Humphreys MS: Administrator Bios

Mrs. Natalya Cho grew up traveling the world alongside her Air Force family, attending DoDEA schools in Spain, Sicily, Aviano and Panama. Mrs. Cho is an Air Force veteran and is very familiar with military life, having experienced it as a military child and as an adult. Mrs. Cho earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education, with a minor in Spanish and Social Studies from Eastern Washington University in 2006. She went on to begin her career in education with DoDEA, teaching 5th grade and elementary Spanish (FLES) at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, Korea. Mrs. Cho was involved in various leadership roles as a grade level chair and become a part of the Continuous School Improvement (CSI) program. In 2012, on a quest to expand her abilities and knowledge, she attained a Master of Arts in Educational Technology from Central Michigan University.

In August 2012, she moved to Okinawa, Japan, where she has served as an elementary teacher at Kadena Elementary School and educational technologist at Kadena Middle School. As an educational technologist, she guided teachers in developing new professional attributes along with helping them to integrate technology into their curriculum. Mrs. Cho has taught several graduate level courses for DoDEA teachers studying Educational Technology and 21st Century Learning at University of San Diego, California.

In November of 2020, Mrs. Cho was selected to become Assistant Principal at Kadena Middle School. Her leadership during the challenges of COVID and the continuously changing expectations from outside entities, provided students, parents, and teachers with consistency and comfort as she guided the community back to “normalcy.” Mrs. Cho worked with teachers and staff to gather input from all voices to create new norms with the changing environment and helped build a stronger community at Kadena Middle School.

It is Mrs. Cho's mission to promote servant leadership in her role as Assistant Principal at Humphreys Middle School. Driven by this mission, she is committed to growing relationships with staff, teachers, parents, and students, which is critical to guiding students to not only a successful grade school experience, but above it all, a fruitful and fulfilling future. Outside of her career, she enjoys photography, reading, traveling, and spending her free time with her husband of 12 years, Myongje, and their two children, Gianna and Daniela.

Ms. Alicia Stephens has been in the field of education for 18 years. During this time, she has served as an educator in the elementary, middle, and high school environment. She joined DoDEA Europe in 2006. During her tenure with DoDEA, she has taught in Japan, Korea, Turkey, Fort Campbell, and Laurel Bay. She is certified in several areas including special education, social studies, math, language arts, and AVID. She is also a Special Education Assessor. Her leadership roles have included Teacher Leader, Mentor, AVID Coordinator, Case Study Committee Chair, and Continuous Improvement Chair. Through the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce, she also served with allied forces in Afghanistan as a staff developer and ESOL teacher where she received the War on Terror and the NATO International Security Force Assistance medals.

Ms. Stephens holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology/Psychology from Francis Marion University, a Master Degree of Education from Cambridge College in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in education leadership.

Ms. Stephens believes student success is achieved through strong home-school partnerships that nurture the whole student while simultaneously providing a rigorous curriculum and social emotional support to encourage students to be life-long learners who persevere through problem solving.

As a graduate of Daegu American School, Ms. Stephens is proud to become an Assistant Principal in the same district in which she graduated high school. Her global experience brings a wealth of knowledge to Humphreys Middle School.