Donald Proffit
Personal information
- First name
- Donald
- Last name
- Proffit
- Website
- http://www.proffitprojects.com
- Brief Bio
Principal of Lawrence High School in New Jersey, midway between affluent Princeton to the north and economically challenged Trenton to the south, until his retirement in 2006, Don Proffit’s priorities were promoting a caring, inclusive, safe school community for a student body from diverse backgrounds, and supporting academic rigor, diversity, and ethics. In the years leading up to his work in Lawrence, Proffit's innovative education initiatives included directing a "Fame" magnet high school in dance and theater and acting.
Proffit's passion for finding and implementing tools for forming stronger, more inclusive communities has led him from Maine to Bali. He has served as an Ethical Literacy® coach with the Institute for Global Ethics in Camden, Maine, regional steward for The World Café, and is currently the arts curriculum/frameworks consultant for Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network – the first national network of urban secondary schools devoted to international studies and world languages. He also serves on the executive committee of the Bali Institute for Global Renewal.
Proffit holds a master's degree in educational leadership with a visual arts focus from Bank Street College/Parsons School of Design, a master's in creative arts education from Rutgers, and a bachelor's degree in music from the Westminster Choir College.
- Full Bio
To find refuge and refreshment in our schools and communities where one’s presence is not welcomed is a bitter and harsh reality for those of us perceived as different. Influencing others’ perceptions toward true tolerance and acceptance becomes a constant task to ensure that our institutions and neighborhoods sustain safe harbor for all of us.
Commitment to this task is the defining hallmark of not only Donald Proffit’s career in education, but also his personal creed. As the former principal of Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, N.J., his dedication to promoting a caring, inclusive and safe school community could be witnessed daily in programs supporting academic rigor, diversity and ethics. His work in defining caring communities through the arts and ethics was also visible when he served as Principal at Highland Park Middle/High School, Highland Park, N.J., and Assistant Principal and Supervisor of Fine and Performing Arts for Lawrence Township Public Schools.
As a long-time arts educator Don directed a “Fame” magnet high school in dance and theater at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School, Bridgewater, N.J.; and taught music for Marlboro Township Public Schools and Toms River Public Schools. He has served as a coach/consultant and artist/teacher for local, state and national arts and education organizations and agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Guam Department of Education, Utah Arts Council, and the University of Wisconsin, among others. Additionally, he has presented workshops, clinics and original performance pieces in Australia, France, Israel and Italy. Of particular importance was his work in Israel as part of the Harmony Project with the Institute for Arts and Humanities Education. Don and arts-colleague, Maureen Heffernan, were charged with bringing together a group of Israeli, Palestinian and American youth, using the arts as the vehicle for meaningful understanding and conversation. This experience reaffirmed his belief that meaningful and life-changing engagement is always possible when you establish a safe and honest environment for conversation and collaboration.
Don is a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Teacher Fellow and two-time recipient of the New Jersey Governor’s Award in Arts Education. As a professional musician, Don has served as accompanist to Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, and Mary Anthony. An infrequent composer and painter, Don realizes the social and therapeutic benefit of the arts for all of us.He is also the 2003 recipient of The D. Bennett Mazur Award for Lifetime Achievement for having made sustained and profound contributions to transforming society, at great risk to him, awarded by the Personal Liberty Fund of the New Jersey Lesbian and Gay Coalition. Don was responsible for promoting an atmosphere of acceptance, inclusion and openness among the students, faculty and staff at Lawrence High School.
Drafted during the Vietnam War, yet refusing to carry a gun, Don subsequently was granted status as a conscientious objector and completed his alternative service in Alaska, working for Alaska Children’s Services and the Episcopal Church. His most profound experience during this period centered on his extended stay in the remote Arctic Inuit village of Point Hope, 150 miles above the Arctic Circle. Don’s view on the isolation of the outsider and the powerful role the arts and ethics can play in defining inclusive communities is grounded by this experience.
Mr. Proffit holds a Master of Education in Creative Arts Education from Rutgers University and a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College and Parsons School of Design. His undergraduate degree is from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J. Don has served as an Ethical Literacy™ Coach for the Institute for Global Ethics in Camden, Maine. He is a facilitator/host for The World Café – a process for bringing people together around questions that matter. He is a senior curriculum consultant for the Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network (ISSN) – the first national network of urban secondary schools devoted to international studies and world languages.
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