Matt Vacca

M.A. - Director, Upper School Division
In his role at Geffen Academy, Matt facilitates and provides leadership to design, cultivate, implement, and execute the instructional operations for the Upper School.
Matt is also spearheading our Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC) accreditation efforts, leading the creation of the University of California “a-g” course list, developing our inaugural summer school program, and helping to fine tune Geffen Academy’s curriculum, schedule, and academic advising process. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley where he grew up playing golf, soccer, baseball, and football, Matt earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from California State University, Northridge. He comes to us from de Toledo High School in the West San Fernando Valley. He aided in the startup of the school during his 13-year tenure, joining in the third year of operation--first as a soccer, physical education, and golf coach, then as an American history and government teacher, department chair, academic dean, master scheduler, and summer school director. In addition to leading the school through its most recent WASC accreditation process, he also founded an institute to promote entrepreneurship for his high school students and served as a pilot teacher for the Austrian-based Central Europe Center for Research and Documentation (CENTROPA). While in graduate school, Matt served as an U.S. Congressional intern fellow though the Panetta Institute for Public Policy and worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Later, he also served as a research intern for the Community Development Agency of Los Angeles (CRALA) where he researched the origins of the homeless epidemic in Los Angeles. 
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