Dr. Ralph Maurer assumed the role of Head of School for Oxbridge Academy on July 1, 2018. He joined us in January 2018 as Head of School-Elect, working closely with John Klemme to ensure a smooth transition in leadership. Mr. Klemme stepped down as Head of School to return to the classroom to teach English.

Before joining Oxbridge, Dr. Maurer served as the Headmaster of The International School Nido de Aguilas (Nido), an independent English-language international day school in Santiago, Chile. Nido has a 1,750-member student body (58% of whom are from outside Chile, with 17% from the U.S.), encompassing Pre-K through 12th grades. During his tenure, Dr. Maurer led the school’s strategic planning process; strengthened the school’s project-based learning program; developed strong arts and athletic programs; created a professional development academy; and established the school’s first endowment fund. He is a regular contributor to the global discussion regarding innovation in independent schools, presenting at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference and participating in the NAIS Institute for New Heads.

Prior, Dr. Maurer was a faculty member and administrator at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, where he was in charge of the entrepreneurship curriculum and was one of Tulane’s primary public figures on the subject. While at Tulane, Dr. Maurer served as the founding executive director of the New Orleans Startup Fund, raising more than $4 million in investment capital to help rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina by stimulating early stage high-growth entrepreneurship, including funding the development of Kickboard, a classroom management software company. Additionally, he did consulting work for Daimler-Benz Research & Technology and was a co-founder of the consulting firm EMH Strategy. At EMH, he and his partners developed strategic, financial, operational, and feasibility plans for a variety of educational institutions, including the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts secondary school, and Cafe Reconcile community center educational facility, as well as working on projects for the Louisiana Department of Education. He played an instrumental role in launching The Idea Lab at St. Martin’s Episcopal School (PK-12).

Dr. Maurer was raised in Gainesville, where both his parents taught at the University of Florida. He is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications studies from Northwestern University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in management science and engineering from Stanford University. He lives in West Palm Beach with his wife, Dr. Meg Butler, a classical archeologist, and their son.