Our Management Team

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Sylvia L. Sacal, MA, PhD

Co-CEO

• Strategic Planner: Leads GEMS- Global, LLC by leveraging a 40-year legacy in education and executive HR leadership to provide school districts with high-caliber, classroom-ready talents.
• Triple-Certified Subject Matter Expert: Offers deep instructional expertise in Special Education, English, and English Language Development.
• Dual-Perspective Veteran: Bridges the gap between theory and practice through 23 years of university-level instruction and 19 years of K-12 specialization (11 years in Special Education; 8 years in ESOL).
• HR & Talent Acquisition Authority: Formerly served as HR Director and Co-Owner of Career Studios, Inc. (2022-2025), applying modern recruitment analytics and retention strategies to the educational workforce. 
•  Candidate Readiness Architect: Facilitates transformative professional development and webinars that prepare teacher candidates to excel in high-stakes interviews and diverse, modern instructional environments.
• District Success Advocate: dedicated to developing a cadre of exemplary teachers aligned with NBCT standards, specifically equipped to enhance student achievement and meet the rigorous administrative requirements of US school districts.

Lourderico R. Pagara, MA, EdD(c) 

Co-CEO

• Strategic Visionary: Leads GEMS- Global, LLC in architecting comprehensive teacher recruitment solutions, utilizing over 35 years of educational experience to resolve critical staffing shortages for U.S. schools.
• Advanced Academic Expert: Doctoral Candidate (Ed.D) in Educational Management and Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education, with a research focus on literacy support frameworks and student reading achievement. 
• Award-Winning Practitioner: Two-Time "Teacher of the Year" (2012-2013 & 2015-2016) with specialized credentials in Special Education and Montessori pedagogy, ensuring an elite standard for teacher-candidate vetting.
• End-to-End Recruitment Architect: proven expert in the "Application-to-Classroom" pipeline, having successfully navigated international applicants through rigorous eligibility screening, document verification, and pre-screening interviews.
• North Carolina Operations Specialist: Former Lead Coordinator for AKAP Teacher Recruitment and current North Carolina educator, providing first-hand expertise on meeting stringent state and federal regulatory requirements.
• Logistics and Compliance Authority: Managed complex facility operations and pre-departure logistics, including visa processing and intensive orientation webinars to ensure seemless transitions for international clients.
• Continuity of Support advocate: Dedicated to the "American Teaching Journeyb"y providing ongoing professional development and cultural exchange support, ensuring teachers thrive and student achievements increase from "Day One".