With a focus on excellent outcomes and superior experiences, Amerigo Education builds supportive boarding communities for international students in partnership with strong American preparatory middle and high schools.
What We Do
Amerigo helps international students discover their passions, build lifelong friendships, and most importantly, thrive in the classroom. Through our boarding programs operated in partnership with American preparatory schools, we ensure that students receive the support they need to prosper in high school and grow into leaders that go on to succeed at American universities. At all of our campuses, Amerigo builds a close-knit community with support from caring mentors and programs to advance their English skills, academic abilities, and personal development. Each day, we strive to provide students with an enriching experience that builds the foundation for a bright future.
What We Believe
We believe that in today's world, any child can achieve their dreams with the mastery and tools cultivated by a modern education: rigorous studies of the arts and sciences, training in critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the enhancement of communication skills across a variety of media. But we believe that equal in importance to the content of education is the context: the environment of support and guidance received from their mentors, peers, and community at large. Together with our partners, our mission is to provide both an exceptional education that allows each student to realize their potential and to support them in a community of peers and mentors that inspire each other and help each other grow.
Who We Are
We are veterans of education who recognize the movement to become more globally inclusive and the increasing demand around the world of families looking for high-quality education for their children. What makes us different is our approach. From the beginning, Amerigo has embraced the challenge of creating a superior student experience that provides a consistent level of support to all of students, building on the best of education's tried-and-true past while also embracing innovation to look toward its future. To achieve this, we have built a team powered by knowledge and values with expertise across all areas of education and a shared commitment to an open and candid culture, a spirit of teamwork, and an emphasis on the needs of students above all.
Meet Our Team
The quality of our people is the cornerstone of our ability to drive student success and satisfaction. Our team brings together expertise across diverse educational and cultural backgrounds, drawing from former leaders of boarding schools, technological innovators, school founders, program specialists, recruitment managers and language experts. Our professionals have served as teachers, tutors, mentors, and coaches, and can fluently speak more than 15 languages.
Visit our Careers page and LinkedIn to learn more!
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Profile
xCraig Pines
Chief Executive Officer
Craig’s leadership of Amerigo builds on more than a decade of experience driving growth and innovation in education. Prior to Amerigo, Craig was President & CEO of Deltak, a pioneering provider of online education services for leading American universities. In 2014, after leading the sale of Deltak to John Wiley & Sons, he became a Managing Director in Wiley’s Corporate Development group, identifying and executing acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Craig is passionate about building a dynamic and cohesive team culture that drives successful outcomes for Amerigo's students. He received a B.S. in Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
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Profile
xDavid Napier
President & Chief Operating Officer
David brings years of expertise in international education as President & COO. Prior to Amerigo, David was Head of Operations for North America at Nord Anglia Education, a leading K-12 operator of elite international schools, where he oversaw the American schools and managed the Global Enrollment Team. Previously, David was Senior Vice President of Operations at the Meritas International Family of Schools, where he managed seven schools in North America and held positions in corporate strategy, M&A, finance, and school operations. Earlier in his career, David was Director of International Development at Kaplan and a Vice President at Sterling Partners. David received an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management and a B.A. in Political Science from Williams College.
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Profile
xDi Hu
Dean of Student Experience
Di Brings years of experience in international education as the Director, Campus Operations of the Amerigo Napa Valley campus. Before joining Amerigo, Di co-founded and operated DrEducation, LLC, a higher education research and consulting firm. Di has also worked as the Director of International Operations and Institutional Relations at Global Volunteers, where she supervised a global team to manage international service programs in nine countries and led the training and management of over 500 participants annually. Di brings over a decade of experience as an intercultural trainer and coach from both higher education and international education exchange programs. Di holds a bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degrees in applied linguistics and international development and is a native Mandarin speaker.
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Profile
xDouglas Milstein
Managing Director
Doug brings 15 years of experience in education and business management to Amerigo. Doug was the Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder of UTP High Schools, providing experiences for thousands of international students to study in the USA. Previously, Doug taught English and ENL both in New York public schools and overseas. Doug holds a Master’s of Education from Stony Brook University, a Master’s of English as a Second Language Education from Hofstra University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University studying Literature.
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Profile
xElizabeth Drake
Vice President, Global Marketing
Elizabeth (Beth) Drake has a breadth of experience in the international education sector. Prior to Amerigo, she was with UTP High Schools serving as Chief Operating Officer and VP of Marketing and Business Development. She began her career with CIEE, facilitating J1 visa programs to the US. This role brought her to Australia, where she was based for 7 years. Beth spent several years with Study Group Australia in marketing, sales and recruitment throughout Asia and Eastern Europe. She received her BBA in Marketing from James Madison University.
