Our Team

Thabo Metcalfe

Primary & Middle School Principal

Having been born in Lesotho, Thabo lived in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia, the UK, Costa Rica, Cambodia, Indonesia and more before moving to call Hong Kong home. He feels very grateful and privileged to have experienced such an international life, but does find it hard to answer the question “Where are you from?”

Thabo joins THS from the position of Head of Primary School at Green School Bali where he could often be found with his feet in the mud, exploring the jungle and marveling at the incredible diversity of life. Thabo is excited to bring this love for nature to THS and Hong Kong, along with his many years of experience teaching and leading for meaningful, impactful learning.

Emma Mason

Primary & Middle School Vice Principal

Emma grew up in the beautiful countryside of the Peak District in the north of England, but after 13 beautiful years here, Hong Kong is very much Emma’s ‘other’ home. She graduated with a BA in English Literature and a deep love of books from Durham University, and later completed her PGCE and Masters in Education, focusing on classroom research and evidence-informed practice. 

Emma has taught various ages from Kindergarten through to Grade 6, as well as adult learners, and is extremely grateful for all the things she has learnt from her students along the way. After spending last academic year harnessing her passions of curriculum design and pedagogical research to support the THS teachers as their Curriculum and Instructional Coach, Emma is extremely excited to step into the role of Vice Principal.

Alison Kutlaca

High School Co-Principal

Alison hails from Melbourne, Australia but now calls Hong Kong home, having spent 8+ years in this wonderful city and 7 years at The Harbour School. She has no intention of giving up the incredible lifestyle and opportunities this cosmopolitan city offers. An English and Humanities teacher at heart, she was awarded a Double Bachelor’s Degree in Teaching (Secondary) and Arts (Literary Studies) in Melbourne before packing her bags for Hong Kong.

Being stationed at the THS High School over the past seven years has stretched and strengthened Alison’s practice and view on education. Through its ebb and flows, it has been been a wonder and joy to watch, interact and embed the changes that have taken place to create a dynamic and innovative learning environment. Within the space of seven years, Alison has tackled various positions as English / Humanities teacher, Humanities Coordinator, Vice-Principal, and is now happily working alongside her work-partner, Kyle King as Co-Principal for the fourth year.

Kyle King

High School Co-Principal

Kyle King is originally from the Green Mountain State of Vermont, USA. He holds a BS in Marine Biology from Bates College and an MAT in Mathematics from Simmons College. After a short career in water quality management and watershed protection, he recognized a drive for working with youth. Since then, he has been an energized teacher and leader in a variety of educational settings. 

Kyle recognizes the value of balanced learning and with a holistic
approach has developed programs and practices that have helped students reach soaring heights academically that make immediate and meaningful impacts on the world. By thinking beyond the classroom, Kyle sets up dynamic pathways that afford unique interest-centric exploration. This is best exemplified in the Bio Bus Social Enterprise where he has orchestrated a community centered effort to take the lead in sustainable transportation in Indonesia. 

His students have used pathway learning opportunities to Ivy League acceptances, TEDx presentations and even the crowning of Miss Indonesia. Kyle joins THS from the post of Head of High School at Green School and Executive Director of the Bio Bus Social Enterprise where he has led authentic engagement in solution-based learning.

Rafi Cristobal

Director of Social Impact and Sustainability Program 

Rafi has been with THS for 10 years now and moved to different campuses and grade levels in the school. Before joining THS, Rafi was affiliated with ESF in Hong Kong teaching year 12. He was also previously Subject Coordinator, Adviser and subject teacher in Social Entrepreneurship, Logic, and Human Philosophy in an exclusive private High School and College level for 7 years in the Philippines before moving to Hong Kong. 

His background inspired and helped him to recognize the opportunity to bring social impact and green initiatives on a wider scale to The Harbour School in summer 2019 and set up Project Hope in the extra curricular space together with two of his colleagues.

Dr. Jadis Blurton

Dr. Blurton has worked in the fields of Education, Child Psychology and Educational Psychology for more than 40 years, practicing clinically as well as teaching at the university level and working with schools.  In Hong Kong, she is the Founder and Clinical Director of the Blurton Family Development Center and 2009 recipient of the American Chamber of Commerce Ira Dan Kaye Award for Community Service in Hong Kong.

In 2013, Dr. Blurton was the opening speaker at Hong Kong’s first TEDx-Education Conference and is well known as a leader in the fields of education and psychology.  After first working as a teacher, she obtained a Ph.D. in Cognitive Development Psychology  and Master’s Degrees in both Special Education (gifted) and Psychology.  She is a Qualified Teacher in Hong Kong and a certified Montessori Teacher (AMS).  She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in two states in the United States and a Registered Psychologist in Hong Kong.

