Tammy Murphy

Tammy Murphy is the Chief Education Officer for GEMS Education and has proudly served the families of GEMS Dubai American Academy (DAA) as Superintendent and CEO since 2017. DAA is the only American School in Dubai rated Outstanding since 2011 by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).

Prior to her move to Dubai, Tammy spent 12 years in California as the Superintendent of both Ross and Montecito Union School Districts. Originally from the East Coast, Tammy dedicated most of her 37-year career in education to the Cherry Hill Public Schools in New Jersey, USA. There, she served as an Elementary and Middle School Principal, and Assistant Superintendent of instruction for over 12,000 students and 19 schools. In each of these learning communities, she focused on both academic achievement and character development, with her Middle School being recognized for the Grand Prize as the best Middle School in the United States for student advocacy. Tammy has served as an IB presenter and program authorization lead and opened the first IB Middle Years Program School in the Northeast.

At Montecito, she collaborated with a committed staff to be recognized as one of only five US schools honored as an International Habits of Mind School of Excellence and received the US Department of Education’s National Green Ribbon School Award. Tammy also served on the California Board for Schools for Sound Finance.

Tammy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration, and has completed extensive doctoral coursework in Educational Leadership at Rowan University.