Tim Stuart

Tim Stuart was a Third Culture Kid before he spent a career working with them. Raised and educated in France and Germany, he has spent more than thirty years in international education since, in schools across Ethiopia, Turkey, Switzerland, Indonesia, and Singapore, as well as on the Navajo reservation in the United States.

He served as High School Principal at Jakarta International School, then as Executive Director of Strategic Programs and High School Principal at Singapore American School, and as Head of School at the International Community School of Addis Ababa. Most recently he was a Regional Education Officer with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Schools.

Tim is also a widely published author, with five books on professional learning communities, personalized learning, and building schools where every student can do well, including work on PLCs in the IB Primary Years Program. In 2025 he received the ECIS Outstanding Service to International Education Award. He holds an Ed.D. from Seattle Pacific University, an M.Ed. from The College of New Jersey, and a B.A. from Wheaton College.

At Search Associates, Tim leads both our consulting division and our work with member schools. On the consulting side, he is the first point of contact for schools seeking our help, overseeing engagements that range from Head of School and senior leadership searches to governance, strategic planning, and leadership development, and he still takes on select searches himself. On the school side, he supports our member schools in their recruitment efforts, manages our school partnerships, and guides the policies that govern school membership, including making sure our vetting and screening standards hold. He also builds the relationships that extend our reach across the international school community and works with schools strengthening equity in how they recruit, govern, and develop their leaders. Having led schools himself and having watched many more from the State Department side, he knows what these decisions ask of a school and of the person stepping into the role.

Tim lives on the Pacific Northwest coast with his wife, Mona, also a longtime international educator and consultant. He travels extensively, rides his motorcycle, spends time on the lake, and makes time for his adult children whenever he can.