I am a father of two daughters and husband to a special educator. My personal family means the world to me because it keeps me grounded and humble (raising children has been by far the most challenging "job" I have ever had). Visit the Taylor household and you will hear Broadway show music, jazz (my preference) and be visited by our King Charles Spaniel Mayzie, Malti-Poo Cody, and Golden Retriever seeing-eye puppy-in-training Afriyie. We love the Jersey Shore (Cape May in particular), family movie nights, and taking long walks to the main street in our town. Julia is a Pace University student (Class of 2025), and Sarah is a Bachelors of Music student studying musical theatre at the Manhattan School of Music (Class of 2022).

I began my educational career as a high school English teacher at the High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey. My first leadership position had me take the assistant principalship in the Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School. I moved to the other side of Manalapan to be principal of the Lafayette Mills School (Grades 4-6) but left to return to the district in which I started as I assumed the position of principal of the Academy of Allied Health and Science. The next step in my career path led me to Little Silver Public Schools where I held the position of supervisor of curriculum, instruction, and technology. I then moved to Kenilworth where I took the helm as assistant superintendent and superintendent. My last position was in Highland Park, serving as the district's superintendent starting October 2015. Now, I've returned to Union County to assertively help all of the Township of Union School District's children grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally.

To support these efforts, I have kept my own professional learning alive and well. I received my doctorate from Columbia University in 2008 and began teaching at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education soon after. I now teach at both Rutgers and Montclair Universities and am a facilitator for the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools. My work at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick as a member of the group's Educational Advisory Panel helps me stay current in the performing arts. I share my professional ideas as a featured blogger for the George Lucas Educational Foundation (click) and Education World.

I am honored to have been recognized as the 2018 Middlesex County Superintendent of the Year. My work at Rutgers University was noted as well as I received the 2017 Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from the University Council for Educational Administration.

When I am not playing with the kids or finding some quiet time to sit on the porch with my wife Caren and a good cup of coffee (I prefer Starbucks), I enjoy reading presidential biographies and training for triathlons. I am a competitive age-group triathlete (click) and mostly race Ironman 70.3 events. I started running the New York City Marathon on November 2, 2014 and have competed in the amazing race every year since then. I am honored to have been awarded Ironman Triathlon All World Athlete (Bronze) status four times (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019) for having placed in the top 10% of my age group and am currently ranked 263 of 4,459 in the United States.

My years of experience in the field have led me to become an expert in the areas of educational equity, social-emotional learning and LGBTQ-allyship. My resume details this expertise and can be downloaded by clicking here. You can learn more about me at taylorleadership.net and by exploring my professional vision by reading my blog at successfulschools.blogspot.com (click).