Getting to know a 2025 gcLi Lab Scholar–Tim Creamer
1. Who are your favorite writers?
Martha Wells, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Joe Feldman
2. Who are your heroes in real life?
My son Andrew. He has endured more than most, yet he remains optimistic and continues to work hard to accomplish great things. His resilience and determination inspire me every day.
3. Who or what motivated you to become an educator?
I was a graduate student and teaching assistant in the Geology Department at the University of Rhode Island. As part of my assistantship, I taught undergraduate lab courses—and quickly realized I enjoyed working with students far more than studying rocks, minerals, or oil wells. After a year at URI, I decided to shift paths, earned my teaching credentials, became a middle school science teacher, and never looked back.
4. Your idea of happiness…
Seeing the people I care about living with purpose and joy, doing what they’re truly meant to do.
5. In a nutshell, what is your definition of leadership?
Leadership, to me, is developing others to lead—by empowering teachers, school counselors, and students to make meaningful decisions, celebrating shared accomplishments, and helping them see leadership in themselves. That way, if the “leader” is out for a day, a week, or even longer, the system continues to function—largely unchanged.
6. What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty and fierce authenticity.
7. What do you do for self-renewal?
There is a small National Park a mile from where I live, Prince William National Forest Park. At least twice a week, I explore the trails while listening to audiobooks and connect with family and friends on the phone.
8. Who is your hero/ heroine of fiction?
Pi Patel and Katniss Everdeen, and I love Sec Unit/Murderbot.
9. What is your current state of mind?
I feel proud of the work I’ve done alongside students, teachers, and administrators at Commonwealth Academy to help move the school in a positive and productive direction. I’m also genuinely excited for year two—when I might actually know what I’m doing!
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Tim Creamer is a 2019 LL Graduate and one of this year’s Leadership Lab Scholars. Currently, he serves as the Head of Lower and Middle Schools at Commonwealth Academy, a small independent school in Northern Virginia. Before this, he was the Assistant Director of Student Leadership Development at Charlotte Latin School, a larger TK-12 independent school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Throughout his career, he’s also served as a science teacher, grade level team leader, head varsity baseball coach, and summer camp director. In each of these roles, he has always advocated for students to have a voice in shaping their daily experiences and encouraged them to take the lead in improving their community. He has witnessed students solve complex problems that even teachers and administrators couldn’t, and he’s seen them rise to the challenge when given the opportunity.