North American International School

Our team

Justin Allen McCauley

Principal

Justin Allen McCauley was born and raised in Portland, Oregon USA.  He graduated from Corbett High School, a small rural high school outside of Portland, and immediately began his university studies.  Mr. McCauley went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Portland State University.  He then completed his post-baccalaureate education at Warner Pacific College, earning his licensure to teach English at the middle school and high school level.  Mr. McCauley taught Language Arts, Leadership, and Film Studies at Centennial High School, in Oregon, for 10 years.

During his teaching career, Mr. McCauley continued his academic study, earning a Master of Education degree from Lewis and Clark College.  He has since furthered his studies at Concordia University, completing their Continuing Administrative Licensure program.  Soon after earning his master’s degree, Mr. McCauley began his administrative career as the Dean of Students for Centennial High School, then as the Vice Principal of Reynolds High School, continuing as the Principal of Reynolds Learning Academy, and finally as the Director of Education Options for the Reynolds School District.  During his tenure, all three of the schools where he served as an administrator enjoyed significant growth in academic attainment scores, particularly in Reading, and increased their state rating.

Natasha Sorak

Natasha Sorak

Head Of Elementary

Natasha Sorak is from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. She grew up in Chicago and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in history from Loyola University. Natasha moved to the UAE in 2013 and got her CACHE Level 3 as an Early Years Practitioner, followed by a Post-Graduate Certification in Education for K-12. Natasha is currently studying for her master’s in educational leadership with a dual degree in Psychology and Counselling.  

Natasha is the Head of Lower Elementary (Grades KG-2), with a focus in kindergarten specifically, at NAIS. Natasha has worked at NAIS since 2016, first as a KG1 teacher and now as Head of Department. 

Jennifer Rose McCauley

Vice Principal Elementary

Rose McCauley has been in education since 2003. She began her career teaching grades one through four in the United States before moving overseas in 2015 to work in the UAE. Rose has a bachelor’s degree in Education, Summa Cum Laude, and a master’s degree in Education, specializing in Curriculum and Instruction. In the UAE she worked for 4 years for ADEK in Abu Dhabi before shifting to Dubai in the summer of 2019. Since moving to Dubai, she has worked as a Vice Principal at North American International School covering all grade levels from kindergarten to grade 12. As North American continues to grow, she has now moved to specialize in grades Kindergarten to grade 5. 

Crystal Goodwin

Vice Principal Secondary

Crystal Goodwin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Columbia, College in Columbia, SC, her teaching certification from the University of North Carolina- Charlotte and her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Cambridge College. Crystal has been in education since 2002 serving as a Chemistry and Physics teacher, curriculum developer and as a secondary Curriculum Coordinator in the states and in the UAE. 

Education is the key component to bettering our society. She believes that when students are educated in a way that exposes them to the fundamental basics while progressing them into higher level thinkers, they will begin to make connections and understand how all topics relate to the building of our society as this will help prepare students to be global thinkers, innovators, developers, and builders within our world.

Head of departments

Bachair Abdou Elsayed

HOD Languages

Mussarat
Perwiz

HOD Art

Shilpi
Mukherjee

HOD Math

Imalka
Settinayake

HOD Music

Joby
James

HOD ICT

Fatima
Mohamed

HOD Islamic

Wanda Michelle Jeanphilippe

HOD English

Vibha
Singh

HOD PE

Irfana Bawla

HOD History & Business

Maha El Tantawy

Dean Of Students

Damarius
Ringo

HOD Science

Keisha McCray

Counselor

Anees Thashkent

Head Of Transportation

Kenette Sauza

IT Administrator

Santiyag Lopes

Head Of Maintenance

ADMISSIONS CENTRE