Dr. Blurton has served as a consultant to numerous international schools and speaks both locally and internationally on topics related to gifted education, alternative or progressive education, child and family development, expatriate children (“Third Culture Kids”), and special educational needs.

In addition to a background in teaching, she and her husband (Dr. Craig Blurton) have raised six children of their own and several “drop in” children for shorter periods of time.

It is from her experience as a parent and Child Psychologist that the school, even in its infancy, adopted a progressive view towards education, embracing a vision of education deeply empathetic to the individual, supportive of well-being, and seeking alignment to the future of humanity, society and work.

Dr. Mark Michelson

Dr. Michelson has worked on government relations and communication projects involving most governments in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States. These assignments have included issue advocacy, positioning, relationship building, event organization and management and various areas of communication.

From 2004 through 2008, he was the leader of a team responsible for marketing, communications and knowledge management at Invest Hong Kong – the investment promotion department of the Hong Kong Government – where he served as associate director-general for Investment Promotion.

Dr. Michelson has spent more than 35 years working in the Asia-Pacific region, part of which he spent living in Japan. He was managing director of Warren Williams International, a leading public affairs consultancy in Asia, which merged with APCO in 1997. Arriving in Hong Kong in 1980, he served as a senior consultant to international companies on trade, investment, economics, politics and other issues affecting business operations for Business International and The Economist Group. He has organized and directed government roundtables, business forums and client programs and written articles on Asian business issues for local and international publications.

Dr. Michelson served as chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Country Club, and he has been a member of three Hong Kong Government advisory committees. He is a visiting professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of Hong Kong, as well as a member of the Fulbright Advisory Committee, which nominates Fulbright recipients from Hong Kong, and Vision 2047 Foundation.

Dr. Michelson earned his Bachelor of Arts from Carleton College and his doctorate from the University of Illinois in Japanese studies. He also attended Harvard University, the University of Tokyo and the New York University Graduate School of Business. For his academic achievements, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research in Japan.

Rita Pang

Rita was educated at Harvard University and Duke Law School, having previously attended the Diocesan Girls School (Hong Kong) and Deerfield Academy (MA, USA) where she attained the Headmaster’s Award.

Rita Pang believes that communication is the key tool that we all need for building greater harmony. She believes that through debate, students not only develop critical thinking skills and persuasive communication skills, they could also discover their passion, and be future-ready to lead a purposeful life in harmony with nature and the changing world that we are in.  With that belief, Rita founded See Change Education which is focused on helping students to develop life-skills in “communications,” critical 21st century skills – from debate and public-speaking, to writing, and multi-media communications.

With a strong track-record in public speaking throughout school, Rita was an active participant in the Model United Nations at Harvard University and a member of her law school’s Moot Court Debate Team at Duke Law School where she won best speaker awards for the Jessup international Moot Court Competition at the regionals.   

As an ISTE-certified teacher, she now serves as curriculum specialist and lead instructor at See Change Education for both online speech debate programs for students aged 5-18 and offline school programs.  She served as the chairperson for the 1st and the 2nd International Parliamentary Debate Competition (IPDC) for the Greater Bay Area and the Belt-and-Road Regions, and also a chairperson for the respective AdjCore Committee.

Rita served as a judging panelist for the 2021 Social Enterprise Award by the HKCSS of the HKSAR (awarded to social enterprises that bring impactful solutions to support the underprivileged) and the Best Teacher Award (2021 GBA Competition organized by the HKNETEA and the EDB). She also serves as a committee member for New Sight Congo (an NGO which is dedicated to helping the people in Congo, Africa to restore sight and prevent blindness). 

Greg Stevenson

In addition to his role on the Harbour School’s Board of Directors, Greg Stevenson serves as a Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at T. Rowe Price, a US-based financial services company with more than $1.5tn in total invested assets managed on behalf of a diversified, global base of retail and institutional clients (as of 30 June 2024). Prior to his role at T. Rowe Price, he spent several years in New York City providing investment banking advisory services spanning mergers, acquisitions, corporate capital raising and competitive positioning analyses to a wide range of financial institutions throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. Having held multiple high-level corporate strategy positions, he has routinely demonstrated his expertise in and passion for providing tailored advice to organizations throughout his career.

Mr. Stevenson graduated from The University of Tulsa with an MS in Finance and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Relevant to The Harbour School, he maintains a strong dedication to academia, as demonstrated by several peer-reviewed academic journal publications. He is deeply committed to the success and vision of The Harbour School.