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Profile
xJohn McDonough
Chief Product Officer
John has been in the international education industry since he graduated from George Washington University in 2003 where he studied Russian language and international affairs.He speaks fluent Russian, Spanish, and Swedish and has knowledge of Mandarin Chinese. In 2009, he completed his Master's in comparative political economy at the London School of Economics, specializing in the development of Russia and China. He has lived, worked and studied in Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Sweden and has recruited students in over 45 countries for universities and high schools throughout the United States. In 2011, John co-founded an international education company, UTP High Schools, which manages and maintains international programs on several high school campuses throughout the USA. In 2021, UTP joined forces with Amerigo Education. At Amerigo John directs our product development and marketing teams.
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Profile
xKatie Blue
Vice President, Academics
In her role as Amerigo's Director of University Advising, Katie Blue brings eleven years of experience in the higher education industry. Katie leverages her experience working in Rice University's highly-selective admission office and her experience working directly with thousands of high school students on their journey to university admission. Katie is the proud mom of two powerful young women -- Macy and Nora. She's also the proud mom of Hank, the family's yellow lab. Katie and her husband live and work just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Profile
xLeona Mizrakhi
Vice President, People and Culture
Leona Mizrakhi is the Vice President of People & Culture at Amerigo Education. She joined Amerigo with over 18 years of human resources and organization development experience, most recently at Léman Manhattan, an elite boarding school in New York that serves domestic and international students.
Mrs. Mizrakhi has extensive experience partnering with senior management to create and maintain HR policies and procedures that align with the company's overall vision while consulting and coaching employees on all levels on day-to-day operations. She has a passion for providing training, employee relations, recruiting, performance management, as well as implementing and maintaining policy and procedures. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) national chapter. She graduated from St. Francis College with honors, enjoys international travel, cooking and playing tennis.
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Profile
xMark Morgan
Chief Financial Officer
Mark brings over 20 years of finance, accounting, and strategy experience to Amerigo. Prior to Amerigo, Mark's experience includes roles at the Big Four accounting firms Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mark has also held roles as Head of Investment Accounting at AlpInvest Partners, CFO of Conversus Asset Management, Business/Financial Planning & Performance leader at grocery delivery pioneer Peapod, and most recently CFO of Vosges-Haut Chocolat. Mark earned his Bachelors and Masters in Accounting Science from the University of South Africa, and is a Certified Chartered Accountant.
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Profile
xNerolie Grant
Vice President, Finance
Nerolie joined Amerigo in 2017, bringing with her 20+ years of finance, accounting, consulting and strategy experience. Nerolie began her career in Australia at Big Four accounting firm Deloitte, before moving to large corporates such as BHP (mining) and Cadbury (consumer goods) where she held various roles supporting sales, marketing, and supply chain teams with a particular focus on budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling. Originally based in the Amerigo Chicago office, Nerolie returned to Australia in mid-2019. Nerolie earned her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, and is a certified Chartered Accountant.
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Profile
xRaj Patel
Vice President, Enrollment Management
Raj joins Amerigo as the Director of Admissions and works with students from all of Amerigo’s global partnerships. He brings years of experience within international student recruitment, admissions, operations and marketing while helping international students to achieve their academic and professional goals. Recently, Raj led the strategic, operational and financial functions of one of Chicago’s longstanding academic institutions, which educates more than 2,500 international students. Raj holds a Master of Arts, with Academic Distinction, in Public Relations and Advertising from DePaul University. He received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Iowa.
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Profile
xRob Birdsell
Executive Vice President
Rob joins Amerigo with more than twenty years of business and private school management experience. A recognized leader of high-impact education initiatives, Rob was previously Co-Founder & Director of the Drexel Fund, CEO of the Accelerate Institute, and President & CEO of the Cristo Rey Network, where he oversaw the organization's national expansion. After beginning his career as a high school English teacher, Rob spent several years as a management consultant providing strategic guidance to higher education institutions. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Lubar School of Business and received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
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Profile
xScott Spragg
Chief Global Enrollment Officer
Scott joined Amerigo in 2016, building on more than a decade of work in international student recruitment at Navitas, an industry leader in pre-university and university pathway programs. Most recently, Scott served as Vice President of Marketing and Recruitment for Navitas’ university programs in North America. Prior to joining Navitas, Scott lived, studied, and worked in China, holding a position at the Australian Embassy in Beijing as well as founding one of the first foreign-owned media production companies in China. Scott holds a Bachelor's of International Business from Griffith University.