Dr. Geoff Yantz is the Superintendent of the South Pasadena Unified School District (SPUSD). He began his career in education in 1992, and has served California students in numerous roles including as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent of educational services, and deputy superintendent prior to becoming a superintendent.
Dr. Yantz became the leader of South Pasadena Unified in April 2014. Since that time, he has focused on developing initiatives related to the District’s four strategic goals including enabling greater achievement for all students, offering state-of-the-art curriculum and instruction, achieving financial strength and sustainability, and providing facilities that support educational excellence.
With his oversight, South Pasadena Unified students and schools have frequently earned honors at the local, state, and national levels. All three elementary schools and the middle school have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools; the elementary, middle and high schools earned California Distinguished Schools honors, and the high school consistently has received “Best High School” national rankings from U.S. News and World Report.
Working closely with and supporting administrators, faculty and staff, Dr. Yantz has helped improve student outcomes by developing pathways in engineering, biomedical science, and computer science in addition to enhancing existing college and career pathways. He provided a foundation for the development of the Train Your Brain program, which promotes positive staff-student interactions, along with resiliency, and social-emotional wellness through a range of comprehensive services that support SPUSD students. His ability to work seamlessly with educational partners such as the South Pasadena Educational Foundation, school and council PTAs, and parent booster clubs are a testament to his collaborative nature, inclusivity, and commitment to developing students’ unique talents and love of learning.
Superintendent Yantz also has successfully overseen the passage of two local parcel tax renewals and a $98 million bond measure that helped build a new high school STEM building, a high school athletics facility, a renovated middle school arts building, and new arts classrooms at all three elementary schools, among other facilities projects within South Pasadena Unified.
Dr. Yantz led El Segundo Unified as superintendent from 2007-2014. During his tenure, he helped create and design highly structured, progressive staff development programs, implemented a one-to-one iPad initiative at the high school, developed a framework for college and career pathways and established a positive culture based on sound instructional pedagogy and teacher-led change. He also redesigned the District's special education instructional delivery model and created inspiration for and developed the framework to pursue the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program.
He earned his Doctorate and Master of Science degrees from Pepperdine University, a Master of Arts from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Yantz enjoys spending his free time boogie boarding and skiing with his wife and three high school/college-aged children.