LEADERSHIP TEAM

School Director

Katja was born and raised in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She studied Geography and German letters at the University of Tübingen, where she received her Teaching Certificate For Higher Education, followed by two teaching periods at two Higher Education Colleges (Gymnasium) in Tübingen.

In 2012, after ten years of teaching experience – and numerous further education courses, one of which was for becoming a drama teacher – Katja joined the School Administration of the French School, a newly founded community school in Tübingen.

Inspired by both her studies in School Management and a multilateral ERASMUS project, she decided to join the Ecole as of the summer 2017, together with her son Sven. What Katja particularly appreciates about working at the Ecole are the exciting and challenging aspects of living and working in an international, multicultural and committed community.

In her free time Katja likes reading, traveling, baking and walking, and she enjoys the breathtaking panorama of the Hasliberg.

email: katja.braun@ecole.ch

CFO ad interim

Felix completed his studies with a master in Business Administration at the University of Berne in 1987 and subsequently held various positions in Controlling with UBS in Zurich and New York. In 2000, he joined the leading Swiss private equity firm Capvis AG as CFO. He retired from Capvis in 2018 and has held since various board positions with Capvis in Baar und Jersey as well as other privately held companies in Switzerland.

email: Felix.Rohner@ecole.ch

Dean of the US Program

Brian grew up in the United States where he earned a B.A. from Hanover College in 1995, his teaching license from Prescott College in 2005, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University in 2009. Before moving to Switzerland, Brian worked in both traditional and charter schools, non-profit partnerships for environmental education, and in curriculum development. He found his way to the Ecole after serving as head of the English department at a K-12 American school in Kuwait. After serving as Assistant Dean at the Ecole for three years he was promoted to Dean of Academics in 2022.

Brian has authored two books on long-distance running and enjoys many outdoor activities and time with his wife and two daughters.

email: Brian.Stark@ecole.ch

Dean of the Swiss Program

Dr. Andreas Kramer grew up in Germany with his five siblings and studied mathematics, sports science and Spanish in Freiburg im Breisgau and Granada for the high school teaching degree. After the state examination, he was drawn to the world of science, where he spent twelve years at the Universities of Freiburg and Constance and completed his PhD. In that time, he enjoyed teaching as well as doing research, and thus eventually returned to education. Since 2020, he has been working at the Ecole d'Humanité, teaching mathematics and physics. Andreas Kramer lives at the Ecole with his partner Isabel Nägele, who works here as an art therapist. He likes to spend his free time outdoors, be it on various bikes, on skis, on a longboard or with a surfboard on the waves of the Atlantic.

email: andreas.kramer@ecole.ch

Dean of Residential Life

Matthias Oltmanns was born and raised in Germany. He studied geography, physical education, mathematics, and education in Bonn and Nuremberg. After his studies, he taught at various schools in southern Germany. Matthias has extensive experience in the boarding school environment. He has a passion for experiential education, for which he received extensive further training. Before Matthias came to the Ecole in 2023, he worked at a German boarding school for six years and completed a master's degree in Educational Management at Kassel International Management School.

He looks forward to working at a unique school like the Ecole and to life in the Swiss Alps, where he enjoys walking, cycling, and skiing in his free time.

email: matthias.oltmanns@ecole.ch