Bolles Associate Head of School Andrew Forrester recently announced that longtime faculty member Allison Chandler has been named the school’s new director of global learning and engagement. Chandler has taught various social studies classes with a global focus at The Bolles School since 2006 and has served as the social studies department chair for three years.
Forrester said Chandler’s breadth of experience and passion for fostering global awareness and cultural understanding will undoubtedly enrich the educational journeys of Bolles students.
“We are thrilled to have a talented, thoughtful educator like Allison take on this critical role and continue the momentum of the department of global learning and engagement,” Forrester said. “She has been an invaluable faculty member for the past 18 years, giving her a unique perspective as she takes the helm of the department. We look forward to seeing the innovative programs and opportunities she will surely bring to the table for our students.”
Chandler follows in the footsteps of the department’s founding director, Natalia Aycart, who left the role to spend more time at home with her family and newborn daughter. Among her many accomplishments, Aycart facilitated the opening of the Chahlavi Center for Global Learning and Engagement, established the Bolles Global Scholar Program and advanced global learning and intercultural competence across all four campuses.
Chandler has been deeply involved with the Bolles Department of Global Learning and Engagement, beginning in 2017 when she paired up with Bolles Spanish teacher Carrie Ezzell to co-chair a task force to review what Bolles was already doing in the area of global learning and how that could be expanded upon. During Aycart’s maternity leave, Chandler was appointed to take over her responsibilities as director, including teaching GLE classes and overseeing the Global Entrepreneurship Challenge.
“I’ve always believed that my role as an educator is to prepare our students for the modern world,” Chandler said. “It’s essential that we give our students the skills and experiences to be active, global citizens.”
Her extensive work in global learning ranges from participating in a Harvard Graduate School Think Tank on Global Education in 2018 and co-designing the Bolles Guatemala Expedition program to completing research for her graduate thesis in Bogota, Colombia. This summer, she will travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the Global Education Benchmark Group to investigate intercultural dialogue in practice.
Chandler holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and history as well as a Master of Arts in history from the University of North Florida, and her professional development has centered primarily on global studies. She is also a Dewan Teaching Fellow and the recipient of the Duane Ottenstroer Excellence in Teaching Fellowship twice (2012, 2015).
