Hello! I am Dr. Matthew Boomhower, an international school leader with a career built on growing academic excellence within vibrant, close-knit school communities.

Currently, I serve as the Head of School and at Mont'Kiara International School (M'KIS) in Kuala Lumpur. This upcoming year, I’ve been trusted by our Board of Governors to steward our community through a major transition as we begin a partnership with Nord Anglia Education. It’s a role that places me right at the center of organizational change, requiring me to balance fiscal rigor and operational stability while proudly protecting the unique, welcoming culture our families love.

For me, leadership has always been about creating institutional & academic growth without losing sight of the human element in the schools I serve. During my five years as Elementary School Principal at M'KIS, we managed to double our enrollment, growing from 250 to 450 students, while keeping our "small-school" community spirit completely intact. We also received top commendations during our comprehensive joint IB/WASC accreditation visit, which was a massive win for our faculty and families.

Before moving into executive divisional leadership, I spent three years as the K–12 Head of Innovation and Learning at M'KIS. In that role, I served as the primary architect for our five-year strategic action plans and oversaw curriculum alignment across all three IB frameworks (PYP, MYP, and DP). My foundational leadership roots, however, were planted during a deeply rewarding 13-year journey as an educator in Seoul, South Korea, where I worked as a Director and Curriculum Coordinator leading teacher-driven professional learning communities.

In 2020, I completed my Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership at Western University in Ontario, Canada. My doctoral research focused on creating sustainable, data-driven systems to support international school student well-being using Appreciative Inquiry processes. Today, my approach remains grounded in systems thinking: aligning school structures, admissions pipelines, and pedagogical practices so that they serve the whole child.

At my core, I am a deeply relational, authentic leader. I genuinely love partnering transparently with school leadership teams, Board members, faculty, students, and families to build a flourishing school where everyone feels valued.

My career as an educator is a gift that I've never taken for granted, and finding new ways to help our field move forward for all learners is what makes going to work each day a true joy.

Thank you for visiting,

Dr. Matthew Boomhower, Ed.D.