ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY is pleased to announce the appointment of Gail Vannatta as the secondary school principal, Steve Ross as the assistant head of school, and Samantha Hodesder as its elementary school principal.
“Leadership is about a belief in doing the right things for our school and the people in it, without knowing when or even whether our goals will be met,” said ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY Head of School Gerald Teramae. “Steve Ross, Gail Vannatta, and Samantha Hodesder will fulfill these beliefs to the highest degree, which is why they were selected.”
Vannatta has more than 30 years of experience as an educator including 20 years of administrative experience. She previously worked at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama Campus and Damien Memorial School.
The past president and executive director of the Hawaiʻi Association of Middle Schools and a member of the International Society for Key Women Educators Delta Kappa Gamma, Beta Chapter, Vannatta is the recipient of the Laulima Environmental Leadership Award and a 2019 City and County of Honolulu Environmental Hero Volunteer Award.
Ross has 27 years of experience as an educator including 10 years at ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY where he first served as a first-grade teacher followed by nine years as the elementary school principal. Before that, he taught at Hanahau‘oli School and at Navy Hale Keiki School, where he began his career in education.
A licensed Tribes Learning Community Trainer, Ross served on accreditation teams for the Hawaiʻi Association of Independent Schools and is a Hawai‘i Council of Private School licensing board member.
Both Ross and Vannatta have published and presented nationally and locally on a variety of educational topics. Hodesder is entering her fourth year at ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY where she served as the elementary school guidance counselor and assistant principal. Her additional experience includes work in Southern California as a district facilitator and coordinator for the Drug and Alcohol program, College and Career Planning and Intervention Coordinator. As one of the lead counselors in the district, Hodesder helped develop 504 processes and protocols alongside the district coordinator as part of the crisis management threat assessment team for the area.
