Welcome from the Executive Director

The launch of this new website reflects our commitment to showcasing ACAMIS’s continued focus on high-quality professional development and student activities for our 92 member schools across mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Mongolia, and the province of Taiwan. Just as importantly, we aim to provide a more user-friendly experience, making it easier for our community to navigate and access the resources.

From the early years of its founding in 2000, ACAMIS has evolved into a vibrant present-day Association, governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, that exists to cultivate and attend to the needs and interests of our member school students, through the Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) Program, including ultra creative Robotics Competitions, active Sports Leagues and Tournaments and Student Awards. Students annually have the opportunity to apply for our Service Learning Grants and the Jim Koerschen Award where students can make a tangible and sustainable difference in their schools and communities. The ACAMIS Board of Directors awarded ten Service Learning Grants this past year totaling $10,000. ACAMIS was proud to introduce the Tom Ulmet Leadership Award last year, honoring an individual who exemplifies the personal and professional qualities of our esteemed former Executive Director. Dr. Chris Vicari, Director of Qingdao Amerasia International School, was the most recent recipient, recognized at the Spring Leadership Conference held at Xi’an Liangjiatan International School in April.

For educators, serving in a variety of roles, our aim is to expand our formal professional development offerings, including our six annual conferences. These educational events offer participants valuable opportunities for enriched learning, networking, gaining insights from renowned keynote speakers and peer presentations, and engaging informally with fellow attendees. See the slate of our 2025-2026 Annual Conferences with much more information on our new website:

Technology Conference - Shanghai American School (SAS Pudong) - October 18 and 19, 2025.
Early Childhood Education (ECE) Conference - Yew Chung International School of Shanghai, Puxi Ronghua Campus (YCIS) - November 8 and 9, 2025.
Spring Leadership Conference - American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) - March 20 and 21, 2026.
English Language Learners (ELL) Conference - QSI International School of Chengdu - April 11 and 12, 2026.
Conference for the Arts - Shen Wai International School (SWIS) - April 25 and 26, 2026.
Chinese Conference - Shekou International School - June 20 and 21, 2026.

Complementing these six Conferences, ACAMIS is fortunate to partner with PD Academia where we are able to offer weekend workshops on trending topics for leaders and teachers over the course of each year. We also have the benefit of our association with PeerSphere that offers over fifty workshops annually in a wide array of virtual and sometimes on-site sessions for all the stakeholders from school leaders to classroom assistants. We are also pleased to publish our thrice annual ACAMIS newsletter that provides a detailed overview of the benefits of ACAMIS membership.

Wishing each of you, as well as prospective member school friends, a restful summer and continued success in the new school year.

With warm regards,

Larry