Dr. Joel Herbst leads Florida Atlantic University Lab Schools, including A.D. Henderson University School, FAU High School in Boca Raton and Jupiter, Pine Jog Environmental Center, and the Bezos Academy. His career spans over thirty years, holding positions such as teacher, principal, director of school improvement, and regional superintendent. Dr. Herbst focuses on strategic initiatives that revolutionize education through predictive analytics, improve student achievement with data-driven approaches, and design learning spaces that positively impact student and teacher engagement. Dr. Herbst leverages physical adaptive learning models in school settings, which inform the school’s physical space that fosters connections between students, teachers, and relevant, industry-standard learning.
Dedicated to pioneering educational design, Dr. Herbst’s major STEM-focused curriculum initiatives have transformed classrooms into spaces of exploration and discovery. He employs creative solutions from various industries, ensuring students engage in meaningful experiences that prepare them for emerging careers. Dr. Herbst has remained at the forefront of national industry and educational trends throughout his career by serving on a variety of committees and boards, including Coca Cola’s Council for Corporate and School Partnerships, President of the Florida Association of School Administrators, and Board of Governors for the American Association of School Administrators.
Dr. Herbst continues to push boundaries and create innovative practices. His leadership, in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University, has developed the only high school that provides students an immersive dual-enrollment experience, allowing students the opportunity to earn both their high school and bachelor’s degrees debt-free.
Through persistence and determination over a six-year period, Dr. Herbst led a $60 million capital campaign to transform FAU Lab Schools into a unique educational complex, with the project being completed in 2025. Dr. Herbst has masterfully cultivated an educational environment where students flourish beyond the traditional grade-level constraints and where their interests and talents can be nurtured to their fullest extent. His vision has led to designing physical spaces that break conventional limitations and creating innovative curricula and educational experiences for students and educators to reimagine what is possibl
