He has significant experience teaching Advanced Placement
Economics, A-Level Economics and A-Level Business Studies. From 2015-2017,
he worked as Program Manager at Beijing 21 st Century International School’s
Joint Program with Fairmont International Schools. From 2017-2019,
he has worked as a Program Director at Xiamen Yingcai School, focusing on
creating both college counseling and online learning/dual diploma programs. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bucknell University, a Master of Arts in Business and Marketing Education from Ball State University, and a Certificate in College Counseling from the University of California San Diego. Jay is an advanced speaker of Mandarin Chinese (HSK Level 5).