Pacific West announces administrator selections for 2020-21 school year

DoDEA Pacific West announces selections for the Osan Elementary School Principal, McCool Elementary Middle School Assistant Principal, as well as an Instructional Systems Specialist for World Language/ESOL, an Instructional Systems Specialist for Special Education, and an Instructional Systems Specialist for AVID.

Ms. Hannah Choi

Principal, Osan Elementary School

Dr. Jeff Arrington, Pacific West District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Hannah Choi as Principal at Osan Elementary School.

Ms. Choi grew up in Walnut, California. She attended the University of California, Irvine and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Upon graduating, Ms. Choi moved to Seoul, Korea and attended Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies where she received a Master of Arts in Korean Studies. After working at LG Electronics in Korea, Ms. Choi returned to Los Angeles to pursue her career in education. She later received a Master of Arts in Education and Master of Science in Administration and Educational Leadership at Pepperdine University.

Ms. Choi taught in the Korean Dual Language Program with Los Angeles Unified School District and was a member of the Korean Language Arts Standards and Curriculum committees at the district office. With this experience, Ms. Choi joined DoDEA to teach Korean Language Immersion at Humphreys Central Elementary School. She truly enjoyed her time connecting with students in her classroom and providing meaningful learning activities about the Korean language and culture.

In 2017, Ms. Choi joined the Daegu Elementary School administration team. She transitioned to Humphreys Central Elementary School in 2018 as assistant principal. As an administrator, Ms. Choi has built collaborative relationships with students, teachers and parents and has worked closely with stakeholders to meet the needs of all students.

While Ms. Choi will greatly miss being a part of the Humphreys community, she is very excited to join the Mustang family. She looks forward to building new relationships with the Osan community. Go Mustangs!

Ms. Tarsha Washington

Assistant Principal, McCool Elementary Middle School

Dr. Jeff Arrington, Pacific West District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Tarsha Washington as Assistant Principal at McCool Elementary Middle School.

Ms. Washington is an accomplished educator with more than 16 years of teaching experience. Ms. Washington began her teaching career as an Educational Technologist at Venice Elementary School in Florida, where she constructed effective teaching methods and provided much needed training to teachers, administrators, and staff members. From Venice, Ms. Washington joined DODEA at Andersen Elementary School on Guam. In September 2008, Ms. Washington accepted a position at Diamond Elementary School at Ft Stewart, GA. In addition to providing required teaching services, Ms. Washington created and maintained an environment that allowed and encouraged students to make discoveries, solve problems, think critically, and work independently. In January 2011, Ms. Washington accepted a Training and Curriculum Specialist position with the US Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Japan.

In September 2011 Ms. Washington moved to Misawa, Japan to teach ESL, Kindergarten and 4th Grade at Cummings Elementary School. In August 2015, Ms. Washington moved to Osan, Korea to work as a Math Support Teacher and Reading Specialist. Ms. Washington coached, mentored and helped teachers bring traditional teaching methods in alignment with 21st century instructional practices. Ms. Washington facilitated Math meetings to identify best practices across the district and she facilitated teacher training at local and district levels.

Ms. Washington holds a Master's in Administration and Educational Leadership from National Louis University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and ESOL Endorsement from the University of South Florida.

Ms. Washington has always invested in and encouraged their academic pursuits. Ms. Washington enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, going to church, traveling, shopping, and making a positive impact in the lives of people.

Dr. Uma Patel

Instructional Systems Specialist for World Language/ESOL

Dr. Jeff Arrington, Pacific West District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Uma Patel as the Instructional Systems Specialist for World Language/English as a Second Language.

Dr. Patel has years of serving children and families in various roles as an educator, leader, and a mentor. In her previous role as the DoDEA-Americas Instructional Systems Specialist for Grades K-12 World Language/English as a Second Language in Peachtree City, Georgia, she supported the military- connected families by upholding DoDEA' s mission and vision of Excellence and providing professional learning opportunities to build talent capacity. Dr. Patel most recently served at Brewster Middle School, Camp Lejeune in the Mid- Atlantic Community, developing and leading the school-wide implementation of the PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support) program while providing training to school and community stakeholders and working with the MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) Program. Dr. Patel is certified in Lean Six Sigma process improvement and is a Georgia State-Approved Trainer who has conducted needs assessments in private and public sectors to ensure streamlined, quality practices based on sound data- informed decisions. Her PK-12 and University-level teaching career extends from California to Georgia to North Carolina. Always a reflective practitioner with a growth mindset, she volunteers her time with educational guidance and learning opportunities on a global platform in support of excellence.

