Meet our Director

Photo of Appamada School Director Dave Haumer, a young, bearded man in a lab coat showing off a science experiment resulting in a cloud of neon green smoke.

Dave Haumer (he/him)

Dave was born in Bremerton, Washington, and split most of his younger years between Virginia and Connecticut. After graduating from high school in the Northeast, he quickly sought warmer weather in Tucson, Arizona, where he studied chemistry at the University of Arizona. During his undergraduate career, he concentrated his research on the organic synthesis of biochemical compounds before graduating with a Bachelor of Science. After graduation, he returned to his stomping grounds in Connecticut to continue his studies at the University of Hartford with courses in neurochemistry while substitute teaching in local public schools. After accepting a long-term substitute position in Biology, Forensic Science, and Chemistry, he discovered a passion for education inspired by students who desire to better prepare themselves for a life in industrial research.

After one-too-many winters, he recalled his inclination for longer summers and distaste for snow removal when he decided Austin, Texas, was the next stop on his journey. Upon relocation, he began working as a Rehabilitation Technician in a long-term acute care center focused on brain injuries and wound care until joining the science department at Appamada School. 

When not in the classroom, Dave can be found reading up on current research in identifying a center of consciousness in the brain, skiing with his family, or getting lost in the latest alternative rock on vinyl. Over the past decade, he has also developed an international travel itch where a few of his favorites include; Costa Rica, Prague, Scotland, and (most recently) Thailand.

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