Meet The Team

Founder

Brett Campbell

In 2010, our beloved friend and colleague, Brett Campbell, co-founded the American Institute with the lofty goal of bringing the American education system closer to Croatia. In addition to his many responsibilities at the American Institute, Brett worked as a lecturer at the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Political Science and the College of International Relations and Diplomacy Dag Ham-marskjöld. He also served as a freelance copy editor for GONG, UNDP, the Institute for International Relations, and GiZ, among others. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Brett earned a master's degree in European and Eurasian studies from George Washington University and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in International Studies at the University of Trento.

After a long, arduous struggle with cancer, Brett had to leave his loving family, dear friends and students, and cherished American Institute behind. His unwavering wit, charm, and way with words, which he wielded so eloquently, will live on forever in the hearts of those privileged enough to have crossed his path.

Executive Director 

Alexandra Chioureas Posković

Alexandra is an educator from Calgary, Canada.  She has received a Bachelor’s in Psychology, followed by a TEFL/TESL certification, and a Bachelor’s of Education in 2019. She has 10 years of experience in teaching and believes literacy is the key to success. She champions building a sense of community and connection in the classroom and enjoys using new technologies to teach. Alexandra’s familial origins are Greek and her husband’s are Croatian which helped influence their decision to move to Zagreb. When she is not teaching, she is dancing and traveling to neighboring cities and countries. She also works on her own professional development by keeping up with online courses and attending a minimum of 2 seminars each year.

Administrator

Sabina Bajruši

The American Institute's administrator is Sabina Bajruši, a Croatian- Canadian practitioner, who brings more than 20 years of experience inteaching, directing, and playwriting to our team. Sabina previously lived in Winnipeg, Canada, and, while there, taught drama at the Manitoba Theater for Young People, the Prairie Theater Exchange, and the Winnipeg School Division. Upon returning to Croatia, Sabina continued her career in the fields of publishing and corporate administration, among other areas.

Receptionist

Helena Li Huang

Helena is a student who was born and raised in Zagreb. She is studying Tourism and Hotel Management, majoring in hospitality. After completing high school she began hostessing and in 2020 she became a part of The American Institute. Growing up with a Croatian mother and a Chinese father she learned a lot about what it means to be multilingual and cultured. In her spare time, she loves to travel, try out different cuisines, watch movies, and play tennis.

Instructor

Paul McCaffrey

Paul comes from County Fermanagh in the north of Ireland. He completed his degree in 1994 in Leicester at De Monfort University in Business and Spanish. In 1995 he became a TEFL teacher at Oxford House College, London. Throughout his 25 year career he has taught PET, FCE, CAE, IELTS, CPE, TEOFL, Business English and general English in 9 different countries to all ages and nationalities. He is currently in his 11th year teaching in Croatia having initially came here in 1998. Paul is also a qualified examiner for the FCE oral examinations. He has taught students from every continent during many years of teaching at assorted summer schools. When he is not working he likes to read, learn Croatian and go fishing.

Instructor

Paško Vrbat

The son of Croatian immigrants, Paško was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. After completing a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Western Sydney in 2006, Paško worked in the Australian public and not-for-profit sectors, mainly as a proofreader and editor. During this period, he also earned a master’s degree in non-fiction writing from the University of Technology, Sydney, before eventually moving to Zagreb. Paško believes that words matter, and encourages his students to develop their writing skills by reading as widely as possible. When he’s not in the classroom, Paško enjoys reading good books, traveling, and live music events.

Instructor

Adam Webster

Adam has been teaching English since 2013 in places such as Wroclaw, Poland; Copenhagen, Denmark and now Zagreb where he has taught both business and general English to both schools and companies. Adam strives to create a dynamic classroom atmosphere in which he can enthuse and motivate students while offering English that is relevant to their daily lives. He has both a BA and an MA in music from Liverpool Hope University and a 120 hour TESOL. Outside of teaching, he is an improvising musician, playing cello, various objects and creating bespoke, improvised stories. Adam is a member of an Anglo-Polish group called Shepherds of Cats who have played in Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic and the UK. He also plays with many of the excellent improvising musicians in Zagreb and can be found regularly either on stage or in the audience at places such as Vinyl, KSET and Močvara.

Instructor

Jason Magalios-Schulein

Jason was born and raised in Athens, Greece in a Greek-Canadian family. With a passion for theatre and public speaking, he excelled in activities centred on the English language and communication skills throughout high school. After graduation, he travelled to Ontario, Canada where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Studies from Queen’s University. Somewhere along the line, he discovered he had a knack for teaching English and helping others with their English language work. Thus began his career as a teacher. Wishing to see more of the world, Jason travelled far and wide, from the Americas to East Asia, exploring and learning of new cultures and strange cuisines. Throughout, his capacity as a teacher facilitated his path and his skills and knowledge grew. Having finally landed in Croatia, Jason continues his hobbies of reading, traveling and cooking.

Instructor

Drina Chhay

Drina has lived in Croatia since 2020, and before that, she lived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is originally from Calgary, Canada, like our Executive Director, and comes from a background in oil and gas, and technology. Though her background is technical, she finds working with children to be the most rewarding. When she is not volunteering, she is deep in the woods with her dog Woodie. 

Instructor

Vesna Jakirčević

Vesna, originally from Toronto, Canada, relocated to Zagreb where she completed her education at the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Philosophy. As a long-time resident of Croatia and a native English speaker, she is able to provide a unique perspective on the English language at a cultural level. Vesna’s professional path has included translating, editing and voice-overs, as well as teaching English. Her experience of having lived and worked abroad offers the kind of insight that sparks the curiosity of her pupils, which, in turn, encourages lively discussions. Vesna has a passion for language and conversation and enjoys conveying that passion to others. When she’s not “speaking”, she enjoys

watching movies, attending concerts, going to the theatre, recreational activities and Zagreb’s favourite pastime – having coffee.