Maurice Ghysels

Biography

Dr. Maurice Ghysels serves as an affiliated professor of the Institute of School Leadership and Administration (ISLA) in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. He began his career as a high school teacher and principal. As the past superintendent of Mountain View Whisman, the Chief of Schools for Santa Clara County, and the superintendent of the Menlo Park City School District, Dr. Ghysels holds extensive educational leadership experience in all aspects of leading organizations: social justice and equity, teaching and learning, human resources, finance, technology, communication, legal and operations. In addition, his passion for teaching reflects his instruction as a former adjunct professor at Pepperdine University and a frequent guest lecturer for LMU’s School of Education. Dr. Ghysels also has served as a committee member for several doctoral dissertation panels.

Dr. Ghysels’ breadth of leadership experience is reflected in his teaching and coaching executives as a former global vice president for Citicorp and as the chief learning officer of a Groundswell, a high-tech startup in the Silicon Valley, as well as consulting for Fortune 100 companies. Known for his work in design thinking and quality process improvement, Dr. Ghysels is a creative leader who served in 2017-18 academic year as the Chief Innovation Officer for the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto, California.

Dr. Ghysels earned his B.A. in Economics from California State University, San Jose; his M.A. in Educational Leadership at California State University, East Bay; and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Organization at the University of San Francisco. His research interests include educational leadership preparation, creativity and innovation, teamwork, communication, and finance.

Education (3)

University of San Francisco: Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Organization 1995

California State University, East Bay: Administrative Services Credentials, Tier I and II, Administrative Services 1989

San Jose State University: B.A., Economics 1982

Areas of Expertise (7)

Educational Leadership

Human Resources

Finance

Technology

Communication

Legal

School and Operations

Industry Expertise (3)

Music

Education/Learning

Corporate Leadership

Accomplishments (1)

Dissertation (professional)

1995-06-01

School Restructuring and Resource Allocation by California Senate Bill 1274 Demonstration Schools, University of San Francisco

Affiliations (3)

• AERA
• ACSA
• American Society for Quality