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Jack Shea
Jack Shea
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Teton Science Schools’ executive director Jack Shea doesn’t have an office. Instead, he travels the campus, greeting students, teachers, and visitors, keeping an eye on the many facets encompassed by the science school. Shea, fifty-nine, grew up in Massachusetts, where his family was in the carpet business. He was the first in his family to attend college, earning a degree in wildlife biology from the University of Vermont. Shea took the helm of the Teton Science Schools in 1988, and has guided it through major expansions, both of the campus and the programming.
Q. What’s next for the school?
A. Journeys School [an independent pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade school] is now ten years old. It has been an exciting time for all areas of the school. Now is a good time to kind of take our breaths and look to the future. Right now we’re in the midst of a strategic planning process. What I see is, let’s call it ‘solidification’ of all the ideas from the past years. If you think about concentric rings, … our service to Jackson Hole is the center ring—and that has gotten really strong. The next level is stretching out further. The Tetons have two sides. I’d love the science school to look for opportunities in Teton Valley [Idaho].
Q: You’ve spent your career educating others. What have you learned during your time at Teton Science Schools?
A: The general, global answer is never stop learning. The answer specific to the science school is, even when an idea is crystal clear to you, you have to sell it. I like to think I know the school, I know the business, [and] I know the community. But to ever get anything done, even if you are certain it’s a good idea, you have to know how to sell, cajole, and convince others.
