Leadership

The leadership of AESA Prep International are creative thinkers who are passionate about their disciplines and dedicated to their students. Our 10 to 1 student to teacher ratio allows our teachers to spend as much individual time with each student as they need, and creates an environment where students actively engage in the learning process. At AESA Prep International every student participates!

AESA Prep International leaders are committed to both academic excellence and social development. Our advanced learning management system enables our students to discuss and explore ideas in a safe, online environment that allows them to reach their full potential both as scholars and as young men and women. Every AESA Prep International parent is welcome to communicate directly with the teachers at AESA Prep International, and can log into our secure system to track the progress of their child.

AESA Prep International also is fortunate to have an excellent Advisory Board.

Barbara Garza

Head of School

The success of students at AESA Prep Academy of Austin, Texas inspired Barbara and the rest of the AESA family to share their world class curriculum with other students around the world. Thus they created AESA Prep International, an online, private high school modeled after AESA Prep Academy of Austin, Texas.

Barbara has almost 40 years of experience in education. She has served in a number of leadership roles, including Dean of Students at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, the #1 day/boarding school in the Southwestern region of the United States. 

Barbara has worked with students with a variety of needs, including at-risk students and students with ADD/ADHD and mild dyslexia. She also developed a Special Education program entitled “Partners in PE” that was recognized by the City of Round Rock for assisting students with more involved special needs. 

She also has extensive experience working with student athletes and coached Varsity boys and girls tennis for six years. Barbara’s family has a deep appreciation for athletics and has won “Tennis Family of the Year” award twice in Austin. Their twin boys received scholarships to play university-level tennis. Barbara and her husband Rick have been ranked number 1 in Texas tennis. 

Rick Garza
Director

Rick earned his BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He has 24 years of experience working in the accounting/finance field at UT where he has been responsible for annual budgets ranging from 5 to 30 million dollars. Rick served as Business Manager for the University of Texas Law School Library for 15 years and this past year left UT where he served as the Senior Financial Analyst for PETEX in the Department of Continuing Education. Rick officially joined AESA Prep International in 2014 and continues his duties as the CFO of AESA Prep Academy, as he has done since 2009.

In his personal life, Rick enjoys playing tennis. He has been ranked as high as #4 nationally in father-son. In the state of Texas, Rick has a long player history and has been ranked #1 in almost every division. Rick understands the struggle student athletes face when trying to balance their time training/ competing with time spent in the classroom. That is why Rick believes so strongly in the academic program offered by AESA Prep International.

Kyle Overby
Director of International Programs

Kyle has six years of experience implementing, managing, and evaluating international education programs in the United States, Panama, Spain and Sudan. In 2014, he managed the education department at an emergency shelter for 455 refugees from Central America.

During his university and post-graduate studies, Kyle had the chance to study in Panama, Spain, Japan, and the Philippines. From this experience, he became convinced that all students should have the opportunity to study abroad. He received a BA in Global Studies with a regional focus in Latin America from St. Edward’s University and a Masters in Global Policy Studies with a specialization in International Development from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

In his personal time, Kyle serves on the Board of Directors at the Mother Maryam Foundation, where he works on projects that expand access to clean water, healthcare, and educational opportunities in Sudan. Kyle loves traveling above any other pastime. However, he has been proudly shaped by his hometown, Austin, Texas, where he developed passions for live music, gastronomy, and adventuring in the great outdoors.

Liz Main
Director of Curriculum Development

Liz has almost 15 years of experience in the field of education fulfilling many roles including teaching, mentoring and curriculum design. She has worked in a scientific laboratory environment as a teacher, researcher and experimental designer.

Over the course of her academic career, Liz had the opportunity to perform original scientific research in several areas including a physical chemistry lab where she worked on the advancement of solar energy devices. Working simultaneously as a student, teacher and researcher, she became familiar with the scientific process from every angle. This experience ignited her desire to share her love of science with students. She received a BS in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago followed by an MA in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.

In her free time, Liz enjoys volunteering for local animal shelters and community gardens, painting and learning about astronomy. Since her move from her hometown of Chicago, Illinois to Austin, Texas, Liz has had the chance to do a lot of traveling around the country to visit friends and family.

Rachel Dory
Director of Marketing and Communications

Rachel Dory, a National Merit Scholar, received her BFA summa cum laude from the University of Washington in 1997. Rachel has received multiple awards for her work, and was honored as the Washington State Artist Trust Grant recipient in 2009.

Rachel Dory is a fine artist and digital media professional with over twenty years of professional experience in digital photography, website design, graphic design, video production and digital illustration as well as fine art production. In her professional design career she worked as the Art Director of Interactive Exhibit Production for contracts at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, Washington and the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC.

Rachel now lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Sean and their two daughters. In addition to teaching at AESA she is currently focusing on producing paintings for fine art exhibitions and is the owner of HS Creative, a digital interactive agency in Austin Texas. In her free time Rachel is also an avid equestrian.