Barbara Za Franks
Chief Academic Officer

Barbara Zá Franks is an accomplished educator with over 17 years of experience, specializing in international education, school management, and curriculum development. Born in The Bahamas, she began her career as a music teacher and founded the Center Stage Performing Arts Academy, an after-school performing arts school. Barbara later moved to Shanghai, where she taught primary English and Social Studies at Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School. During this time, she fostered a culture of continuing education for teachers, facilitating professional development training for both local and international staff.
In 2019, Barbara joined KnowledgeLink as Academic Dean of KL’s Chongqing campus. Since then, she has held various leadership roles in KL, including Founding Academic Dean of the Barstow Cixi and Barstow Jiangxi programs, Barstow Ningbo Dean of Faculty, Academic Dean, and Regional Dean. She currently serves as the Academic Dean of St. Mary Online Academy and Chief Academic Officer of KnowledgeLink.
Barbara has extensive international school leadership experience, having held Head of School and Principal positions in International Baccalaureate and American programs worldwide. She founded several international education startups, including Shanghai D.R.E.A.M., specializing in curriculum development and teacher training across China. Through her company, D.R.E.A.M. Consulting, she offers expertise in school management, strategic planning, curriculum design, school policy development, teacher training, and leadership coaching. Her latest venture, D.R.E.A.M. Education Solutions, is an international education management firm that creates high school and university pathways for students in Africa, the Caribbean, and beyond.
Barbara holds a Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.) in International Relations from Lynn University in Florida and a Master of Education Degree (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership from American College of Education in Indiana. She earned her Teaching Certification through Moreland University in Washington, D.C., and previously held an Elementary Teaching Certification and K-12 School Administrator Credential from Washington, D.C. She is currently finalizing her doctoral dissertation for her Doctorate or Education Degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, focusing on The Influence of Leadership Behaviors on Teacher Retention, which she plans to defend at American College of Education in Spring 2025.
As an educator, Barbara is dedicated to scholarship, diversity, equity, lifelong learning, ethics, and most of all, excellence. She strives to positively impact schools by guiding administrators to lead high-performing institutions, inspiring teachers to deliver high-quality instruction, and designing curricula that provide students with practical, real-world learning experiences. Passionate about fostering academic excellence, she is committed to helping institutions achieve their vision and mission to ensure that all students reach their full potential.

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