The Future of the IB - A Conversation with Dr Siva Kumari

Dr Siva Kumari was appointed seventh Director General of the International Baccalaureate (IB) in January 2014 based in the Netherlands office, becoming the first woman to hold the post.

Dr Kumari joined the IB in April 2009 as Asia Pacific Regional Director in the Singapore office. In May the following year she was appointed first Chief Operating Officer based in the Washington office, with global responsibility for research, university recognition, school improvement and professional development and relationships with schools, governments and foundations across the three IB regions: Americas, Asia Pacific, and Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Prior to joining the IB, Dr Kumari ended her 15-year tenure at Rice University, USA as the first Associate Provost for K-12 Initiatives. In her career at Rice she won competitive US National Science Foundation funding, local and national corporate foundation funding, and national and regional awards for her research and work in teaching and learning.

She has a bachelor of science degree from India, a master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and a doctorate in education from the University of Houston, Texas, USA in online learning. For her work in international education, she has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Amity University, India.

Social Links

LinkedIn: @sivakumari

Twitter: @siva_kumari