Dr. Tyler S. Thigpen

Tyler is co-founder and CEO of The Forest School: An Acton Academy in Trilith, The Forest School Online, and the Institute for Self-Directed Learning. He served as the Academic Director at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and Guest Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tyler has worked in innovative district, private & charter schools, as well as statewide and national nonprofits. Formerly, Tyler was partner at Transcend, a national nonprofit in school redesign. Tyler also co-founded MENTOR Georgia, Transforming Teaching at Harvard, and the Chattahoochee Hills Charter School. Earlier, Tyler worked as head of the upper school at The Mount Vernon School, Spanish teacher in Gwinnett County public schools. Tyler holds a doctoral degree in education leadership from Harvard Grad School of Education, a master’s in public admin. from Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a master’s in theological studies from Regent College of the U of British Columbia.