Our Faculty

Corey Watlington brings over 25 years of experience in teaching and educational leadership to his role as Deputy Head of School at Avenues Shenzhen. Before joining Avenues New York and Avenues Silicon Valley in 2021 as Deputy Division Head, Corey held teaching and leadership positions at prestigious international schools, including the American School of Bombay, the American International School of Dhaka, and the American School of S?o Paulo.

Corey holds a Bachelor's degree from Boston College and a Master's in Teacher Leadership from Northwestern University, with additional certifications from Harvard Graduate School of Education and Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Corey is dedicated to creating learning environments that offer students a global perspective and foster critical thinking and creativity. At Avenues, he continues to champion educational innovation and cross-cultural learning, helping students develop the skills to navigate and solve complex global challenges.

Ryan Baxter is the Director of Teaching and Learning at Avenues, bringing 18 years of experience in education, including eight years at Avenues—three in New York and five in Shenzhen. Throughout his career, Ryan has taught grades K-8 and held key leadership roles, including Head of Mathematics, Technology Integrator, and Instructional Coach. Known affectionately as "Mr. B" to his students, Ryan is a firm believer in the transformative power of exploration, expression, and problem-solving. He understands that these experiences not only build perseverance but also nurture the qualities necessary for students to become empathetic, globally-minded citizens.

In his current role, Ryan is dedicated to fostering a collaborative and innovative learning environment. He focuses on empowering both students and educators to engage with meaningful, real-world challenges, ensuring that learning extends beyond the classroom and prepares students to thrive in an interconnected world.

Bing Han is a dedicated and experienced international school leader, educator, and coach, bringing a wealth of expertise in athletic programming and student development. He joined Avenues Shenzhen in 2023, bringing with him a strong background in sports leadership, school administration, and coaching at international schools. With a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Education, Bing combines analytical thinking with a deep passion for holistic student development.

Throughout his career, Bing has been instrumental in shaping athletic programs that emphasize not only physical excellence but also character building, teamwork, and personal growth. He is the founder of the Canadian International Schools Sports Association and has played a key role in fostering athletic excellence and sportsmanship in international education. Additionally, he served as chairman of the Pearl River Conference for five years, where he championed interscholastic athletic development and collaboration among schools in the region.

At Avenues Shenzhen, Bing is committed to cultivating a dynamic and inclusive athletics program that encourages students to challenge themselves, build resilience, and develop lifelong healthy habits. He believes in the power of sports to instill discipline, leadership, and a strong sense of community. As the WAM (Wellness and Movement) Coordinator, he works closely with students, faculty, and families to integrate wellness, physical education, and competitive sports into a comprehensive program that supports students' overall well-being.

With a vision of inspiring students to reach their fullest potential—both on and off the field—Bing is dedicated to fostering an environment where athletic participation is not just about competition but also about personal growth, collaboration, and the pursuit of excellence.

An experienced and forward-looking education leader, Jeff has served as president of Avenues: The World School since 2013. Under Jeff’s leadership, Avenues is developing one school with many interconnected and interdependent campuses located in leading cities around the globe. Today, Avenues serves more than 3,000 students at its campuses in New York, S?o Paulo, Shenzhen and Online. Additional campus development efforts are currently underway in other leading global cities including Silicon Valley, Miami, Shanghai and London.

Prior to joining Avenues, Jeff served for seven years as president and CEO of National Heritage Academies (NHA), one of the largest K-8 education management organizations in the United States, which serves more than 55,000 students at nearly 90 charter schools in nine states. Jeff led a team of 4,000 people, managed a $400 million budget and oversaw all aspects of the fast-growing organization. Under Jeff’s leadership, NHA opened more than 20 new schools, had 100 percent of its charters renewed and significantly improved student learning outcomes. In total over the course of his career, Jeff has been responsible for the education of more than 250,000 students.

Prior to his career in education, Jeff held various leadership positions in investment and corporate banking. He served as community president of National City Bank and president of Westwater Group, a Michigan-based diversified management and investment company with interests in education, manufacturing and other industries.

Jeff earned a B.A. degree in political science from Hope College.

William Lidwell is vice president of Tiger Works, the research and development group at Avenues. Will began his career as a systems designer and consultant for NASA, specializing in cockpit automation and astronaut training. He is author of several books, including the best-selling Universal Principles of Design, which has been translated into more than 20 languages; Deconstructing Product Design, a social deconstruction engaging more than 20 experts and 100 classic products; and Guidelines for Excellence in Management, a compendium of research-based guidelines supporting effective management and leadership.

Will lectures on topics of psychology and design for The Great Courses and Lynda.com and is a former lecturer on instructional system design and industrial design at the University of Houston. He is a co-founder of the company that has become the online learning division of Underwriters Laboratories and holds a diverse array of patents, ranging from coffee table and eyeglass frame designs to advanced methods of interacting with online animated assistants.

Having lived on four continents for a total of 26 years overseas, Tim has been fortunate to lead some of the world’s most iconic international schools, including the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia, the American School in Japan, the Country Day School in Costa Rica and Graded - The American School of S?o Paulo, Brazil. During his time in Indonesia, Tim was named the 2015-16 International Superintendent of the Year by the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE).

At Avenues, Tim has worked closely with the research and development team on programs seeking to reimagine the future of education, including the Avenues Mastery Academy and Avenues Studio Hamptons, and served as co-head of Avenues Online in 2018. Among other activities, he currently serves on Avenues’ global education team and co-leads Avenues’ initiatives on safeguarding and wellbeing across its campuses. Tim also serves on the NEASC Commission for International Education.

Min joined Avenues in 2015 as global director of strategy and campus development. In 2017, she was promoted to vice president of people and culture, responsible for leading Avenues’ global talent team.

Min brings more than 20 years of strategy, talent and operations experience to her work at Avenues. Previously, Min was the senior vice president of operations at Teach For America, where she supported the training and development of 4,000 new teachers each year. She also led the restructuring of the human resources division at the New York City Department of Education, developing processes and systems that impacted more than 150,000 teachers and staff members. Min previously worked as a strategy consultant and financial analyst with L.E.K. Consulting and Merrill Lynch.

Min earned her B.A. from Wellesley College. The mission of Avenues is especially close to her heart as she is herself the product of a global education, having grown up in seven countries in Asia, Europe and North and South America.

Mei has more than 18 years of experience in global business development and thought leadership. In her current role, Mei is responsible for expanding the footprint of Avenues: The World School across China—a challenge she embraces with passion and commitment.

Most recently, she served as operating partner at CITIC Capital in China, where she was responsible for screening potential investees as well as nurturing existing clients in the education, technology and media sectors.

Mei earned an M.B.A. from Murdoch University (Perth, Australia), where she lived for several years.