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Mar 8, 2026
Apr 2, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Board of Governors, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Zakariya “Zak” Palsha as the next Head of School of the International Community School of Addis Ababa, effective 1 July 2027.
Dr. Palsha is an accomplished international educator and school leader with more than two decades of experience in inclusive, inquiry-based International Baccalaureate (IB) schools across the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa. He currently serves as Superintendent of the American Cooperative School of Tunis and previously served as Head of School at Al-Bayan International School.
He holds a Doctor of Education in Executive Leadership from Seattle Pacific University, a Master of Education in School Administration from Central Washington University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Central Washington University.
In announcing the appointment to the ICS community, Yohannes Tsehai, Chair of the ICS Board of Governors, shared the following message:
“Zak is an experienced international educator in inclusive, inquiry-based International Baccalaureate (IB) schools with more than two decades of educational leadership experience across the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa. He currently serves as the Superintendent of the American Cooperative School of Tunis (ACST) and was previously the Head of School of Al-Bayan International School in Kuwait.
This appointment carries special personal meaning for Zak who is an ICS alumnus and whose parents served the school community for more than a decade as educators. Zak, his wife Dr. Nardin Omar, who works in the medical field, and their 15-year-old son Zaheen, 12-year-old daughter Zohal, and 4-year-old son Zahed are excited to move to Addis Ababa and join the same ICS community.
The Board believes that Zak’s combination of strategic leadership, operational expertise, educational vision, and deep personal connection to ICS positions him strongly to lead the school into its next chapter. We look forward to the energy, expertise, and perspective he will bring to ICS. We are confident that he will continue to strengthen ICS in line with our strategic goals: advancing learning excellence, fostering innovation, deepening well-being, and preparing students to contribute as globally minded citizens.”
Search Associates would like to thank all candidates who expressed interest in this opportunity, as well as everyone who contributed to and supported the successful search process for the next Head of School of the International Community School of Addis Ababa.
Yours sincerely,
Caroline Jacoby and Brent Mutsch
Please click here for position details and application instructions.
