Timothey Fitzgerald
Co-Founder & Director of Curriculum

Mr. Fitzgerald has been a teacher and educator for over 25 years. He was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, attending Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS). As a student of the martial arts, Tim’s initial foray into teaching began at the age of 14, when he was put in charge of training young children in the fundamentals of tae kwon do. Upon graduating from high school, Tim attended Loyola Marymount University, and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts. Between semesters, he would fly back to Korea and teach ESL classes to students ranging in ages from 5 to 17. Mr. Fitzgerald would continue his higher education receiving his Master of Fine Arts in acting from UCLA, where he was also awarded the prestigious Jack Nicholson Prize in Acting.

Tim joined the staff of Performing Art Workshops as a Theater and Martial Arts Instructor, and soon thereafter became PAW’s Artistic Director, adapting plays and musicals, creating new works and developing curriculum for PAW’s after school enrichment and summer camp programs. During that time, he taught classes to children in dozens of public and private schools throughout LA, was the On-Site Camp Director for five years in the Manhattan Beach Cultural Arts Department, and was a Guest Teacher at the exclusive John Thomas Dye School in Bel Aire for over five years. Working in partnership with Cheryl Appleman, Tim co-founded the National Enrichment Teachers Association, helping to develop best practices and certification standards for teachers working in the industry.

Tim is currently a Professor of Theater at Loyola Marymount University. Having worked with pre-school through college-aged students, he has a unique insight into the pressure students are subject to throughout their academic careers. By co-founding Project LEAD, it is Tim’s ambition to give students the tools to round out their education and empower them to become leaders of tomorrow who know that they have something important to say. With these tools, Tim is equipping students at a younger age than ever before to enter college prepared to take a stand and make changes that will directly impact their future.

At Project LEAD, Tim is at the forefront of curriculum research and development, creating tangible, age-appropriate leadership classes out of bigger picture concepts and goals. Tim utilizes his knowledge of child development and his vast experience in the classroom to ensure that Project LEAD’s workshops are engaging, timely, relatable, and accessible to children. Tim is committed to providing LEAD Educators with high-quality, comprehensive curriculum so they can empower the changemakers of tomorrow by nurturing the children of today.