Tim graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in economics and English, before completing a master’s degree in economics at the University of Amsterdam. At UVA, Tim worked as a projectionist at Newcomb Hall Theater and was very active in the international community, organizing movie nights and sports events with the International Residential College. During his graduate studies, he focused mostly on behavioral and development economics. His thesis on Islamic banking and finance investigated the resilience of this nascent industry to financial crises. Before joining Hale, Tim spent three years as an admissions consultant in Singapore helping students find the right educational fit and apply to universities in the US. Born in the US and raised in Europe, Tim enjoys playing music, writing, and traveling.

Pierson graduated cum laude from Cornell University with a BA in history. He then spent time working in Washington, DC and Amman, Jordan before pursuing an MA at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in International Economics and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as a minor in Emerging Markets. He spent his first year at SAIS in Bologna, Italy, before returning to DC for the second year. Prior to arriving in Beirut, Pierson was running a cultural center and planning events as part of a Department of State-funded program in Tunis, Tunisia. He is originally from the San Francisco area of northern California. During his free time, Pierson enjoys traveling, playing and watching soccer (football), reading about history and world affairs, and improving his Arabic.

Peggy graduated from the University of California - Berkeley with a double major in Linguistics and French, and minors in Japanese and Applied Language Studies. During her time in Berkeley, Peggy was heavily involved in the international community, serving as President of Cal’s Taiwanese American Student Association, Chair of East Asian Union, and Marketing Director of Global Leadership Conference held at UCB. After completing an internship and study abroad program in Paris, Peggy co-founded a Language Partner and Culture Exchange program at Berkeley. She also co-founded Cal’s Mahjong club, facilitated 2 student-taught courses, and directed 3 hip hop/urban dance teams. Before joining Hale, she worked in the US, France, China, and the UAE. Born in Taipei and raised in Dubai, Peggy enjoys adventuring across foreign countries, experimenting different cuisines, and hosting language exchange meetups.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Paul graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tufts University, where he completed a double major in international relations and Arabic. Paul was a recipient of the Arabic Language, Culture and Literature Prize upon graduation. While at Tufts, Paul studied abroad in Amman, Jordan, during his junior year and worked with his peers as a Head Tutor for Arabic with the Tufts Academic Resource Center. He has also interned with non-profits and local government. In his spare time, Paul enjoys trivia, learning languages, traveling, and playing tennis.

Nana graduated from Pomona College with a major in Middle Eastern studies and concentrations in religion and politics. As a student, Nana was an active volunteer on and off campus and especially enjoyed working with students in the community surrounding her college. Nana also studied abroad in both Jordan and Oman, conducted field research in Gaborone, Botswana, and interned with an Islamic feminist NGO in Malaysia. Prior to joining Hale, she completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Manama, Bahrain, where she taught at Ahlia University. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Nana enjoys reading, music, studying Arabic, and traveling.

Originally from the Kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa, Melusi graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy. He began his career in education as a Fellow with the MATCH Charter Public School in Boston, where he tutored and mentored 6th, 7th and 8th graders in all subjects before moving to Dubai. Throughout his career, Melusi has developed test preparation programs for the SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, GRE, and GMAT tests for international test prep companies in Singapore and the US. He has an impressive record working with high-achieving students, many of whom have scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and ACT and earned perfect 800 scores on the SAT Physics, Chemistry, and Math Level II tests. Melusi has 8 years of teaching experience and is always looking for innovative ways to deliver content and improve student learning.

Jeffrey graduated from New York University with a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics and Languages. After college, he taught English in Lahore, Pakistan for four years where he helped middle school students develop their literacy in English. After returning to the USA, Jeffrey worked 2 years as a Math and Verbal tutor for SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT in New York and New Jersey for a leading international test prep company before making the shift to Dubai. He has scored in the top 99th percentile on both the SAT and ACT. With 10 years of teaching experience , Jeffrey capably and efficiently guides students to achieve their target scores on standardized tests.

Irish Clare Tolcidas is the assistant to the CEO at Hale Education Group. She joined the Hale team in December of 2018. In her free time, Irish enjoys going out on adventures, dancing, blogging and travelling.

Hamad graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor of Science in marketing communications. A Forbes 30 under 30 scholar, he worked as a marketing growth strategist for an education technology company that provides emergency education to impoverished and disaster-affected communities around the world and received recognition from IDEO, Forbes, CISCO, and Samsung. During his time in Baltimore and DC, he worked with Rustic Pathways in coordination with the Refugee Youth Project and designed a sustainable curriculum of service for young students to effectively assist with refugee resettlement. In Dubai, he redesigned the brand strategy for a sustainability-focused annual large-scale event. In his spare time, Hamad loves to learn new languages, travel, dance, make music, and learn about the human condition that drives people's behaviors.

Frida graduated Cum Laude from Tufts University with a major in international relations. During her time at Tufts, Frida was very involved in the international community on campus. She worked as a coordinator for the Tufts International Orientation Program, and as a mentor and member of the advisory board for the Tufts University Undergraduate Admissions’ PASSPORT Program. Frida was awarded a Certificate of Achievement recognizing her contribution to the international community upon her graduation. She also participated in study abroad programs in Italy, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Before joining Hale, Frida worked in Boston and Berlin as a student advisor for language immersion programs. Originally from Sweden, Frida enjoys traveling, cooking, and blogging.

Elysa graduated from the University of Chicago with a double major in public policy studies and Near Eastern languages and civilizations. During her time at UChicago, she served on the Executive Committee of Model United Nations of the University of Chicago (MUNUC), an international high school Model UN conference, and co-founded the first ever Arabic language magazine for undergraduate and graduate students. Elysa also worked in the Career Advancement office, connecting students with career opportunities in policy, politics, and public service. She participated in a study abroad program in Vienna, Austria. Before joining Hale, Elysa interned in strategic communications, development, and research with legal nonprofits and NGOs in Detroit, Michigan and Washington, D.C. Originally from Michigan, Elysa loves volunteering with community organizations, painting, baking, and eating copious amounts of ice cream.