Faculty & Staff Directory

Began at CAIS 2025

Susu Huang is a highly skilled and veteran bilingual teacher, with over 20 years experience teaching at several well-regarded schools in Shanghai. She and her family (twin seventh grade sons) moved here to the Bay Area in 2023.

Began at CAIS 2022

Began at CAIS 2026

Brandon Joseph is a theater educator, director, and storyteller who believes that every student has a role to play — and that the best ensembles are built on imagination, a willingness to take the stage in positive risk and by showing up for oneself and others. He comes to CAIS having worked across theater education, devised performance, and youth arts programming, and currently serves on the board of A.C.T. at the pleasure of the Nancy Livingstong trust.

Brandon is passionate about creating spaces where students find their voice—sometimes literally.

Began at CAIS in 2018

Proud of her mother’s Shanghai and Hong Kong roots, Mrs. Kaz studied Chinese at Brown University and at the Beijing Institute of Education. She earned her master’s degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early/Middle Childhood Literacy: Reading­-Language Arts. At Tsinghua International School 清华大学附中国际部, she taught English and music and started a golf team. At Sheridan, an independent school in Washington, DC, she taught second grade, fourth grade, and 8th grade geometry, and she helped develop curriculum, including a social studies unit on the Silk Road. At Georgetown Day School, another independent school in Washington, DC, she was a third grade lead teacher and the Chair of the national Asian Educators Alliance Conference. Mrs. Kaz is an experienced practitioner and mentor with Readers and Writers Workshop as well as with Responsive Classroom. In her practice as a teacher, she has shown deep commitment to engaging with issues of social class, gender, race, and social justice.

A Chinese and German speaker, she is also a:
• soprano with the International Orange Chorale and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
• golfer
• triathlete
• skier
• SCUBA diver (PADI-certified rescue diver)
• certified emergency first responder

Began at CAIS 2021

Lee Laoshi is a dancer, performer, and educator who for the last few years has called San Francisco home. Prior to moving to San Francisco, she completed her B.S. in Physical Education at the University of Taipei. After graduating, she danced professionally for over 10 years as well as running the dance company TS Fire group. As a dance director, Ms. Lee was responsible for coordinating and planning dance events directly with clients.  It is during this time that her passion for social media and video/photo editing tools began to flourish. Whether home or abroad, Ms. Lee’s message to her students has always remained the same: Take what she teaches and make it their own.

Began at CAIS 2025

Kelly Leighton recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a molecular cellular biology bachelors of science degree. She also has a certified nursing assistant certificate.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2019

Li Laoshi was born and raised in Beijing China and worked with children from K-5 for over 10 years in international schools before joining the CAIS community. She LOVES children and especially enjoy watching their abilities to grow and develop. She also loves singing, dancing, exploring new places and food.

BEGAN AT CAIS 2022

We are thrilled to welcome Ms. Li to our Middle School faculty. She brings deep knowledge in math instruction and holds a Master of Education in Learning Design, Innovation and Technology from Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Connecticut. In addition to teaching at Silver Lane Elementary School and Bowers Elementary School in Connecticut, she comes to us most recently from research positions at NeuroMaker STEM in Somerville, MA, and MIND Research Institute in Irving, CA. She is a Mandarin speaker and in her graduate studies, she worked to build relationships with international students across academic disciplines and cultures.

Began at CAIS 2023

Preschool Support Teacher Wei Ling (Michelle) Li comes from Canton, China, where she was an elementary school music teacher for 8 years. Before joining CAIS in 2023, she worked at Chinatown Community Children’s Center for four years. She loves interacting with children and supporting their growth, as well as creating a harmonious working environment with colleagues. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, singing, traveling, and spending time with her family.