Tyler Thigpen

Dr. Tyler S. Thigpen has worked in innovative district, private, and charter schools in Georgia, as well as national and regional nonprofits. Tyler is co-founder of The Forest School: An Acton Academy in south metro Atlanta, founder and executive director of the Institute for Self-Directed Learning, and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

Formerly, Tyler was partner at Transcend, a national nonprofit, and worked closely on innovative school projects such as nXu, Washington Leadership Academy, Whittle, the Academy Group, Brooklyn Steam Center, the Forest School, Art in Motion, Hebrew Public, Ednovate, Intrinsic, EL Education, and Teton Science's Place Network. Tyler also launched MENTOR Georgia, Transforming Teaching at Harvard, and the Chattahoochee Hills Charter School. Earlier, Tyler worked as head of the upper school at Mount Vernon Presbyterian School in Atlanta, Spanish teacher in Gwinnett County public schools, and minister at the Grace family of churches where he led international development in Peru in areas of healthcare, education, poverty reduction, infrastructure, and human rights.

Tyler holds a doctoral degree in education leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education, a master’s in public administration from Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a master’s in theological studies from Regent College of the University of British Columbia.

Education

• Master of Arts in Theological Studies (M.A.T.S.) Regent College (2006 — 2007)
• B.A. Furman University (1996 — 2000)
• Coursework Universidad Antonio de Nebrija (1998 — 1998)

Companies

• Co-Founder and Head Institute for Self Directed Learning (2020)
• Academic Director, New School Models Design Lab & Facilitator, Project Based Learning Cert Program University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (2019)
• Co-Founder and Head The Forest School: An Acton Academy (2018)
• Co-Founder and Advisory Board Member MENTOR Georgia (2017)
• Founding Partner Transcend (2016 — 2020)
• Co-Founder & Board Member Chattahoochee Hills Charter School (2009 — 2018)
• Doctoral Candidate (Ed.L.D.) Harvard Graduate School of Education (2014 — 2017)
• Co-Founder Transforming Teaching at Harvard (2014 — 2016)
• Head of Upper School Mount Vernon Presbyterian School (2011 — 2014)