A vital element of Barbara Martin’s educational mission is shaping students’ minds and hearts.

For more than 25 years, Martin has served as an educator and school leader across France and Canada and is the current head of school at the Lycée Français de Toronto.

On July 1, Martin will continue her scholastic journey as head of school at Mercer Island’s French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS), succeeding Eric Thuau. A press release notes that Martin will bring extensive experience leading international, bilingual schools through strategic growth, program expansion, and institutional development to the local school.

FASPS’s Mercer Island campus features preschool, elementary and middle school learning, and it also has a preschool campus on Capitol Hill in Seattle.

Following a comprehensive global search that began with nearly 30 applicants, Martin was appointed to her new position on Dec. 19, 2025.

“Candidates were evaluated on leadership experience, references and alignment with FASPS’s long-term priorities, including bilingual excellence, student well-being, community engagement and strategic growth,” reads the press release, in which Julien Hervet, chair of the FASPS Board of Trustees, said that Martin’s appointment was unanimously approved.

Martin, who spoke to the Reporter on a phone call from Toronto, was immediately drawn to the spirited FASPS community and its delivery of strong academics and belief in bilingualism, biculturalism and global citizenship as lived experiences.

“FASPS really sits at the crossroads of cultures, languages and educational traditions with a clear mindset of innovation. That is exactly where I feel I do my best work,” said Martin, adding that her vision for FASPS is that it will be both excellent and deeply human.

On the humanity front, Martin, 47, said that she sees education as being first and foremost about relationships, trust and care.

“I really want students to leave school with strong academic skills, but also with confidence, with curiosity, with empathy and really a sense of responsibility towards others,” said Martin, noting that she calls her students “my seeds of the future.”

Highlights of Martin’s educational career were becoming the youngest school leader in France at the age of 29 while serving as deputy principal at Collège Léonard de Vinci in Guigneville-sur-Essonne; being named Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the president of the French Republic and more.

Martin, who was educated in the French system and began her career as a biology teacher, grew up with the core family values of respect for others, hard work and openness to the world.

In the education world, she believes that schooling is not solely about systems and structures, but “about people, about cultures, and the courage to evolve in a complex changing world.”