Leif Gustavson
Head of School
Leif joined TMS as the Head of School in July of 2023. Before coming to The Marylhurst School, Leif was the Dean of the College of Education at Pacific University. For over 20 years, Leif was a teacher educator, focusing on teaching teachers how to be progressive educators. Before being a teacher educator Leif taught 6, 7, and 8th grade Language Arts and Social Studies, beginning his teaching career at St. Paul School for Boys and then moving to Friends' Central School before pursuing his Ph.D. in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Leif cares deeply about meeting students where they are and designing meaningful, joyful, and challenging learning opportunities with them. He's particularly interested in project-based learning, collaborative writing, and the role of improvisation in teaching and learning. When Leif isn't at school, he's cheering on Arsenal, his favorite Premier League team, baking bread, or working on the house.
Please reach out to Leif with any questions that you have about the school.