A. Joseph Tamer
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
My academic background reflects the breadth I bring to educational leadership. I hold master's degrees in Molecular Biology and Curriculum Design & Instructional Technology, complementing a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As an undergraduate, I also studied World Religions and Environmental Policy & Management and, as an O'Hearn Scholar, conducted research and studied German at the University of Regensburg.
Classroom Teaching Experience
I bring 14 years of independent-school teaching experience across middle and high school, with courses spanning biology, chemistry, physics, astrobiology, computer science, mathematics, and world religions. My work with NASA Infiniscope later took me into dozens of classrooms nationwide, where I worked alongside educators and students to understand how NASA science and digital learning could strengthen existing curricula.
Experience in Boarding Schools
Boarding-school life has been a recurring thread throughout my career. At Emma Willard, I taught, advised, coached, and served as residential faculty; at Marianapolis and Rancho Solano, I led residential programs as Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life. Today, my family lives on the Fay School campus. These experiences have taught me how academics, advising, athletics, residential life, and relationships combine to support adolescent growth.
Personnel and Budget Management
At Marianapolis and Rancho Solano, I supervised residential faculty while managing budgets supporting student and residential life. At ASU, those responsibilities expanded substantially: I have managed $4M–$5M in annual spending across complex educational portfolios funded by NASA, NSF, and the U.S. Department of Education while overseeing staffing, forecasting, resource allocation, procurement, and operational planning.
Ability to Work Flexible Hours
Educational leadership has never been a 9-to-5 responsibility for me. Today, I lead ETX's Tempe-based operations while traveling roughly one week each month and remaining available across projects and time zones. More importantly, I served in the Administrator on Duty rotation at both Marianapolis and Rancho Solano. I understand the unpredictability of residential-school leadership and genuinely enjoy being present for the daily life of an active school community.