Martine McKenna

As the Event Planning Manager for Asia at Cooley, Martine specializes in orchestrating impactful and engaging events that enhance the firm’s visibility and strengthen client relationships across the region. She strives for experiences outside the norm and beyond the cliché of typical business events.

Beyond her role at Cooley, Martine is deeply committed to several organizations that reflect her passions and values. She serves on the board of The Harbour School, advocating for inclusive and experiential learning. Additionally, she sits on the advisory board at TEDxTinHauWomen, leveraging over a decade of experience in curating TEDx events across Asia to amplify women’s voices and inspire transformative ideas. Martine is also a founding committee member of the Impact Collective, a non-profit dedicated to breaking barriers and fostering opportunities for women through sport and physical activity. 

Her multifaceted involvement allows her to blend professional expertise with a commitment to community engagement, driving meaningful change in various spheres.  

Martine obtained her MA in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. 

Christopher Cuzme

Chris Cuzme is a successful businessman and musician who lives a creative life in the arts.  Once imagined, Chris brings it into existence for the world to enjoy.

Chris has studied jazz saxophone and improvisation for over 37 years and his musical journey includes studying under masters of the music in his high school years at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and his collegiate years at William Paterson University in New Jersey and New York.

It is through the language of jazz music and improvisation that he claims as roots to a successful life. Like life, music is as much an action art form as it is a reaction art form. A jazz improviser must be well learned in the idiom and find their own voice to present and contribute, but also listen as much or more than they play/speak…whilst also being willing to adapt and change in the moment for the betterment of the whole (despite how they thought the music was going to go when they picked up their instrument to play). The music as well as our lives are an information exchange where we forever learn together and strive to make the best music of the now. Confidence with humility, adaptability, a perpetual curiosity, and a dedication to quality and persistent improvement are characteristics that promote fun, happiness and ultimate success. 

Chris hopes to share and encourage these values through the board at THS.

Sage Parker

Sage Parker is a stage actress and writer who has also appeared in films such as Songwriter (1984), Robocop (1987), and The Legend of Billie Jean (1985), as well as numerous television appearances. Today, she is working as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has also served as Guest Artist at The Harbour School for a portion of the academic year, teaching individual classes in drama and in particular directing vignettes to be performed at the Renaissance Faire.

What Ms. Parker appreciates most about THS is that it encourages children to “find their voice”, through the Oracy to Literacy storytelling and Junior Great Books programs that begin at age four and continue through 8th grade. “Whether or not these children go on to perform in the arts, the fact that they can confidently, eloquently and logically express themselves is something that is extremely valuable for their futures. This school is unique in that it values this ability and encourages it throughout the curriculum, and I am proud to be able to assist in this project.”

Harry Chan

Harry Chan, the ‘Ghost Net Hunter’, is an avid diver for 30 years. He spent the last decade hauling abandoned fishing nets out of the ocean as his mission to clean up Hong Kong’s waters. Harry's influence reaches beyond environmental conservation, as he actively engages with schools, universities, and government agencies to raise awareness about ocean protection and sustainability. Through educational outreach and public speaking, he inspires individuals to take action and become responsible stewards of the environment.

Championing sustainable education initiatives, Harry and his team at Philanthropy for Sustainable Education Asia develops programs that tackle contemporary challenges and yield long-lasting societal benefits. With a background from King's College, Taunton, and St Stephen's College Preparatory School, Harry’s dedication lies in fostering educational growth and resilience in the communities.

Concurrently, as Vice Chairman of the Asia Pacific Humanitarian Emergency Rescue Organization, Harry focuses on addressing critical humanitarian emergencies guided by the "Basic Law of Hong Kong" and "one country, two systems" policy. Harry’s role capitalizes on sponsorship and corporate social responsibility, aiming to enhance life safety and asset protection.

Melanie Kwok

Melanie Kwok is the Assistant General Manager and Sustainability Head at Sino Group & Hong Kong Heritage Conservation Foundation (Tai O Heritage Hotel). 
With a strong academic foundation from Imperial College London and the London School of Economics, and credentials as a Certified Carbon Auditor and LEED Green Associate, Melanie combines technical expertise with a passion for environmental and cultural preservation. Her work integrates sustainability with business strategy, driving impactful initiatives in stakeholder engagement, community outreach, and environmental management.

She also mentors future environmental leaders and advocates for waste reduction through the Food Wise Hong Kong Campaign. Her approach demonstrates how businesses can harmonize environmental responsibility with community and heritage conservation, offering valuable insights for creating a more sustainable future.