Avenues Online

Tim Carr

Head of School, Upper Division

Having lived on four continents for a total of 26 years overseas, Tim has served in leadership roles at some of the world’s most iconic international schools, including the Jakarta Intercultural School in Indonesia, and the American School in Japan, the Country Day School in Costa Rica and Graded - The American School of São Paulo, Brazil. During his time in Indonesia, Tim was named the 2015-16 International Superintendent of the Year by the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE). At Avenues, Tim has worked closely with the research and development team on programs seeking to reimagine the future of education, including the Avenues Mastery Academy and Avenues Studio Hamptons, and served as co-head of Avenues Online in 2018.

Jeff Lippman

Head of School, Lower Division

Jeff Lippman is an experienced educator with a commitment to student-centered education. He began his three-decade career as a high school social studies teacher; since then, he has taken leadership roles at schools in the United States, France, Spain and Brazil. Jeff was most recently head of middle school at the American School of Paris. Prior to that, he served as head of middle school at São Paulo's Graded School and high school principal at the American School of Valencia in Spain.

A native of Carmel, California, Jeff earned his B.A. and M.A. from Duke University. He also earned a degree in Educational Leadership through the Teachers College at Columbia University.

Drew Cortese

Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Upper Division

A member of the founding faculty of Avenues New York, Drew designed a drama sequence for grades 5-12 that focused on building transferable skill sets and encouraging calculated risk-taking. He served in a variety of roles throughout his Avenues New York tenure, including head of grade for the class of 2019, dean of students for grades 10-12, and most recently, the director for experience design. A graduate of Duke University and NYU's Graduate Acting Program, Drew is currently pursuing his doctorate in educational and organizational leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.

Matt Lai

Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Lower Division

Matt Lai joins Avenues after 14 years at Woodside Priory School where he served in a number of roles, including director of admissions & financial aid, dean of students, dean of residential life, teacher and coach. Matt is currently a trustee at the Enrollment Management Association and was previously a trustee at The Girls' Middle School in Palo Alto. Before transitioning to a career in education, Matt was a litigation attorney at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Manhattan. Matt holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School as well as an M.A. and B.A. from Stanford.

Blake Bush

Director of Operations

Blake joined the Avenues Research and Development team in 2015. He supported R&D initiatives at both HQ and the New York campus. From 2017, Blake focused on the development and launch of Avenues Online, supporting the development of the curriculum and serving as faculty. He now coordinates the day-to-day operations of Avenues Online.

Rebecca Strauss

Director of Curriculum Design

Rebecca joined Avenues in 2017 as a founding member of Avenues Online, where she currently leads the design, development, and refinement of Avenues Online's comprehensive curriculum. As Director of Curriculum Design for the organization at large, she is also responsible for the Avenues World Elements, Avenues' global curriculum which defines and describes the enduring learning outcomes for Avenues students across our campuses.

David Palumbo

Strategic Advisor

David joined Avenues as a Strategic Advisor in 2015. He was part of the team that developed the groundbreaking Leonardo technology platform for Avenues Online as well as its unique operating model. Previously, David worked with a wide variety of leading institutions and organizations on the design and delivery of online learning experiences. These include Harvard University, MIT, The Open University (UK), Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, The Walt Disney Company, Leapfrog, and National Geographic.

Ty Tingley

Chief Academic Officer Emeritus

Ty Tingley is among the most recognized and accomplished heads of school in the United States, having led Phillips Exeter Academy as principal for 12 years and before that, The Blake School in Minneapolis. After serving for four years as founding co-head of Avenues New York, Ty took on the role of chief academic officer, helping to build the global education and R&D teams that now support Avenues campuses around the world.