BOARD MEMBERS

Ms. Aishath Lu-u-lua Hassan (Interim Board Chair)

Aisha is a Maldivian citizen and parent of two children at OSC, currently serving the School Board since March 2020 as an elected director. She is a co-founder of Avahteri Gallery, a social business promoting art and culture. Aisha brings her governance expertise and collaborative leadership skills through her previous experiences governing non-profit institutions that constituted to high regulations and standards. She has served the Board of Maldives Pension Administration Office as an independent director for almost 3 years, and the Board of Maldives Inland Revenue Authority for a 5-year term on its inception. Aisha developed her finance/investment literacy through her work at the Maldives Stock Exchange and Care Ratings Maldives (Indian Rating Agency). She was also a part time lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Computing, Maldives. She holds a BA (Hons) Business Management (Finance) from the University of Westminster, London.

Aisha looks to support the Board in ensuring that OSC delivers excellence in education for students from a diverse set of countries and backgrounds, and stays true to its mission, vision and values.

Ms. Heidi Hattenbach

An American citizen, Heidi Hattenbach leads the Public Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka.  She joined the Board in 2022 after arriving in Sri Lanka in late 2021. Heidi is married and has three children, two currently at OSC and one at university after attending four different international schools. An experienced advocate for international education, Heidi is committed to supporting OSC toward continued success as a diverse and inclusive community that encourages young learners to embrace curiosity and excellence. Heidi also serves as the Chairperson of the U.S.-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission, a binational commission which works to promote understanding between the U.S. and Sri Lanka through mutual educational and professional exchanges.

Mr. Romesh de Silva

Romesh de Silva is a British Sri Lankan dual citizen and is a parent of two boys. He has one child in OSC MYP and an older child who is currently studying at the University of California, Berkeley. Romesh is engaged as a Business Development Advisor to a US Silicon Valley IT company called Array Networks Inc and a Singaporean cybersecurity software company called CySecurity Pte. He is a Board Director of a leading value-added IT distributor in Sri Lanka called Connex IT. In addition to these three advisory roles, he also runs his own sourcing and exporting company called Global Trading Point Pvt Ltd. He obtained a First-Class Joint Honours Degree in Maths & Computer Science from Kings College London and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He has worked with Coopers & Lybrand London and Sri Lanka offices. Romesh specialises in import export and in developing IT business in South East Asian region. Romesh captained the Kings College First XI cricket team and his school chess team, enjoys playing tennis and table tennis and is a hands-on parent to his boys and a dog named Bruno.

Ms. Ahalya Chellaram

A Sri Lankan citizen, Ahalya has two daughters who are currently enrolled at OSC. She is a Chartered Architect with extensive experience as a consultant architect for an established architectural firm in the recent past. Her career experience in this field extends to over 20 years. She is also a co-founder of Greenfield Farm Organic Life, an award winning organic food brand with
international presence and is the Creative Director at Greenfield Bio Plantations (Pvt) Ltd., a pioneer in organic regenerative agriculture in Sri Lanka and an exporter of organic produce. She is deeply passionate about a holistic approach to education and is looking forward to supporting OSC in fostering a value system in line with the school’s vision that every stakeholder of the school carries through, especially the students into their adult life. Having worked on various sustainability certification projects for Greenfield Bio, she looks forward to supporting the school with the recent eco flag program and other sustainability-focused programs.

Mr. Kevin Price

Kevin Price is a Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo.  Before coming to Sri Lanka, he completed assignments in India, Uganda, Nepal, Laos, and Washington DC.  Kevin has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Master's degree in International Development and is originally from Chico, California.  He is married with two daughters.

Mr. Micah Olad

Micah Olad is an International Development expert with over 17 years of work experience. He
has extensively worked with governments, leaders and other stakeholders in both Africa and
Asia, to push the agenda of the world’s most marginalized women and children through public
health and policy advocacy efforts. A strategist and change management expert, leading Save
the Children’ largest U.S grant as Chief of Party for the PALAMA project in Sri Lanka, supporting
the ongoing Government school feeding program in over 850 schools, with funding from USDA.
He has worked in Laos, Sierra Leone and Ghana. Micah during his early career has conducted
formative surveys and designed SBCC (social behavioural change communication) modules, to
promote optimum school health and nutrition, particularly for rural schools. He is an active
member of the World Public Health Nutrition Association. Mr. Olad holds a Master of Public
Health degree from the Mountcrest University, PgD in occupational health, safety and
environmental management from Greenhill college, Bachelor of Science in Public Health from
Catholic University, all from his home country Ghana. He has 3 sons at OSC.

Mr. Andrew Traveller

A New Zealand citizen, Andrew is New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and Maldives. He and his wife, a dual NZ-Slovenian citizen, have two children at OSC. In 2021, Andrew led the establishment of New Zealand’s first resident diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka, having previously served in New Delhi, and in the South/South East Asia and Pacific Divisions of the Foreign Ministry in Wellington. Andrew is passionate about the role education plays for individuals and societies. Before becoming a diplomat, Andrew worked for New Zealand’s national innovation agency and as a consultant to multilateral, higher education and private sector organisations, including the World Bank and PwC, in Europe, Central Asia and Africa, focussed on the development of national innovation systems, strategic public finance, skills policy and leadership development. A lapsed musician, Andrew believes arts play an invaluable role in one's education. He holds a joint Masters in Public Administration from universities in Finland, Austria and China, as well as music and commerce degrees from New Zealand. Having joined the Board in 2023, he is keen to support the school to continue to deliver a high-quality, holistic education.

Dr. Michelle Kleiss (Head of School)

A Dutch/Canadian national, Dr. Michelle Kleiss has built an international school career for the past 27 years. She started her Headship at OSC in July 2019, after 10 years as Head of School in Cyprus – another CIS/MSA and IB authorised school. Prior to Cyprus, she was a Head of School in Saudi Arabia, and an Early Childhood Principal as well as Middle School Principal in Cairo – Egypt. She has worked as a classroom teacher in Munich – Germany, in São Paulo – Brazil, and in the Dominican Republic. She has an Undergraduate Degree in Education from The American University in Washington D.C. – USA, a Master’s Degree in Education in School Administration and Instructional Supervision from Bowie State University, Maryland – USA, and a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania – USA.