Billy Johnston

Billy grew up in New Hampshire in the northeast United States, known for its first-in-the- nation U.S. Presidential Primary. As such, Billy was quite politically active in his youth, both meeting and campaigning for local and national political candidates. It was here that Billy developed a love for the social sciences and attended The American University in Washington, D.C., where he obtained a BA in Latin American Studies/Spanish and also Economics, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 2001. Billy then returned home to New Hampshire, where he had his first foray into teaching, filling in for his high school algebra teacher while she was recovering from cancer. Afterward, he taught Spanish for a year before moving into the private sector for about a dozen years, where he worked as a research analyst and also a business developer. He has carried out market research and made a business presentation to a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Desiring new intellectual challenges, Billy returned to teaching in 2015 and has experience in various roles teaching Economics, Business Studies, Social Studies and English. He has taught internationally in Chile, China and Myanmar and has a teaching licence from the United States. He also has past experience being a Housemaster, where he was involved in organising student events as well as matters of student discipline. Most recently, Billy has been involved in mentoring teachers seeking a UK teaching qualification. 

Billy has also invested much time in professional development in recent years. He received a Certificate and Diploma in Pedagogy from Universidad Católica del Norte in 2018. To further enhance his expertise in teaching in international school settings, Billy obtained an MA in Bilingual Education/ESL from the University of Texas – Permian Basin, where he was named their Outstanding Graduate Student in 2020. Presently, Billy is a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a concentration in Global Studies in Education. The research area of his dissertation is Education in Emergencies, where he is studying the role community-based schools have played during Myanmar’s most recent crises, which he hopes to finish in the coming year. He has a strong interest in ways education can enhance communities, and bring about a greater sense of equity, social justice, and opportunity for youth. Billy is married and has four children, all of whom will be accompanying him to Vietnam. He loves reading, hiking, travelling, and discussing global issues.