Dr. Patel's extensive educational journey starts in Davis, California where she received a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish/Education at University of California. Once in Atlanta, Georgia, she earned a Master of Education Degree in Reading, a Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics, and pursued a Business Degree along with a Specialist of Education Degree in Educational Leadership as well as a Doctorate Degree in Applied Linguistics and Spanish.

Dr. Patel's humble beginnings are rooted in an agrarian village in Gujarat, India where the prowess of education is the Salt of the Earth--synonymous to its fertile soil. With honor and privilege, she follows her path of a servant leader via education. We welcome Dr. Patel to the Pacific West District and the Pacific Region!

Ms. Lisa Marie Arroyo

Instructional Systems Specialist for Special Education

Dr. Jeff Arrington, Pacific West District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Lisa Marie Arroyo as the Instructional Systems Specialist for Special Education.

Ms. Arroyo is coming is returning to DoDEA after having served three years in New Hampshire at the Bernice A. Ray School as the Student Services Coordinator. Prior to moving to New Hampshire, Ms. Arroyo served in DoDEA as a special educator, a special education assessor and a CSC-Chair. Ms. Arroyo served at schools within Japan, the United Kingdom, Guantanamo Bay and Bahrain.

Ms. Arroyo received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts Management at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia, her Masters of Science in Special Education at Old Dominion University, also in Virginia and is currently working on her doctorate degree in Education from the American College of Education in Indiana. As part of her doctoral studies, she is currently researching strategies for increasing hope and resiliency in children and adolescents through educational programming.

Lisa Marie is a DoDEA graduate herself and is passionate about serving the military community and supporting the DoD and DoDEA missions.

Ms. Arroyo is excited to join the Pacific West team!

Ms. Ebony Luper

Instructional Systems Specialist for AVID

Dr. Jeff Arrington, Pacific West District Superintendent, is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Ebony Luper as the Instructional Systems Specialist for AVID.

A native of San Diego, California, Ebony Luper brings more than 10 years of experience in education to the Pacific West District. Ms. Luper graduated from the University of California, Riverside, with a double major in English and Sociology and a Masters of Education in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment from Walden University.

Ms. Luper began her educational career as an English educator for both Lancaster and Crowley Independent School District in the Dallas/Fort Worth county of Texas. During her time in Texas, she served as a Coordinator and Elective Teacher for the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Program, English Language Learner/English teacher, Continuous School Improvement (CSI) member, and District-Wide Education Improvement Council (DWEIC) member. She also devoted her summers as an adjunct professor for the Academic Enrichment Program and College for Kids at Tarrant County Community College.

Relocating to Montgomery Alabama, Ms. Luper joined DoDEA as an English teacher at Maxwell Elementary/Middle School. While in this role, she joined the Inclusion Teacher Program, served as a CSI member, and established the AVID program for the school. Ms. Luper then transferred to Zama Middle High School, located at U.S. Army Garrison Japan, Camp Zama.

While at Zama Middle High School, Ms. Luper served on the CSI team and has been recognized for establishing a schoolwide Advocacy Program, developing engaging professional development activities, and advancing collaboration in the assessment of Cognia's School Quality Factors. Ms. Luper also cultivated the AVID Coaching and Certification Instrument (CCI), which highlights the development of instructional practices, systems, leadership and culture. Through the AVID CCI guidance and the support of community stakeholders, she was able to embed AVID strategies into professional development, train adult and cross-aged AVID Tutors, and support teachers in College and Career Readiness initiatives through professional development opportunities.

Ms. Luper is honored to be part of the Pacific West District and work alongside the AVID family throughout the Pacific Region as the Instructional Systems Specialist for Advancement Via Individual Determination.

About DoDEA

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education programs for school-aged children of Department of Defense personnel who would otherwise not have access to high-quality public education. DoDEA schools are located in Europe, the Pacific, Western Asia, the Middle East, Cuba, the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico. DoDEA also provides support and resources to Local Educational Activities throughout the United States that serve children of military families.