President, Mid-Pacific Institute
Paul Turnbull is Mid-Pacific’s ninth President. Prior to joining Mid-Pacific, Paul served as Junior High School Principal and Principal of Santa Barbara High School, Assistant Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District. Throughout his academic career Paul has placed children first in his thinking and actions. He is committed to the innovative, diverse and cutting-edge philosophies that have guided Mid-Pacific to national prominence.
Paul has been involved in the development of academies, innovative college and business partnerships at home and abroad. He was the subject of a Harvard case-study focusing on innovative practices in high schools, and he sat on a state-level finance board for publicly funded school districts in California. Paul is also the recipient of the CyArk Summit Award for Education, and was recognized by EdTech Digest as a Top 100 EdTech Influencer in the United States.
Paul earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his Masters of Education from University of Victoria, Canada. Paul is a proud alumni parent (Gabrielle Turnbull ’22).
