Meet Our Team

Amine M. Khoury is the founder and president of Eastwood Schools with its two campuses in Mansourieh and Kafarshima. 
 
Amine M. Khoury holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from the American University of Beirut. He also holds a Diploma in Theology and Philosophy from Cambridge University. 
 
His passion for empowering and educating children was at the core of what he envisioned in a school.

He founded Eastwood at an early age of nineteen with this vision in mind. Amine has directed the school with great fervor and inspired generations of learners to seek success. 
 
Amine actively gives back to the community and is an ecumenical persona. He has served as the Chairman of the Board of World Vision Lebanon for over 20 years. He also sits on the Board of the Bible Society and has been the Chairman since 2004. 

Michel’s learning journey commenced at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He, then, earned his MBA and a Master’s Degree in International Educational Development in Finance and Planning from Teachers College at Columbia University. Michel’s view on life-long learning and his commitment to better the quality of education steered him toward doctoral studies. Currently, Michel also has a Doctorate from one of the most prominent curricula, Educational Leadership, at the University of Pennsylvania. The degree is a joint program between Wharton Business School and the Graduate School of Education.

Michel worked for many years in the financial sector with jobs at Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch before moving into the world of education. He, later, went on to become the Operations and Development Director for a group of private schools in Los Angeles, California. He also worked in the public and private education sector in the United States before moving back to Lebanon, his home country.

Michel's innovation and relentless desire to integrate technology in education has made Eastwood International School a pioneer in the Middle East. Michel has successfully integrated technology to the most fundamental level of the school system, the classroom. As an Apple Professional Development Consultant and an Apple Distinguished Educator, Michel regularly gives workshops on how to better integrate technology in classroom learning environments. He has trained over 170 faculty members and administrators who now teach in Eastwood International School's iPad program. Michel has given educational technology workshops and teacher training to private schools in Lebanon, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Cendrella holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the Lebanese University and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the Middle East University. Cendrella joined Eastwood International School in 2004 as a middle and high school chemistry teacher. After teaching for five years, Cendrella became the Science Coordinator, revamping the curriculum and placing Eastwood International School among the best schools for science in Lebanon and the Middle East.  
 
Through the IB accreditation process, Cendrella earned the title of the IB Coordinator and is, currently, in charge of guiding Eastwood International School through IB’s challenging and exciting endeavor.  
 

With student-centeredness in mind, Cendrella implements this curriculum with utmost precision and encourages students to take on tasks with openness, reflectiveness, and curiosity.

She has been instrumental in Eastwood’s many successes in various science fairs around the country and her leadership has led Eastwood to win first prizes in the AUB Arts and Science Fair.
 

Dana Dimassi is the Primary Years Program (PYP) Coordinator at Eastwood International School. Dana holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the American University of Beirut with an emphasis on teaching elementary Math and Science.  
 
Dana began her teaching career at a PYP school and taught within the program for six years. She also held the position of the Math and Science Coordinator for one year before moving to Eastwood International School.  
 

At Eastwood, Dana is an elementary homeroom teacher and assumes the role of the PYP Coordinator. With Dana’s guidance, Eastwood International School implements the PYP in its Early Years and Elementary Divisions.

Dana is also a published author for children's stories in the Arabic language. Besides being a teacher, Dana is a passionate reader, dancer, and traveler. This is how she learns about the world.
 

Megan Spencer is the Early Years Principal at Eastwood International School.  
 
Megan has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and a Masters of Arts in Education from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. Megan began her career in education at Eastwood where she served as the receptionist initially, and was then promoted to Parent Relationship Manager and then the Director of Communications, before becoming the Early Years Principal in September 2019.  
 

Megan believes that education is empowerment and all children deserve an opportunity to be nurtured holistically; mind, body, and soul.  
 

Layla Itani is the Elementary Principal at EIS. She shares the school’s dedication to providing an empowering, meaningful teaching and learning environment for teachers and students. Academically, Layla has attained a bachelor’s degree and a teaching diploma in Elementary Education as well as a master’s degree in Education. She is currently in the process of writing her doctoral proposal.  
 
Over the past years, Layla has taught a variety of student groups in different stages of development. In addition to schools, Layla was able to integrate into educational centers for a variety of purposes.  
 
Further, Layla held an instructor position at a Lebanese university, where she also managed and deliver educational workshops.

Interpersonally, Layla is a strong believer in the power of collaboration to get work done effectively and efficiently. She advocates open-mindedness and transparency in all interactions between teachers, staff members, students, and parents. Most importantly, to ensure a safe and just teaching and learning environment, Layla trusts in equity when dealing with common affairs. Layla hopes that these values, among others, would be the foundation on which she builds a zealous team that actively and wholeheartedly works towards society’s continuous progress.  
 

Denise is a dynamic, multi-lingual and highly competent individual with 11 years of teaching experience in Canada and Lebanon. 
 
She has a proven track record in multi-cultural environments with excellent communication and team-work capabilities which is why she is currently serving as the MYP coordinator here at EIS.  
 

She not only has a Bachelor Degree in Education but also a Bachelor Degree of Science in Mathematics and Computer Sciences.

To top all that off, Denise has demonstrated great leadership skills by supervising several MYP personal projects and leading a team of digital design teachers as a subject coordinator for 4 years.